This book definitely needs a major overhaul in the editing department. There was no escaping the rampant misused or not used punctuation's and misspellings. Even though I knew from the reviews that there were many grammatical errors in this book, I decided to read it anyway. I needed something a bit lighter to read at the moment.

The only thing that saved this book was the story, even though it was a lot like Twilight and most YA paranormal romance books. There was the Coco Cola refill scene with waitress acting as if Alina was not even there and not seen as competition. There was the almost got ran over by a car scene. The girl with two guys vying for her affection. And the guys as enemies working together to keep her safe when her life is in danger. Etc.

The twist from the Twilight similarities was that it wasn't as serious there were some funny moments. The characters aren't so stiff, they make jokes and act their age. Alina's life wasn't as perfect especially when it comes to her family. And she actually has friends other than the guys fighting over her.

Samuel is brooding, shy, and considerate. He keeps information to minimum from Alina to not scare her(reminds you of someone).

Duncan is charming, outgoing, and adventurous. He believes Alina is strong enough to handle more info (but does he have ulterior motives?). Duncan's character brings a another parallel twist to the story.

One of the things I hate in these books is a character that keeps vital information to herself for no good reason. Alina doesn't tell her best friend Tabby that she knows Duncan and he's been flirting with her too or that she met Samuel before school. Plus, she keeps things from Samuel and Duncan that will help them protect her better. I've come to the conclusion it's a tactic for the author to add more fluff to the story and get more material because if they spill then things would probably be solve sooner.

Immortal will definitely fill the Twilight withdrawals. It wasn't too bad, I think the author is on a good track but could get better with proper editing. And because of my obsessive nature for the need see how this trilogy ends, I will most like be reading the rest of the series. Hope the atrocious (non)editing is addressed in the next two books. ( )

First the book started quite interesting, but after a short time I felt a bit bored. Alina was a very likable character, but Samuel was very one dimensional and by the end of the book I still did not know anything about him. The dialogues between Samuel and Alina were very uninteresting and nothing was there to explain why and how they managed to develop such a great love for each other. The characters were not well enough developed. There was more conversation going on with Duncan, who gave us a bit of the background of the immortals but not more. I only finished the book because I was waiting the whole time for the plot to develop, but it never happened. I never found out why Alina was taken, why Thanos and Lucinda were supposed to be the nasties. The book started off quite slow and the end was very fast paced which I did not enjoy as much. I actually felt that the book had a good story line but was not descriptive enough. ( )

Article first published as Book Review: Immortal by Lauren Burd on Blogcritics.

Alina's day is just getting worse. First there is getting home from her dad’s place in California. Flying is unnatural and Alina is absolutely terrified when in the air, so to keep herself distracted she tries reading but can not keep her mind on the book. As she hears a commotion at the front of the plane she spots one of the most entrancing guys she has ever seen. His eyes are a deep ocean blue and he is well built. He ends up sitting just opposite of her on the plane. She finds herself constantly looking at him, as if!. If that was not bad enough, when her mom picks her up at the airport and takes her home, she finds everything that belongs to her packed up in boxes and ready to be gone. Knowing she would be moving out for college was one thing; the coldness of the actual event is another.

On her first day of class, the guy from the plane sits next to her. He attracts attention like a flame attracts a moth. She studiously looks away but sees all the other girls watching. There is something about him... something different. It is during class introductions that she learns his name is Samuel. Just being next to him in class keeps her heart racing, making it impossible to concentrate on the assignments.

In her second class as she is waiting for the professor to show, she hears a wonderful, deep purring voice, asking if the seat next to her is free. She finds herself sinking into a pair of incredible green eyes, belonging to an exceptionally attractive guy. He too seems to have that certain charisma, which has every eye turning his way. But he appears to have eyes just for her. He introduces himself as Duncan as he takes the seat next to her. She can feel him staring at her through out the class and she is not sure how to handle the attention.

Each day is a new struggle for her, as Duncan is steady in his pursuit, while she can tell that Samuel likes her as well, he is more standoffish. For some reason she is more drawn to Samuel, although both of them are extremely handsome and charismatic. Duncan chooses to get close to her through her best friend Tabby, but in Alina’s world that makes Duncan off limits.

As Duncan sees her interest shift directly to Samuel he takes a risk and reveals his true nature to her. He then gives her the background on both himself and Samuel, thereby also revealing Samuel's secret. His goal is to direct her feeling back to him by revealing Samuel's dark past. Little do they know that this knowledge has put her in imminent danger.

As I began reading Lauren Burd’s Immortal, I was initially disappointed that it seemed to be following in the path of the Twilight series. We have these handsome guys, they have that certain something, a charisma that attracts, and Alina, our young heroine is a pale, brooding girl who somehow seems to be extremely attractive to them, more so then any other.

What sent me in a different direction, was that Alina actually has some very close female friends that will do anything for her. In return she is also very protective of them. As the narrative continues, Alina finds out that the guys are both vampires, and that they have a story from their pasts that puts them at odds with each other.

Lauren Burd has developed a group of very likeable characters. Alina really cares about her friends and puts their feelings ahead of her own. While she moves too quickly into decisions, this also makes her very much like most girls her age. She is brave and a bit foolhardy. Tabby, her best friend, makes herself available for Alina at every juncture. We should all have a friend like her. Samuel, while very aloof is also quite tender and fierce, while Duncan reminds me of the many jocks I knew growing up, he thinks he is wonderful and that everyone should fall at his feet, but at the same time he seems to really care about Alina, so it is hard not to like him.

Immortal was enjoyable for a light read with some fun and danger thrown in. The characters were good but seemed to grow as the book took a turn and developed a unique storyline of its own. Anyone who loved the Twilight saga is sure to enjoy this book.

While it begins much like that series I think you will find as you read further it changes gear and goes in a whole different direction

This book was received a a free copy from the Author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material. ( )