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Evernight (Evernight #1)

by Claudia Gray (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 37,798 ratings · 2,374 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 1 Reprint Edition, 327 pages

Published February 10th 2009 by HarperTeen (first published May 1st 2008)

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Nov 25, 2012 Haleema rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: lame-rip-offs-of-other-works, oh-not-again, cheese-pizza, snape-disapproves, i-knew-it, just-begging-for-snark, my-vomit-is-nicer, its-so-stupid-it-hurts, what-a-joke, vamps-in-the-house, stupid-love-triangles

Beware of spoilers!

After reading Gray's, Fateful, I thought she was a decent author. You know, she's got a few good ideas here and there. She can write well, I suppose. Not bad! So I decided to read the first book to her Evernight series.

She was bad. Bad to the bone.

So this is the story about Bianca. She's timid, awkward, and very childish. Stupid-childish, not cute childish, may I say! She's sixteen, but she acts like a five-year-old. She's a new student at Evernight Academy, a creepy, Gothic-...more

66 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: should-have-been-bad

Pretty much, I think this rating is going to come as a massive shock to... well, anyone who's ever read a review from me before.

The thing is, Evernight really isn't that bad. In fact, as far as sappy YA paranormal books go, it's not THAT bad.

I don't actually know what to do with myself. I kind of expected a REALLY painful and agonizing reading experience before I came on GR and vomitted vitriol into everyone's faces. I guess you're all spared of that... for now! *Cue evil laugh*

Evernight is the...more Pretty much, I think this rating is going to come as a massive shock to... well, anyone who's ever read a review from me before.

The thing is, Evernight really isn't that bad. In fact, as far as sappy YA paranormal books go, it's not THAT bad.

I don't actually know what to do with myself. I kind of expected a REALLY painful and agonizing reading experience before I came on GR and vomitted vitriol into everyone's faces. I guess you're all spared of that... for now! *Cue evil laugh*

Evernight is the bastard child of Twilight and Harry Potter. If you can imagine that Harry Potter is the dignified, lovable parent and Twilight is the alcoholic but not-abusive-enough-to-warrant-removal parent then Evernight comes out somewhere in between. It aims, but ultimately falls short of being as dignified, full of solid characterization and whimsical as Harry Potter but neither is it angrily raiding the fridge for baloney and shouting at the cat to get a day job while dressed in a moomoo.

It even tries for an M. Night Shaymalan twist twice in the novel but neither one was actually of any great surprise. I will add in here, as Anila pointed out, that there is withholding of information from the first person narrative. Authors, don't do this - it's really annoying and crappy. Still, the book is not entirely archtypical of a genre so polluted with hastily spat out gibberish.

Bianca is actually intelligent. I don't mean the Wuthering Heights reading kind of intelligence although Wuthering Heights does warrant a mention in this book. Aside from actually being a geek and doing her homework, she speaks intelligently and forms opinions and makes comments that actually convinces me that this character IS intelligent. Unlike Luce from Fallen who is supposedly a straight A student who never cracks open a book and often has trouble forming a complete sentence let alone a complete thought.

Lucas as the love interest is okay. He's antagonistic and defensive yet also vulnerable and sweet. The lovey dovey aspect of this novel was actually what bored me the most. I just didn't actually believe that their love was anything more than "calf love". It was an incredibly childish and silly romance. Which is to be expected because Bianca and Lucas are childish and silly. Still, the only time I ever felt the chemistry was in their first meeting and after that, I felt like Gray was simply forcing them together because her plotline required it.

The writing was okay, the secondary characters were okay and the plot and pacing was alright.

Over all, it was a thoroughly average novel but I felt that the characterization of Bianca was what actually saved it from being a complete rip off of The Covenant or some other book like that.

I've been told the series does not improve with more books so I won't be reading the rest of this series but I do feel that as a novel, over all, I would rather a teenager read this than say Fallen or Evermore or Hush Hush.

And now there's nothing more to say other than the fact that I feel like I should go into hiding or something lest the GR police show up to arrest me and beat me because they keep saying that I'm resisting arresst even though I'm curled up on the ground sobbing while they play hackysack with my kidneys.(less)

34 likes · like · see review

Mar 12, 2009 Abigail rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: L.J. Smith Fans / Teen Readers Who Love Vampire Fiction

Recommended to Abigail by: Chelsea

Shelves: childrens-fiction, vampires-werewolves, childrens-fantasy

Review Temporarily Removed.

13 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2010 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, ebook, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, so how shall I put this... I have a few... issues with this book. Kim is bothered.

First of all: I like subtlety. I like surprises. But altering your writing to deliberately hide something very important, never even hinting towards it even once and then suddenly go SURPRIIIIIISE! is not my idea of writing a good story. It would be the same thing if we suddenly find out Bianca has a penis. Vampires are mentioned once during an English lit class. Bianca bites Lucas and suddenly we learn:

- Eve...more Okay, so how shall I put this... I have a few... issues with this book. Kim is bothered.

