Stargazer picks up at the beginning of Bianca's second year at Evernight Academy, the night before the students arrive. Bianca and Lucas are apart, so she'll have to rely on the support and friendship of Balthazar, Raquel and Vic to get her through the year. She is still determined to see Lucas, though, even if it means living a life of secrets and lies. But as she flirts dangerously with the world of the vampire hunters, she soon discovers she's not the only one keeping secrets...
(That was half my own synopsis, and half from the back of the book.)

Now my thoughts.

First, I love a strong lead character, male or female. This year, I've mostly read about females and Bianca fits right into that category. She's gone through her entire life knowing she's fundamentally different from everyone around her, even at Evernight Academy. As she "matures", both as a teenage girl and as a vampire, she continues to remain separate from "the group." Stargazer is very much a coming of age story as Bianca develops, both physically and emotionally, and struggles to discern her true identity. Developing into a vampire is a whole new kind of puberty!

Since Lucas is no longer a student at Evernight, Bianca must rely on her other friends, thus deepening their relationships. We also learn about the pasts of several characters, which always helps the reader to understand their personalities and actions. I felt that several of the "minor" characters became more integral to the plot and more important to Bianca. This brought relational struggles into sharp relief, such as the difference between infatuation/lust and love, and increased the reader's involvement and devotion to the characters. There were scenes that had me frustrated with each character and scenes that made me love them more. Is that not why we read and what makes an amazing author? If I wasn't invested in these characters, I wouldn't be desperately longing for the third book!


In addition to coming of age and identity, the themes of trust and acceptance also play an important role. Since their introduction in Evernight, they have continued to have prominence in Stargazer. The danger in trusting too soon, without assurance that the person is worthy, has the power to make or break a relationship. It's a struggle that occurs in new relationships and those that have already developed. Characters also grapple with acceptance, whether they are longing to be accepted or display difficulty accepting others. Emphasis is given to the gray areas, causing those who see only black and white to reevaluate their point of view. These are also real life struggles that everyone deals with at some time or another. It makes the characters relatable and translates a fantasy into our everyday lives.

One of my favorite elements of any novel is when the characters have to work together to come to a resolution. The male isn't so macho that he has to rescue the damsel in distress. The female isn't such a femme fatale that she won't accept help from the male. They must discover their individual strengths first and then determine how they fit together to comine forces. Only then will they be able to "save the day." This has begun in places throughout Evernight and Stargazer already, but I hope that we will see much more of this element with the conlcusion of the series.

I highly recommend this book, and the Evernight series, if you haven't started it already! It's fun, suspenseful, romantic and entertaining on so many levels. I was so sad to put it down and leave these characters. The conclusion of Stargazer will leave you desperate for more. I'm currently feeling awe and frustration toward Claudia for leaving us with such an amazing cliffhanger!

Please leave comments after you read Stargazer and tell me what you think! I can't wait to compare notes!

And, yes, I'm still torn in my undying love for Lucas and Balthazar. Sorry, Edward, I'm going to be stuck at Evernight Academy for awhile!!