Book Review: Stargazer

Title: Stargazer

Author: Claudia Gray

Series: Evernight, book 2

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 2009

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 329

Source: Bought

My Rating: 4 stars 

Synopsis

I kissed Lucas again, more slowly this time. We held each other tighter, and I started to wonder how much closer we could get-and then I remembered what it had felt like when I drank his blood.

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

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

But Bianca fell in love with Lucas-a 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 Cross-or 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...

My Review

In the first book we are left with Lucas leaving Evernight, a school occupied mostly by vampires, because he was a vampire hunter. Bianca is a vampire-sort of.

I put off reading this because I was so mad after reading the first book. I just couldn't believe how Bianca, since the series comes from her point of view, could actually lie about what she is. 

During the first half of Evernight you have no idea what is happening and then suddenly we discover Bianca is a vampire, drinking blood from cups all this time. 

Nevertheless, I got over it and got my hands on Stargazer because of Lucas. I just had to know more about him! And I did enjoy it!

The first pages seemed to pass really quickly. Bianca in this book wasn't shy at all. In the first book Evernight we begin to know her as a shy girl but a year after, she is more confident and sure about her self and her choices. Things between her and Lucas are hard since she is still in Evernight and he's somewhere else hunting vampires. Even though it seems impossible they still manage to see each other and each time their love grows stronger. 

Evernight though is still creepy and holds more secrets, that I thought was possible. I mean, I never saw this kind of twist coming up. The author managed to surprise me once more (in a good way this time) with a  twist in Bianca's life and I was a little bit socked how she managed to join vampires and ghosts into the story. 

Lucas and Bianca's moments left me breathless and can't wait to grab Hourglass to see what happens to them next. They have so many obstacles to overcome that I wonder when they'll get a chance just to be.

I liked Balthazar's character growth. We got a glimpse of his life and how he was turned into a vampire. I liked him and it was hard not to route for him, since he has a major crush on Bianca. I loved Lucas, especially when he was jealous. He was irresistible. Lucas did also grow in this book. He learned that not everything around him is white and black, and learned, first to think then to act. Bianca played a huge role there.

Overall, I liked it. Claudia Gray managed to create an eerie atmosphere focusing on the romance and mysteries of Evernight. I would recommend reading this even if you slightly liked Evernight. This book is much better than Evernight and can hope the rest of the books are as good as this if not better. 

Frosy 

Buy this book at Amazon | Book Depository (Format Hardcover)

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Vacations From Hell >> Book Review

Vacations From Hell by various authors

(5 short stories)

paperback pages: 280

My Overall Rating 3.5 stars

Life's a beach...

and then you're undead?

In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers-Libba Bray (A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY), Cassandra Clare (CITY OF BONES), Claudia Gray (EVERNIGHT), Maureen Johnson (13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES), and Sarah Mlynowski (BRAS & BROOMSTICKS)- tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive...

From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. When vacation time comes, you definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

My Review

Vacations From Hell is a book that holds 5 short stories. Stories about vacations, that didn’t end up well. And of course each of them had their share of paranormal.

I will review each one of them. It’s really hard to give you an idea for each of them without spoiling them because of their short length, the stories start right away.
So I’ll try my best.

CRUISIN, by Sarah Mlynowski
My Rating 1 star

This story follows two girls that are cruising when they hear rumours of vampire attacks on cruises. Basically these two girls go on vacation without their parents and the one of them has a goal to achieve. This goal though seems to be interrupted by vampires or maybe not. I can’t say much because I will spoil it. 

Overall I didn’t like it.

I DON’T LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND, by Claudia Gray
My Rating 5 stars

This story is about witches and a group of women that practises their magic. 

Every summer they gather together in order to practice magic together. For their husbands it’s a vacation, because one of the rules says that men are forbidden to know about their magic. 
Cecily doesn’t want to go because Kathleen will be there. They hate each other. 
Cecily though finds out that Kathleen has been messing around with magic, breaking one of the rules. She tries to tell her mother but she doesn’t believe her so it’s up to her to try to solve it. 

