Evernight

Title: Evernight
Author: Claudia Gray
Location: YA Gray
Reading Level: Young Adult

Bianca’s life is over! Her parents decided to move her away from the few friends she had in her old town and send her to Evernight Academy. Evernight is an old, secretive boarding school in the middle of nowhere which houses a bunch of rich, attractive teens. Bianca will never fit in with that crowd and the school itself is really creepy. All is not lost because shortly after arriving, Bianca meets Lucas. Lucas is different than everyone else, he is good looking and he seems to really like her. Will Bianca and Lucas work together to survive Evernight Academy or will their personal secrets tear them apart?

The main storyline of Evernight is unoriginal and therefore too familiar. The big secret of Evernight Academy is apparent to even the most basic reader by the 3rd chapter. Claudia Gray tries to spice up the story by revealing a plot twist in the middle that involves Bianca, but it feels too contrived. The revelation ultimately makes the character of Bianca seem incredibly inconsistent. Also, the author fails to fully develop the relationship between Lucas and Bianca so it ends up feeling emotionally shallow. With all of these flaws, it is difficult for the reader to really connect with the main characters in this book which makes the story a chore to read. The 2nd book in the Evernight series, Stargazer, comes out in March. One can only hope that Gray develops the characters further and weaves a more imaginative story.

The Bottom Line: There are many YA chick-lit fantasy series out there right now and this certainly is not among the best of them. The story was so obvious it dragged, the characters were flat and the plot twist was unbelievable. If you are looking for something to read after the Twilight saga, start with House of Night or Vampire Academy, this should not be at the top of your list.