Dark Flame: A Novel (The Immortals)

I absolutely LOVED Evermore and was excited to see where this series was headed. Blue Moon was okay, nothing too exciting. Shawdowland, let's be honest...sucked! But even still when Dark Flame came out, I was determined to read it and stay loyal. And let me tell you, I'm glad I did! I really liked this one. I found it be a lot less "annoying" than the others and I found myself thinking that it was about time Ever grew up a little. I am very excited for the last two! We definately need more Ever and Damon storyline though!!! Love these two ~ PLEASE LET THEM HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!!!!!

I have to agree with many other reviewers, the book should have ended with the last book. I have lost interest in the series all together now. I mean come on, talking about beating a dead horse! I probably won't be reading any more books in this series.

Is anyone else excited that Haven is now immortal? Uhm, I love her. She's damaged, ignorant and she just does NOT care anymore! This is the kind of chick I like to see in my books! It took me a while to warm up to her but now I'm like okay whatever Ever, give me more Haven! With every book in the series I learn more away from Ever and Damon. While I don't really see ANY of the guys with Ever because she really needs some time alone to figure herself out, I was really getting used to Roman. That said, part of this book really pissed me off. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil it, but anyone who was Team Roman will be quite upset with how things turn out for him.

However, with Haven back with a vengeance in the next installment, I can't friggin wait to read it! True, Haven has been kind of a bitch to Ever lately. But in my opinion she kind of deserves it. She needs to sit down and count to ten. Damon feels the exact same way about Haven getting out of control and ruining their secrecy but you don't see him all freakin out. I dunno, Ever is cool an stuff but she's starting to get on my nerves. Maybe Damon is the right choice for her because they both kind of suck now. I want to have Jude in all his dread locked glory for myself!

I really enjoyed this book but due to the Roman incident I just couldn't rate it a 5. Which sucks because I did get into this one quite a bit more than the rest. I do have a feeling that the next book will get a 5 though! I hope there's some alternate plan for Roman because he was just too sinister to do away with completely. I can't wait to read about Haven's wrath in Night Star!

Originally published on I'd So Rather Be Reading

Alyson Noel has done it again! Dark Flame was every bit as good as Evermore and Blue Moon, if not better. I was somewhat disappointed reading Shadowland and I was worried Dark Flame would be on the same level. I'm not saying that Shadowland was bad, it was just an okay read to me---not nearly as good as the first two books in the series. Shadowland felt a little flat...the slowest book in the series, in my opinion.

I am so happy to be proved wrong! The same hypnotic writing, intense relationships, and plot twists that I loved in Evermore are at play here. I want to say more but don't want to include spoilers. If you were afraid of being turned off to The Immortals series by Shadowland, like I was, make no mistake about it: Dark Flame signals the return of this series to must-read status.

According to Alyson Noel's website, book five in the series, Night Star, is coming out November 16, 2010. I really like how Noel is releasing her books so quickly. It's wonderful not having to wait a year or more to find out what happens next!

Just One Gripe:
I like when you can find the title of a book somewhere in its content. I start to get somewhat perturbed when the author throws the title in multiple times. I think we read about the dark flame inside of Ever at least six, if not more, times.

The Best Thing About This Book:
I love the immortals premise. It's unique and very well executed.

*****slight spoilers. *******
I am actually almost through with the final installment "Everlasting" and I am so so so tired of the angst.
That being said I still enjoy reading this series, although it drives me insane and makes me. There's so much angst in this series that the sexual frustration bleeds out onto myself!
I loved Roman. I loved his character and I was extremely miffed that Jude killed him.
So how can you be an Immortal if a non-immortal can kill you soooo freaking easily? That was lame.
I get the whole chakra thing but the Immortals have super-human strength making it possible to kill another immortal by their so-called weakened chakras at all.
The fact that non-immortal Jude just walked up a punched an immortal, killing him really pissed me off.
I wonder if there are any fanfictions for this series preferably one to counteract this bloody on-going angst.

I've been having a love/hate relationship with the Immortals series for a while now. The first installment, Evermore has by far been my favorite and is what has kept me reading the series. With that being said, this was not a opinion changer for me, not a favorite to be sure.