First of all: I like subtlety. I like surprises. But altering your writing to deliberately hide something very important, never even hinting towards it even once and then suddenly go SURPRIIIIIISE! is not my idea of writing a good story. It would be the same thing if we suddenly find out Bianca has a penis. Vampires are mentioned once during an English lit class. Bianca bites Lucas and suddenly we learn:

- Everybody is a vampire
- Bianca has always been a vampire
- Bianca was born that way

And from then on the word 'vampire' is mentioned practically every other sentence. Also, what's up with the humans? They are supposed to be there to 'help the vamps adjust to the new world'. Which brings me to my next issue: The vamps act like they lived under a rock for most of their long lives. Yes the world changes, new inventions pop up left and right. But it doesn't happen overnight. If you need classes to learn how to use a microwave then I'm seriously doubting the intelligence of the average vampire. Yet they all act like they were zapped into this century. Gee, I'm 'only' 27 and I wonder how on earth I managed to learn how to 'operate' my iPod (that has no wireless connection because that's EXACTLY what I'd want to do on my tiny screen, check my email *eyeroll*) in such a short amount of time.

My other problem with the humans is why anybody would think it's a good idea to put a few walking and talking blood banks in the middle of a horde of hungry vamps. I know it's mandatory in this kind of books, Bianca and Lucas have to be complete opposites, but the only reason for them going to the same school is because the mix of vampires, schools and forbidden love is hot right now. Of course later we find out Bianca and Lucas are supposed to be archenemies, which makes it even more difficult for them to stay out of each other's pants.

What really bothered me is the explanation how Bianca can become a full vampire instead of a half-baked version of one. 'Oh you just slip into some old folks home and snack on the first sucker who looks nearly dead enough'. I'm sorry what? You'd still be taking a life, I'm sorry if being a vampire automatically comes with a god complex but it's still wrong to murder somebody.

And last but not least: There are 2 ways to become a vampire. You are born one or you are made. If a vampire bites you 'enough times' you become a vampire yourself. How many times is that exactly? 4 times? 10 times? 50 times? And does every time count or does this wear off like say if a vampire bites you 5 times in a short amount of time, does that effect a person in the same way as if it was done during a one year period? And how come Lucas suddenly learned a few vampire tricks himself? How are Bianca's powers transferred into him exactly? And for a vampire slayer you'd think he would be able do the math himself after she bit him so why did he get upset with Bianca when he found out what she was? He could have been playing dumb but he seemed genuinely surprised when she came out of the coffin.

I'm reading the sequel to this because I hope it gets better or at least better thought through.(less)

55 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2009 Steph (Reviewer X) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: blog-already-read

Rant: Every professional review of this book somehow mentions Stephenie Meyer and/or the Twilight series. Is it just me, or does that annoy anyone else seven ways to Sunday? I get that people want to allude to some of the bestselling series of vampire books ever, but saying "enjoyable (...) for fans of that other vampire series who need something to read while they wait for Breaking Dawn (Meyer, 2008)" (Kirkus) is downright insulting, as it implies that Evernight is no better than a placeholder....more Rant: Every professional review of this book somehow mentions Stephenie Meyer and/or the Twilight series. Is it just me, or does that annoy anyone else seven ways to Sunday? I get that people want to allude to some of the bestselling series of vampire books ever, but saying "enjoyable (...) for fans of that other vampire series who need something to read while they wait for Breaking Dawn (Meyer, 2008)" (Kirkus) is downright insulting, as it implies that Evernight is no better than a placeholder. This angers me. But hey, I'm one to talk, huh, seeing as I'm about to do the same: The only comparison between the two books I think is appropriate to be made (and the only one I'll ever make) is that while it is Twilight's tagline that says "deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite", Evernight is the book that fits that bill. I enjoyed Twilight, don't get me wrong, but let's call a spade a spade: Twilight is marketable fluff with a suspense subplot (and that's all it really is -- a subplot). And even so, the suspense is predestined to end in Happily-Ever-After Ville, so, without ever having a doubt of where it's headed, can we really call it suspense? Evernight, methinks, has real suspense "in equal parts" with romance.

Moving on, as this rant is getting too long-winded and distracting attention from the review itself.

