Alyson Noël’s third installment of her The Immortals series, Shadowland, left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. The series as a whole, I feel, has vast potential but the bulk of the narrative often comes off as contrived, convenient and predictable.
That’s not say there isn’t some entertainment here, or some value. But as with many young adult novels and series, the core of the story relies heavily on a teenage love affair that is supernatural in nature and therefore, ridden with complications and conflict. And of course, the girl protagonist at the heart of all is so deeply infatuated, that her life is essentially defined by this boy’s mere existence. Not a great message to be sending to the demographic, but stories of intense romance can be given a little liberty and some forgiveness for this contrivance. After all, what makes Romeo & Juliet, for example, so timeless and beloved is it’s very insistence that life is worth nothing without love.
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 deathiiplunging 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…
I feel like the each story in each book is simply a new conflict to keep the two lovers apart. And there is nothing wrong with that except that the characters remain–more or less–unchanged. Ever and Damen both struggle with own moral compasses and both are also both vaguely aware of their selfish compulsion to be together, no matter the consequences. But each book merely introduces a new antagonist(s) connected with Damen’s shady past and each of these villains makes it their mission to keep Damen and Ever apart. Because, obviously, a bunch of immortals with nothing but time and a profound vendetta have nothing better to do than to taunt Ever, who–for all intents and purposes–is just an innocent girl, never complicit in the acts her beau took part in centuries ago. Yes, that was sarcasm there.
The saga of Ever and Dame is just a long and redundant tale thus far, a tautology that bogs down the narrative. Certainly there are other elements within the story to draw from and create conflict with, but instead the author dwells on the focused romance, as if nothing else exists. Of course, little else does exist to these two characters.
Now, the whole idea of Ever and Damen not being able to touch for eternity is an intruguing idea and certainly reminiscent of the lovers’s plight in the tv series Pushing Daisies. It has the capacity to create this potent and volatile sexual tension but instead the author introduces a slight loophole. So throughout this novel the two do “touch” through a sheet of energy that barely separates them. I was disappointed that Ever and Damen could embrace or hold hands and even kiss; it takes away much of the power of their situation if they are able to find a way to circumvent it.
Characters need growth in order to form a true connection with the reader. One could argue that there is growth here. Damon, for example, feels this “curse” is karma coming to collect on him and so he willfully changes his routins and behavior. He rids himself of material things, adopts a new wardrobe–one without designer labels–and gives away his car. He insists Ever explore her connection with the mysterious Jude to see if something sparks there. But where one might see growth in these changes, I simply see a whiny martyr. But thats just me.
There’s far better Young Adult paranormal/fantasy book series out there, none that–in my opinion–surpass the epic The Mortal Instruments. (And yes, that includes you, Twilight!) Will I keep reading The Immortals? For now, yes. I’m three books in and harbor a small hope that Alyson Noël can salvage these characters, who remain frustratingly two-dimensional and unidentifiable. She has a good idea here; it just needs some nurture, a little more substance, and a bit of nuance. The devil’s in the details, after all.
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