Alyson Noel: Shadowland

Brought to you by OBS owner Dawn

Book Three: The Immortals Series

Summary
Shadowland is the third installment in The Immortals series written by Alyson Noel.

First, a little background:

In Evermore, we meet a teenage Ever who has just lost her entire family in a car accident in which she was badly injured. When she awoke in the hospital, she finds herself confused with unbelievable psychic abilities and alone.

Shortly after moving in with her Aunt Sabine, Ever meets a mysterious young man at school named Damen. Over the course of the book, Ever learns that Damen is an immortal and so is she. Ever has been reincarnated over the many years and Damen always tracks her down, only to lose her before they can fully be together.

***

In Blue Moon, Ever learns about her past lives, her new powers and more about Damen. Just as she begins to settle into this life with Damen, a new boy shows up in school. With Roman’s arrival brings strange behavior from Damen and his powers begin to fade as he becomes sick.

Hell bent on saving him, Ever turns to Summerland; an alternate dimension where she searches for answers and barely manages to save Damen’s life. But it comes with a price….

***

In Shadowland, Ever and Damen cannot touch for a single mix of their DNA would mean death to Damen and a lifetime in the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls; this was the price Ever paid to save him.

Roman, on the other hand, continues to annoy and taunt Ever. He has the cure that would allow Damen and Ever to be together again, but wants something from Ever…. and  is bent on getting revenge.

Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source… Jude Knight.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.

Will Ever find a way to be with Damen and reverse the damage Roman has done? And will she choose to make her best friend Haven immortal and damn Haven to the same fate as she and Damen believe they share?

Review
Shadowland is all about the choices we make in our lives and how they affect others around us. Like the previous installments, Shadowland is filled with teen angst, but in a way that you want to keep reading, learning and growing with Ever. Death, reincarnation, magick are major themes throughout Alyson’s books and this one is no different.

While reading the series, I have taken back to the difficulty of high school; of being picked on and singled out by other kids and especially having those two amazing friends (Miles and Haven) who stick by you and love you in spite of yourself. Alyson Noel has hit the nail on the head with what it’s like to be different than those around you and how lost you can feel.

In Shadowland, I must admit I wanted to kick Roman’s ass. I feel that Ever can’t ever seem to get a break and this time it’s Roman’s merciless taunting that she has to try and avoid. My only gripe is that I’d like to see Ever get the last laugh in that relationship (Maybe a little ass-kicking is in order, hint-hint Alyson).

In Blue Moon, the colorful descriptions of Summerland are so beautiful – a place where you can imagine anything you want. On the other side of the coin, Shadowland’s emptiness and lack of feeling was bleak and scary – I understand Ever’s need to save Damen from that fate.

What I really enjoyed was Damen and Ever’s struggle to overcome insurmountable odds. I was right there with Ever as she searched for answers and was determined to do whatever it takes. I read each chapter hoping and wishing that she would succeed and she and Damen could finally be happy.

The one overwhelming message that I see throughout the series is love and how it can and does conquer all. Shadowland develops this even farther as Ever does everything in her power so that her and Damen can live happily together.