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Immortal Beloved (Immortal Beloved #1)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 5,801 ratings · 901 reviews

Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with Immortal Beloved a breathtaking new romance, and the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy.

Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes somet...more

ebook, 402 pages

Published September 7th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Aug 20, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to oliviasbooks by: Melanie

Shelves: gods-demons-angels-immortals, young-adult-fiction, urban-fantasy-paranormal, e-version, witches-sorcerers-magic, read-2011, favorites-of-2011, favorites, stays-with-me, love-story-romance

I can't really comprehend that I am sitting here pressing determinedly the five-star-button - in spite of the first chapters, which obviously have been patched together rather sloppily and almost caused me to switch books with one click on my Kindle, ... and in spite of the undeniable cliffy. Yet - here I am am doing precisely that and feeling completely comfortable with it.

Really, at the beginning I had the fleeting, horrible impression my paranormal "favorite" Infinite Days would manage to cat...more I can't really comprehend that I am sitting here pressing determinedly the five-star-button - in spite of the first chapters, which obviously have been patched together rather sloppily and almost caused me to switch books with one click on my Kindle, ... and in spite of the undeniable cliffy. Yet - here I am am doing precisely that and feeling completely comfortable with it.

Really, at the beginning I had the fleeting, horrible impression my paranormal "favorite" Infinite Days would manage to catch up with me. The cruel, excitement-addicted, immortal heroine - unable to feel for mere mortals - and her gang of equally shiny, but worthless companions, who break a taxi driver's spine for fun. I got very angry about repetitive sentences that should have been edited away and I moaned about unbelievable scenarios like an immortal girl hiding a burn-mark from her best friend under a scarf for over a hundred years - in spite of drunken and drugged party nights, shared hotel rooms and beach holidays, or like the same girl being shocked about said best-friend's pleasure at causing someone deadly pain. As if it would be possible to hide a personality this rotten for over a century from someone that close to you.

I held out and was rewarded with 180-degrees-style improvement. From the moment Natasya boarded the plane in order to leave her old life behind, the nasty crinkles smoothed out and the story enfolded beautifully in front of my eyes. And Natasya/Lilja "magickally" wormed herself into a cosy nook of my heart - the one reserved for heroines, who are prickly and nasty and damaged on the outside, but hurt and helpless and lovable deep within.

"Immortal Beloved" could probably be described as a cross between Rachel's Holiday, Secrets of Truth and Beauty and maybe Succubus Blues. It is the story of a girl whose long, long life has made her unable to feel attachment, unable to sleep without "self-medication", unable to decide for herself what she really wants. It is a story of a girl at the point of no return. A girl who turns herself in at a rehabilitation center for wayward immortals, because she vaguely remembers a woman inviting her 50 years ago to come and stay with her should she hit the bottom end of things and change her mind. The rehab plot unexpectedly uncovered some very interesting strings of thought about the burdens of immortality, but also about a fulfilled life in general. That might have easliy turned into something preachy-soppy, but Natasya's own snarky, sceptical attitude and her ongoing inner monologue fueled by exaggeration lightens the mood and gives her stay at "River's Edge" a pretty hilarious note.

I was really relieved not to have to read about the hot-hot-hot love-interest without reprieve. He is of the - in my opinion - hot sort and I began to look forward to Natasya's encounters with him (nothing like enemies falling for each other hard, isn't there), but I was glad that the romance was not taking over the already interesting story as soon as the potential supernatural heartbreaker made his first entrance.

I have to say, I not only guessed the connection between Natasya and Reyn, I really knew when she implied that his face looked familiar. But at that point I did not mind anymore. I was too much enamoured already to care.

So. Same as with Die for Me for instance, falling in love with this book has been an entirely individual process that cannot be easily explained by check-marking off its shining points. Thus it makes recommending it to all my friends a tricky thing. I won't do it to be on the safe side. I certainly do not want to be lynched. But realize that maybe you are missing out on something rather satisfying and heart-cuddling.

I, for my part, crave to read the sequel now. But ... I, too, know what a sequel can do to a lovely story (exasperated sigh).
(less)

29 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, all-timefavorites

I picked this up as an ARC at ALA, mostly because I saw the words "Viking god" on the back, then promptly stuck it on the bottom of my "to read" pile. MISTAKE! I should have read it immediately! What a fabulous book! I was giddy as I read it. GIDDY!

First of all in our things to love: our protag, Nastasya, a name that I didn't care for, and thought on the first page, "I'm going to hate her soon, because of her name." But it isn't her real name, it's not even close, and the reason why no one has c...more I picked this up as an ARC at ALA, mostly because I saw the words "Viking god" on the back, then promptly stuck it on the bottom of my "to read" pile. MISTAKE! I should have read it immediately! What a fabulous book! I was giddy as I read it. GIDDY!

