Review: Dark Flame by Alyson Noel

Title: Dark Flame (The Immortals, #4)
Author: Alyson Noel
Pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: October 22, 2010

In Alyson Noël’s most darkly seductive Immortals novel yet, Ever fights for control of her body, her soul — and the timeless true love she’s been chasing for centuries.

Ever is trying to help Haven make the transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat — exposing their secret world to the outside. But Ever's struggle to keep the Immortals hidden only propels Haven closer to the enemy: Roman and his evil companions.

At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman’s power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who’s hell-bent on her destruction. Now there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can’t stop thinking about Roman — and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state...and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.

Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself — and her future with Damen....

My Thoughts: Just want to give a heads up that this review contains spoilers and might not be a good idea to read if you're a fan of this book.

This is what I think about you, Ever Bloom:

Review: Fated by Alyson Noel

Title: Fated (Soul Seekers, #1)
Author: Alyson Noel
Pages: 306
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: May 22, 2012

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

My Thoughts: Alyson Noel's new series Soul Seekers takes place in the same world as her Immortals series. There's even a short story where Daire meets Ever, which can be read here. When I found out it was the same world, my curiosity for Fated actually faded a bit. I guess it's because I ended up really disappointed with the Immortals series and I was just hoping this new series would be something completely fresh. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't have it's unique moments or that it wasn't an improvement from the Immortals, but in the world of YA paranormal novels, Fated doesn't stand out.

Now, if you're a fan of the Immortals series, I think you will like this book. It has a slow and steady pace. The writing style is consistent. The main character Daire isn't as...well, let's say she doesn't make quite as many bad decisions as Ever. (I have to admit, though, that there were some instances where I saw bits of Ever in Daire. Hopefully Daire's decision-making doesn't go downhill from here. I am worried, since I didn't think Ever was so bad in Evermore either...and then the other books happened.) Also, there's still plenty of magick. There wasn't nearly as much romance as you would expect, but it's there. There's other similar qualities; however, I want to make it clear that I'm NOT saying it's a replica of the Immortals. I'm saying it felt like an Alyson Noel novel, which may be a good thing if you're a fan.

As for me, I won't be continuing this series. I might read reviews with spoilers of future books, but I'm definitely not going out of my way to read the rest. Fated was too long and tedious and boring to me, and I know I can expect the same in the next book. I definitely don't want to go through that three more times either! I don't believe Fated brings anything new to the genre, nor does it stand out at all amongst other YA paranormal novels. It was somewhat of an improvement from the Immortals and that's about it. (And this may be me being picky, but I don't like male characters with long hair. Dace, the love interest, has it, and it's such a huge turn off! So yeah, that sealed the deal for me.) I think I would only recommend Fated to those who are already Alyson Noel fans.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!