Stargazer

I really, really enjoyed this book. I started it as something to read before bed, couldn't put it down, and finished it in one night. It's a well written book with an interesting story, and the female lead is far less annoying than she is in some other popular vampire books (not naming names of course...Bella...Elena...). I also like the unique vampire mythology, that borrows a lot from the traditional Dracula/Anne Rice sort of vampire while at the same time adding its own very original twists.

That said, Bianca was starting to annoy me a little. The more and more she went on and on about how awesome Lucas was, the more annoyed I became that she didn't notice how wonderful Balthazar was. I liked the Romeo and Juliet analogy - because the show more whole book is, in a sense, Romeo and Juliet with vampires (and a love triangle) - but mostly because Bianca and Lucas are like Romeo and Juliet - they don't know each other well enough through a few passionate meetings to really be anything other than infatuated with each other. Of course they're teenagers, so what can one expect, right?

And yes, yes, I know Balthazar said he was just using her because she reminded him of someone else that he won't tell her about. But I don't believe that, even if he does say it. His feelings with her, his relationship with her, was more real than anything I saw between Bianca and Lucas, and it annoyed me that she was ready to throw away what seemed to be her chance at real happiness in order to throw herself at a guy she barely knows and who had been a great big jerk far more than once. I don't know, maybe it's just my sympathy for the underdog, but I really think Bianca is making a REALLY BAD decision here. Of course, she's acting exactly like an impulsive teenager, so I guess it's perfectly realistic in that sense. show less

Bianca, Lucas and Balthazar return in this compulsively readable follow-up to Claudia Gray's Evernight, the most enjoyable vampire novel I have read since L.J. Smith - creator of the Night World series - took a hiatus from writing in the late 1990s. Separated by seemingly insurmountable differences, Bianca and Lucas are still very much in love, and determined to find a way to be together. When Balthazar catches Bianca returning to Evernight from a secret meeting with Lucas, he strikes a bargain with her: he'll help the star-crossed lovers meet, if they'll help him track down his estranged sister Charity, who has fallen in with a dangerous vampire tribe. But none of them - not Bianca and Lucas, not Balthazar - could have foreseen the show more chain of events this bargain would set in motion, or the consequences for both human and vampire...

I'm always a little cautious in approaching the sequel to a book I have thoroughly enjoyed, as it can be such a disappointment to find that it does not fulfill the promise of its predecessor. Fortunately, Stargazer is a worthy second chapter in the Evernight series - entertaining, emotionally involving, and thoughtful. As both Bianca and Lucas struggle with the knowledge that their world is more complex than they had ever imagined, that the conflict between vampire and human is not so clear-cut, Balthazar's unexpected depths and tragic history emerge. I enjoyed watching the characters learn and grow, and although I was able to predict certain narrative developments, I remained riveted until the very end. Now... if only the third installment were already available! show less

Okay... firstly: YAY, VAMPIRES!
secondly: there is the thing that's called 'jumping into the action'. that when at the beginning of a story, they start at the climax or some big battle and then go back in time and work their way up to it. and I HATE IT when they do that.
unfortunately, it happened in both Evernight and this book, so probably the next one, too.
*Sighs* I guess I'll have to live with it.
thirdly: there is one point in the story in which she and lucas are making out, like, really really hard. and then, we know what Bianca does when they start making out real hard, and then they have this big argument I'm not going to get into right now. All I'll say is: if Lucas thinks that they'll ever be able to have sex without the both show more turning into vampires, his head is IN THE FREAKING CLOUDS.
Fourthly: the fact that Lucas can pick a lock is SOOO sexy.
Fifthly: this book definitely had me feeling sad for Balthazar, which reinforced my being on his team. I"m sorry, Lucas is badass with a stake and picking locks and being a vampire hunter in general, but Balthazar's story is so SAD. of course I'm going to side with him.
And I'm still telling you, when the Black Cross finds out Bianca's a vampire (which they will) it will all go to SHIT and HELL from there. show less

I heart this book. I heart this author, actually. I suspect this is just a trilogy, but I really hope not -- I think Claudia Gray is right up there with Kristen Britain as far as 'Awesome Author's Whose Books Must Be Read At All Costs.'

To qualify: I don't like vampire lit. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that before (maybe a hundred times or two) but I really do not like vampire lit. It didn't matter if it was Anne Rice, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris or Stephanie Meyers, up until this year you couldn't convince me there was vampire lit I could stomach. Although I do like Harris' werewolves.

It wasn't like I was unreasonably biased, either -- I'd give the stuff a try, I'd read it. I just would finish it and feel like I'd wasted my show more time. At least, with Rice, King's and Harris' I felt that way. With Meyers, I felt as though I'd actually done damage to my brain by reading that sh*t.

Something about the whole immortal/mortal love dynamic that's always written in. I hate it. I also really dislike how it's almost always handled from the human p.o.v., and when it's handled from the vampires, it's all about how s/he's a tortured unhappy soul of the centuries.

Anyway, Claudia Gray is the one author of vampire lit I can handle. I don't know what it is. Maybe

*series spoiler* *series spoiler* *series spoiler*

It's that she doesn't let you know the main character is a vampire until halfway through the first book. I mean, the hints and signs are there, but you don't really catch on until a third to half-way through. So you're all bonding with this regular teenage girl, and then *bam* you find she's a vampire.

