Review: Immortal Beloved

 

Immortal Beloved
Cate Teirnan
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 7, 2010

New name, new town, new life. Nastasya has done it too often to count. And there’s no end in sight. Nothing ever really ends... when you’re immortal. But this time is different: Nastasya knows that this new town must hold her salvation—or her death.



Nastasya was born into darkness, and has embraced it her whole life. Four hundred years ago, a tragedy robbed her of her birthright, and she’s been living a lie ever since. Now, four centuries of exploring the depths and limits of dark power has left Nastasya feeling sickened unto death. If she continues down this road, she will end up as a very dark, twisted, evil thing—with unthinkable power. Or she can begin the long, painful road toward light, and reclaim the destiny that others tried to destroy.
They’re rare. You may have never met one, never sat next to one on a plane, never eaten in the same restaurant at the same time. But the Immortals are there. Have always been there. Will always be there. Moving among humans, playing out their own cursed fate. Sometimes subtly, sometimes with huge, sweeping implications for mankind. But no one will ever know. Except you.
 

Immortal Beloved had a very intriguing premise. There are not very many books about immortals (and by that I mean there are a few but not as many as say fairies and angels). It was good to have a change from your typical vampire and werewolf tales. That being said, I enjoyed Immortal Beloved, but I had a few issues with it.


I wasn't too crazy about the main character, Nastasya. At 449 years old, she sounded like she was 15. She whined. A lot. And yes, I felt sympathy for everything she's been through, but to a point. After a while though, I grew to look past this. If wasn't so bad then, especially when she admitted she was wrong or being stupid. I liked some of the side characters, too. They were quite enjoyable. (Sorry I can't think of any off the top of my head.)

I was quite disappointed by the romance. There was practically none. When it did happen it popped out of nowhere. Pretty much all we established in this book is that Nasty thinks Reyn is sexy and she hates his guts. Other than that, nothing was accomplished in the love department.

Other than those few things, Immortal Beloved was enjoyable. It's not like anything I've read in a while. The story line was unique, and while some parts were predictable, others I never would have guessed. I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel.

Rating:

3.5 hearts