Stargazer (Evernight Novels)

This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogspot.ca/2016/10/stargazer-by-claudia-gray.html

In the sequel to Evernight, Bianca has spent some time without Lucas, the boy she loves, but she is able to communicate with him through letters. However, they have to be careful not to get caught, because Bianca is a vampire and Lucas is a vampire hunter. With everybody standing in their way of being together, things seem grim for their relationship, but they've decided not to give up on each other.

Meanwhile, Bianca finds herself the target of a ghost at Evernight. With her friend Balthazar, she hopes to find out why she is being targeted and to prevent the spirit from endangering the students at the academy. However, this haunting brings secrets forward, secrets that will change everything.

I enjoyed Evernight a lot, so while I was excited to pick up the sequel I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the first novel. Thankfully, it exceeded my expectations and kept me reading late into the night. Returning to the setting of Evernight Academy and Bianca's relationship issues made for an enjoyable read, and I'm sure that I will continue reading this series.

I'm a fan of love triangles, if they're done well. The author achieves this in Stargazer, with a love triangle between Lucas, Bianca, and Balthazar. I found myself torn over which love interest I prefer and want Bianca to end up with, which I find to be a good quality within stories featuring love triangles. The romance wasn't cheesy, the tension wasn't overdone and I like how the love triangle wasn't 'aggressive' or Bianca's most important worry.

Of course, the characters within this novel were just as interesting and enjoyable to read about as they were in the first book. I really love the cast of characters in this series, especially Balthazar! There's just something about him that seems unique and I hope that he's featured within the next books of the Evernight saga. Lucas can be a bit stereotypical-YA-boy-love-interest at times, but it's not overwhelming and I find him quite likeable. Bianca, the main character, is full of personality and a great protagonist, and I think that her identity as a vampire adds to her struggles in a way that makes readers care about her issues and root for her for the entirety of the first two books. I hope this continues on throughout the series.

I think that the use of the ghost or spirit within the story made this book suspenseful and added originality to the author's interpretation of vampires. The connection to Bianca was unexpected and I never would've guessed it! It adds a new level to Bianca's troubles.

I completely recommend this sequel to Evernight! If you've read the first book and you're unsure of whether or not you should continue the series, I think that it would be wise because Claudia Gray's writing, characters and ideas remain just as captivating and exciting as they did in the first book.

Reader reviewed by Erica

Stargazer (Evernight, Book 2)
Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Pages: 336

Rating: 4.5 stars


The vampire in me was closer to the surface . . .

Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of allvampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.

But Bianca fell in love with Lucasa vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.

Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Crossor deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.

Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning. . . .

Stargazer lived up to all my expectations I had for it! It was a phenomonal continuation of Bianca's story that carried on Evernight's initial plot, with relationships between characters becoming much more complex. The characters become so much more defined, and really just jump off the page at you.

I loved how in class, the things they discussed with Ms. Bethany totallly was symbolism for what happened with different characters in the book. In parts of Stargazer, Bianca got on my nerves. Some of her plans were so obviously going to go wrong, yet she agreed to go on with them.

I never was quite sure where Stargazer was going to go next, and found myself pondering past events as I read forward. The end was definately something you wouldn't expect, which made it all the better.

I was depressed when I got to the end, as I now have to wait until next spring for Hourglass, and hear more of Bianca's story.