Readers will see the characters and plot going in more of the same direction in Dark Flame. Ever is still trying to find the antidote and in order to do that she needs help. Her relationships with the other characters drove me crazy this time around. I'm not quite sure at times why they put up with her antics and let her get away with everything without any risk of her jeopardizing the relationships she has with the others. She's cruel to Jude, insensitive to Damen and sympathetic (eventually) to Roman...keep in mind these are just my opinions. I understand that Roman's had a rough life, but he's still not a great guy.

And then we've got Haven, Ever's best friend and recently turned immortal. She's got her new immortality and she's abusing every minute of it. While Damen and Ever warn her of the consequences of such actions, we've got Roman egging her on. Like I said...not a great guy. I don't know, I was just frustrated throughout with all the characters to be honest. I couldn't believe the thoughtless decisions Ever made time and time again and it annoyed me to no end. I don't understand how Damen can always take everything in stride and never get truly angry with Ever, the girl needs a stern talking to. I get that they're soul mates, but everybody fights once and a while...don't they? Apparently not Damen and Ever. Roman's personality is irksome but I guess that's what you're looking for in a good villain and Jude just complicates an already overly complicated situation. Damen and Ever already have enough obstacles to overcome, did we really need a love triangle in there as well?

I think this might be the end of the road for me and the Immortals series. I love Noel's writing and plan to read her new and soon to-be released series, with the first book Radiance, but for now the Immortals and I are going to part ways.

Experience the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestselling series that has taken the world by storm. Enter the realm of The Immortals...(from book)

This whole series is very addictive, when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about how I could sneak away to read some more. I couldn't put it down. I even dreamt about this book, it just sucked me in further and deeper.

Ever is having a hard time, with Haven, her transition into life as an immortal is not going so well. Haven poses the ultimate threat-exposing their secret to the outside world. As Ever struggles to keep the secrect of Immortals hidden, it just propels Haven closer to the enemy--Roman and his evil companions. Haven is intoxicated on her new powers, and acts recklessly.

Ever is making her own mistakes, she delves deeper into the world of dark magick to try and free Damen from Roman's power. But of course something goes wrong, and her spell backfires, it binds her to the enemy, the one who is hell bent on destroying her. This spell has caused a strange foreign pulse that is coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can't stop thinking of Roman, and longing for his touch. She struggles to resist, and of course Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state.

Ever starts to feeling desperate, needing to break the spell, and ends up turning to Jude for help, and in doing so, she risks everything, and everyone she loves, as well as her future with Damen.

This is a great fourth installment to the Immortals series.
I highly recommend this to anyone who has liked the previous books, as they get better and better.

Be sure to read the first one Evermore, then the second one Blue Moon , third Shadowland, then this one.

Check out Alyson Noël's new book called Fated, its her new Soul Seekers series. You can also read a short story she put out free in ebook format called Ever meets Daire. (its where Ever meets up with Daire, the lead female in Fated)

Unfortunately, I found this installment of the Immortals series to probably be the weakest yet. We jump right into the action, and readers would be strongly advised to read the preceding books, Evermore, Blue Moon, and Shadowland first. In this latest episode, Ever and former best friend, the newly immortal Haven are at odds.
Ever feels terrible for "cursing" Haven with immortality, but Ever's boyfriend Damen accurately predicts that Haven will love her new preternatural abilities. Meanwhile, Ever is struggling under an evil spell that makes her attracted to rogue immortal Roman, Damen's centuries long arch-rival, and is desperately trying to hide her embarrassing feelings from her friends. Roman already has the upper-hand, being the only person with an antidote to the spell that prevents Ever and Damen from touching. (Ever and Damen hug and kiss a lot for people who supposedly can't touch, though.) Roman intensifies his position by successfully wooing Haven, driving another wedge between Ever and Damen.

Nice-guy surfer Jude still pines for Ever, but she doesn't seem feel anything for him. Damen is creepily Edward-esque, being alternately distant and jealous of Ever. Ever and Haven's gay friend Miles is terrifically out of the loop on all of this, but he is too busy and happy to be going on a trip to Florence, Italy to really notice or care about any of the new stresses his friends are experiencing.

For me at least, the introduction of Roman as a new potential love interest for Ever (one that she's simultaneously addicted to and disgusted by) turned this series away from being a love triangle, Ever-Damen-Jude, into a love square, which is a much harder balancing act. It also pushes Ever a little more solidly into Mary Sue territory if all of the male leads (except for Miles, of course) are crazy about her.

