Fateful by Claudia Gray

Summary:
A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…

New York Times best-selling author Claudia Gray delivers adventure, dark paranormal suspense, alluring romance, and a truly surprise ending, set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic's first — and last — voyage. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I was really excited to read Fateful because I enjoyed the Evernight series (also written by Claudia Gray) and I am obsessed with the Titantic. I thought this would be the perfect combination. While I liked Fateful, it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.

As soon as I started reading Fateful, I could tell that I was reading a novel by Claudia Gray. They all have a similar tone and writing style. But sometimes I didn't like that for this book. It's supposed to take place in 1912 and sometimes I felt like the author tried too hard to make dialogue/writing style sound relevant and others times I thought it sounded too modern. Writing in the past is very hard, but when it's done right the book is that much better.

I liked that Claudia Gray tried to explore different things. There was romance, paranormal beings (with the werewolves), class and gender struggles, and obviously the Titantic. Sometimes these things would get left on the wayside because there was so much going on. For example, I would forget that Tess and company were even on the Titantic because there was a lot of focus on the other aspects of Fateful. That being said, I did like reading what it was like to be a servant in the early twentieth century and seeing Tess struggle and ultimately overcome her station was a nice touch.

There was a bit of instant romance but it's hard to avoid when your book is only 300 or so pages. Tess and Alec's relationship was rushed (especially considering his big "secret") but I really liked Alec so I didn't mind too much.

The Titantic references were always fun to pick out and added some authenticity to Fateful, which was good.

In regards to the ending, I haven't decided if I like it or not. I almost feel as though it's a cop-out, but it does end happily, so I can't argue with that.

Overall, I liked the Evernight series better than this but it's hard to go too wrong when your book takes place on the Titantic.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library

2012/HarperCollins/328 pages.

Afterlife by Claudia Gray

Summary:
Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . .

Bianca and Lucas have always believed they could endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire—the very creature he spent his life hunting—they are left reeling.

Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can turn to only one place for help . . . Evernight Academy. Bianca is determined to remain with him. But with the vampire leader of Evernight waging a war against wraiths, her former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her ghostly transformation has given her.

A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at them, but is their love strong enough to survive the challenges after life? (from GoodReads)

Review:
This will probably be a pretty short review because I don't have much to say about Afterlife. I enjoyed reading it and I thought it was a good conclusion to the Evernight series.

Hourglass leaves off on a cliffhanger, so I was excited to see what happens next in Afterlife. I was wary at first because I wasn't sure how the author would navigate the changes that occurred to the protagonists, Bianca and Lucas (trying not to give much away here, folks). But luckily I was pleasantly surprised with the execution and the conclusion of this series.

I was also excited to see that Claudia Gray has another book set on the Titanic called Fateful (which sounds awesome) and that she's planning on writing a book from Balthazar's point-of-view. He was one of my favorite characters so I'm looking forward to that.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library.

2011/HarperTeen/360 pages.

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Summary:
After escaping from Evernight, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful vampires of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca and Lucas have always believed their love could survive anything—but can it survive what's to come? (from GoodReads)

Review:
I've had this book on my shelf for a very long time and I finally got around to reading it! Part of the problem is that I let my friend borrow it and she never read it. I finally stole it back because I wanted to read it. I looked back on my reviews for Evernight and Stargazer and I couldn't believe that I read them over two years ago! I was a little hazy on the details when I started reading Hourglass but I started to remember what was going on pretty quickly.

While reading Hourglass, I forgot how much I liked this series. I love the writing and I really enjoyed Bianca's voice. When she narrated, it sounded like how I would talk. I liked that I was able to relate very well to her. I also found the vampire mythology to be fascinating. Bianca is half-vampire and half-human because she was born to vampire parents. I thought that was really clever and her transformation becomes a major part of the novel later.

I really liked reading about Bianca and Lucas. They are finally together but they don't really get to actually be together because they are hiding out in the Black Cross, which is an ancient coalition of vampire hunters. The fact that Bianca is a half-vampire made their stay more exciting. I was wondering what would happen if the hunters discovered Bianca's secret.

The twists and turns in Hourglass were really well-done and I found myself continously surprised at different intervals. The ending is a cliff-hanger but luckily I'm going to the library today and they have Afterlife in stock. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: sent by publisher

2010/Harper Teen/339 pages.

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

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? (Taken from Claudia Gray's website)

I really like the summary I found because it tells about the book, while is also vague enough that the surprise from Evernight (the first book) is not given away. So, in keeping with the summary, this will still be a spoiler-free review, even though most people have either read the book or already know what it's about. Anyway, I liked Stargazer. There weren't any big revelations half-way through the book that left me scratching my head, so that's a plus. By now we've been introduced to all the characters and the storyline established, so I was glad to see the plot move forward. Some things were resolved in this book, but other things were left open to be discussed in the next two books. Mrs. Bethany, the headmistress of Evernight, is keeping a secret, and those who have read Evernight will be happy to find out the secret is revealed. There is also more backstory to Bianca and her parents, which I was not expecting, but it was definitely interesting. When I got to the end of the book, I turned the last page, expecting there to be more. But there wasn't and I really want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, the next book, Hourglass, won't be released until March 2010, so we have a long wait ahead of us. But all in all, Stargazer did not disappoint and will leave readers anticipating the next book in the series.

8 out of 10.

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Bianca is used to the comforts of her small hometown and local public high school. But when her parents, both teachers, decide to take jobs at Evernight Academy, she must get used to attending boarding school. And Evernight is not like most schools. The building is as a big as a castle, and the rooms are old and creepy. Something isn't right at Evernight, and it's not just the rich, beautiful and and almost predatory teenagers that attend the school. And when Bianca meets Lucas, an outsider just like her, she can't help but fall for him. Unbeknowest to Bianca, there are dark secrets at Evernight, secrets that are destined to tear her and Lucas apart.

I really liked Evernight. I think most people know what it's about already (I knew before I started reading), but I want to write a spoiler free review for those who haven't read it. Surprisingly, I really liked Bianca as a character. There were times where she was annoying, but overall she was interesting and I could relate to her really well. I liked how Evernight Academy was described: it sounds really Gothic and creepy, and is the perfect setting for this novel. Half-way through the book, there is a twist, and then another twist at the end. I knew both twists before reading (darn you Sam!) but if I didn't, Twist #1 comes right out of left field. There is absolutely no foreshadowing to Twist #1, and you, as the reader, will probably be blind-sided. So be prepared for craziness half-way through the book. Now, Twist #2 was alluded to much better. As I stated before, I already knew what it was, but there were clues that I could pick out and say "Here's where the author wants us to question the plot." Even though I didn't like the set-up to Twist #1, Evernight was still really good, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Stargazer.

8 out of 10.