Stargazer by Claudia Gray

 

 Series: Evernight
Author: Claudia Gray
Page Count: 329
Published: March 24th, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
  5 Stars ★★★★★

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.

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