This series has always been very Pagan friendly, and that continues in this book. Most of the main characters regularly use plenty of New Age meditations, chakras, crystals and herbs. Reformed charlatan psychic Ava returns briefly to lecture Ever about thinking positively. One of the major problems of the book is that Ever just isn't as smart as I'd like her to be. As she reminds us several times throughout the book her weakest chakra is her throat - so she's bad at discernment, and always making bad decisions.

One redeeming feature of the book was that I was completely taken by surprise by the ending. I love a story that has some kind of twist at the end - and this definitely delivered on that score. Long-time fans will probably already have eagerly snapped up this book, but new readers to the series may find the lack of forward plot-progression somewhat daunting.

Alyson Noel is back. After struggling through SHADOWLAND, DARK FLAME returns readers to the high expectations of THE IMMORTALS series.

I have done this entire series via audio book, and after struggling to get through SHADOWLAND, I was a bit wary of beginning this one. But unlike SHADOWLAND, DARK FLAME picks up immediately with Haven's new immortality and her eagerness to get on with her new life. From that moment on, I was hooked. The seven disks seemed to fly by of their own accord.

Ms. Schorr continues to spellbound as she narrates the world of Ever Bloom. With Haven's new immortality, Ms. Schorr picks up the excitement that Haven is exhibiting. She is able to translate from the written page to the spoken word all the wonders that Haven is experiencing. She distinctly delineates the difference between Ever's more laid-back and almost hesitant approach to life against Haven's eagerness and hunger to disconnect herself from her former existence.

I found DARK FLAME far more appealing to listen to than the previous installment of the series. At no point did I find myself wishing to fast-forward through any part of the story. I was enthralled listening to Ms. Schorr tell the tale. The twins from SHADOWLAND take a back seat in this part of the series, but missing-in-action Ava is back, and of course the ongoing saga of Roman, Damen, and Jude continues.

Unlike some other young adult series that have been released as audio books, Macmillan has done the right thing by continuing to utilize the same narrator for the series. Ms. Schorr's voice adds consistency from the first pages of EVERMORE on through the last chapter of DARK FLAME. I hope to continue to hear Ms. Schorr as the series moves to the next installment, NIGHT STAR, in November 2010.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Dark Flame picks up where Shadowland left off. It begins with Ever explaining to Haven that she is now an immortal, too, and trying to warn her about Roman - which didn't go well at all. Ever used more magick and made a bigger mess of things. She keeps lying about her spells and everything else going on with her to those who love her most, even Damen. She's tied herself to Roman and can't get out of it and then there is the way she's drawn to Jude. She's torn in different directions and can't keep things straight. This book showed some promise toward the end, once Ever had done some maturing (it seemed).

I was hoping that there would be a resolution to some of the issues plaguing our "heroic couple", but it doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon. I wasn't really thrilled with how this book progressed and I wanted Ever to grow up a bit and take real responsibility for the situation she's in and that she put everyone else in. I don't understand why she can't seem to learn much from her past mistakes and if she does - it goes out the window as soon as the next crisis arises. While I enjoy the writing very much, I just wish there was some good character growth and a smooth progression in the story.

The Immortals Series: Evermore (1), Blue Moon (2), Shadowland (3), Dark Flame (4), Night Star (5), Everlasting (6)

Well, I must say I was not expecting that ending. That's always a good thing right; Having a twist you didn't really expect. That being said I was a little ehhh with the beginning. It just seems as if the characters constantly deal with the same issues. I'm not saying I didn't like the book, because I did. It was a good book, just not my favorite in the series.

I never really liked Haven, and I did find her annoying through out the book. When you get about half way through it does seem to pick up a bit, at least for me. I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what was going on within Ever. Damen, is his sweet, sweet self of course, sometimes you want to hit Ever for being so cruel towards him. He is the best boyfriend in the entire world! Now, Jude... I found myself liking him a bit more in this installment, such a down to earth kind of guy. Also, Roman we know he's the enemy, the person you should hate, but by the end of the book I was feeling sympathetic towards him, semi-understanding him.

Though the ending was good, and sets up perfectly for the next book in the series, I didn't feel a huge "suspense" feeling for this book. You know how some books you're reading and it builds and builds and then you're like 'omg what's going to happen?!' ... well I didn't feel that way about Dark Flame, though I did enjoy it. It's a dark book, with love, magic, torment, and understanding. I'm curious to see where she takes it in book #6: Night Star.

I read Dark Flame immediately after finishing Shadowland (the 3rd book in the series). And I have to say, Dark Flame is the same book as Shadowland.

*Spoilers Below*
The plot seems to go nowhere, Ever makes mistakes, Damen or Jude helps her, Roman terrorizes her. Shadowland ended with Ever making Haven an Immortal. I thought "Okay this adds a new element to the next book and maybe something will happen".
Well I got what I wanted ... to an extent. Haven's part added some much needed drama to Ever's story, but other than that the book is lacking in a strong plot. Ever wanders around trying to stop her urge to be with Roman by dipping into dark magick and asking for help from Jude. She doesn't make much progress until the last 50 or so pages where she finally talks to Ava and she "refocuses" her energy on the positive things in her life, releasing herself from Roman's control. It was a really lackluster solution to me. Then when she was about to get the "antidote" to be with her boyfriend Damen ... and Jude kills Roman.

So once again, Ever is back to looking for an "antidote" so she can get it on with her boyfriend. So, AGAIN the book ends with NO progression. We are back to square one. Really Alyson Noel could have combined Shadowland with Dark Flame into one larger book so we didn't have to wait in anticipation for a continuation of the same stuff.

It was so annoying when it looked like Ever was about to get what she wanted and then it was snatched away from her again. I'm starting to think that the next book will be similar and Ever will almost get what she wants until everything changes and she ends up with nothing again. There are only two more books left in the series Night Star and the Final 6th book. Maybe Alyson doesn't know what else to write about if Ever finally got to be with Damen.

I really enjoyed Evermore and Blue Moon, but Shadowland and Dark Flame were pretty disappointing. I like Alyson Noel's writing style and I like Ever's character. But the plot needs to surround something else than Ever's lust to be with Damen, it's kind of superficial and disgusting.

I will read the upcoming book in the series Night Star because I have to know how the story progresses, or if it progresses. Let's just say I'll set my expectations low so I don't get disappointed.

I really like the series, the characters and the unique world, but if the plot continues to go nowhere I am going to give up reading them. I don't know if I could recommend this book or any other in the series but you can give them a try at your local library.

Dark Flame was not only a satisfying fourth book in the Immortals series, but it was a definite Noel novel! This series is full of suspense, mystery, and love; the perfect combination for all teenage souls.

In Dark Flame, Ever struggles with a few things, first, a binding spell gone wrong: what was supposed to be a simple spell to bind Roman to her, resulted in binding her to Roman, second, trying to find the antidote to reverse Roman's spell on her and Damen; a spell that has neither one of them able to touch one another without a shield of magick between them.

And above all that Ever is also in charge of showing her recently turned BFF, Haven, all the ropes and whistles that go along with her immortality. Haven on the other hand, decides to live her newly `undead' lifestyle to its fullest, causing Ever to be deeply pained and in a bind, not knowing what she should do.

Amidst all this, Ever knows that her growing obsession with Roman isn't good. So, she turns to Jude for help. She believes that by not telling Damen, she can avoid major conflict...But will turning to Jude backfire in her face? Will she find the cure to Damen's tragic spell? And will Ever ever be able to un-bind herself from Roman? You have to read this novel to find out!

Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal but Haven is enchanted with her new powers and doesn't hide her new status....Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman's power and her spell backfires it binds her to Roman and she can't resist him then she turns to Jude for help who apparently was linked to her in past lifetimes, risking everything for Damen who for some reason stays around no matter what....such problems she has...I have really liked this series and have been patiently waiting for some resolution to the antidote story line and thought it would come in this book. I should have just skipped to the last 20 pages because (literally) that is where most of the story line is. The rest of the book is pretty much just fluff. I'm not sure I can even bear to read the next one. Ever spends pretty much most of the book in a self-centered state lamenting about how Honor is hanging out with Roman and has betrayed her and Damen when they were friends before and how she can't resist Roman..blah...blah..blah...the end's resolution is almost comical...oh well, hopefully we get some resolution in future editions...

This was a pointless book. Everything just happens in circles, over and over again while accomplishing hardly a thing. How depressing. Basically, don't mess with witchcraft at all because it is dangerous, which is part of the reason why I don't like this series because it has too much witchcraft with all the chakra, meditation, clearing energy, casting spells, etc. ugh.

