New MG Series

Riley has always been one of my favorite characters in Alyson Noel's Immortals Series, and was always disappointed when, particularly in the last couple books, she didn't play a big part. Well, it's no longer a problem, because Noel is giving Riley a series all her own:

"Welcome to the Here and Now.

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she’s summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can’t quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he’s never met Riley..." -Goodreads.com

I've never been a huge fan of MG lit, but I just might have to make an exception in this case. Mostly because Riley flat-out rocks, but also because I'm afraid I'll miss some reference that Noel might make in future Immortals books.

Speaking of which, have you seen the cover for the fourth one coming out in June?

And the title of the fifth one has also been released: Night Star

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

"Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

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. She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…" -From Amazon.com

Overall: 4/5

To be honest, I'm not sure how to start this review. I started reading this book with the expectation that I wouldn't like as much as the first two in the series. And through the beginning, I was right. For the first eighty or so pages, nothing really happens. Noel uses an abundant amount of time and space to basically just summarize the first two books and explain to readers how the characters got to be where they are now. It took me some effort to make it through those pages and be able to continue on to the rest of the story.

But then the story picks up. Things start happening that I had no fore-warning of (though it might have helped if I had read the front flap before the actual book) and it pretty thoroughly hooked me. The plot was well thought out and full of twists and turns and the characters were full of spunk and personality (always a good thing). I ended up really enjoying the book.

The only real problem was the reason that I liked it: Jude. It's not that I don't like Damen. It's just that Damen is a little predictable at this point. He loves Ever and is willing to do just about anything for her; there's no challenge or uncertainty there. Jude, however, is new and mysterious. He makes things interesting.

So this leaves me with a new question: If Jude doesn't make a re-appearance in Noel's next book, will that kill it for me?

I really hope not, but I guess I'll eventually find out.

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Ending: 3/5

Cover: 5/5