First of all in our things to love: our protag, Nastasya, a name that I didn't care for, and thought on the first page, "I'm going to hate her soon, because of her name." But it isn't her real name, it's not even close, and the reason why no one has called her her real name in centuries is revealed in heart-breaking little flashes. She's a heroine that you soon grow to love, because she feels herself to be unlovable, but not in a self-suffering, oh-poor-me way. She's very matter-of-fact about it. She's done terrible things, suffered some very real horrors, and hates herself as much as she thinks anyone hates her. She has a tender place in her heart, however, for teenage girls like the one she used to be. She has a sharp sense of humor, and wields sarcasm as delicately as a rapier. (Anyone who says sarcasm is the lowest form of humor has clearly not heard it done right.) I was howling with laughter at the things she said, and thought, and her discovery that she can get rid of her boss by asking him to do a price check on Kotex is the best. thing. ever.

More to love? The very realistic look at immortality. After four hundred years, Nastasya has literally seen and done it all. She's traveled the world, eaten every kind of food, done every sort of vice, been married, had kids, tried everything a human can try. Now what? The average immortal is, essentially, a partier. Because they can drink all night, sleep with anyone who crosses their path, and then walk away from it all. No cirrhosis of the liver. No lung cancer. No STD can stop them. And the weight of the years, and decades, starts to wear on them until they will do anything to numb the pain for a day or an hour. They have magic, but for most of them it means drawing on the lfie force of others, leaving animals and plants dead in their wake, and for what? A party trick that impresses your friends and makes you forget your dead loved ones for a few minutes? So what do you do, and how do you make it all stop?

Intrigued yet? YOU SHOULD BE! Go, grab a copy of this book, and hold it to your bosom for a just a moment before you dive into one of the best books you'll read this year!

And remember: when you're buying pants, most people try them on first.

11/15/12 Reread: Loved just as much as the first time.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2012 Kelly-Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who were wildly disappointed by Evermore. So, like, everyone.

Recommended to Kelly-Jane by: Fauzy

Shelves: fucked-up-relationships, depressing-as-fuck, hey-look-a-proper-heroine, this-makes-meh-happeh

SPOILERS, KIDDIEZ.

Well, YAY.

Actually a good book about immortals.

After the catastrophe that was Evermore, who'da thunk it possible?

But look, here it is.

I repeat, YAY.

Characters

Nastasya/Nasty/Christiane/Sunna/Lilja/A shitload of names

I like Nasty A LOT. Because she's, like, a real heroine. I mean, not in the she's-an-immortal sense, but in the way that her emotions and general... I dunno what you'd call it... journey, I guess, were very relatable. She's funny and smart and powerful and severely...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2011 WillowBe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVE this story. I LOVE it so much, I stopped reading it. I will control myself and wait for the other two books in the trilogy to come out so that I won't sit around bemoaning the wait. I am so into this story, so into the guy, that I just need to back off. This is the type of teen book that easily satifies an adult reader. These charactars are less immortal teenagers than immortal beings that happen to look like teens, but don't necessarily act like them. The charactar's navigation of the ti...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: covergasm, owned-ebooks, all-time-faves, amazing-authors, badass-heroines, books-i-want-to-marry, deserves-the-hype, faves, heroines-i-adore, made-me-smile, immortals, hilarious

This review is also available over at my blog.

__________________________

This book is probably my most favorite book about immortals that I've read so far.

Nastasya─or Nasty, as her friends call her─is a 459-year-old immortal who's been living life and partying with her crew of other immortals. Until one night, her best friend Innocencio─Incy, for short─tortures a cabbie right in front of her, and she's suddenly filled with fear and decides to run away, seeking a house called the River's Edge. She...more This review is also available over at my blog.

__________________________

This book is probably my most favorite book about immortals that I've read so far.

Nastasya─or Nasty, as her friends call her─is a 459-year-old immortal who's been living life and partying with her crew of other immortals. Until one night, her best friend Innocencio─Incy, for short─tortures a cabbie right in front of her, and she's suddenly filled with fear and decides to run away, seeking a house called the River's Edge. She soon finds out that the house is a rehab for wayward immortals, and there she meets River, the owner of the house, and Reyn, the fellow immortal that she can't help but be attracted to, but who she finds is somewhat familiar to her. Just when Nasty thought she was going to belong there, she finds out that someone wants her dead.

I definitely noticed the difference from other YA immortal books out there. Most immortal books in YA tell of a regular human girl meeting the mysterious immortal boy, but this one is so much more than that. Nastasya is an immortal girl who has really been through everything. What I loved about this book are the flashbacks and memories of Nastasya's life in different times, and also when she was still very young, before she knew of her immortality. Most of those scenes were very heart-wrenching for me, mostly due to how graphic they are.

Nasty is just awesome. I loved her attitude and her way of thinking, and how she would call Reyn, the love interest, the Viking god or Odin the Odious. She definitely made me giggle and smile a lot, and she was just overall a very likable protagonist.

