Stargazer Review

WARNING – DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ EVERNIGHT FIRST

“The vampire was closer to the surface than ever”

Things seem to get even more complicated in Stargazer, the second book to Evernight by Claudia Gray. It’s a new term at Evernight Academy and that means new students, new roommates and a new set of problems (well actually it’s mostly the same set of problems they had before with a few new ones added for good measure). Bianca and Lucas were torn apart in Evernight as we discovered that Bianca is a half vampire and Lucas is part of Black Cross, an organisation that exists to destroy vampires. Not exactly the best combination of people to be in a relationship but you can’t choose who you love now can you?! Evernight Academy being full of vampires and all probably wasn’t the best place for Lucas to be when the knowledge of his membership to Black Cross was revealed so he fled. And remarkably, the human students are still blissfully unaware of it all.

If you’ve read my previous review, it’s no secret that I LOVED Evernight and besides the Twilight Saga, this is only the second sequel of a book series I’ve ever read. The characters of Stargazer are already established and whilst it took a few pages to get settled back in to the world of Evernight Academy, before long it was like catching up with an old friend.

It’s nice to see that Bianca’s character is developing as she grows up. She seems stronger in this book and less reliant on her parents. She’s willing to risk everything to be with Lucas and their relationship makes them question each other’s fate. Bianca is increasingly thirsty for blood and is always battling with herself because of it.

There’s a lot of lusting going on in this book and I actually found the interactions between Bianca and Balthazar hotter than between Bianca and Lucas at times. At one point, I found myself actually rooting for the underdog! It reminded me of the Dawson-Joey-Pacey love triangle from Dawson’s Creek, only Lucas and Balthazar were never considered best friends and Bianca is a half vampire (can you imagine Joey as a half vampire? That would be soooo wrong).

What I liked about Stargazer is that it held your interest; it wasn’t just what I call “filler” to move the story along. Stargazer has purpose – it helps to reveal even more secrets about Bianca’s heritage and Evernight Academy itself, it introduces us to the concept of “Wraiths” and without giving too much away, gives us a glimpse into Balthazar’s history. FYI, the fifth book in this series is scheduled to be a stand-alone book all about Balthazar and quite frankly my dears, I cannot wait!

Stargazer has everything you could want in a sequel, with great characters, more secrets, forbidden love and a love triangle. I think the title is great (presumably a reference to the fact that Bianca in her own words is an “astronomy geek”) and the cover art is beautiful (did I mention I love the colour purple?). The question is however; can Bianca and Lucas make their relationship work despite all the odds? You’ll just have to read to find out!

I just so happen to have an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Hourglass here in my hands, sent to me by the lady herself – thank you Claudia! So that’s what I’ll be reading and reviewing next! Stay tuned!