Ever's friend is an Immortal now who is in love with Roman who has the antidote to the antidote for Damen and Ever's issues of wanting to be with one another physically, but being unable to. Because of the problems that Ever is having, she becomes a bit infatuated with Roman and doesn't want to tell Damen about it because she would hate to hurt him, though she really loves Damen. Drama, Drama, Drama. This one was better than the last one though I think.

This series is totally cheesy, but I’m enjoying it. Not entirely sure why, but I do. The mythology is a bit funky, but different from anything I’ve read before. I’m not sure how I’m liking how the love story is dragging along and I’m not entirely sure that I like the hero, but I’m going to keep going.

I started these books thinking that it be just as good as tje Mortal Instruments, Twilight, or Fallen which are all good books with good plot lines and the action (more or less) keeps moving. Like in any good book the main charecter makes a few mistakes along the way, wether that be saving the world or finding true love. A few desperate heat-of-the-moment mistakes I undetstand and usually enjoy. I find it makes the book much more interesting but Alyson takes this idea and stretches it to the limit. Mistake after stupid mistake Ever stumbles along leaving destruction in her path where Damen is left to clean it up. Some of the charecters I find interesting but the main charecters (Ever and Damen) I find extremely shallow and boring. And to be frank this book was the same. The whole antidote thing is rrrreeeeeaaaallllllllyyyyyyy getting old. I will continue to read these books in hopes that the plot goes somewhere but that hope is fleeting. I have an extremely short attention span and need some more action. This book did however go somewhere and it gave me some hope that perhaps the author will continue in this direction. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!

Alright... if you like Haven, you probably won't by the end of this book. She's gratingly annoying the entire time, and it wears out any possible like you may have had for her character. Ever has driven me crazy from the very first book, and it gets no better in this one. I struggled through to the end because I always finish a series, but I can't say I didn't wan to quit reading. There's zero plot advancement, ie: Ever and Damen are NO closer to figuring things out, being together, or anything else. Ever messes everything up this entire book, and by the end you want to smack her. Hopefully the next book is better.

Ever's best friend, Haven, is now an Immortal. Ever hopes that she will be able to learn how to not become engulfed by all her new powers, but Haven loves the new her and doesn't understand why Ever cautions her to stay away from Roman. On top of "loosing" her friend to her enemy, Ever also is still unable to "touch" Damen. In an attempt to keep Roman at a distant, Ever preforms a binding spell that completely backfires on her. She suddenly finds herself attracted to Roman, and not in a friendly way, but in an obsessive can't-live-without-him way. Ever carries this 'burden' alone, refusing to tell anyone, including Damen. She even turns to Summerland just to feel normal again, as normal as an Immortal can feel, but finds only more questions.

In an unlikely place, Ever is able to turn to Jude. She also finds herself soon questioning Ava and her motives. Throughout the book Ever finds her self in desperate situations and making desperate choices. While trying to protect herself she also tries to protect those she loves, but finds she can no longer do it alone.

While this installment of The Immortals was good it was not as good as the previous books. I was continuously frustrated with Ever and the choices she made. I was at times screaming at the book yelling at her to tell Damen what is going on. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't just talk to Damen or anyone else for that matter. It started to become a little annoying, reading her inner thoughts without action. Whether this was done on purpose, I will have to wait for the next installment, Night Star.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars more because of the plot line. While Alyson Noel did an amazing job at the writing style, there were too many time where the plot itself seemed to drag on. I feel like the book itself could have been compressed and made much shorter if some of the unnecessary plot points were taken out, as it just seemed to repeat itself. I do hope that in the next installment Ever's character become more adult and more plot is developed.

This serious had such promise and then the author decided to drag things to an unnecessary length. The characters have become too shallow and Ever messes up SO many times that I just felt like throwing this book against the wall. To be honest I glanced at the last few chapters and read about what happened to Roman and I felt like I couldn't read the book anymore. He was a major character, and to get rid of him for a minor one, who doesn't have any more depth than a puddle, really upset me. I'm going to grin and bear the rest of my way through the book and unfortunately like some readers I will continue the series merely out of how much time and money I've invested into the other books than what I care about the storyline.

With the new power of being an Immortal, Haven behaves like a child with a new toy. Her conversion places Haven and her friend Ever in strife as the former wants to irresponsibly show off her nouveau skills while the latter wants her to conceal them for fear of what exposure will cause to the Immortals.