Reyn . . . He's actually a love interest that was hard for me to figure out. He wasn't a jerk, no. He was . . . I don't know. Quiet, dense, I never really connected to him. But I loved the big reveal about him, and Nasty's overall relationship with him. There was nothing rushed at all about their romance. We barely even get to see it, besides some sexual tension here and there, but there will probably be a lot of it in the next book.

Nell was the bitchy character in the book, but she had a nice facade in the beginning. But the more and more you progress through the book, the more you would notice her start to crumble and lose her cool. But even though I hate her guts, I'll admit she did make the book a lot more interesting.

River is the owner of the River's Edge house, and she's about 1300 years old. I did like her, but there wasn't much about her that stuck out to me. I liked the other minor characters in the house too.

What I also loved is how the immortal thing works in this book, and what the purpose of the River's Edge house is. Every immortal is born Terava─meaning evil or dark. At River's Edge, the immortals are taught to appreciate the little things in life, and to become Tahti─meaning good. But once you do become good, that doesn't mean it'll stick. You will have to make sure to stay good, and not give in to dark magick, thus becoming Terava again. I thought that was very interesting.

I definitely get why I've seen a lot of positive reviews for this book, and I'm very excited to see where this series will go. I already recently bought the second book and can't wait to read it! I would recommend this book to you if you want a great YA book about immortals, because most of the other ones I've read had never impressed me as this book had.(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2012 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ala-2010, arc-or-galley, own, juvenile-ya, read-in-2012, sci_fi-fantasy, supernatural-paranormal, series, recommended

Weirdly, unexpectedly, I was sort of amazed by this. I'd heard of Cate Tiernan but never read anything by her. I'd had friendsthat pushed this on me(especially one who shall remain ~~Allison~~ nameless). It has a grandiose, somewhat silly title that I can't help but like because it reminds me of Gary Oldman and Beethoven. But somehow I still just wasn't expecting much from it. Maybe it was the idea of an eternal club kid that just made me turn up my nose and say, Um, no. But for all of the good I'v...more

11 likes · like · see review

Dec 09, 2011 Mandy at Blythes & Books rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: insomnia-sufferers, nobody

Shelves: disappointing, contemporary, gorgeous-cover-art, paranormal, read-in-2011, series-in-progress, unfinished-cos-it-didn-t-draw-me-in, immortals

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Series: Immortal Beloved, book 1
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Published: September 2010
Pages: 407
My rating: 2 stars UNFINISHED!

For more reviews hop on over to my blog, www.blythesandbooks.blogspot.com

It couldn’t have been just the blurb that got me to buy this book, because that still made me wonder what on earth the book was about. So, other than the beautiful cover, it must have been a review that drew me to the book instead. Because reading the summary on Goodreads didn...more

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2010 Jacinda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

My review of Immortal Beloved on my blog

This is probably going to be a short review because I just loved the book without much of a reason as to why!

Immortal Beloved is about Nastasya, an over 400 year old Immortal , which is just a regular human who is immortal, but can also perform magick. After 100 years of living the same crazy life she’s been living, she decides she needs change after her best friend creates dark magic that bothers her. She leaves England and ends up in Massachusetts were s...more

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Hana❀Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2012, ridiculously-sexy-guys, the-best-of-the-best, my-most-amazing-top-50, my-most-amazing-top-20

I. Fucking. Loved. This. Book.
Holy shit-sticks. This was... It was just amazing. I absolutely adore Reyn and Nasty, this book is just so fantastic. I loved Nastasya's snark and wit and realism, Reyn was just so... So goddamn sexy. All in all I must say that this one of my favourite books. Ever.

It's not for everyone, either. Trust me, but I highly recommend it.

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2013 Kristalia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: unique-stories, me-likey-mucho, lol-lol-lol-make-me-stop-loling, 4-to-5-stars, reviewed, cut-my-heart-out, dark, best-series-award, best-couple-award, be-my-hero-plz, kick-ass-heroines

Final rating: ★★★★☆/★★★★★

review img

This was so cool. I like it that this book is about immortal meeting immortal, and as it seems, falling in love with immortal, and making awkward situations with immortal, instead of immortal falling in love with human. I have seen that story way too many times. This is something new. And i like it :D I was getting tired of the overused paranormal-human. And there is actually very little of romance between the characters, which i also liked. Oh and it is also mature ya...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Saturnus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: beautiful-covers, books-i-ve-read-in-dutch, favorites, in-a-serie, paranormal

Immortal Beloved is about immortal partygirl Nastasya, a girl that doesnt care about anything more than herself and maybe maybe her immortal friend Incy. But after that Incy breaks a mans back she decides she wants to come away from him, away from the partylife she has, away from all drinking and men. She runs away from Incy in London and comes to Massachusetts in the states, a city where she almost a century ago met another immortal that wanted to help her.
In Rivers Edge she meets other immorta...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Stuti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hot-like-meh, fantasy-pr-everything-untoward, gr-conspiracy, reviews

3.5

Stripping down to its core, Immortal Beloved is the story of a an age-old brat who realizes that there is more to life than ~~boozing and whoring~~ partying( there isn't), one night when her friends don't play pretty. So then she goes off to rehab(ech!) and finds out what she's been missing out on all this time: Getting pecked by evil hens, savoring parsnips and milking goats. Oh such sweet delicious joy!

Gah! I mean if I wanted that same story, I could have just picked up any newspaper. It's not...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 18, 2010 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

This is not your usual YA novel. No vampires, no angels, no werewolves. The main character is a girl named Nasty that is immortal. She has let her life run off the rails as she has lived her different lives. But now she has realised she needs to straighten her life out and start really living. This includes giving up partying, drinking, etc. As she struggles to re-organise her life old lives come back to her as well as a deep power she never knew existed inside her. Meeting new friends and enemi...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody

Shelves: cover-love, fantasy, girls-that-are-tstl, magic, paranormal

Immortal Beloved in a nutshell: Nasty gets frightened and leaves her friends behind in London to live on a farm in America where she can leave any time she wants. But she doesn't. Then she complains and pouts about the chores she's being "forced" to do. complains A LOT. She obsesses over Viking God Reyn. Something predictable happens. The End.

oh boy here we go. I was kind of forcing myself to read it the entire time. I just couldn't stand the writing. often you would see stupid things like "Ha h...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

When this book first started out and we were with the party crowd I figured I would be giving this one up pretty fast. There was just no way that I could handle reading about the vapid, vain people who's goal is to see how much they could drink and who they could screw all the way through their immortality.

So I was just as shocked as Nastasya when the actions of her party buds went so wrong. I enjoyed the big wake up call that she had. I also knew that when she finally made it to her hide away...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 19, 2010 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pleasantly-surprised

I absolutely love this book. It surprised me because I've read some of Cate Tiernan's Sweep series and, while I enjoyed those, they never in a million years would have led me to believe Teirnan was capable of the kind of writing I encountered in Immortal Beloved.

The characters are believable, beautifully flawed, and interesting. The dialog is simple and realistic. The romance alternates between sweet, confusing, terrifying, and heart-wrenching. At first glance it may appear that the protagonist...more I absolutely love this book. It surprised me because I've read some of Cate Tiernan's Sweep series and, while I enjoyed those, they never in a million years would have led me to believe Teirnan was capable of the kind of writing I encountered in Immortal Beloved.

The characters are believable, beautifully flawed, and interesting. The dialog is simple and realistic. The romance alternates between sweet, confusing, terrifying, and heart-wrenching. At first glance it may appear that the protagonist is awfully immature for someone who's been around for over 400 years, but that's kind of the point Tiernan's making; Nastasya IS immature. And she's immature because she's spent 459 years avoiding her traumatizing past and refusing to grow up.

This book combines a little romance with the supernatural world of Immortals, but it's mostly about Nastasya's struggle to find herself, and that journey isn't an easy one for her. I loved her as a character. She's strong and funny, but there is an underlying fragility that keeps her from coming off as uber-bitchy.

The love interest, Reyn, is not your typical supernatural YA hunk, either. He's a villain who's reformed, sure, but he's not wallowing around in self pity or trying to come off as a bad ass. While he seems genuinely contrite regarding his past behaviors, he knows he can neither justify them nor will them away. No projections or illusions with Reyn and that makes for a thoroughly enjoyable character.

There's a small bit of mystery interlaced as we travel with Nastasya through her memories and slowly uncover who she is and where she came from (and the mysterious tie that she and Reyn share). There's also rivalry in the form of a younger immortal who is vying for Reyn's attention. Not to mention some rather unsavory friends of Nastasya's who are out looking for her when she doesn't want to be found.

I found this book altogether enjoyable and completely worthy of a second, third, and maybe fourth read. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait until September for the next in the series.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Sierra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great Cate Tiernan novel!
The first in a new trilogy, Immortal Beloved is just awesome.
I've read almost all of Cate's book, and this is, by far, the best one yet! I absolutely loved the concept of this book...Okay. It wasn't an 'original' idea, but it has a definite twist that other Immortal books lack...I'm not sure what it is, but it makes the book great!
Nastasya (cool name, right?) was cool. I liked how she thought, and how her dry humor kept me smiling. She'd relate to things that a...more

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Jul 09, 2010 The BookWhisperer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Much to my regret, Cate Tiernan is such a difficult author for me. This is the second book that I have tried to read from this author, and it only took me three tries to read the first book with no success. At least I can now say I have finished a Cate Tiernan book. I don� t mean to sound like such a critic it just wears me down to struggle with a book as much as I do this author. I find her books to be extremely to words and slow paced. She is an author that enjoys depth in her story, and pleas...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Stacey (prettybooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-after-university, read-in-my-twenties, young-adult-fiction

