Evernight - Claudia Gray

This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger

It’s not often that I pick up a book expecting a sappy, predictable read and wind up wowed, but this was my experience with Evernight. Let’s back up a bit, though. I tend to go a bit crazy at used bookstores. I picked up this book acknowledging that I haven’t been in the mood for vampire romances in a LONG time, but I couldn’t pass up the good deal (It was $5.40 but since I have standing credit there, I only paid $2.70 for the book). YA books tend to be on the expensive side, so when I see a popular read that other bloggers have reviewed, I pick it up.

So, six months later and stuck in bed with a sore ass, I decided to give Evernight a shot. I wanted a book that would entertain me, but I didn’t really want to read anything with too much substance, because I seem to be in a perpetual book slump as it is! While I wouldn’t say the book has much in the way of substance, it definitely surprised me. I certainly underestimated Claudia Gray’s talent!

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Bianca is forced to attend Evernight Academy when her parents accept teaching positions and moved her away from her small town and the only home she’s ever had. She hates everything about the Gothic boarding school and she’s pissed that her parents forced her to move, knowing how nervous she is around strangers.

Bianca meets Lucas as she’s in the process of skipping school to show her parents how wrong they were to move her to the snobby school for rich kids. *cue eye roll* After their intense and awkward meeting, the brooding blonde haired, green-eyed boy warns her to be careful and that he’s not good for him. Of course, like all teenage girls dazzled by a hunky boy, she fails to listen and they start to bond over their common disdain for being forced to attend Evernight Academy.

“I’m so sorry I hurt you.” A hot tear trickled down my cheek. Poor Lucas, always trying to protect me from danger. He’d never guessed that I was the dangerous one.”
Okay, I had my doubts that Bianca would be an enjoyable heroine. She’s naive, she doesn’t head clear and obvious warning signs about Lucas, and she acts like a spoiled kid because the world isn’t fair and why does she have to move and get to know all the snobby “kids” of Evernight Academy when she clearly doesn’t belong? Sigh. I did my fair share of eye-rolling at the beginning (and towards the middle and at the end). Okay, so I questioned a lot of Bianca’s not-so-brilliant moves, but as the book moved along and I am finally privy to one of the most WTF PLOT TWISTS I HAVE EVER RUN ACROSS (which was really just a family secret that Gray was cruel enough to hide from us), I began to understand how a 16-year-old girl could really be so clueless. It’s partly her parents fault for her being so ignorant about her own heritage, so I can get over my less than pleasant thoughts over Bianca.

He said, “I like the gargoyles, the mountains, and the fresh air. That’s it so far.”

“You like the gargoyles?”

“I like it when the monsters are smaller than me.”
Putting my issues with Bianca aside, I really didn’t have *that* many issues with Lucas, other than the fact he was clearly hiding something. View Spoiler » My true love was for Balthazar, and you won’t convince me otherwise. I really don’t see what Bianca sees in Lucas, anyways. She knows nothing about him and has waaay more in common with Balthazar. I am totally team Biancazar.