Review: Immortal Beloved

IMMORTAL BELOVED (Immortal Beloved #1)
Cate Tiernan
Young Adult
407 pages
Little, Brown
Available Now

THE STORY
Nastasya has spent most of her immortal life hopping from club to club, city to city, drink to drink with her cadre of immortal friends. She doesn't work and doesn't care to, and has given up on finding a meaningful relationship as humans are too short-lived and immortals are the opposite, demanding a commitment she isn't willing to make.

Her closest friend Incy has been with her for nearly a century and they have partied their way across continents and through decades. She hasn't noticed his growing penchant for magick, the innate ability to wield power with which all immortals are born, not until his abuse of it's power one night outside a club. Seeing her dearest friend misuse his magick, and her subsequent decision to walk away from the gentleman he hurt instead of providing aid, causes Nastasya to have an epiphany.

Life has held no meaning for her for centuries, and she realizes she's ready for something else, needs something more than the dawn and dusk of a day that holds no joy. She sets off for a small town in Massachusetts home to a type of rehab for immortals who've gone astray, but in order to move forward, she must first look back and face a history perhaps more painful to endure a second time through.

MY THOUGHTS
I couldn't help but compare this story to Infinite Days. Both are stories of young women (in terms of appearance, not age) with brutal histories searching for a life with which they can begin again, free of the darkness that has defined their existence up to this point. Both Lenah and Nastasya have been desensitized by their centuries of life, and seek the ability to feel something other than interminable emptiness. They also both have a group of followers who are unhappy with their respective absences and seek to return them to the fold by any means necessary.

Nastasya isn't quite as beautifully tragic as Lenah. Lenah appreciates every moment of her second chance, takes in all the new sensations, feelings, and longings and breathes them deep so they may be embedded in her senses forever. Nastasya on the other hand, is unable to shake her elitist, socialite attitude and approaches her new beginning much in the way an addict might approach forced rehab. She scoffs at the other immortals and their interest in being something more, makes sarcastic quips to deflect personal interest, and constantly reminds herself that she won't be staying long. Though her attitude is understandable, it makes her somewhat difficult to connect with initially.

Despite her distracting immaturity at times, the relationship between Nastasya and fellow wayward immortal Reyn is a truly fascinating aspect of the story. At first glance, her attraction seems superficial and unoriginal. New girl sees gorgeous boy (or Viking God as she likes to refer to him), falls into lust, but is surprised by his instant and vehement dislike for her. Thus their relationship becomes increasingly antagonistic, but is laced with an underlying heat and passion. Again, not that uncommon. However, soon each page begins to reveal a new facet as more information is garnered, and ever so slowly new strands of mystery are woven, forcing the surface of their relationship to crack and unveiling a cavern of potential underneath.

Because the relationship is so interesting, I wanted to stay in the present and watch it unfold, making the continual flashbacks to Nastaya's former life a little frustrating. Her horrific past is necessary to understanding the present story, but it could have been revealed in one or two flashbacks as opposed to five or six, which would have let the reader burrow more deeply into the story instead of being yanked out just as circumstances get interesting.

In the end, Immortal Beloved is a story of finding acceptance and of caring for something after centuries of indifference. To be more than an empty vessel. To feel. Want. Hope. Dream. And to discover that the smallest joys can have the profoundest effect. I will certainly be picking up book two in the series since the book ends far stronger than it starts, and by the conclusion Nastasya has begun her transformation into a character that has the promise of being one who sticks in my memory.

Rating 3.5/5

Cover Critique: Immortal Beloved

Let me preface this post by saying that my design critiques of these covers are in no way, shape or form a reflection on the author, the content or the publisher. I know the authors have very little, if any, control over the design. These are strictly my thoughts stemming from my design experience.

Well, hello gorgeous. I wanted to pick a cover this week that didn't utilize a single photograph, but rather incorporated some additional design elements.

I have a confession to make. I have an unnatural fixation with symmetry. I like things to be symmetrical. When they're not, I develop a nervous tick and have a compulsive need to try and remedy the situation so whatever it is that's off will be symmetrical. It's a sickness really, but I'm working on getting help.

This cover does wonderful things for my illness. I love the circular design that encases the title, the frail scrollwork is nicely balanced with a thicker, more robust font to create a nice contrast. Normally, I'm not a fan of distorting fonts to make them fit into a particular shape, but I think in this case the elongation of the typeface works well, as does the staggering of each letter to make it conform to the circle. Though I haven't yet read this book, I know it deals with immortals (yes, my intelligence is sometimes astounding) and I'm assuming vampires might be in the mix so the extension of the two "m" letters to sharp points makes sense. Perhaps fangs. Or stakes.

Though there is a photograph in the background, it's blurred and indistinguishable enough as to not detract from the delicacy of the pattern, but it provides enough texture and color to keep the eye interested. Having seen this cover in person, I know the photograph is far more decipherable in the above image than it is in the printed version, making it a wash of changing colors that I think enhance the bright white of the border and title beautifully.

My one tiny complaint relates directly to the aforementioned fixation. The circular focal point is directly in the center of the cover which typically would be great and glorious and symmetrical. However, in this case we have the addition of the author's name below it which closes the space between the circle and the bottom, and makes it look as though it's off center with more space existing at the top. I want to reach in and hit the up arrow key about 5 times to create just a little more distance between the title and author's name so the space appears equal.

I have a problem, I know. But overall, I love this cover. The colors, font choice, and design all work beautifully together for me.

What do you guys think?