When I first heard that Cate Tiernan was releasing a new book, I was elated. It had been about eight years since I first picked up Book of Shadows and I have been a supporter of her ever since. However, I was apprehensive when I saw that it was described as "paranormal" and "urban fantasy". Paranormal romance is hugely popular at the moment. Lets face it, it's everywhere. The book also has the generic black and red cover design that is clearly marketed at a certain kind of readership - a readers...more When I first heard that Cate Tiernan was releasing a new book, I was elated. It had been about eight years since I first picked up Book of Shadows and I have been a supporter of her ever since. However, I was apprehensive when I saw that it was described as "paranormal" and "urban fantasy". Paranormal romance is hugely popular at the moment. Lets face it, it's everywhere. The book also has the generic black and red cover design that is clearly marketed at a certain kind of readership - a readership that I felt I no longer belonged to, which is why it has taken me four months to pick up the book.

Secondly, Book of Shadows was published in 2001 - 10 years ago, and things have changed dramatically since then. I was therefore apprehensive about what her writing style and imagination would be like 10 years on. I had grown up, but had I outgrown her work?

Thankfully, Immortal Beloved did not disappoint. We're immediately confronted with Nastasya aka "Nasty" - a confident, blunt, self-assured and at times, hilarious, young girl (although, I have to admit, I can't stand her name), who runs away from the friends she has known for so long once they cause a man to be paralysed and leave him lying in the street. Nastasya heads for Immortal rehab where she aims to overcome her depression and sort out her life. She meets some interesting, mysterious characters with stories of their own, such as Reyn, a beautiful but hostile Dutch boy.

What I enjoyed about this book was that Cate Tiernan manages to create a current storyline whilst staying true to what she knows and what she is good at. She injects familiar notions into the storyline: circles, sigils, rules, spells, and scrying, whilst still managing to make it modern and relevant. Reading this book was like curling up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire on a cold winter night - familiar and comforting. The historical flashbacks add intrigue to the story as we try to figure out how they all piece together; what do they mean?

Tiernan is also unafraid of being understated. Current fantasy novels tend to rely on action and cliffhangers to draw their audience in, such as City of Bones, whereas Tiernan mainly relies on a good storyline.

I was very happy with this book and will definitely carry on reading the trilogy. Cate Tiernan is back!

Thank you Hodder for sending me the book to review!(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 20, 2011 Rosanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5-This story is basically about a girl (an immortal girl of course, the YA paranormal craze continues!) trying to find herself and deal with her past. I really liked that it shows immortality as something that would actually be pretty crappy, and would probably mess you up pretty badly. I think there are a lot of thoughtful and interesting insights about what it means to live a full and productive life. The story structure is also really well done.

The biggest issues I had with this book are so...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Ciecie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: omg-iloveit

UGHHHH! OMG the only bad thing I have to say about this book is, I have to wait until Sept to read the next.

I will give nothing away but it was very descriptive, emotional, exciting, sad, funny and very witty. I could honestly say that I would read this again. Its not like most things I have read lately, its differant and fresh. Just reminds me all over again why I love Cate Tiernan.

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Ana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Ultimately this book is about one woman's inner growth. While over 400 years old, Nastasya is actually quite juvenile at the beginning of the story. She is self-medicating and unwilling to face her pain. There is very little external action in this book. The action is all inside Nastasya's heart and mind -- and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some aspects of the book were even inspiring with such themes as focusing on the present, looking at life as a journey rather than a destination, etc... As for th...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Looksie (At Looksie Lovitz: Books and Wits Blog) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the beginning of this book had me interested but then it got really slow. a lot of over describing or restating the same point in different ways so i felt it could have been toned down a bit. it could have been cut in half. AND i didnt feel like i had an ending. i kept waiting for the action that never came and then it just ended sort of abruptly. not sure if i would read a sequel. im iffy on it.

you can read my full review here: http://looksielovitz.blogspot.com/201...

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May 25, 2012 Bianca added it · review of another edition

*Originally posted on Pages Of Forbidden Love

Nastasya is a 400+ year old immortal who has chosen to spend the rest of her life having fun and partying until a friend of hers goes too far and badly hurts a human. She once spent years and years with Incy but now can’t get away from him fast enough. After that night she just wants to leave London and find a place where she can change. Remembering another Immortal she met years ago she decided to go to the United States to see if her offer still sta...more *Originally posted on Pages Of Forbidden Love

Nastasya is a 400+ year old immortal who has chosen to spend the rest of her life having fun and partying until a friend of hers goes too far and badly hurts a human. She once spent years and years with Incy but now can’t get away from him fast enough. After that night she just wants to leave London and find a place where she can change. Remembering another Immortal she met years ago she decided to go to the United States to see if her offer still stands to help Nastasya and let her stay with her. River is pleased she final made her way to her but there are some other people that aren’t so happy with her being around. Someone even wants her dead.