*back to our regular review*

Or maybe it's Gray's unique take on the whole supernatural thing (explained in book 2) -- I really liked it. I felt it was somewhat limiting as far as supernatural creatures go, but hey, it's her universe and her take, and it's an incredibly creative and poetic explanation. I loved it.

Maybe it's just that she's that great of a writer -- which if anyone else agrees with me, Gray should be very happy, because I've just rated her above Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer and Charlaine Harris.

I just know that I like her writing enough that when I saw Stargazer on the shelf at Barnes and Noble, a squeal of delight fell from my lips, I grabbed it off the shelf, and I did a little dance right there in the aisle. It's a must-have. show less

Stargazer pleasantly surprised me; it was far better than the first book, Evernight, and gave me hope that I’ll enjoy the rest of the series a lot more than I had previously predicted.

Lucas is absent in many scenes, which irritated me quite a bit at first. To me, at least, this is dominantly a love story, one of which Lucas plays a crucial rule. How were we to see how his slight vampire abilities were developing? What was happening with the Black Cross? How would he and Bianca maintain their relationship? Fortunately Claudia Gray managed to answer those questions with frequent, sneaky visits between the two lovers. And the absence of Lucas was enough to pave way for a completely new addition of plot: the wraiths. Some people didn’t show more care for it, but I absolutely love the new revelations and discoveries of Bianca’s existence regarding the wraiths. Their scenes were terrifying and shocking and it gave me a new appreciation for the series.

Balthazar was another reason why I’ve begun to really like this series. I didn’t care so much for him in Evernight, but in Stargazer, we learn a lot more about him. He’s sweet, determined to win over his sister and the lengths he’d go to make Bianca happy is adorable. Don’t get me wrong, as of right now I’m still Team Lucas, but Balthazar is close behind.

Overall, I really enjoyed Stargazer. It combines everything you liked from the first novel - the characters, the romance, the eerie setting - with a new intensity and enemy that will have you on the edge of your seat. If you’ve read Evernight and, like me, wasn’t crazy for it, I think you should give Stargazer a try! You might get a new outlook on the series! I’m definitely excited to get my hands on Hourglass. show less

I really, really enjoyed this book. I started it as something to read before bed, couldn't put it down, and finished it in one night. It's a well written book with an interesting story, and the female lead is far less annoying than she is in some other popular vampire books (not naming names of course...Bella...Elena...). I also like the unique vampire mythology, that borrows a lot from the traditional Dracula/Anne Rice sort of vampire while at the same time adding its own very original twists.

That said, Bianca was starting to annoy me a little. The more and more she went on and on about how awesome Lucas was, the more annoyed I became that she didn't notice how wonderful Balthazar was. I liked the Romeo and Juliet analogy - because the show more whole book is, in a sense, Romeo and Juliet with vampires (and a love triangle) - but mostly because Bianca and Lucas are like Romeo and Juliet - they don't know each other well enough through a few passionate meetings to really be anything other than infatuated with each other. Of course they're teenagers, so what can one expect, right?

And yes, yes, I know Balthazar said he was just using her because she reminded him of someone else that he won't tell her about. But I don't believe that, even if he does say it. His feelings with her, his relationship with her, was more real than anything I saw between Bianca and Lucas, and it annoyed me that she was ready to throw away what seemed to be her chance at real happiness in order to throw herself at a guy she barely knows and who had been a great big jerk far more than once. I don't know, maybe it's just my sympathy for the underdog, but I really think Bianca is making a REALLY BAD decision here. Of course, she's acting exactly like an impulsive teenager, so I guess it's perfectly realistic in that sense. show less

Okay say it with me--irony, thy name is Evernight. Obviously there will be spoilers for book 1, hell the synopsis gives away all the good stuff. When we last left our young Shakespearean would-be lovers Lucas and Bianca--things were kind of bad for them. Sure her parents forgave her, Lucas' mother and family were still pretty in the dark about Bianca's true nature and no one died...but like Romeo and Juliet the course of true love was really bleak.

Reassurances are not mine to give about the second book either. There are happy moments, but that's all they are, moments. Amazingly Lucas' clan remain the dark about who/what Bianca is. So much so that for all of us in the know, the ending pages are probably darkly humorous. Its an odd show more reversal of roles for the two and the stakes are supremely worse.

There are more secrets to tell about Bianca, about who/what she is, about her role and her life. Lies and betrayals hurt, even more this time around when Bianca thought she knew what she needed to know. Her relationship with Lucas hits a couple of snags, big snags, because they both have to fess up to pent up feelings and opinions on who they are. The end...like I said darkly humorous (for those of us who like that sort of thing) and hopefully doesn't end badly. I hope and hope and hope.

Pacing goes more smoothly this time around, which made me happy and we learned more about the secondary characters. Vic and Raquel (though I'd be happy without Raquel), Balthazar and his family (his sister I could do without as well), Lucas' clan (who aren't really bad, per say, but just...well bitter enemies are bitter enemies). There's an amusing part near the end, during a battle, when both sides call out to Bianca to save herself and there's that moment of 'But wait! I know you!' which I laughed at.

Hourglass, the third book, in case you haven't heard has been pushed back to March of 2010. Sad news for me as I want it now. I will wait, and like a few other series I'm waiting for the next book in (looking at you The Immortals, Night World, Soul Screamers and The Darkest Powers) I will wait with impatience. show less