Evernight (series)

Stargazer
Author	Claudia Gray
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Evernight series
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher	HarperTeen
Publication date	March 24, 2009
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	336
ISBN	0-00-735532-7
Preceded by	Evernight
Followed by	Hourglass

Evernight
Author	Claudia Gray
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Evernight series
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher	HarperTeen
Publication date	May 27, 2008
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	336
ISBN	978-0-06-128444-1
Followed by	Stargazer

Evernight
	Evernight; Stargazer; Hourglass; Afterlife; Balthazar
Author	Claudia Gray
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher	HarperTeen
Published	May 27, 2008 – March 1, 2012
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)

Evernight is a series of five vampire-based romantic fantasy novels by The New York Times bestselling American author Claudia Gray. It tells the story of Bianca Olivier, a 16-year-old half-vampire girl born to two vampires, who is forced to attend Evernight Academy, a private boarding school for vampires (although some humans are enrolled). She was enrolled in order to fulfill her destiny to become a full vampire, even though she feels she doesn't belong there. Bianca then meets and falls in love with a human named Lucas Ross, who also feels isn't the "Evernight" type, but their love becomes forbidden by their families and friends when the truth of each other's nature comes to light. Not only is it revealed that Bianca is a vampire, but it is also revealed that Lucas is a member of the ancient vampire hunting group Black Cross.

Novels

Evernight (May 2008)

Bianca Olivier, a daughter of two vampires, is forced to go to Evernight Academy, a school for vampires to learn how to live in the mortal world. While attending she falls in love with a human, Lucas Ross. But Lucas is hiding a dark secret that could separate them forever.

Stargazer (March 2009)

Bianca and Lucas are separated, and Bianca would do anything to be with him, even if it means to deceive the powerful vampires of Evernight. This forces her to live a life of lies, but she isn't the only one keeping secrets.

Hourglass (March 2010)

Bianca has found refuge with Black Cross, a vampire hunting group, bent on destroying her kind. Within weeks, Bianca befriends many of the hunters, but has no fun being in Black Cross and is reluctant to leave with Lucas. However, many old faces return and try to claim her as their own.

Afterlife (March 2011)

Bianca and Lucas return to Evernight, as a wraith and vampire respectively. Lucas is facing demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the demons inside him - and face her destiny at last.

Balthazar (March 2012)

In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart.

Evernight

Evernight is a 2008 fiction young adult novel by Claudia Gray. It is the first novel in the Evernight series. It is followed by Stargazer, released March 24, 2009; Hourglass, released March 15, 2010; and the final installment Afterlife, released March 3, 2011. Another book in the series, Balthazar, features one of the main characters, Balthazar. This series is recommended to people between the ages of 14 to 108.

School Library Journal wrote: “Gray’s writing hooks readers from the first page and reels them in with surprising plot twists and turns, and the open ending will keep them guessing and waiting on the edge of their seats for the next book in the series. A must-have for fans of vampire stories by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Stephenie Meyer, and the like.” regarding the initial installment of the series. L.J. Smith wrote, "Once I picked Evernight up, I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait for Claudia Gray’s next book!"[1] Romantic times bookclub wrote that Evernight was a "Teenage love, ancient hatred and a Romeo and Juliet-style feud fuel the fires in this compelling first-person drama." Booklist wrote that Evernight was something that "Stephenie Meyer fans will find similar rewards in the flashes of humor; the terrifying battle between ancient, supernatural societies; and the steamy romance in which love bites aren’t just a euphemism."[2] Kirkus Reviews was critical of the book commenting "The problem is Bianca’s first-person narration. Why does she hide her vampirism from the reader for half the book? The mysterious foreshadowing and hints about “Evernight type” students seem disingenuous at best once readers realize Bianca knew everything all along. Thin characterization, a need to state the obvious and constant iteration of Lucas's name quickly grow old." However, despite the criticism, the Kirkus had some positive feedback: "Some fun details (a modern technology class where vampires learn to use iPods), the inexorable clash between the vampires and their Black Cross hunters and the open question of what will happen next make this enjoyable enough, particularly for fans of that other vampire series who need something to read while they wait for Breaking Dawn" [3] Stargazer received a rating of 3.91 on Goodreads.com.[4]