Ever also tries to liberate Damen from her enemy Roman's control. She attempts a very dark magical spell to free her eternal beloved from the curse. However, instead of unbinding Damen from Roman, her incantation binds her to her adversary. As Ever struggles to keep free from what she wrought onto herself, she pleads with Jude to help her as she risks all she cherishes; on the other hand Roman gleefully turns on the heat to bring the enervated female Evermore under his thumb.

The fourth Immortals young adult fantasy is a strong entry in a powerful series (see Shadowland and Blue Moon) although the heroine is not quite as feisty as she has been; part of that is psychological as she knows she erred. Fans of the saga will enjoy Ever's latest adventure as she struggles to avoid surrendering her Immortal soul to the Dark Flame of her most loathed foe for ever more.

Harriet Klausner

In this book Ever goes from mistakes to mistakes until she finally makes the right decision but then Jude ruined everything. Ever fights against a magic spell she has laid out in Roman but turned against her. Being still new to magic, she completely missed her formula and creates a bound that attracts her to Roman. She will fight with all her might to escape this curse. At the same time Damen's tests will preserve their love and will show Ever since they met in the past by taking her to visit her previous lives. Haven that annoyed me is now immortal. . . she always annoys me as much if not more! All bad sides stand and uses and abuses her newfound powers.
For the first time in this series, I found the Volume 4 a bit annoying because it gets boring that Damen and Ever still have not laid hands on the antidote that will cancel the spell cast by Roman. Thus their relationship stagnated a bit but fortunately this aspect is erased by the author that takes us to the discovery earlier Ever lives, which is very rewarding.
The end really surprised me I did not expect at all to such a change. After 4 volumes it's good to still have surprising passages, so I'll read the fifth book with enthusiasm.

With the new power of being an Immortal, Haven behaves like a child with a new toy. Her conversion places Haven and her friend Ever in strife as the former wants to irresponsibly show off her nouveau skills while the latter wants her to conceal them for fear of what exposure will cause to the Immortals.

Ever also tries to liberate Damen from her enemy Roman's control. She attempts a very dark magical spell to free her eternal beloved from the curse. However, instead of unbinding Damen from Roman, her incantation binds her to her adversary. As Ever struggles to keep free from what she wrought onto herself, she pleads with Jude to help her as she risks all she cherishes; on the other hand Roman gleefully turns on the heat to bring the enervated female Evermore under his thumb.

The fourth Immortals young adult fantasy is a strong entry in a powerful series (see Shadowland and Blue Moon) although the heroine is not quite as feisty as she has been; part of that is psychological as she knows she erred. Fans of the saga will enjoy Ever's latest adventure as she struggles to avoid surrendering her Immortal soul to the Dark Flame of her most loathed foe for ever more.

Harriet Klausner

In this book Ever goes from mistakes to mistakes until she finally makes the right decision but then Jude ruined everything. Ever fights against a magic spell she has laid out in Roman but turned against her. Being still new to magic, she completely missed her formula and creates a bound that attracts her to Roman. She will fight with all her might to escape this curse. At the same time Damen's tests will preserve their love and will show Ever since they met in the past by taking her to visit her previous lives. Haven that annoyed me is now immortal. . . she always annoys me as much if not more! All bad sides stand and uses and abuses her newfound powers.
For the first time in this series, I found the Volume 4 a bit annoying because it gets boring that Damen and Ever still have not laid hands on the antidote that will cancel the spell cast by Roman. Thus their relationship stagnated a bit but fortunately this aspect is erased by the author that takes us to the discovery earlier Ever lives, which is very rewarding.
The end really surprised me I did not expect at all to such a change. After 4 volumes it's good to still have surprising passages, so I'll read the fifth book with enthusiasm.

As with the previous three books in this series, the plot and characters always seem to find the perfect way to grate my nerves and make me want to smack them. And yet, as with the others, I am always intrigued from the start, pulled in, and eager to know more. Noel has written some of the most stubborn characters around, pitching numerous battles of will that always end in clashes so extreme, it sometimes throws the reader. The simplicity of one giving in always makes me scream and yet, it is an endearing quality for every character possessing it and a large attribution to the plot. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with this series, always relieved when a book is over only to turn around the next second wishing I could have more now. That is a mark of a gifted writer to twist a reader like that and Noel has nailed it with each book.

