Immortal Beloved

Starred review from August 30, 2010
Born in 1551, Nastasya is immortal, wealthy, and at the end of her rope. After centuries of hedonism, one casually cruel moment in present-day London shatters her composure and leaves her grasping at the slimmest of chances to save her sense of humanity. That chance takes the form of River’s Edge, a farm and retreat in the heart of Massachusetts, where a varied group of immortals seek to regain the immediacy and emotion of life fully lived. It’s not an easy fit for Nastasya, and as she learns about her companions, the ghosts of her long and dark past rise vividly to haunt her. Tiernan (the Sweep series) gives Nastasya a strong, distinctive voice and wonderfully realized perspective on the joys and horrors of history (“I was in Paris on July 14, 1789. You never forget the sight of a human head on a pike”). First in a projected trilogy, the story necessarily leaves many questions open, but achieves a satisfying arc. As Nastasya admits, “I wanted to see how it came out.” Readers will, too. Ages 12–up.

August 15, 2010
Despite the title, romance plays a relatively small role in this tale of compassion, rehabilitation and magick. After four centuries careening from party to party with her band of elite immortals, reckless, callous, smart-mouthed Nastasya runs away to a rural farm that serves as a sort of rehab. There she begins to confront her painful past, understand her magickal gifts and untangle her confusing knot of feelings for Reyn, another immortal staying at the farm. Despite her age, Nastasya's cynical, defiant narration is awash in contemporary slang, pop-culture references and an inventive array of curses (including a few unfortunate slurs such as "lame" and "retarded"). Clearly, historical realism is not the goal of this novel, in which eternally youthful beings gallivant from Revolutionary Paris to 1960s San Francisco with seemingly limitless wealth and freedom. What Tiernan creates instead is an easy-to-swallow story of an emotionally immature woman healing from childhood trauma. The ending is anticlimactic, but more action is sure to follow in the trilogy's next two volumes. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2010

Gr 10 Up-This is both a fantasy about immortals and a contemporary story of an adolescent seeking to know herself. Questions about identity and morality plague Nastasya, an immortal. A heavy-drinking party girl, she speaks as a 21th-century teen, though she was born in 1551. Her connections with friends who flagrantly exploit their magic powers, flippantly causing death and pain to others, have finally set her on a quest for guidance. She looks for River, a calm, intelligent, and patient mentor who heads a retreat in Massachusetts called River's Edge. It is for immortals who seek self-knowledge. Independent Nastasya has trouble following the precepts of the group, but she perseveres because she desperately needs to get beyond the pain of her childhood and the brutal destruction of her family centuries earlier. The other students at River's school are all working through their own personal difficulties, and each character is interestingly drawn. Among them is Reyn, a handsome Nordic fellow whom Nastasya tries to ignore at first because he reminds her of the raiders who murdered her family. The truth of their dark past together becomes a background for their developing connection and strong mutual attraction. Intrigue, humor, pathos, and underlying wisdom combine to make a fascinating read. The open ending naturally leaves readers wondering what will happen next. Suggest this to fans of Frewin Jones's The Immortal Realm (HarperTeen, 2009) and Alyson Noel's Blue Moon (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009).-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Grades 8-11 Nastasya, Nasty, is a self-described wastrel partier. When you are immortal and have seen and done everything in your 450-plus years of life, it takes extremes to excite you. For Nasty, the extremes go too far when she watches her best friend, Innocencio, commit a violent crime, and it sends her reeling. Remembering River, who offered her refuge years ago, Nasty heads to West Lowing, Massachusetts, where she finds Rivers home for wayward immortals. On this communal organic farm, Nas learns to do chores, finds peace, discovers her inherited power, and meets up with Viking god Reyn. This series-starter has a few steamy scenes, but the romance hinted at in the books title is secondary to the story of a young woman taking stock of her choices and shaping her identity. With plenty of immortal teen angst and threats of lurking evil, this makes a strong choice for paranormal bibliographies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)