Plot

Bianca Olivier is a new student to Evernight Academy, a Gothic boarding school with "perfect" but predatory students. She knows she does not belong but she cannot escape because her parents are now teachers at the school. Bianca believes the best of her parents and trusts them about everything even when her brain tells her not to. As school progresses, Bianca befriends Lucas, Raquel, a loner like her, and Vic, Lucas's roommate. She develops enemies, like Courtney and Erich, who are what Bianca calls "The Evernight Type". At a party, she befriends a handsome, popular, but friendly guy, Balthazar More. Balthazar asks her to the Autumn Ball. There, she, Lucas and Balthazar get into an argument, and Balthazar leaves them alone. Outside, under the gazebo, she and Lucas kiss for the first time. Bianca gives in to temptation, bites Lucas and drinks his blood. After she realizes what she did, she screams for help. Upon hearing, Courtney comes out and says "Well, it's about time you became a vampire like the rest of us." When Lucas awakens he is unable to remember the event. Lucas and Bianca declare their love for each other. Lucas eventually discovers Bianca is a vampire, but she is a child of two vampires and he accepts this. After they have been officially dating for weeks, Bianca mentions that one of Lucas's ancestors went to Evernight, but no humans have ever been accepted to the school before, except a Black Cross member (a group of elite vampire hunters). Her parents and Balthazar realize this and attack, but Lucas holds his own against two vampires and they chase him off campus. Bianca runs off with him, and even though he has been raised to hate all vampires, he still loves Bianca. They meet up with the rest of his team, and the Black Cross think that she is a stolen baby, hiding the truth she is a vampire. Bianca's parents turn up and take her back home because they do not understand. She reluctantly goes with them. A few days later she receives a letter through Vic from Lucas telling her that he will always love her and they will meet again.

Stargazer

Stargazer is a fantasy novel by Claudia Gray released in 2009. It is the second part of the Evernight series, following Evernight. It is followed by the third book in the series, Hourglass.

Stargazer was listed as "The # 1 The New York Times Bestseller". Seventeen magazine praised Claudia Gray's Stargazer writing: “If you like Twilight, this book has even more drama.”.[5] Kirkus Reviews wrote critically of the book saying "Bianca’s tendency to belabor every point, particularly the depth of her love for Lucas, makes for a dull narrative style, and three-dimensional characters are pretty much nonexistent. Despite the predictable romantic entanglements and the constant telling, the plot races along with a search for a crazed renegade vampire, threatening ghosts, uncovered secrets and a flaming climax with a significant body count. Fans of the first volume will be satisfied; insufficient back story means no one else will know (or care) what is going on."[6] Stargazer received a rating of 3.96 on Goodreads.com which is the highest rating of the series.[7]

Plot

The book returns to Bianca's story a few months later. Both she and Lucas will stop at nothing to see each other again—even if it means living a life of secrets and lies. But even as Bianca finds herself torn between two worlds, she soon discovers they aren't the only ones keeping secrets.