Ever continues her slightly misguided ways, determined to finish things already set in motion in earlier books. She has the same determination and generally positive her way is the right one. The latter has been one thing that has bothered me through the books though it does strike true to her character. In Dark Flame, however, Ever goes through tremendous personal growth, finally showing strong development that her character has resisted in previous books. She is far more sympathetic in this one, some of her motivations even better explained and more understandable. Ever is constantly finding herself in outrageous situations, the path to them always a convoluted one that is impossible to predict and the girl can never catch a break. While Noel continues to throw the left hooks and toy with not only Ever but the reader as well, a few plot lines that have been present from the start are tied up in this one, some are starting to reach their end, and new ones are opened.

Damen continues to be the sweet, lovable guy he is, though he takes a little bit of a back seat in this installment. His relationship with Ever is an interesting one, and continues to progress and develop in fantastic ways. In the same way Ever seems to always manage to redeem herself, Damen grows and gains status with readers as well. His history is extensive, given his chronological age, and the flashbacks to his past and the ways he has spent his centuries always come in at the right moments to remind the reader of the reality of his and Ever's lives as immortals. Although they are in a modern time and Damen has certainly changed with the times, their roots are defined and reminded.

The well defined supporting characters continue to be in Dark Flame, primarily Roman, Haven and Jude. They play some interesting roles and progress the plot in surprising ways. The way the reader feels about them is very liable to shift and change within the book- another mark in favor Noel's writing abilities to create such complex characters whom hold an abundance of gray areas.

The plot progresses at a relatively steady pace though I did feel jarred out of the story at times, both in the writing itself- at times it almost seemed too good for what was needing to come across- and because the passing of time seemed to happen at obscure times. A few places, several days had passed without me as a reader realizing it until it's mentioned in passing after a new scene has already begun. Perhaps I wasn't being an astute reader but I did find myself stopping a few times. Noel's overall writing, however, has strengthened with this installment. Her descriptions are vivid, her settings vibrant, and the small details that make the difference between good and great abundant.

Dark Flame is the best installment in this series yet, ending in a very shocking way that leaves high promise for the next book. The readers' appetite will be whetted for more, the constant addictive craving Noel seems to infuse in every book continuing to guarantee her strong readership. The characters are advanced and developed, the plot progressed and the continued possibilities opened. Numerous new questions and intrigues spark, and the overall feelings toward certain characters shift in a constant flow. Noel includes plenty of surprising twists, unexpected tie ins and histories, and never lets the reader know what else she has planned. The predictability present at the beginning of the series is gone, leaving only a burning need for more.

The only reason for giving Dark Flame 2 stars instead of the well-deserved 1 star is for Noel's original idea for the Immortals story and the hopes that in the next, and final, two books, that she will be able to reclaim the plot and characters readers found in Evermore that were so easy to fall in love with.

Dark Flame is completely unoriginal. As for the plot, it is a complete rehashing of the plot of Blue Moon (where Damen seems to fall ill and is no longer interested in Ever) but in reverse. Now Ever, who seemingly can't do anything right or even construct a logical train of thought, is the one pulling away from Damen. On top of that, there is just simply too much going on in the story. Not only has Noel created Roman as an antagonist, another is added to the story (Haven). Not only do we already have a love triangle between Jude, Ever and Damen, now Roman is completely thrown into it as well, and as Roman's "follower," Haven gets mixed in as well. If you are looking for any sort of development in the original love triangle or the Ever-Damen or Ever-Jude romances, you won't find it Dark Flame, nor will you find resolution. In the end, all you will find is frustration with the characters and plot that hasn't progressed in the slightest bit from the ending of Shadowland.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of the series, I recommend completely skipping this book. You won't be missing anything. Instead you will save yourself headaches and the repair fees from any dents in your walls from throwing this book at it.

This series is pretty great, even though I was kinda skimming the pages toward the end. I can't stand when the ending feels like it is no where in sight, and the story is dragging it's feet. I really don't know why I lost interest in this series. Not that the writing wasn't good, or that the story sucked....I just lost interest.

Anyway, I did finish the book, but I skipped around a lot, I must confess. BUT do not let that discourage anyone from reading this book, because like I said...it's me not you.