When I first started this book I was a little confused. It could have just been me (and the fact I started reading it at 1 in the morning) but for a bit I just felt like I was really missing something. Home in London, Nastasya and a group of friends were on their way to another club when Incy began using his magic to torture their cab driver. Nastasya didn’t like this and suddenly she was extremely fearful of the friend she has had for literally forever. She was scared and extremely paranoid and although I understood the being scared part there was so much of her past I didn’t know yet so it was hard to understand the paranoia. It felt like too much with so little to back it up but as the story progressed I got to know a little more about Nastasya and it helped me understand her a lot better.

Nastasya had been through a lot which is to be expected when you have lived for more than 400 years. She had a lot buried in her past and although I can’t really talk about it here it was really sad to read about. People have to live their whole lives knowing their pasts but for humans the amount of time they live is nothing compared to how long Nastasya will have to hold on to it. Living forever may have its perks but it also has its downsides. Overall, I really liked her and how forward she usually was. She had her issues but she found River because she wanted a change. She felt like she was the reason for all the bad things that she had seen in her life and she feared that she had a darkness inside of her that she would never escape. She learns a lot from River and although she hits some rough patches she doesn’t quit or leave the home.

“In the last ten minutes, she had unraveled my very persona, split my chest open and laid bare the rotting corpse inside me. I was completely freaking out.”

River was 1,300 so she knew some things. She was really nice and had decided to dedicate her life to helping Immortals having hard times in their lives. She helped them embrace the earth and life and gave them hope for their futures. She showed them a better way to live. She really was a sweet person but she was also a no nonsense type of person. She wanted to help Nastasy but only when she was willing to help herself. She didn’t play around.

“I couldn’t quite place him as I rolled down my window. Please, please be some sex-starved nutcase who want to kidnap me and make me your love slave, i begged silently.”

That is Reyn she is talking about :) The second she meets him she feels like she has met him before, like she knows him from somewhere else, but he insists that they had never met before. Reyn was one of the people that wished she didn’t come to the home and he doesn’t hide those feelings. He was openly distant and it was clear he didn’t want her there. Nastasy couldn’t figure out what his problem was and although he was like that she couldn’t help but feel attracted to him even when she could feel something was off. She described him as looking like a Viking god so who could blame her. I surely can’t ;)

Besides my confusion at the beginning I really did enjoy reading this book. Some of it was kind of predictable and didn’t really shock me but then there were some things I couldn’t have thought would happen. There were a couple things thrown in once or twice that I felt should have been addressed more before it was over but I guess I will just have to wait and see what will happen in the next one (which is out already so I should really get on it and go buy it).(less)

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Jan 15, 2012 Tamara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nast, gâtée, fêtarde et presque toujours bourrée se retrouve une fois de plus à fuir. A fuir ce qu'elle est, son passé, la magie, mais aussi son meilleur ami Incy qu'elle ne quitte pourtant jamais.
C'est comme ça que débute l'histoire et que Nastasya va se retrouver à River's Edge, un centre de réadaptation pour Immortels, dans le Massachusetts. Là, elle va faire la connaissance du mystérieux Reyn, un dieu viking au passé encore plus sombre que le sien.
Même s'il ne s'agit pas de sorcière comme po...more

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May 08, 2011 Debora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: preferiti, fisicamente_posseduto, read_2011

Primo di una trilogia, questo romanzo è stato una rivelazione!

Il personaggio di Nastasya è bello, incredibilmente bello e complesso nella sua unicità.
Come è altrettanto bella la trama del romanzo che si incentra particolarmente sulla ricerca di se stessa che Nastasya affronta, fra alti e bassi.
Un grosso trauma da bambina la spinge a temere la Magia, che l'essenza stessa della sua vita Immortale.
Eppure, dopo 400 anni di noia, eccessi, droghe e follie incredibili, accorgersi che il suo migliore a...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Erica - Bonner Springs Library rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, arc, fantasy, ya

Nastasya, known as "Nasty" to her friends, is greatly disturbed when one of her close friends nearly kills a cab driver on one of their nights out partying. She's spent the last four hundred years being a party girl and not caring about anyone. Now she's on the run from her friends and trying to find a safe place. She finds a "safe house" for immortals and begins to actually care about people.

At this safe house is Reyn, who looks like a Viking god, and who she is sort of attracted to but her pa...more

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May 20, 2013 Teri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spunky yet self-effacing, strong yet fragile... Nastacya (Nasty for short) isn't your typical heroine. She has the kind of story and intriguing character that catches your interest and won't let you put the book down. As she examines her life choices and who she really wants to be you can't help hoping she'll succeed in re-making her life.