Evernight Academy is 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 is not the only one with 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. Bianca breaks into Mrs Bethany's carriage house in an attempt to discover what Lucas wanted to know; why humans are allowed at Evernight. She discovers nothing and heads back to Evernight, disappointed. She sees someone in the hall, but decides that it was just her own reflection. Orientation day sees Bianca sharing a room with Raquel, as Patrice has left Evernight for a few decades. Raquel's parents forced her to return to Evernight, despite her having told them that she was stalked by Erich. Bianca catches up with Vic, who gives her a letter from Lucas. Bianca's mail is being searched for this exact reason, so they cannot keep in contact. The letter tells Bianca to meet Lucas in October at the Amherst train station. As Bianca leaves her room to drink blood (she is the only vampire sharing with a human), she sees a blue light and thinks that there is a person on the stairs. This time, she is more curious, but is interrupted before she can investigate further. Bianca tells everyone there is a meteor shower so that she can camp out on the grounds to watch it. Really she is going to see Lucas. She hitches a ride in the laundry truck into Amherst and is walking along to find Lucas when a young vampire girl joins her in her walk. She is afraid of someone following her, and Bianca thinks she looks so lonely and innocent that she cannot refuse. The girl says she once went to Evernight, but did not get along with Mrs Bethany and ran away. They arrive at the train station and Lucas follows shortly after. He sees the girl with Bianca and thinks she is going to harm her. It turns out that Lucas had been the one following the vampire girl and she is very frightened. She attacks Lucas and wants to kill him, but Bianca stops her in time. Lucas calls for the rest of the Black Cross to come, so Bianca tells the girl to run away. She escapes before the Black Cross arrives, and Bianca and Lucas share the weekend at the Base Camp, as Black Cross does not know she is a vampire. When she sneaks back, Balthazar catches her. In an attempt to reason with Balthazar and make sure he does not tell Mrs. Bethany about her visit, she mentions the vampire girl who turns out to be Balthazar's sister. Soon Bianca and Balthazar make an arrangement; they pretend to be dating so Balthazar could get her off campus, since he is a trusted student, so she could meet Lucas while in return Bianca and Lucas help Balthazar find his sister, Charity, which they do. She is now part of a clan and blames Balthazar for killing her. After Courtney finds out about Bianca and Balthazar leaving school she stakes her and then decapitates her before leaving. An attack on the school by Charity and her clan while an attack by Black Cross is taking place leads Bianca, Lucas and Raquel to leave the school and head to Black Cross HQ. On their way out of the school they meets Charity who they think will kill them but as they prepare to run she is pushed against a tree and staked by a sharp branch. Although Lucas wants to finish her off he cannot find anything to destroy her with so agrees to leave her. When at Black Cross HQ Raquel volunteers to join and Bianca later agrees to join.

Hourglass

Hourglass

Author	Claudia Gray
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Evernight series
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher	HarperTeen
Publication date	March 15, 2010
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	368
ISBN	0-00-735533-5
Preceded by	Stargazer
Followed by	Afterlife

Hourglass is a fantasy novel by Claudia Gray released in 2010. It is the third novel of the Evernight series, a series of four books, and is preceded by Stargazer and followed by Afterlife. The four books feature vampires, wraiths (ghosts), betrayal, and, of course, love. The main character, Bianca Oliver, is living with her rocky, shaky, strong, sturdy and passionate relationship with the head man, Lucas Ross. But Lucas is also a member of the ancient vampire hunting group Black Cross.

ALA booklist commented that Hourglass was “A steamy romance in which love bites aren’t just a euphemism”, while School Library Journal wrote “Gray’s writing hooks readers from the first page and reels them in with surprising plot twists and turns.”[8] Booklist reviewed the book, calling it a "heart-pounding page-turner".[9]

Plot

Hourglass reaches Bianca after she has already been accepted into the Black Cross. Even though things may feel weird at that moment, the changes are about to come three-fold, and Bianca is almost powerless.

