Forever Night....and Then Some!

Book number two from the Amazon Vine program is yet another (gasp!) Young Adult book. It is Evernight by Claudia Gray (336 pgs, Harper Teen, 2008), and this is the latest offering in the burgeoning world of Teen Paranormal/Vampire books.

It was the first day of school, which meant it was my last chance to escape. I didn't have a backpack full of survival gear, a wallet thick with cash that I could use to buy myself a plane ticket somewhere, or a friend waiting for me down the road in a getaway car. Basically, I didn't have what most sane people would call "a plan". But it didn't matter. There was no way I was going to remain at Evernight Academy.

Bianca Olivier is about to start her first day at the Evernight Academy, an exclusive boarding school in a desolate area of New England. Her parents had been offered teaching positions with the school, and they decided it would be beneficial for Bianca, such a painfully shy girl, to be enrolled at Evernight. But Bianca had barely ever left the small town she grew up in, and hated the idea of leaving the few friends she had, especially to go live in the Gothic, eerie, and utterly creepy boarding school. And due to a change in Admission Policy, a new group of kids were admitted for the first time this year.

The "old" kids at Evernight were rich, smart, beautiful snobs. But Bianca found a kindred spirit in Lucas Ross. He was different than the others. Very confrontational, Lucas made no bones about being different from the others. And Bianca fell for Lucas....hard.

But there were many secrets the kids at Evernight were keeping. Even Bianca and Lucas had their secrets. And secrets always have a way of coming out...at the most inopportune moments.

First of all...this is another teen vampire story. (and I'm not really giving anything away here.) In the same vein as PC Cast and Kristin Cast's Marked series, Evernight is the first book in yet another series. But Evernight has it's original moments too. There is a big "twist" in the middle that really threw me for a loop. I'm usually pretty in tune with what's going on in most of the books I read, but this one actually got me.

The characters in the book are all very well drawn out, and I loved the relationship that Bianca had with her parents. There is also a really good love triangle portion of the story involving Bianca, Lucas, and another student named Baltazar. And the plot is very suspenseful. Again, this is the case of me NOT knowing I was starting yet another series, but the ending is open enough for more. (Then I tripped on over to the author's website and found that this is the first of a four-book series!) While I think this book would appeal immensely to the YA sect because of all the "teen angst", there is still alot for adults to enjoy. The pages turned fast, and by the time I hit the twist, there was no stopping until I finished. All in all, I found Evernight to be an exceptionally good story and one that will leave you wanting more!! 4/5