Balthazar - Claudia GrayGrade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars
Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.
In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart. (Description from Groodreads)
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I hadn't realised how much I missed the Evernight world until I was thrown back in with 'Balthazar'. A dangerous book, that revisits the life of vampires after the destruction of Evernight Academy.
As one of my favourite characters in the series, I was really looking forward to reading about Balthazar. I was unsure what we'd be getting from his story: Something old? Something new? Turns out it was a bit of both, and can I just say: Wow! Learning about Balthazar's past gave me chills; especially with the way it was presents: a jumbled timeline showing his human, early vampire years and most recent past, all mixed in with present drama with Skye and the vampires. It's an intense, fast-paced read that I had so much trouble putting down.
If you're a long time Evernight fan, you'll notice that our leading lady, Skye, is a repeat Evernight character. Although, I'll admit, for the first few pages I couldn't remember who she was (my bad). But she does have an Evernight background and an extremely important skill that winds up putting her in serious danger: Vampire Style. Her powers weren't explored as much as I thought they'd be. Their unknown quality left you wanting more, especially close to the end of the book.
I love the action in this book. It seemed never-ending, probably because we saw plenty in the 'present' timeline, but was also witness a fair few fights in Balthazar's past. I'm definitely a fan of a good action scene, and if you're like that too, you won't be disappointed with this one.
My only issue with 'Balthazar' is the uncertainty at the end. So much is left up in the air and, at the time of writing this, I'm unaware if there is going to be more in the series. What is going to happen to Skye and Balthazar? Are there still vampires after them? Will Skye learn more about her skills? But, most importantly, what's going on with Charity? Yep, that's right, our fave crazy vampire sister is back and she's pretty kick-ass in this book. But her role leaves me with so many questions. I thought we'd have some big Brother-Sister confrontation, but we're sort of left hanging. Maybe that's being saved for a future book (Please, Claudia?)
Mysteries and questions aside; I adored this book, definitely worth reading.
5/5 stars
Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)
I hadn't realised how much I missed the Evernight world until I was thrown back in with 'Balthazar'. A dangerous book, that revisits the life of vampires after the destruction of Evernight Academy.
As one of my favourite characters in the series, I was really looking forward to reading about Balthazar. I was unsure what we'd be getting from his story: Something old? Something new? Turns out it was a bit of both, and can I just say: Wow! Learning about Balthazar's past gave me chills; especially with the way it was presents: a jumbled timeline showing his human, early vampire years and most recent past, all mixed in with present drama with Skye and the vampires. It's an intense, fast-paced read that I had so much trouble putting down.
If you're a long time Evernight fan, you'll notice that our leading lady, Skye, is a repeat Evernight character. Although, I'll admit, for the first few pages I couldn't remember who she was (my bad). But she does have an Evernight background and an extremely important skill that winds up putting her in serious danger: Vampire Style. Her powers weren't explored as much as I thought they'd be. Their unknown quality left you wanting more, especially close to the end of the book.
I love the action in this book. It seemed never-ending, probably because we saw plenty in the 'present' timeline, but was also witness a fair few fights in Balthazar's past. I'm definitely a fan of a good action scene, and if you're like that too, you won't be disappointed with this one.
My only issue with 'Balthazar' is the uncertainty at the end. So much is left up in the air and, at the time of writing this, I'm unaware if there is going to be more in the series. What is going to happen to Skye and Balthazar? Are there still vampires after them? Will Skye learn more about her skills? But, most importantly, what's going on with Charity? Yep, that's right, our fave crazy vampire sister is back and she's pretty kick-ass in this book. But her role leaves me with so many questions. I thought we'd have some big Brother-Sister confrontation, but we're sort of left hanging. Maybe that's being saved for a future book (Please, Claudia?)
Mysteries and questions aside; I adored this book, definitely worth reading.
5/5 stars
Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)
Great review, Kim! I am looking forward to reading this really soon. I'm with you, I can't remember who Skye is either! But I'm sure it will come back to me once I get into the book!
ReplyDeleteYou remember after a few pages, because Skye reminds us what her Evernight background is (She has a big part at the end of Afterlife) But you just get thrown in and it's awesome!
DeleteKim