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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Some interesting perspectives to "immortals" that I found unique to this novel.
Nasty is an immortal who has lives for 459 years. She looks 17 and hangs out with a gang of immortals who party hard and have the best that money can buy. But when he discovers a dark side to her 'friends' she decides to take action and become a better immortal. But it's never that easy, is it??
Despite some of the cliché or cheesy themes and lines, it's a really good book!! I literally stayed up till 1AM reading it!!! Tierman includes the perfect amount of magic, cliché and twists to keep me up all day!!!
My next stop: to the book store to get the next one!!!!
Despite some of the cliché or cheesy themes and lines, it's a really good book!! I literally stayed up till 1AM reading it!!! Tierman includes the perfect amount of magic, cliché and twists to keep me up all day!!!
My next stop: to the book store to get the next one!!!!
I really loved the different plots that went on in this book. There were moments of romance, room for suspense, friendship and hate and yet almost all the characters managed to grow. They were all different individuals with their own story to tell. The modern touch on the magic was not entirely to my taste but the chemistry between Nastasya and Reyn made up for it!
It reminds me of the Caster Chronicles. I am proud to say its just as good as the sweep series. I was a tad supprised by how crazy Nell is. There are alot of things that need to be cleard up in the next books. But as always Cate Tiernan did an EPIC job .
Because of my little vampire addition, I've spent a lot of time thinking about immortality and how it might change a person's humanity over the course of several lifetimes. How hard would it be to hold on to your moral compass if time stretched on forever? Not only does Immortal Beloved do an excellent job of exploring an answer to that very question, it also examines several others like it.
Nastasya is an immortal that knows very little about her past or her status as an indestructible human. Living a life of luxury, the only thing she concerns herself with is having a good time with her friends at the latest club. But when she witnesses her best friend use dark magic, her world shifts and she quickly realizes she needs to change her ways before she too becomes consumed by the darkness that surrounds her. Seeking refuge, she retreats to River's Edge, which forces her to face her past with brutality honest. As tormented memories that she prefers to forget awaken, she confronts her pain, a new part of herself emerges.
In a beautifully hunting story that isn't exactly a page turner, but still well worth a read, Nastasya's tale unfolds as a slow and painful journey of self discovery. It didn't take long for me to realize that underneath her superficial shell, Nastasya's a rich character with an amazing amount of depth. I always feel embarassed for characters that don't bother to learn anything about their own history, and Nastasya was no exception, but as she admitted and worked through her flaws, my perception of her changed and I really grew to like her.
I did have a few problems with the language Nastasya used, and not because it was 'bad' but because it was modern. I believe with age comes a certain amount of formality in one's choice of vocabulary. I would think this would be especially true of someone who is, say, 450 years old. So it bothered me a bit that Nastasya's speak was so juvenile, even for a wayward party girl. I mean, I enjoyed her sense of humor and her snark, but her "WTF" and "OMG"s seemed a bit out of place. Also, I didn't find the entire immortality angle believable. If they have been around since the beginning of human existence and if they are basically human, why the secrecy? An explanation for that wasn't really provided.
The conclusion of the plot part of the story was a bit anticlimactic and the villain ended up being the obvious choice, but that didn't bother me because the story seemed to be more about character development. With that in mind, the title of the book, Immortal Beloved may throw you off. If you're like me, you might believe it to be about an epic love affair, and in a way it is. But the love affair isn't between a boy and a girl; it's between a girl and herself as she tries to discover who she is and what she wants to be.
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2012/01/reviews-immortal-beloved-and-darkness.html
Nastasya is an immortal that knows very little about her past or her status as an indestructible human. Living a life of luxury, the only thing she concerns herself with is having a good time with her friends at the latest club. But when she witnesses her best friend use dark magic, her world shifts and she quickly realizes she needs to change her ways before she too becomes consumed by the darkness that surrounds her. Seeking refuge, she retreats to River's Edge, which forces her to face her past with brutality honest. As tormented memories that she prefers to forget awaken, she confronts her pain, a new part of herself emerges.
In a beautifully hunting story that isn't exactly a page turner, but still well worth a read, Nastasya's tale unfolds as a slow and painful journey of self discovery. It didn't take long for me to realize that underneath her superficial shell, Nastasya's a rich character with an amazing amount of depth. I always feel embarassed for characters that don't bother to learn anything about their own history, and Nastasya was no exception, but as she admitted and worked through her flaws, my perception of her changed and I really grew to like her.