The past isn't so easily left behind though, and while at times the stealthy cloud of darkness almost seems to disappear, the twists and turns of the plot rev...more

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May 19, 2013 Sharons Bücherparadies rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ich kam schnell und sehr gut in das Buch rein, da es vom Schreibstil her recht einfach ist und somit konnte ich es gut und flüssig weg lesen.

In der Geschichte geht es darum, dass Nastasja und einige andere Personen in dem Buch unsterblich sind. Sie ist mit ihrem Kumpel Incy tagtäglich zusammen und geht auf Partytour mit ihm und den anderen. Irgendwann begeht Incy einen Mord, was Nastasja sehr zu schaffen macht und sie flieht nach Boston in das Haus von River, auch einer Unsterblichen. Dort verw...more Ich kam schnell und sehr gut in das Buch rein, da es vom Schreibstil her recht einfach ist und somit konnte ich es gut und flüssig weg lesen.

In der Geschichte geht es darum, dass Nastasja und einige andere Personen in dem Buch unsterblich sind. Sie ist mit ihrem Kumpel Incy tagtäglich zusammen und geht auf Partytour mit ihm und den anderen. Irgendwann begeht Incy einen Mord, was Nastasja sehr zu schaffen macht und sie flieht nach Boston in das Haus von River, auch einer Unsterblichen. Dort verweilt sie eine lange Zeit, geht bald einer richtigen Arbeit nach, lernt Reyn kennen, verliebt sich in ihn und ihr wird die Magie richtig beigebracht. Nach und nach entwickelt sich hier also die Geschichte. Schon bald merken Nastasja und Reyn, dass die beiden etwas Geheimnisvolles verbindet und Nastasja erfährt von Reyns Vergangenheit...

Die Story ist relativ simple, doch hat sie es geschafft, mich gleich auf den ersten Seiten in ihren Bann zu ziehen.

Nastasja war ein toller Charakter. Sie war mir von Anfang an sympathisch und machte einen mutigen und starken Eindruck, wirkte jedoch an einigen Stellen noch etwas unsicher. Auch sie umgab ein Geheimnis, welches am Anfang des Buches nur kurz angedeutet wurde. Das machte die Geschichte umso spannender. Da Nastasja auf den ersten Seiten im Buch viel über ihr Leben als Unsterbliche erzählte, fragte ich mich oft, wie es sich wohl anfühlen muss unsterblich zu sein und ob dies ein guter Weg für manche Menschen wäre, wenn es unter uns wirklich solche Personen geben würde. Einige Stellen in dem Buch regten mich zum Nachdenken an. So etwas finde ich toll und ließ mich an der Geschichte teil haben.

Über Reyn wurde erst zum Ende des Buches viel berichtet. Aus einem vorher nebensächlichen Charakter wurde plötzlich ein interessanter Hauptcharakter, was von der Autorin sehr gut umgesetzt wurde. Reyn wirkte geheimnisvoll, zurückhaltend und kam am Ende dann richtig aus sich raus.

Da ich in dem Buch keinen negativen Punkt feststellen konnte und auch die weiteren Bände lesen möchte, bekommt es von mir

5 Palmen!(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: immortals, best-heroine

Wow.
A brand new, not so much paranormal, but not in your everyday garden variety of supernatural beings. The Immortals are one that simply don't die; not from diseases, missing limbs, fire burning, old age, childbirth, or anything. The only kryptonite in their arsenal is having their power sucked from their beings, or having their heads chopped off and far away enough that it won't reattach. Do I have your full attention yet? No? Well, let me introduce you to the heroine: Nastasya.

I love her so...more Wow.
A brand new, not so much paranormal, but not in your everyday garden variety of supernatural beings. The Immortals are one that simply don't die; not from diseases, missing limbs, fire burning, old age, childbirth, or anything. The only kryptonite in their arsenal is having their power sucked from their beings, or having their heads chopped off and far away enough that it won't reattach. Do I have your full attention yet? No? Well, let me introduce you to the heroine: Nastasya.

I love her so much. She's a firecracker that knows what she wants and gets it. Her snarky behavior is one of her "compelling" qualities (oh shut up, you know she's hilarious with it), and her temper just adds to her amusing behavior. She has kept her past well to herself after centuries of partying, but it is harboring a deep secret that is going to bounce back to bite her in the ass after all these years of trying to ignore it. Her best friend Incy (this dude is insane! Never trust pretty boys and always carry a can of pepper spray. Or a bodyguard. Or just hire Liam Neeson for the rest of your life.) uses some dark magic one night that sends her questioning if this is really what she should be doing with her life. Basically, she needed a major transformation from her days of hangovers and waking up next to strange men. So she goes to Immortal Rehab, hosted by the zen master herself: River.