Don't let the beginning of this novel get to you. This review (click -- beware of spoilers!) had a spot-on analysis of what was wrong with the first half; it channels my thoughts exactly. Basically, I felt like the beginning went one direction and then when the twist came, it veered another direction completely, and the two parts, together, were incomprehensible. When I discovered midway through the novel that Bianca already knew and accepted that she was a vampire, I was ready to hurl the book across the room. For one, it made no sense in synch with everything I'd learned up to the that point. If you were amidst an alien nation and you were one of the few humans in existence, wouldn't you think to yourself every once in a while, "Hey, I'm human. I live with aliens, but I'm still human. I know this because I don't look like an oversized zygote"? How could she not even think about her diet differences with humans? And for another thing, it was deceitful of Bianca to earn my sympathy through her lonely-girl gripes about not fitting in at Evernight when she was in the majority, species-wise. Added to this is the dragging narrative found in this first portion -- some of which, by this time, I didn't see the point in.

Now, judging by the fact this is earning four stars, something inside the book must've worked, correct?! Right you are. When I hit page 200-something and the catalyst finally appeared, I literally sat up on my bed and my eyes bulged out so much, I thought they'd pop out of my head. From there on out, a dozen little plot developments happened that changed the novel's progression in a way I didn't for a second see coming. For every boring moment in the first half, the second half offered an complex setup, quick pacing, and really, really great discoveries. I won't go too much in detail because I don't want to spoil anyone's reading experience, but I can guarantee you this: The plot? Brilliant. Enigmatic, but balanced, and very well thought-out.

Remember in my criticizing paragraph that I said some of the stuff in the first portion didn't make much sense to me? I meant Lucas's character (he seemed to me like a gratuitous lover-boy type), the sometimes over-the-top romance between Bianca and him, and a lot of details that made no sense whatsoever. It was all a set up. Nearly everything gets explained later on, and you can see the sheer genius behind this carefully strung story. I mean, I still don't get why Bianca knew she was a vampire all along when it would've been a much more groundbreaking move in the overall scheme of things to have her find out along with the reader the reality of the situation, and that's what robbed this book of an A-rating, but everything else?

FREAKING AWESOME.

This book is perfect for people sick of the tried-and-tortured vampires-are-oh-so-sexy books that seem to dominate the YA vamp-lit genre nowadays. I am not kidding when I say the ideas Claudia Gray introduced here are very original and engaging. I'm bashing my head in at the re-scheduling of Stargazer's release because I am desperately in the need to know what happens from here.

Get. This. Book. Ignore the first part, revel in the second part, and then come join the line of people awaiting Stargazer's launch, which is, of course, led by me. I'll bite anyone who tries to cut ahead and I can't guarantee I won't drain you while I'm at it.(less)

46 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-challenge-leftovers, 2013, zz-swapped-ya, reviewed

The first words that come to mind are dumb & instalove. I've read worse (really, I have -- just recently, in fact :P). But I've read better. So...there you go.

Part of the problem is how everyone talks & acts like they're 7 instead of 17 (or 19, in other cases). The romance is schmoopy-lovey-dovey-eyes for no good reason other than the fact that it's instalove, & therefore everyone should be on board with Bianca & Lucas as a central pairing. Alas, Bianca & Lucas are personali...more The first words that come to mind are dumb & instalove. I've read worse (really, I have -- just recently, in fact :P). But I've read better. So...there you go.

Part of the problem is how everyone talks & acts like they're 7 instead of 17 (or 19, in other cases). The romance is schmoopy-lovey-dovey-eyes for no good reason other than the fact that it's instalove, & therefore everyone should be on board with Bianca & Lucas as a central pairing. Alas, Bianca & Lucas are personality-challenged cyphers of imagined teenage wuv. Their instantaneous connection & proclaimed adoration within 100 pages of large font is...well...unbelievable (not to mention nauseating), & sets the stage for an endless repeat of I love Lucas, Lucas is so beautiful, Lucas & I are meant for each other, WTF is Lucas right now omg?! diatribes on Bianca's part. SNOOZE, PLZ.

Another problem is the mash of vampirism & Harry Potter. I do think the concept of the Evernight school is an interesting one (since vampires don't age when they've turned, their society has set up little havens where the younger-looking ones are disguised as boarding students & can iron out any issues they have with modern technology, social structures, etc -- basically to help them blend in with normal folks). However, the slip-shod Potter inspiration is much too obvious & results in extremely thin world-building populated with equally thin characters. That, combined with strung-together action scenes, cheesy dialogue, & schmoopy mooncalf lurve, makes the entire book too unbelievable. It feels more like a middle grade novel than young adult; I'd probably have enjoyed it when I was 10, but not so much these days.

...That said, I did like this particular scene:

"You've had a few minutes with the iPods now [said Mr Yee]. Your first questions?"

Patrice raised her hand first. "You said that most electronic devices can establish wireless connections now. But it doesn't seem like this one does."

"Very good, Patrice. This limitation is one of the few design flaws of the iPod. Subsequent models are likely to incorporate some form of wireless connection, and, of course, there's also the iPhone--which we'll cover next week." [...] "Anyone else?" Mr Yee looked around the room and then sighed. "Yes, Ranulf?"

