Fantasy Fridays: Immortal, by Gillian Shields

Immortal, by Gillian Shields

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 368
Reading Level: 14 and Up
Enjoyment Level: Medium


My thanks goes out to my BFF, Stephanie, for giving this book to me for Christmas this past year. The cover intrigued me enough that I put it on my Amazon wishlist, and I finally got around to reading it (I feel like I say that about a lot of books!).

I’m cheating this time and taking the book blurb straight from amazon.com:

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

While I did get wrapped up in the story, parts of it were a little frustrating, and the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I would’ve liked. Overall, though, I did enjoy getting to know the characters.

Evie is one thing this author did really well. She felt like a real person with real feelings. Sometimes she felt kind of bi-polar with the way her emotions switched around so fast, but I have a sister who’s like that, so I didn’t feel like the emotion-switching was a flaw in the writing. I will say, though, that it did bother me at the end when she was suddenly claiming to be a certain way and it seemed thrown in there to justify her pushing the people around her away.

However, with that aspect feeling rushed and cobbled together, I must say that there were several other points in the book where actions and plot points gave me the same impression. Immortal could easily have taken another chapter or two to develop the plot and support the ending, which was rushed and a little choppy.

I’m going to assume there will be a sequel to Immortal – I hope there will be, to at least clear up the abrubt ending. But a sequel would be nice, regardless, since I’d like to know what happens next in Evie’s life. I can feel confident in recommending this book with the hope of a sequel.

Until next time, go read something good!

~ Vilate