Author: Claudia Gray
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal
Pub Date: May 2008, HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover, 327 pages
Book Source: purchased from BookBargains.com
Synopsis
Bianca wants to escape.
She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.
Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.
"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.
My Thoughts
OK, I will admit it. Evernight might be your stereotypical YA vampire novel, but you know what? I enjoyed it, nonetheless. And actually, there were a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming when I was reading, so I definitely enjoyed being caught off guard. I am glad that I hadn't read any spoilers for this book beforehand--it is definitely a story that is better to go into with little information beforehand. (And as usual, I will try to keep the review spoiler-free.)
My biggest problem with this book is that I felt like some of the more interesting aspects of the storyline and characters were rather underdeveloped. There was a great deal of focus on life at the boarding school, but I think Gray could have gone into more detail on some of her more creative aspects of vampire culture vs. human culture. She really does a good job portraying some different ideas of vampire lore. Unfortunately, by the time we get to the real meat of the plot, there really isn't much time left to address it in the level of detail it deserves, if that makes any sense. I am hopeful this will be addressed more when I read the second book (which, by the way, I just ordered today).
However, I do think we have a great cast of characters and quite honestly, the story is engaging--along the same lines as another extremely popular vampire series (turned into movies) that shall remain nameless. I suppose this book is really a bit of a guilty pleasure, and you know something? Sometimes those are just what you need.
My rating:
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Posts
Sometimes you just need a "fluff" read, and as long as it's fun and entertaining, why question it? LOL
ReplyDeleteJane Austen sequels are my guilty pleasure.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
Hmm, 4 stars is quite generous for this book in my opinion, lol. I liked the twist too--it totally worked for me and I had no problem with it basically being sprung upon us as it was--but I agree: the writing lacked, and the story was not built up very well. Plus, what did you think of the romance?
ReplyDeleteAnna ~ I have yet to read a Jane Austen sequel... Perhaps I should give one a try. Any rec's?
ReplyDeleteSteph ~ It's funny, I went back and forth between 3-1/2 and 4 stars for this one. I may yet revise the rating (hey, it's part of my disclaimer somewhere), I haven't decided. Perhaps I was feeling generous during the holiday season :-)
As for the romance, I'm undecided on that, too--I was pretty irritated when one of the twists happened and I'm not sure how I feel about the romance possibly going on despite what happened. We'll see where the story goes in the next books...
I liked this book, but on the other hand I didn't. It is one of those books that I can't decide about even though it has been a while since I read it.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, I modified the rating. (You were def. right, Steph!) I plead the fact that I was actually writing this review late last night ;-)
ReplyDeleteKailana ~ I can certainly understand that. I think the reason it did work for me and I enjoyed it was that it has been awhile since I've ready any YA vampire books, so it was sort of fresh for me, if that makes sense. I'm anxious to see how Stargazer turns out, it's now on its way to me!
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite Jane Austen sequels so far are Lydia Bennet's Story by Jane Odiwe and A Match for Mary Bennet by Eucharista Ward. They feel at least to me almost like you're reading Austen herself.
ReplyDelete--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
Anna ~ I'm intrigued--sounds like something I would enjoy. I can't say I'm a fan of the sequels that become trashy all of the sudden. I want to feel like I'm reading Austen, not a steamy romance that happens to be set in an Austen story.
ReplyDeleteNope, those aren't trashy at all. I prefer Austen sequels that try to stay true to her voice and her characters, but I'm willing to read some of the more unique ones. I read one earlier this year where Darcy and Elizabeth seemed never to make it out of the bedroom. It was a bit disappointing to me.
ReplyDelete--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric