Balthazar

Balthazar by Claudia Gray, 2012 HarperTeen

     After rescuing Bianca from Evernight Academy, Skye Tierney starts to have visions of death. Each time she encounters the scene of a violent death, whether it was a murder, suicide, or something as painful as a heart attack, Skye witnesses the event through the eyes of the victim. She reaches out to friends from Evernight with the hopes that her problems will be solved. However, the vampire sent to help her discovers there is more going on with Skye than anyone realized.

     It appears that Skye’s psychic abilities have given her blood unique properties: she can allow vampires to experience life again. When Lorenzo, one of Balthazar’s former companions, has a taste he brings Balthazar’s sire to the scene. Redgrave will stop at nothing to get Skye’s agreement, and if it hurts Balthazar in the process, so much the better.

     Balthazar finds a position at Skye’s school to be a nearby bodyguard. But when the drama in her life rises to the surface, vampires are not the only thing Balthazar wants to protect her from. When their relationship heats up, Skye’s so-called friend spreads a rumor that Skye is sleeping with her History teacher (a technically true rumor). In that unguarded moment Redgrave kidnaps Skye and Balthazar is forced to rely on some unlikely allies to save her.

     In the end, Skye faces the prospect of her hometown becoming the battleground for vampires fighting over her blood. With little left to chose from, Skye manages to embrace her new psychic abilities and hope for a future with the only man she’s truly loved.

     Balthazar has beaten himself raw over the centuries with guilt for his sister’s death, and the death of his first love. When Skye captures his attention and heart, he doesn’t know how to deal with the imbalance between his desires and what he should do. It takes her near-death to make him see that there is more to his undead life than the guilt at his death.

     Unlike the Evernight books, Balthazar deals with Skye and Balthazar’s journey, their relationship, and the aftermath of Lucas and Bianca’s happily-ever-after. Skye has been changed by her experience and Balthazar is learning to live again. Each has emotional trauma they work together to get through, while facing incredible odds. Their story is about overcoming fear, fighting for what you believe in, and survival even when you want to give up. The book is meant for high schoolers, with some intense sexual tension and implied amorous activities.

Afterlife

Afterlife by Claudia Gray, 2011 Harper Collins

     Bianca has died. Her new status as a Wraith is confusing and the draw to leave her life is a constant pull, but Lucas has died too. When Lucas' worst nightmare comes true, Bianca is the only thing keeping him from losing control and the animosity between vampires and wraiths isn't going to keep them apart.
     But Lucas' bloodthirst is stronger than either of them could have anticipated. The only place to go is Evernight Academy, risking the perils that stalk those hallways. Lucas, Bianca, and their friends discovered, in a previous story, that Mrs. Bethany allowed specific humans to enter the school because they had lived haunted lives, and the wraiths followed them to Evernight only to be trapped by Mrs. Bethany.
     Bianca and Lucas carve out a corner of the school where they could meet with friends and plan a way to make the academy safe for Bianca to roam. They conquered the challenge of the traps, and worked toward understanding why Mrs. Bethany drew the wraiths to Evernight. While the vampires try to control Lucas' bloodthirst, Bianca tries to understand Christopher--the wraith who seems to lead the others--and the power he wields.
     After many challenges to their relationship and their very existences, Lucas and Bianca help to break down barriers between the vampires and wraiths, as well as the undead and humans. All while maintaining their relationship and fighting for each other. In the final segment of the Evernight series, Lucas and Bianca are finally able to be together without the prejudices of their world trying to separate them. The story is accessible and concludes the series with the push that began Evernight.

Hourglass

Hourglass by Claudia Gray, 2010 Harper Collins

     Bianca has decided to escape Evernight with Lucas, but their life with the Black Cross (the vampire hunting community Lucas comes from) becomes more and more difficult. Bianca requires blood to stay alive, and her substitution of pigeon blood for human is not working. Lucas insists on feeding her his own blood even though Bianca is adamant about not wanting to suck the life force from her love.
     The couple plan their escape from Black Cross, but Lucas' stepfather keeps a tighter and tighter watch over the group. As Bianca becomes weaker and weaker the two fear that her secret will be found out. When they finally make a break for it, the Black Cross has come across Balthazar (a vampire from the academy) and the two run away when Lucas' parents' backs are turned during the battle. But Bianca hasn't had enough blood and is dying. Balthazar escapes and catches up with them, only to find he is about to lose his friend. The former enemies begin to bond as the situation becomes more and more dire.
     While Lucas and Bianca's relationship is still following the lines of Romeo and Juliet they have moved from the puppy-dog love to a kind of romance that allows for their strengths and weaknesses to be a part of the relationship. They develop as characters separate from one another and deal with the challenges they are presented with. The story is written for a younger high school audience, but has elements readers of all ages can identify with.

Stargazer

Stargazer by Claudia Gray, 2009 Harper Collins

     In Gray's sequel to Evernight, Bianca and Lucas have been separated by the ideologies of their parents and the explosive events at the school. But the two are unwilling to allow the forces around them to keep them apart.
     Despite Lucas' absence from Evernight Academy, life goes on for Bianca. She helps fellow vampire Balthazar find his sister, and searches for whatever it was Lucas hoped to find in the headmistress' quarters. But soon enough her life at Evernight Academy is overshadowed by the loss of Lucas and all Bianca wants is to be reunited with her love. All the while the troubles between the vampires and wraiths escalate.
     When Lucas returns for her, Bianca decides it is time to be freed from the stress of having to hide him from her family, the urge to become a vampire, and the increasing pressure from the wraiths, to do what Bianca has no idea. Lucas doesn't play as large of a role in this portion of their tale, but the forces surrounding his and Bianca's relationship affect how they continue their lives. When the Black Cross returns to Evernight Bianca makes her decision--she escapes with Lucas and the vampire hunters.
     Gray has managed to continue the Romeo and Juliet theme without turning it into a soppy teenage drama. Bianca and Lucas work around the problems that keep them apart, rather than moping and hoping they miraculously fix themselves. The couple change their circumstances, working toward their desired ending. The language is general and the content, despite including several vampire killings and deaths, remains descriptive without being graphic. Stargazer is appropriate for middle school through high school ages.

Evernight

Evernight by Claudia Gray, 2008 Harper Collins

     At an academy set aside to assimilate Vampires into the mainstream world, Bianca is a rare creation--the child of two Vampires. She has lived her life knowing that one day she will join her parents in their undead lifestyle. When she meets Lucas Ross, a fellow student, something new starts to grow. Their new romance is challenged by the introduction of humans to the Evernight Academy.
     Tensions rise when humans, alongside the Vampires, begin to notice something is wrong at Evernight. When wraiths make an appearance at a school dance, seeming to attack Bianca and her human friends, the school's Vampire population goes on the attack. Within a few weeks Bianca and Lucas' relationship becomes taboo and Lucas's family comes for an unwelcome visit.
     Lucas's family is part of the Black Hand--an organization of militant vampire hunters--and Lucas was placed at Evernight to help infiltrate the stronghold. But his love for Bianca keeps him from revealing her fate to his family. When he leaves Evernight, Lucas pledges his love to Bianca, promising to come back for her.
     This supernatural love story follows the same lines as Romeo and Juliet: lovers from two feuding entities who will challenge all obstacles to be together. Where the story diverges from Shakespeare's work is in Bianca and Lucas's hope that they will be together even when present circumstances seem hopeless. Rather than run away and end up killing themselves, Lucas goes back to his family and Bianca stays with her family.
     There are a few mature scenes, and the occasional bout of foul language, but the main negative sentiment is one of race (vampire vs human vs wraith) and of class. This is Bianca's journey to discover who she is in light of Lucas's love and to either accept or create an ideology for her life. Evernight is the first of a series dealing with the Evernight Academy.