Bianca, Lucas and Raquel are now living in the New York Black Cross cell. Raquel and the rest of Lucas's Black Cross cell are currently unaware Bianca is a vampire. Mrs. Bethany later stages a break in to the Black Cross cell wanting to take Bianca back to her parents. Several members of Black Cross are killed including Lucas's stepfather Eduardo whose neck is broken by Mrs. Bethany. In the attack Balthazar is captured and tied up by Black Cross who begin to torture him to find out why Mrs. Bethany attacked Black Cross. Bianca and Lucas begin orchestrating Balthazar's escape and succeed without getting caught. After the break in by Mrs. Bethany, Bianca needs to feed so they go to a hospital to get blood for Bianca from the blood bank. They are interrupted by Raquel and Dana who realise that Bianca is a vampire as she is feeding. They both promise not to tell anyone but Bianca is woken in the night after someone told the Black Cross cell about Bianca's vampirism. She is tied up and burnt with holy water, and Lucas. who is also splashed, burns due to him feeding Bianca. Dana helps them escape and gives them some money but tells Black Cross they escaped. After Lucas realises there is a dangerous vampire in the city they are staying in, he decides to hunt it. Lucas finds the rogue vampire but after following him to a hotel room realises that Charity, Balthazar's sister, is staying close by with her clan who the rogue vampire belongs to. He escapes and later he and Bianca tell Balthazar that Charity is near by. Bianca and Lucas begin to run out of money and go to their friend Vic for help. He allows them to stay in the basement. On Bianca's birthday Lucas takes her to the planetarium where they are attacked by wraiths. They both escape and later get jobs. While staying in Vic's house Bianca becomes increasingly weak and ill. Bianca realises that she must kill a human and become a full vampire otherwise she will die. Lucas offers to allow Bianca to kill him but she refuses as he would not agree to rise with her. She later dies and becomes a wraith. She is met by a wraith named Maxine who tells her that she is powerful due to her born status as a wraith. She is told she can form a body by holding objects she has bonded to in her life including her broche and her coral bracelet which were both made of once living material. Bianca appears to Lucas telling him about her becoming a wraith. Lucas with Ranulf and Vic who have returned from holiday agree to assist Balthazar in killing Charity. Vic waits outside after they track her down to a rundown cinema where they fight and kill several members of her clan. While Bianca is solid she is injured by Charity who throws a shard of iron at her which is weakening to wraiths, causing her to loses her solidity. Charity, Bianca and Lucas are alone and as Bianca is powerless she pins down Lucas before draining his blood killing him. Charity leaves and Balthazar and Ranulf arrive who tell Bianca of Lucas's fate. He will become a vampire.

Afterlife

Afterlife

Author	Claudia Gray
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Evernight series
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher	HarperTeen
Publication date	March 3, 2011
Media type	Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages	364
ISBN	0-06-128442-4
Preceded by	Hourglass

Afterlife is a fantasy novel by Claudia Gray released on March 3, 2011. It is the fourth part of the Evernight series, concluding the ongoing plot from the previous novel Hourglass, which began in the first novel Evernight and ran into the second, Stargazer. This book is followed by a new story in the series, "Balthazar".

Afterlife received a rating of 3.88 on Goodreads.com which is the lowest rating for the series.[10] Although Claudia Gray has confirmed that she does not plan to write anymore Evernight books she is to write a spin off book about Balthazar More focusing on his life, death and later adventures. This will be released in March 2012.[11]