I did have a few problems with the language Nastasya used, and not because it was 'bad' but because it was modern. I believe with age comes a certain amount of formality in one's choice of vocabulary. I would think this would be especially true of someone who is, say, 450 years old. So it bothered me a bit that Nastasya's speak was so juvenile, even for a wayward party girl. I mean, I enjoyed her sense of humor and her snark, but her "WTF" and "OMG"s seemed a bit out of place. Also, I didn't find the entire immortality angle believable. If they have been around since the beginning of human existence and if they are basically human, why the secrecy? An explanation for that wasn't really provided.
The conclusion of the plot part of the story was a bit anticlimactic and the villain ended up being the obvious choice, but that didn't bother me because the story seemed to be more about character development. With that in mind, the title of the book, Immortal Beloved may throw you off. If you're like me, you might believe it to be about an epic love affair, and in a way it is. But the love affair isn't between a boy and a girl; it's between a girl and herself as she tries to discover who she is and what she wants to be.
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2012/01/reviews-immortal-beloved-and-darkness.html
4.5 stars actually.
I think what I like most about this novel was it wasn't your typical teen fantasy where the main character was immortal and trying to live life as a normal teen. Nastasya, a 450-something year old girl, has lived many different lives in many different places. With her core group of friends, she has no cares in the world. What she didn't realize until one dark evening though, was that maybe she wanted more than then life she was living.
After witnessing one if her best friends committing a heinous act, Nastasya decides to cash in an offer made by a stranger 80 years ago and get her life back on track. Finding herself in a sort of immortal rehab, Nastasya isn't sure she's cut out to be good. Everything in her being is telling her she doesn't belong, but River and the most of the others at River's Edge think differently.
Living healthy life is not easy, and having a Viking god-like man around named Reyn just makes it that much more difficult. As Nastasya immerses herself in this new life, she learns more about who she is and who she wants to be, coming to terms with a very sad and terrifying past. It isn't all kumbaya and happiness though, and as the weeks go by, Nastasya learns more about herself and attempts to come to terms with her past allowing her to have a future.
I wasn't too sure that I was going to enjoy this at first. It took a little bit to wrap my brain around the idea that this wasn't about Nastasya trying to be a teen, but more about her finding herself. It was refreshing. Also, because we weren't focusing on all the high school drama, Tiernan was really able to develop a solid story, one that gets readers set up for the next installment allowing a lot of things to happen for Lilja and Reyn. Can't wait to see what happens next!
I think what I like most about this novel was it wasn't your typical teen fantasy where the main character was immortal and trying to live life as a normal teen. Nastasya, a 450-something year old girl, has lived many different lives in many different places. With her core group of friends, she has no cares in the world. What she didn't realize until one dark evening though, was that maybe she wanted more than then life she was living.
After witnessing one if her best friends committing a heinous act, Nastasya decides to cash in an offer made by a stranger 80 years ago and get her life back on track. Finding herself in a sort of immortal rehab, Nastasya isn't sure she's cut out to be good. Everything in her being is telling her she doesn't belong, but River and the most of the others at River's Edge think differently.
Living healthy life is not easy, and having a Viking god-like man around named Reyn just makes it that much more difficult. As Nastasya immerses herself in this new life, she learns more about who she is and who she wants to be, coming to terms with a very sad and terrifying past. It isn't all kumbaya and happiness though, and as the weeks go by, Nastasya learns more about herself and attempts to come to terms with her past allowing her to have a future.
I wasn't too sure that I was going to enjoy this at first. It took a little bit to wrap my brain around the idea that this wasn't about Nastasya trying to be a teen, but more about her finding herself. It was refreshing. Also, because we weren't focusing on all the high school drama, Tiernan was really able to develop a solid story, one that gets readers set up for the next installment allowing a lot of things to happen for Lilja and Reyn. Can't wait to see what happens next!
This book had been on my shelf for quite some time, and I can't believe it took me this long to read it.
The writing is amazing, the characters are so well writing, the backstory are truly fantastic and the plot twist at the middle of the book is awesome!
I'm looking forward in finishing this trilogy.
