Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Well, since I was on vacation over Christmas break, I had NO TIME to read AT ALL! It was horrid. You have no idea how boring it was without my books. So, to make up for it, here is a review of the next book in the Evernight Series.

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Release Date: March 2010
Publisher: Harper Teen
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So many things happen in this book, it's almost hard to keep up! The twists and turns are intense and make you want to jump up and down some times. The changes in this book assure that there will be some very big problems in the next book, and the cliff hanger you're left with will make you want to get your hands on Afterlife as fast as you can.

What I love about this book is that it surprised me. I wasn't expecting the events of Bianca and Lucas' lives to unravel the way that it did. Claudia Gray pulled a fast one on me, and I'm happy she did! Usually it's easy to predict where the author is going to take the story next, and with this one, I was completely wrong. So, be prepared for a big twist (or twists) at the end.

The romance was still there of course, and I felt it was what held the story, and the characters, together. If the romance was excluded, I don't think Bianca and Lucas would be able to keep going as they did. The both of them would even say thay were doing what they were doing for...love. And disappointingly, in this book, I didn't feel like their romance was as strong as it was in the previous books, but maybe it was just me.

Another thing that I didn't like was that the story seemed disjointed and chunky in some parts. Like, a part in the story, or a scene, wouldn't end smoothly, and the next would start too suddenly. Parts just didn't fit. Also, it seemed that every moment, something tragic was happening. I mean, I can handle one big twist at the end, but two or three? It gets to be too much after a while. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to ignore the things that were bugging me, and replace them with the exciting aspects because I really like this series, and I really liked this book as well.

Astonishing, suspenseful, and creative, Hourglass will shock you. It has definitely surpassed anything I've read by Claudia Gray. The ending of the third book in the series will leave you gasping for more. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Afterlife.

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Stargazer by Claudia Gray + Hourglass Cover!

Stargazer 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. Will powerful forces within Evernight Academy keep her from deciding her own fate, or claim her forever?

Stargazer was a fantastic follow up to its previous, Evernight. I was even lucky enough to get a copy early from the sweetest author I have come to know, even though I don't, Claudia Gray. It was even signed!

The story begins months after the last one left off. And Bianca and Lucas are needing each other more than ever. With the help of their friends they're finally able to meet up again, but it might not be the perfect time, seeing as how Bianca's having some major problems.

Usually after reading the first novel of a series you get an understanding of who the characters are, then in the following books, you know exactly who they are and how they act. In Stargazer this is proven at many points, but in others it's completely different. It's different because the majority of the characters undergo transformations.

Balthazar plays a bigger role in this one and I'm happy for that, because he intrigued me from the beginning. In Evernight, we just got a glimpse of who he is, but in Stargazer we journey deeper into his mind, and in one scene we actually get a taste of his thoughts.

Some haunting details of Racquel's past are revealed as Bianca ventures further into Evernight's past, trying to unveil the reason why humans are allowed to attend Evernight Academy again. Vic didn't really change at all, and I love him for that, because his character is just fine. He's unique.

Lucas is the same throughout the novel, with a hint of jealousy. He doesn't change until the end of the book when he realizes something he should have put into perspective since the beginning.

And my favorite female Bianca, is the same strong female that she was in Evernight, taking risks and proving herself.

Stargazer was amazing. I loved every line of it, and was sad to see it end, but now I'm on the edge of my seat, waiting for Hourglass to hit the shelves. Cover can be seen below.

This is the Hourglass cover! Isn't it gorgeous? It just gets me so excited, I want to dance around in circles!