I liked this story, it’s my favourite of all five stories and I would definitely read it if it was a novel. There was an incident actually that I wanted to share with you. My highest rated stories were actually kind scary and definitely creepy. So when I was reading this story, there was a scene where this Cecily was practising her magic under the light of some candles. And while I was reading the exact scene the lights in my house went off, and if I was alone I would surely have freaked out! Lol.

Overall I would suggest reading this short story if you like reading about witches.


THE LAW OF SUSPECTS, by Maureen Johnson
My Rating 5 stars 

I loved this story! 
It’s about two sisters who go to Paris for the summer but they end up in an old village where there is no phone line and their cell phones don’t have any bars. If it wasn’t only for that, there aren’t also any people near them expect their really scary neighbour that lives next door. 

I can say there isn’t anything really paranormal in it but it’s for sure creepy and scary. I now look at my neighbours with another eye. Lol.

There is also a small romantic encounter in this book. Nothing as a full length book could provide but let me tell you something I got from this story. Looks can deceive.

Overall loved it and I hope it becomes someday a full length novel.

THE MIRROR HOUSE, by Cassandra Clare
My Rating 3.5 stars

Ok, this reminded me her trilogy Mortal Instruments. The story wasn’t similar to her trilogy, but the sister and brother thing was. 
So this is a story about a brother and sister who are in love. 

They are not actually blood related but by law related. Their parents got married and now they are on their vacation all together trying to hide the fact that they are more than brother and sister.

As the days pass they find a beach where a strange lady lives in a house full of mirrors. That lady captures her brother and now it’s up to her to find the way to save him. 

Overall, not crazy about it. The brother and sister set me off a little, mostly because she has already done it but the story line didn’t appeal to me much.

NOWHERE IS SAFE, by Libba Bray
My Rating 4.5 stars

I liked this story a lot! And it was the scariest of them all!

So this story is about 4 Americans who travel around Europe and they come across a small village with a weird name and even weirder reputation. In their travel brochure it says that the village is haunted by evil spirits. They laugh about it and think they should see the place thinking it will be an ordinary, even boring village.
What they find though is human sacrifices to the Satan and they wish they hadn’t gone there.

I can’t say much but it’ll make your skin crawl.

Overall I would like to read this as a full length story but I would make sure it’s day and long before I go to bed.


Frosy


Buy the book at Amazon | Book Depository  (Format Hardcover)
and Amazon | Book Depository (Format Paperback)

Evernight >> Book Review

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Evernight, Book 1

paperback pages: 327

My Rating 3 stars

Bianca wants to escape.

At the eerily Evernight Academy, a Gothic boarding school, the students are sleek, smart, 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 and 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 them 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 Review

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story line was something I hadn’t encountered before and it was a nice change. But the thing that annoyed most was the main character and how she was presented.

Bianca is supposed to be shy, in a case where she can’t even tell her name to someone she just meets. That’s how the author describes her so that’s what I expected but I was sadly disappointed.

You are either shy or not. That’s what I said each time Bianca turned to be shy one moment and then confident the other. You can’t be shy and the second day of school you are hanging with a bunch of people discussing your life. It’s really frustrating and I think her character was poorly developed.

Lucas was a breath. He is so much different from all those other “perfect” boys out there. He is a normal guy, as normal as you can get in a paranormal romance, that is not afraid to show his flaws. He is not the strongest or beautiful or rich and I think that made me like him more because he is the type of guy you will find on your way home. He is such a realistic guy. I was so happy reading about him. Although he was too overprotective but hey he is not perfect! :)

The writing was simple and straightforward, not much to say about it. Most YA books tend to have a really simple writing but that’s what you get when you’re into YA. Of course there are exceptions and that’s when you have a party!

As far for the plot there is something that made mad almost through the book but I am not going to write about it here because I will spoil it for you so I am going to leave it for another post.

Overall I liked it, not crazy about it but there were some scenes that I really liked and that’s why I gave 3 stars. Without them it would have been 2 stars.
Frosy 




Buy the book at Amazon | Book Depository (Hardcover Format)
and Amazon | Book Depository (Paperback Format) 

A fan-made trailer for the book.