The writing is amazing, the characters are so well writing, the backstory are truly fantastic and the plot twist at the middle of the book is awesome!
I'm looking forward in finishing this trilogy.
Nastasya* Crowe is old. She is 459 to be exact, although she still looks like she’s 17 and can usually be found acting like it too. She has been floating through life from one party to another for hundreds of years, until the night her best friend does something that scares her. Completely freaked out, Nastasya runs away. Because Nas can’t come up with a better option, she escapes to River's Edge, a rehab-like facility for immortals. Her goal is to stay a few days until she figures out what to do next, but something about River and her home forces Nas to confront her painful past. Although that scares Nastasya more than anything else, she feels compelled to stay.
A strong protagonist voice always makes a book stand out to me. After being inside of Nastasya's head for three books in a row, she is definitely on my Top Favorite Female Voices list (or she would be if I had one). I absolutely loved listening to her think and speak and do. The thing is, Nastasya is not very likable at first. She is selfish, self-indulgent, self-centered and shallow, but I was still easily able to emotionally connect with her from the beginning. Nastasya is also hilarious, and says whatever she thinks, especially when it’s something she should probably keep her mouth shut about. But Nastasya’s quick wit also hides some deep hurts. This poor girl's struggles with guilt and pain hurt my heart! Nastasya’s layers run deep and Tiernan expertly peals them back throughout this book.
A lot of paranormal books feature characters that are immortal; in fact, it is almost a requirement for a PNR. But very few handle it like Immortal Beloved does. Instead of featuring a character that becomes immortal, or discovers that she is one, Nastasya has already lived a very long life when we meet her. What we get to see from her voice is the burden of immortality. What it’s like to live so long unchanging and face hundreds of years of loss, struggles and life along the way. All of that has greatly affected Nastasya. It also has a lot to do with how she's lived her life in recent centuries. River’s rehab program is different from any one I’ve ever seen, because it is for people who have endless years behind and before them. But I grew to believe in its effectiveness (and begrudgingly, so did Nastasya). There are a few immortals in other books that I'd like to send there too.
Because Nastasya has lived for so long, to get to know her, we need to get to know her past. I despise don't usually care for extended flashback scenes, but I was impressed with how well the ones in Nastasya’s narrative served to emotionally tie me to her. They are well placed and give the reader enough information to get to know her and her history, without it overwhelming the present action. I don't think I could have understood her as well as I did, without those sections.
The other element about Immortal Beloved that stands out to me is the fact that it’s primary focus is on the inner struggle and character development of Nastasya. Although there are some bigger paranormal story elements at work, this is primarily a book about Nastasya’s self-discovery and personal growth. Despite the fact that she and the other characters are immortal and view life very differently than you or I would, this story felt like contemporary fiction to me in places. And though Nastasya looks like a teenager and has been living like a spoiled youth for centuries, she has been all grown up forever, and has experienced hundreds of years of grown up things. Because of that, I think this story has great crossover between YA and Adult audiences.
Although I’ve primarily talked about Nastasya in this review, there are many other characters introduced, which I also grew to love (or loathe) as I read through this series. One of them is the guy that becomes Nastasya’s love interest. Reyn is the first person that Nastasya meets at River's Edge, which is unfortunate, because he’s not very welcoming at all. In fact, he doesn’t seem to want her there. But Nastasya thinks there’s something familiar about him, though she can’t place him. Eventually she discovers why that is, and all I can say is WHOA. Reyn is very hard to read at first. He’s pretty much the definition of taciturn, especially when he’s around Nastasya. But there is a reason for everything, and like Nas, his layers run very deep. I was a bit unsure of him and them after reading this book, but I love how their relationship builds slowly throughout the series.
The Immortal Beloved series is written as one continuing story line split over three books, and I’m very glad that it is now fully published so I could read it back to back. The end of Immortal Beloved isn’t really a huge climactic moment, but it felt like the close of the first chapter in Nastasya’s growth. Having been able to read the series as I did, I like the way that the story unfolded throughout the three books.
I fell in love with Nastasya, Reyn, River and the entire Immortal Beloved series. Have you read these books yet?
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Mild – no great immediate danger, but clear that the overarching story is incomplete.
*I think the biggest struggle I had with this series is Nastasya's name (Nastasya, Nasty, Nas). Not only is it tricky to spell, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue easily. Thankfully, Nasty changes her name frequently, because I don't think I could call her that indefinitely.
**Are you wondering what type of immortal Nastasya is? For some reason I went into this series thinking that she was going to be a vampire. Nope. If I were going to equate her to something, it would be a witch. But these characters are wonderfully unique.
A strong protagonist voice always makes a book stand out to me. After being inside of Nastasya's head for three books in a row, she is definitely on my Top Favorite Female Voices list (or she would be if I had one). I absolutely loved listening to her think and speak and do. The thing is, Nastasya is not very likable at first. She is selfish, self-indulgent, self-centered and shallow, but I was still easily able to emotionally connect with her from the beginning. Nastasya is also hilarious, and says whatever she thinks, especially when it’s something she should probably keep her mouth shut about. But Nastasya’s quick wit also hides some deep hurts. This poor girl's struggles with guilt and pain hurt my heart! Nastasya’s layers run deep and Tiernan expertly peals them back throughout this book.
A lot of paranormal books feature characters that are immortal; in fact, it is almost a requirement for a PNR. But very few handle it like Immortal Beloved does. Instead of featuring a character that becomes immortal, or discovers that she is one, Nastasya has already lived a very long life when we meet her. What we get to see from her voice is the burden of immortality. What it’s like to live so long unchanging and face hundreds of years of loss, struggles and life along the way. All of that has greatly affected Nastasya. It also has a lot to do with how she's lived her life in recent centuries. River’s rehab program is different from any one I’ve ever seen, because it is for people who have endless years behind and before them. But I grew to believe in its effectiveness (and begrudgingly, so did Nastasya). There are a few immortals in other books that I'd like to send there too.
Because Nastasya has lived for so long, to get to know her, we need to get to know her past. I despise don't usually care for extended flashback scenes, but I was impressed with how well the ones in Nastasya’s narrative served to emotionally tie me to her. They are well placed and give the reader enough information to get to know her and her history, without it overwhelming the present action. I don't think I could have understood her as well as I did, without those sections.
The other element about Immortal Beloved that stands out to me is the fact that it’s primary focus is on the inner struggle and character development of Nastasya. Although there are some bigger paranormal story elements at work, this is primarily a book about Nastasya’s self-discovery and personal growth. Despite the fact that she and the other characters are immortal and view life very differently than you or I would, this story felt like contemporary fiction to me in places. And though Nastasya looks like a teenager and has been living like a spoiled youth for centuries, she has been all grown up forever, and has experienced hundreds of years of grown up things. Because of that, I think this story has great crossover between YA and Adult audiences.
Although I’ve primarily talked about Nastasya in this review, there are many other characters introduced, which I also grew to love (or loathe) as I read through this series. One of them is the guy that becomes Nastasya’s love interest. Reyn is the first person that Nastasya meets at River's Edge, which is unfortunate, because he’s not very welcoming at all. In fact, he doesn’t seem to want her there. But Nastasya thinks there’s something familiar about him, though she can’t place him. Eventually she discovers why that is, and all I can say is WHOA. Reyn is very hard to read at first. He’s pretty much the definition of taciturn, especially when he’s around Nastasya. But there is a reason for everything, and like Nas, his layers run very deep. I was a bit unsure of him and them after reading this book, but I love how their relationship builds slowly throughout the series.
The Immortal Beloved series is written as one continuing story line split over three books, and I’m very glad that it is now fully published so I could read it back to back. The end of Immortal Beloved isn’t really a huge climactic moment, but it felt like the close of the first chapter in Nastasya’s growth. Having been able to read the series as I did, I like the way that the story unfolded throughout the three books.
I fell in love with Nastasya, Reyn, River and the entire Immortal Beloved series. Have you read these books yet?
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Mild – no great immediate danger, but clear that the overarching story is incomplete.
*I think the biggest struggle I had with this series is Nastasya's name (Nastasya, Nasty, Nas). Not only is it tricky to spell, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue easily. Thankfully, Nasty changes her name frequently, because I don't think I could call her that indefinitely.
**Are you wondering what type of immortal Nastasya is? For some reason I went into this series thinking that she was going to be a vampire. Nope. If I were going to equate her to something, it would be a witch. But these characters are wonderfully unique.