Now River is, well, like a river. Calm, not judging, and patient- which is exactly the kind of teacher Nasty needs. She challenges Nasty to really examine her past and to decide what she really wants to do with her life. Back at the farm (yes, it's literally a farm.) everyone has their own chores to do, hoping that reverting back to the old simply ways will make them more appreciative of their time. Such as; gardening, making bread and every other meal from scratch, knitting, putting hay in the barn for the horses, taking care of said animals, and learning how to use good magick.

The whole, who's-going-to-kill-her mystery is really not that hard to figure out; a turtle could point it out for you. ((view spoiler)).

Then there is the Viking god, yes the heaven-is-sending-you-a-present kind of body and already has a past with Nasty. Though it isn't the kind of hot and sweaty kind you might imagine (or not imagine, i honestly don't know how many people think in the gutter like i do) it still has a way of bringing the character together. He's the silent brooding type and I'm happy to say that I've always thought he's look like Jeremy Renner from the Bourne Legacy. Oh be still my heart. Nothing smexier than a man chopping wood with an axe in flannel. Or shirtless, ya know, whatever floats your boat.

It's a fresh drink of water from the other stand-by paranormals out there and it should be given more than a second glance from anyone who wants to indulge in some good ole' reading fun!
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About Cate Tiernan

"was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. New Orleans is one of the most interesting American cities, and it has an incredibly rich and exotic culture that had a profound influence on me. Kids in other cities have lemonade stands; we sold voodoo gris-gris and made wax dolls in the likenesses of our enemies. It's a very beautiful city, and the constant heat and humidity make gardens grow out of contro...more "was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. New Orleans is one of the most interesting American cities, and it has an incredibly rich and exotic culture that had a profound influence on me. Kids in other cities have lemonade stands; we sold voodoo gris-gris and made wax dolls in the likenesses of our enemies. It's a very beautiful city, and the constant heat and humidity make gardens grow out of control. There's an air of lassitude there, a general acceptance of eccentic or flamboyant behavior--the heat simply makes people do crazy things.

I went to school in New York, and after school went back to New Orleans. Then I went back to New York (Manhattan) and got a job in publishing and started writing. My first book, a young, middle-grade chapter book, was published in 1990.

Living in Manhattan was incredible, even though I didn't have a lot of money. There was so much to do and see, and so many interesting people to watch. There was a lot of frenetic energy there, and sometimes that felt very wearing and hard to live with. After eight years I was ready for a change, and my husband and I moved back to New Orleans. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)

(While I was in NY, I helped edit "The Secret Circle" by L.J. Smith. I thought it was great.)

We stayed in New Orleans five years. By the time we had two small children we knew we had to find someplace safer to live. I was glad my children were born in New Orleans--I had been born there, and my father had, and his father had, and his father had and so on. There was something about the connection of generations of blood coming from one place that I found very primal and important.

Now I live in a cohousing community in Durham, NC. This is the most suburban place I've ever lived, and it's very different from living right in the middle of a city. For one thing, there aren't enough coffee shops. However, it's incredibly safe, and the community is very important to me. There are a lot of strong women here, and I find them inspiring.

Am I a witch? Well, no. Even Wicca is too organized a religion for me. I'm much more idiosyncratic and just need to do my own thing, which is kind of new-agey and pantheistic. It's not that I don't work or play well with others, but I need to decide for myself when I do a certain thing, and how I do it. However, I can really relate to Wicca, and I so appreciate its woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity. I love those aspects, among others.

I have several favorite writers. Barbara Hambly has been the biggest influence on how I describe magic. She's an incredibly imaginative and empathetic writer with a gift for creating a rich, sensual world. I love Barbara Pym, an English writer whose books came out mostly in the fifties. She was a master at describing the thousand tiny moments that make up a woman's day; how the seemingly small and inconsequential thing can suddenly take on a huge emotional importance. I greatly admire P.D. James. She's one of the very few writers who makes me actually look up words in the dictionary. She has a beautiful, precise, educated command of the language that leaves me in awe. I love Philip Larkin's poetry. I read a lot of nonfiction and also have some favorite romance writers. Before anyone groans, let me say that these women write really well about women trying to achieve emotional fulfillment, and that's kind of what we're all doing, right? I also just like reading about sex. Anyway, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and early Linda Howard are my faves.

And then of course there's my dark side, but more on that later.

" -Source

Cate Tiernan is a pseudonym for Gabrielle Charbonnet (less)

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Quotes from Immortal Beloved

“Yes. Reyn is our resident horse master. He has an excellent seat."
I grinned. "I've noticed."
Reyn's face tightened and Nell flushed, looking embarrassed. "It's an equestrian term."
"Really? I thought you were talking about his ass.” — 140 people liked it

“I-just want you. I want you so bad, all the time. I know I shouldn't, I know I can't, I know it's wrong... but even when you're pissing me off, when you're reminding me of pain and despair and torture-it's there, the wanting. I'm tired of fighting it. I fight so many things, all the time, every day. I don't want to fight this. Not anymore.” — 79 people liked it

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