Alyson Noel has a talent for creating the most obnoxious, idiotic characters I have ever had the misfortune to read about. From the VERY FIRST PAGE I kept having this unbearable compulsion to fling my laptop across the room. HAVEN, whom I've hated from the 1st book somehow manages to evolve into a monstrosity 100 times more idiotic, repulsive and puke-inducing than both Ever and Damen put together.

Seriously, all Ever is trying to do is to explain to this stupid girl what being an immortal entails and this disgusting excuse of a girl is being the rudest piece of shhh!!!! Here is my summary of Haven talking to Ever: "OM EVER! Y U SO STOOPIT! GIMME DAT JUICE! HAND IT OVEER!! OMG EVER UR SO DUM~! ROMAN IZ MAI FUTUR BOI-FREND!! HE ALMOS KEELED MEH BUT HE DINNINT RILLI MEEN IIIT!!"

Really Alyson Noel, do the world a favor, cut off your hands and throw them down the garbage disposal so that you may never be allowed to satisfy your need to inflict stupidity of this level upon us again!!!!

I agree with most other negative reviews, this book is terrible. The main character is always keeping a secret, getting into trouble, and eventually revealing the secret. Lame. No progress with either relationship was made. The book was completely pointless and it is a waste of your time to even borrow it.
The first couple of books seemed really good but this series is terrible. I have no attachment to any of the characters and no desire to get closure on the story.

Ever is a young girl with some unique problems. I think we've all wished we could do what Ever does, without realizing how troublesome it could be. Damen turns out to be a source of happiness for Ever, but he also causes some of the new problems Ever must face and overcome. A bewitching tale of friends, enemies, love and loss. I enjoyed the entire series and I think most young readers will.

I stopped reading the series with this book, I pretty much got bored. Ever is portrayed as a very frustrating and inmature teenager. Normal 16-17 year old girls show a little more maturity than this character or at least can make some normal decisions. The first book was interesting enough, but after that, the series did not make sense to me.

I really liked Evermore and Blue Moon in this series but Shadowland and Dark Flame were both a struggle to read. Dark Flame was especially hard. Haven is really gratingly annoying as an immortal and the Roman plot is getting old quickly. There is absolutely NO RESOLUTION at all in this book to the issues between Ever and Damen. Also, the writing in this book made both Ever and Haven vseem extremely whiny. The book on a whole seemed convoluted and rushed compared to Evermore. This book pretty much ruined the series for me...

The fourth installment of Alyson Noel's Immortal series, is the sexiest and darkest so far. Ever has to deal with the fact that she can't be really physically romantic with soul-mate Damen, while she also being drawn to both Roman and Jude. There is nothing that I like more in a book then a love triangle, or make that square. I think Jude is a very nice addition to this series, he's perfect...well just about perfect. Damen also steps it up, in this book. He's proves that he is worthy of Ever's love.

I guess my biggest problem with this book, and the series so far, is that Ever keeps making stupid mistakes. Not one, not two, but a thousand little small mistakes that turn her world upside down. I get that characters should be flawed. I also get that making mistakes can make for a great book. Ever has proven that she is a capable and smart immortal, but still she just keeps screwing everything up.

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This book had the most emotional ending of the series so far. I was extremely moved by how Ever approached Roman in the final scenes. She used that information, to not only get what she needed, but to help Roman. My feelings for Roman came full circle. My heart broke when Jude tried to save Ever from him. Ever was moments away from getting the antidote to the antidote, so that she could finally be with Damen. Also, she had just had a breakthrough with Roman. There was so much hope, lost in a fit of anger. Jude did what he thought was right in the situation, I don't fault him for his actions. I'm just hoping that Ever can get past this, and find a way to let Jude back into her life in some way or another.

All this being said, DARK FLAME is my favorite in this series, so far. Though Ever has Damen and her Aunt, she has lost just about everyone in her life: her family, Jude, Roman, Haven, and Miles. She still can't touch Damen without their energy barrier. Haven dead set on getting even with both Ever and Jude, for what happened to Roman. After Miles trip, he now knows that something is up with Damen. Jude is also a big question mark. Can Ever forgive him for what his has done, and what he ultimately cost her. I really can't wait to see what Alyson Noel takes the next book in this series.

My Ratings

Plot: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Originality of Plot: 4/5
Characters Development: 4/5
Ending: 5/5
Cover Art: 5/5

Overall: 32/35 = 91%