Forever by Lauren Burd

Title: Forever

Series: Immortal

Author: Lauren Burd

Previous Books in Series: Immortal

Rating: 4 stars

Length: 4604 Kindle units

Refresher:  Alina goes off to college where she is immediately sought after by two gorgeous (and immortal) boys for reasons that are not entirely clear.

Much like Immortal, Forever was eminently readable. I got sucked in and read the whole thing in one or two sessions while I was supposed to be doing other things, like sleeping. I liked Forever better than Immortal, I believe, not in the least because things happen in it. There are dramatic escapes and plot twists, and we even find out why Alina is special. Which explains why Duncan is interested in her, but we never do get a reason that Samuel likes her so much. I chalk it up to narrative necessity.

I had some issues with the believability of some of the plot twists. At certain points in the story, Duncan and other characters do things which demonstrate that they are untrustworthy. So the reader gets to thinking that he or she knows who the bad guys are. Then suddenly one of these villains shows up and explains that they had these secret motives for their unspeakable actions and that they are really not evil. Which is great and everything, except that the only thing that supports the new story is the story itself. And, as we have already established, the villains are  untrustworthy. So I’m kind of expecting a triple cross to come, but I’m not sure that the series has that level of depth.

I’m also really unsure what the role of Alina’s mother is. We establish early in the first one that she is a horrible person with no redeeming characteristics, and there is a large portion of Forever dedicated to her issues. It’s not that what happens isn’t plot relevant. It’s just that a lot of the details are extraneous and are unlikely to gain relevance in the third novel.

But, overall, it’s a good story. It’s readable. It’s compelling. It’s a solid four-star novel. So if that works for you, and you liked the first one, go right ahead and read the second. And then join me in awaiting the third.

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