"What spirits animate this box?"

"We've been over this." Putting his hands on Ranulf's desk, Mr Yee slowly said, "No spirits animate any of the machines we've studied in class. Or will study, moving forward. In fact, no spirits animate any machines at all. Is that finally clear?"

Ranulf nodded slowly but didn't look convinced. He wore his brown hair in a bowl haircut and had an open, guileless face. After a moment, he ventured, "What about the spirits of the metal from which this box is made?"

Mr Yee slumped, as if defeated.

(Yes, I lol'd. I'm nothing if not easily amused.)

2.5 stars, rounded up for Ranulf & his confusion over iPods. :D(less)

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Nov 24, 2008 Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who will give up good writing for some vampire sex and a gothy feel.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

39 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Tina (Martina ♥ Bookaholic) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-ebook, fantasy, read-in-german, waste-of-time, 2011

Mehr Infos zur Rezi: http://martinabookaholic.wordpress.com/
Deutsche Rezension:
Ich habe mich wirklich lange zusammen gerissen und versucht dieses Buch zu Ende zu lesen, aber bei bestem Willen habe ich mir bei der Mitte dann das Genick gebrochen und musste es einfach abbrechen! Sowas Absurdes habe ich ‘Gott sei Dank’ schon lange nicht mehr gelesen und ich habe keine Ahnung wie jemandem das gefallen kann? Ich bin das ganze Buch lang nicht mit der Hauptperson Bianca warm geworden. Keine Ahnung wa...more Mehr Infos zur Rezi: http://martinabookaholic.wordpress.com/
Deutsche Rezension:
Ich habe mich wirklich lange zusammen gerissen und versucht dieses Buch zu Ende zu lesen, aber bei bestem Willen habe ich mir bei der Mitte dann das Genick gebrochen und musste es einfach abbrechen! Sowas Absurdes habe ich ‘Gott sei Dank’ schon lange nicht mehr gelesen und ich habe keine Ahnung wie jemandem das gefallen kann? Ich bin das ganze Buch lang nicht mit der Hauptperson Bianca warm geworden. Keine Ahnung warum, aber ihre Geschichte und auch die ganze Handlung im Buch haben mich total kalt gelassen und mich nicht im Geringsten bewegt oder mitgerissen. Diese Bianca rennt herum wie eine 10-jährige, dass man sie am liebsten Ohrfeigen oder schütteln würde und auch der Rest ist schon 1.000 x da gewesen *GähnFaktor hoch 2*

Trotzdem habe ich versucht mich in die Geschichte rein zu finden oder etwas zu fühlen, als sie sich mit diesem Lucas angefreundet hat, aber auch dieser Typ hat mich überhaupt nicht interessiert. Und die ganze Zeit über hat Gray versucht diesen Ort, dieses Internat gefährlich oder mystisch wirken zu lassen, besonders für Bianca. Sie wird von ihren Eltern gezwungen dort zur Schule zu gehen, während diese selber dort unterrichten. Doch von Anfang an fühlt sich Bianca fehl am Platz, nicht nur im Internat sondern auch unter den anderen Schülern, die alle soviel besser sind und attraktiver aussehen als sie selber. (bla bla, … irgendwie hatten wir das alles schon mal wo und Teile kommen mir viel zu bekannt vor…)
Die ganze Zeit über jammert sie und bemitleidet sich selber und je mehr sie leidet und es den Leser wissen lässt, wie arm sie doch dran ist, desto weniger kann ich sie leiden. Besonders weil sie nichts tut um es zu ändern und einfach nur dumm durch die Gegend läuft. Aber das Fass zum überlaufen gebracht hat und der Grund, warum ich aufgehört habe, war Folgender:

!!! SPOILER – bitte nicht weiter lesen, wer dieses Buch noch lesen möchte (meiner Meinung nach, selber schuld, aber okay…)!!!

Die Hälfte des Buches wird Bianca total unschuldig beschrieben und sie fühlt sich fehl am Platz und sie merkt ,dass im Evernight Internat irgendetwas nicht stimmt, … mit ihren Mitschülern nicht stimmt. Und dann plötzlich beißt sie – BIANCA, einen Typen und trinkt sein Blut! Okay, es war keine Überraschung, dass dort bald mal Vampire auftauchen, aber es war doch überraschend, dass Bianca sich die ganze Zeit wie ein kleines, verängstigtes Schulkind aufgeführt hat, während sie WUSSTE, dass sie ein Vampir ist und nur darauf gewartet hat, dass sie eine ‚erwachsene‘ Vampirin wird, die Blut trinkt. Das war für mich der Punkt, der definitiv zu widersprüchlich war und mich das Buch kopf schüttelnd beenden ließ. Für mich hat die ganze Geschichte um Bianca, und besonders um ihr Verhalten und ihre Gedanken, keine Logik ergeben und war meiner Meinung nach von den Haaren herbei gezogen. *furchtbar*

