Immortal by Gillian Shields

Release Date: Available Now from HarperTeen

Synopsis:

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.

Okay, here's the thing. I only got about halfway through this and then I just up and quit. I'm not usually a quitter, but with my busy days at the new job, it was hard for me to justify spending time with a book that didn't really capture me.

It's not badly written, it's just a little blah. I like the premise, I like the setting and the teachers at Wyldcliffe are pretty darn creepy, but something about this book just made it hard for me to soldier through.

I will admit, I am easily distracted these days, so I plan to give this one another try when I have more time to devote to it. Don't pass it up just because I didn't like it, but I've read some other not so great reviews as well, which leads me to the question.....are we influenced in our reading by bad reviews as much as good? If you've heard that something isn't good, are you likely to dislike it as well?

I think sometimes, when I've read some negative reviews on a book, I am pleasantly surprised when I like it. Whereas when I hear that something is awesome, I am occasionally let down when I don't like it as much as others. I don't know, just a thought.

To make a long story short, too late, this one just wasn't for me. At least it wasn't for the present, super-busy me. Maybe a summer vacation me would see this book completely differently. That's all I have to say about Immortal.