Plot

Bianca, now a wraith, and Lucas, now a vampire, must return to Evernight to help control his blood lust. Bianca needs to find out what Mrs. Bethany wants with the wraiths before it is too late. Can their love survive their deaths or will they end up destroying one another? Lucas rises from the dead and assisted by Balthazar and Ranulf. Bianca manages to convince Lucas to return to Evernight to seek help for his bloodlust before it is too late and he is consumed by it. After his return, Mrs. Bethany offers him shelter, much to the annoyance of his fellow pupils. Bianca's parents are told that their daughter has died, for which they blame Lucas. While in the library Bianca is caught in a trap set by Mrs Bethany to trap wraiths. She is freed by intruding into Lucas's dreams. Lucas is set to go on a trip to the local town and Bianca goes to accompany him. Bianca, while following Lucas until she can appear to him, is trapped by Patrice using a mirror. He frees her but finds out everything about how she died and how Lucas became a vampire. At the Cafe, Lucas is attacked by several Black Cross members, including his mother, who leave after the police are called and although no one is harmed, Lucas is shaken up. Bianca and her father are reunited and he accepts her for what she is before helping Bianca tell her mother. Her parents also realize Mrs. Bethany is up to something, and so agree to help Bianca and her friends search the school for the traps set by Mrs. Bethany and to free the wraiths on the night of the autumn ball. While the ball is taking place, several human students are possessed by wraiths who are angry and confused as to what is happening at Evernight. Bianca goes to visit Christopher, a powerful wraith, and he tells her that she could be used as a bridge between the human world and the world that wraiths inhibit before they can reach heaven. She agrees to think about it before returning to the human world. She later witnesses Lucas being told by Mrs. Bethany about how vampires can be resurrected to human form although it involves the sacrifice of a wraith when the mixture of both supernaturals' blood happens. Lucas disagrees and leaves. Bianca is caught in a powerful trap when she goes to get her coral bracelet so that she can apparate fully and feels like she has been trapped for days, before being released into a large room which was designed to contain and weaken wraiths. Mrs. Bethany reveals that she plans on killing Bianca so she could become human again but her plans are stopped when Lucas and her parents arrive. Bianca cannot escape from the room so she possesses Skye who allows her to. Bianca helps the other wraiths to leave the human world by creating a light to which the wraiths float towards, while taking on a more human look, no longer the mutilated beings they previously were. She was willing to leave but Mrs. Bethany traps Maxine who had warned her parents. Bianca calls upon Christopher, revealed to be Mrs. Bethany's husband before he was murdered, who switches place with Maxine and is destroyed as Mrs. Bethany's cottage collapses, killing her too. A battle ensues with the vampires who planned to help murder Bianca and her fellow wraiths and friends. Lucas is gravely wounded but Bianca drinks his blood and he drinks hers. Their blood infuses and Lucas is resurrected to human life. The series finishes after Bianca reflects on the rest of her eternal life as a bridge between worlds for the wraiths.

Characters

The Evernight follows protagonist Bianca Olivier a half-vampire, and her boyfriend Lucas Ross, who is a member of Black Cross. Throughout the series they are joined by Balthazar More a 400-year-old vampire; Vic a student at Evernight and Lucas's roommate; Raquel Vargas, Bianca's friend and roommate; and Ranulf White a vampire and friend of Balthazar and Vic. Mrs. Bethanty joins them as the main antagonist and headmistress of Evernight, along with Charity More. Other characters to appear in all four books include Kate Ross Lucas's mother and a member of Black Cross; Dana who is Lucas's best friend and a member of Black Cross who later leaves; and Celia and Adrian Olivier, Bianca's parents who had her with the help of the wraiths and gave her a sheltered life. Other students at Evernight include Patrice Deveraux who Bianca believes is a typical Evernight student (but she is proven wrong); Courtney who is typical Evernight and enjoys bullying the human students; and Erich, a bully who later obsesses over Raquel and begins stalking her. Other members of Black Cross include Mr Wantanabe, one of the oldest members who is killed in the battle with Charity; and Eduardo, who is Kate's husband and Lucas's stepfather, as well as being the leader of Lucas's cell.

Bianca Olivier

Bianca Olivier is the narrator in the series, which is written in from a first-person perspective. It is revealed that she was born to vampires because of help from wraiths so is half vampire and half wraith. Bianca is somewhat naive at first, particularly about the dangers of vampires, and she is very shy and describes herself as geeky; she cares a lot for her schooling, as well, even if she's in a school she doesn't like. She listens to her parents and hates deceiving them, but she soon faces the fact that she must and that they weren't always honest with her. Although throughout the first book, she describes her looks as average, nothing spectacular but not ugly, she is told several times that she is beautiful, most notably by Patrice, who "wouldn't have said it unless she meant it." Not only does she not feel that she belongs at Evernight with the vampires, she doesn't want to. She almost loses herself in the crowd when she is waltzing with Balthazar, but is brought back to her senses by simply remembering Lucas. Throughout the series, however, she becomes bolder, more powerful and more independent. She is nicknamed "Binks" by Vic, who remains the only one to call her that.