I have tried really very hard and long and I wanted to finish this book, but with all my best will I had no chance and broke up in the middle of the book!
I haven’t read something absurd like this for a very long time and I have no idea how somebody can like this book?! This Bianca runs around like a 10-years-old girl, which I wanted to slap or shake, and also the rest of the story wasn’t great because it have already been there ~ 1.000 times! *a bit of a yawn*
Though my right Review will follow, I just had to get rid of this thoughts right now *tremble*

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 02, 2010 kari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, 2010

Surprisingly, I really enoyed this book. It was almost on the edge of eyerolling, but was rescued just in time.
Bianca, an awkward, shy young teenage girl, begins the year at a new school where she meets Lucas, a mysterious boy with bronze hair that warns her away from him while yet another dark haired and muscular boy, Balthazar, whom she thinks of as only a friend, is also interested in her. Sound vaguely familiar?
Bianca spends too much time thinking about Lucas, almost to where I was starting...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars but in the end settled for 4 coz i really did enjoy it.

Evernight follows Bianca, a girl who is sent to Evernight Academy with her parents when they get jobs there. She doesn't fit in at all, you have the in-group who are posh, snobby and bitchy who Bianca really doesn't fit in with and then you have the out-casts who she doesn't feel like she fits in with at all. She feels like the only one who doesn't belong there and the only one who does...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who liked Twilight

I read this for two reasons: because I teach literacy to adolescents, and because Robin's coworker wrote it. So don't even bother to read this review unless you like teen vampire novels. If you DO, then I am pleased to report that I really enjoyed this book! In the story, Bianca Olivier is a teenage girl whose parents have insisted that they all move to a creepy boarding school called Evernight. Her parents will teach there, and she will attend as a student. Bianca hates the school from the star...more

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 04, 2011 Sarah M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-own

I enjoyed this!

I have seen this around the book store a couple times, but didnt really think anything of it. Then one day my mom saw the newest one in the series, and said "Sarah this one look good". Of course I knew that there where three more ahead of that one so I went and picked it up. Glad I did.

For me there where 3 twists in this book. The two that happened at once, the third later on. I was pretty shocked actually. I did suspect the vampire thing though. Bianca is likeable, I didn't mind...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Gabrielly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

I've known this book existed for a very long time but never actually had the urge to read it. I guess the covers never caught my attention and I never bothered to read the synopsis, so when the Love is All Around challenge started I decided to give it a go because hey it's red haha.

So the story follows Bianca when she first starts Evernight academy with her parents as professors. She soon meets her other classmates who are full of themselves except for a few, the ones that made this story actual...more I've known this book existed for a very long time but never actually had the urge to read it. I guess the covers never caught my attention and I never bothered to read the synopsis, so when the Love is All Around challenge started I decided to give it a go because hey it's red haha.

So the story follows Bianca when she first starts Evernight academy with her parents as professors. She soon meets her other classmates who are full of themselves except for a few, the ones that made this story actually worth something, Lucas, Balthazar, Rachel and Vic. You soon realize, rather abruptly, why the academy is so creepy and elitist and man I knew the genre of the book but it still caught me by surprise.

I guess, overall, this was an okay book, it was entertaining enough but some things didn't make any sense to me like why are they afraid of running water? Is it some kind of myth that I didn't know about or was it made up by the author? (view spoiler) I'm sorry but I didn't like Lucas much, I prefered sweet and understanding Balthazar but of course those are the ones that are friendzoned while the violent ones (view spoiler) gets the girl, tipical.

So this was an okay book, it's not something that you should get excited about, it will probably take a purple challenge to make me read the next one haha. 3 stars(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 11, 2010 Zeek rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, pnr

Where as I did like this book, I just couldn't get into it as much as some of the other recent best selling young adult books and it's probably because this one actually felt like a YA novel.

The central protag of Evernight, Bianca, is a sixteen year old girl who has just arrived at Evernight Academy to begin school for the next year. She's not too happy about it and the novel opens with Bianca deciding to get the heck out while the getting's good. A mysterious student by the name of Lucas stops...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2008 Cassie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cassie by: ARC

Shelves: bookwyrm_chrysalis_reviews, books-not-to-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had to stop this book halfway through. Why? Because I feel like it broke a basic agreement with the reader. When I'm reading a first person narrative, I trust that I'm seeing the world through the character's eyes. In this case, part way through, we find out that the author has pretty heavily been editing the character's words to keep us from seeing that...(start spoilers)...
she's a vampire. Now, it seemed that the character wasn't editing her own words, because being a vampire is just a way o...more I had to stop this book halfway through. Why? Because I feel like it broke a basic agreement with the reader. When I'm reading a first person narrative, I trust that I'm seeing the world through the character's eyes. In this case, part way through, we find out that the author has pretty heavily been editing the character's words to keep us from seeing that...(start spoilers)...
she's a vampire. Now, it seemed that the character wasn't editing her own words, because being a vampire is just a way of life for her. She doesn't really care. But the author is editing her words, limiting what we see, to trick the reader into thinking she's not a vampire. I'd say it was definitely intentional, not just badly written, that the author wanted to surprise the reader with a shocking revelation.

