Immortal

Emily Durante conveys the loneliness and exhilaration of Evie Johnson, a student at Wildcliffe Abbey School. Evie quickly develops a secret friendship with a local boy named Sebastian. For most of the story, listeners will ponder the delicious question of whether Sebastian wants to date Evie--or kill her? Meanwhile, a ghost from 1882 leads Evie to mystical powers. Durante evokes this haunting story, which takes place on the English moors, with quaint voicings for the old-fashioned spirits. Using a clipped pace, she smoothes over predictable story elements and a sentimental romance. While Durante successfully plays up the story's mystic rituals, numerous thumps and clicks, indicative of poor sound editing, will distract listeners from this otherwise engaging tale. C.A. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

August 24, 2009
Shields, author of the Mermaid S.O.S. series, takes a gothic turn in this absorbing romance. Upon her beloved grandmother's hospitalization, 16-year-old Evie is sent to one of England's most prestigious boarding schools, the Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, located amid gloomy moors (“Towers and battlements jutted up crazily to the sky.... It was as though I had blundered back into a bygone age”). Despite a meandering beginning, the story accelerates with the interlaced historical narrative of Lady Agnes, whose family built the abbey that has become the school. Evie's scholarship and the required chores that accompany it isolate her from her rich, snotty classmates, but life seems to improve when she meets the alluring Sebastian. Odd visions and fainting spells begin to plague Evie, and further investigation uncovers the dark truth about Sebastian. As Evie explores Wyldcliffe's twisted history, she navigates questions about love, life and betrayal. Though the ending is tinged with a modern girl-power supernatural twist, the fresh take on classic ghostly romances will leave readers hungry for more. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2009
Gr 7-10-Sensible Evie Johnson arrives alone to face her new life at the Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies. Raised by her beloved grandmother, Evie never wanted to attend boarding school, especially one for spoiled rich girls. But Frankie has fallen gravely ill and Evies father is away in military service, so off to Wyldcliffe she goes. It is as horrible as Evie suspected it would be. The girls mistreat her, the headmistress is a nightmare, and she keeps seeing a girl who looks just like her. Evies only joy comes from her budding romance with elusive Sebastian, who tells her that he lives near the school. Why will he only meet her at night? What does he know about the mysteries surrounding the school? And who is that shadowy girl? Billed as the first in a paranormal romance series, this lightweight story is filled with romance, mystery, and suspense. The moors provide plenty of atmosphere and Wyldcliffe Abbey and its teachers are downright spooky."Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.