Now, from the beginning, I knew the main character was going to become a vampire. It's obvious, it follows the conventions of the genre, etc. But I thought she was going to discover it, not that she'd known all along. No, part way through she kisses a boy and then drinks his blood, and then she's like "Huh, mom and dad always told me drinking human blood was different than cow blood." That angered me. This could have been an interesting book about a girl who knows she's a vampire, one of the few children born to vampires. But instead the author thought she needed to trick us and hid this from us at the beginning. I just couldn't read it past that point. I tried, but my anger was too strong to get through many more pages. I would have enjoyed a book about a girl trying to figure out where she exists in the world of vampires, who's in love with a human boy. That could have been fascinating. Or if the author had moved out of first person and into third where she could reasonably hide the fact that the main girl is a vampire from us, I could have accepted that. But the way it played out? Nope, does not work for me. I was willing to overlook some of the stereotypical elements, the things that didn't quite make sense (Huh, so we're suddenly inviting humans to go to school at a vampire academy? Okay.....), because I was still enjoying the ride and enjoying like I do most high school dramas.

But no. Then she broke my trust and what I consider the rules. And I just can't pick up this book again.

Anyone else read it? I'd love to know what you thought.(less)

26 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2008 Miss Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: rubbish-and-the-like

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 12, 2008 Clare D' Lune rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-didn-t-really-like

I didn't like this book for a few reasons, but the biggest one is probably that it was so...weird. In a bad way. I mean, like they go through half the book and they make her out like she doesn't know anything about what’s happening at the school, and then BANG, all of a sudden, well she knows everything, and had all the time... its just weird. Plus I thought her character was poorly made. First she's all shy and stuff, but then she's like not, and then she is, and so on. And she meets Lucas ONCE...more

27 likes · like · see review

Nov 14, 2008 R.j. rated it 4 of 5 stars

if you have any interest in contemporary YA fantasy and particularly if you're into vampires (which I myself am not, so take that as evidence that this book is a great read), you need to check out Claudia Gray's Evernight (HarperTeen, May 2008).

I already knew that Claudia was an excellent writer from reading some of her short stories, so I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed her rich and vivid but never overblown narrative style; I also expected the plot would be complex yet readily comprehensible a...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 25, 2010 Joyzi rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Peeps who don't mind rip-offs

Recommended to Joyzi by: Youtube

Shelves: e-book, ya-books, fiction, reviewed, book-series, vampires, author-american, paranormal-romance

What I like:
>The book has vampires and vampire hunters in it.
>The book has an interesting love triangle.
>I love Lucas.
>It wasn't boring and a nice quick read.
>Truth is it's hard to put the book down.
>I love that the story has twists in it.

What I don't like:
>Lacks originality, the plot is a mix of Twilight (average girl goes to new school, falls for hot, mysterious guy) and Vampire Knight (love story between a vampire and a vampire hunter).
>Cheesy dialogues that made me wa...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 07, 2009 J.D. Stroube rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: young-adult, vampire-immortals-succubus, favorites, own-ebook, series

I was surpised to realize that I completely enjoyed myself with this book. It is somewhat of a Romeo & Juliet story of star-crossed lovers whose families are enemies, but with vampires.

The characters are sweet, secretive, and charming at the same time. I loved Lucas throughout the entirety of the book, while it took me a little while to adjust to Bianca. However, once I did I felt that the pairing of these two characters was meant to be!

I ended up being surprised twice during this book, whi...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Adele rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought I had this novel pegged from the beginning and then BAM, what I thought was true was flipped. I was duly impressed from that moment on and it assist me in overlooking some of the more cliched developments. One quibble would be Bianca's labelling of herself as 'shy' yet that instantly disappears in Lucas' company. I never buy that for an instant in any literature.

You are expected to buy into the love that develops between Lucas and Bianca and I did to a degree, but it was impeded by two...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Wendy F rated it 2 of 5 stars

I just can't give it one star, though I really didn't like it. One star ratings are for books that made me want to pluck out my eyeballs. I didn't want to do that, but only by a little.

This book was so stupid. It was just stupid. The world, the ideas, the vampires... just stupid. The only thing that even remotely made it interesting was Lucas and the bit he brought into it. Still, even the Black Crosses weren't enough to save this one for me.

I took notes as I was reading. There were many times...more I just can't give it one star, though I really didn't like it. One star ratings are for books that made me want to pluck out my eyeballs. I didn't want to do that, but only by a little.

This book was so stupid. It was just stupid. The world, the ideas, the vampires... just stupid. The only thing that even remotely made it interesting was Lucas and the bit he brought into it. Still, even the Black Crosses weren't enough to save this one for me.

I took notes as I was reading. There were many times that I was so disgusted by something that I had to stop and write it down. Ready?

1. Lucas and Bianca have one quick moment in the forest (cutest moment in the entire book), they chuckle and flirt. Skip to the following day and Bianca is waxing poetic about how they had a moment and there was no way that Lucas wasn't going to make sure to find her. He would 'know how afraid she was'. I mean... SELF-INVOLVED much!

2. But then, Bianca is right! Lucas is crazy in love with her. He can't stay away and then WHAM! I have whiplash because they are connected to the depths of their soul. Mates for life. No, seriously.... I'm serious.

3. It gets even better because not only is our Heroine self-involved but she's also self-sacrificing. She likes something, Lucas doesn't though. So of course she immediately says she doesn't like it too. Man, this is a great lesson for our youth, isn't it?

4. She comes across this amazing brooch, and Lucas buys it for her. Except, wait. She's 16! A brooch?! Really! Come on... I know alot of 16 year olds, both with young souls and old souls and none of them wear brooches.

5. These vampires are all old! Balthezar was born in the 1640's. So why do they all walk around like catty 16 year olds? And why does Balth have a crush on a teenager. In the beginning it was okay because I didn't know his age. It got even worse as the story goes on because in the end I thought of him as old, and then it just got gross.

6. The biggest... the one that made me put down the book and bust out laughing. The dead squirrels. Multiple times in the book the humans in the story have mentioned the fact that the school grounds are just LITTERED with dead squirrels. I kept waiting and waiting to find out why! Like the aura of the vamps caused a subtle change in atmosphere that caused the squirrels to drop dead.... or something like that. Nope, no. Bianca finally later explains that eating humans is like eating a hamburger that punches back. This is an analogy straight from the books. Yes, humans are hamburgers that punch back. So why would a vampire expel that energy when they could just eat something else... wait for it... like SMALL ANIMALS!!! Yes, the vampires are all scrounging around and eating squirrels. How romantic and sexy! Even the vegetarian vampires in That-Series hunted big game.

I'm giving it 2 stars, because I liked the idea of the Black Crosses, and because in the end I did laugh till I had tears in my eyes. It also gets a higher mark because I knew when I picked it up I wouldn't like it. I just finished Succubus Blues, which I loved. The next book I read was going to be critiqued harshly.
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7 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2009 slayra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-english, 2009-reads, ya-uf-and-pnr

I started this book last year; which is less impressive than it seems as I started it right after Christmas. Still, it took me a while to get through it. At first I just didn't care enough to pick it back up; the writing was okay but the book felt too... teen-y. I know it's a book meant for teens, but I've read young adult books that made good reads for older readers too. This one just... didn't.

More than half the book later, I came upon the first plot twist... and then I started paying attentio...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2011 Lisa rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Twitards, girls who love unrealistic and overly romantic love interests

Shelves: books-i-own, 1-books, hated-with-all-of-my-hate, bad-romance, masochistastic, vampires-and-wannabe-vamps

Evernight is set in a very Vampire Knight setting, and is about a girl who is secretly a vampire (yeah right) who falls in love with a boring, uninteresting, controlling Romeo-wannabe and that's it.

Yes, that's it. There is no plot other than that.

This book managed to meet all of my expectations: It blew.

Now some of you may ask me why I bothered reading a book that I knew I wouldn’t like, right? Well the answer is simple: I’m a masochist. I’m somebody who faps over how terrible books are, and...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 12, 2009 Sheree rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, young-adult, read-in-2009, reviews, paranormals

3.5 stars

My thoughts on Evernight are quite conflicted, and before I get booed off the stage or egged, let me try to explain. I loved the concept, star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet style feud, dark, gothic setting casting a menacing, edgy aura, interesting characters and some pretty suspenseful writing. So what you ask was my problem?? The first 100 pages or so are a little slow, lots of teen angst and striving to fit in, then a surprise development. Now there's nothing wrong with surprise...more 3.5 stars

My thoughts on Evernight are quite conflicted, and before I get booed off the stage or egged, let me try to explain. I loved the concept, star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet style feud, dark, gothic setting casting a menacing, edgy aura, interesting characters and some pretty suspenseful writing. So what you ask was my problem?? The first 100 pages or so are a little slow, lots of teen angst and striving to fit in, then a surprise development. Now there's nothing wrong with surprise developments, I actually love them, but I was shocked by the author's execution. When reading a first person narrative I expect a degree of transparency to that character's thoughts and feelings, and for me to suddenly believe something that the narrator knew all along was just not ... believable. I have a feeling that the author has done this with intention rather than poor writing as there are hints along the way but I just wasn't convinced by the 1st person rendition.

I don't think the above mentioned issue will be a problem in Stargazer or subsequent novels, simply because it's already done. After the 'reveal' I enjoyed the rest of the book, the new twists were entertaining and there is plenty of plot potential. The vampire mythology is a mix of traditional and new ideas which I thought worked well and and despite the growing number of vampire books centred around academies, Evernight is actually quite orginal as the boarding school was established to help teen vampires become savvy with modern technology.

Bianca is likeable enough, she's a little awkward and while she constantly makes mention of her painful shyness, there wasn't really much evidence of it. Lucas is a complex character, he's secretive, protective, hot-tempered, abrasive and not at all conventional which I really liked but he's not without a certain vulnerability. There's an immediate connection between Bianca & Lucas, their friendship develops into love but the road to true love is not without some major speed bumps. The secondary characters are all quite interesting but the character I wanted more of was Balthazar. I have my fingers crossed that Balthazar will be a character in the forefront of Stargazer.

The ending, while not a cliffhanger leaves many unanswered questions obviously setting the scene for Stargazer and I for one am keen to find out where this series is going.

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Jan 19, 2009 Scribs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting read. A little bit copy cat of Meyer's Twilight except one big surprise midway through the book. Once I hit that chapter, I was up until after midnight. The protagonist is a 16-year old sheltered girl who is shy to attend the gothic Evernight academy. She meets an older guy, a student, with whom she quickly falls in love, but there are, of course, complications. He's strong and knocks out three guys in a bar without even thinking. BUT - its not the ending you expect. And that makes t...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Carolina Riojas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own, re-read, favorite-series, spanish, paranormal, ghosts, vampires, books-crush

"How to start?
ILOOOOVETHIIIS BOOK! In the page number 15 i couldn't get my eyes and my head out of it! It is just incredible i love all the characters that are in it, they all have a great personality, i felt in love with Lucas as fast i felt in love with the book, don't you even dare to compare this book with "twilight" this is 100000- times better, it has everything to be the perfect book and more, if you haven't read it YOU HAVE TO!
This book is one of my favorites books and with every book...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 17, 2011 Jahlia ((thing 10 Evil 1)) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires-immortal-creatures, badass-authors

This book was actually very enjoyable for me, despite the fact that almost everything in it I'VE SEEN BEFORE. Not that I don't mind authors using common themes but after a while it get's kinda old. Especially when it gives you a feeling that you already know exactly the course that this book will take. In fact, this boook had many problems. We even had a conversation.

Book: look at Bianca! She's a loner and unpopular and really pretty but she doesn't know it!
Me: um.........I've read about main ch...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 01, 2011 Sarah Hall rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sarah by: Emily

well, i liked it more than i thought i would, it was kind of boring at first, but i got into it after i found out she was a vampire. i had heaps of questions for my sister who has read it already. i was confused that there were vampires who are hundreds of years old, acting like teenagers in a school with humans. it made no sense to me. obviously as it went on, it went to explain (well, sort of) why the humans were there.... and why and how the vampires went to see their parents on holidays? the...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 22, 2011 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, given-up-on-series, vampires, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
who didnt really get it	11	65	Apr 03, 2013 01:10am
What's The Name o...: Vampire boarding school with a few humans allowed in [s]	4	41	Jan 21, 2013 08:35pm
Bianca is a vampire?!	59	186	Jan 09, 2013 01:16pm
If a movie was made, what actors should be chosen ?	3	24	Jul 22, 2012 07:56pm
Iffy ending?	3	8	Jul 22, 2012 03:19am
hahahah	13	29	May 22, 2012 01:07pm
The 'TWIST'... did you like it?	13	111	May 21, 2012 01:37pm

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About Claudia Gray

Claudia Gray is not my real name. I didn't choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn't), because I'd always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven't) or even because I'm hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actual...more

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Quotes from Evernight

“It’s funny—when people call you “shy,” they usually smile. Like it’s cute, some funny little habit you’ll
grow out of when you’re older, like the gaps in your grin when your baby teeth fall out. If they knew
how it felt—really being shy, not just unsure at first—they wouldn’t smile. Not if they knew how the
feeling knots up your stomach or makes your palms sweat or robs you of the ability to say anything that
makes sense. It’s not cute at all.” — 379 people liked it

“Self-knowledge is better than self-control any day," Raquel said firmly. "And I know myself well enough to know how I act around cookies.” — 336 people liked it

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