VOYA
- Teri S. Lesesne
Now that Evernight Academy, a private school for vampires and humans who possess special abilities, has been destroyed, Skye Tierney is back home and attending her old school. She is being stalked by a group of vampires who have determined that she possesses some special power. Drinking her blood will allow them to experience what it is like to be fully alive—it transports them back to their lives before they were turned. Skye's blood is akin to a powerful drug, one that Redgrave and his group of vampires would kill to have. Fortunately, Balthazar More comes to Skye's rescue. Despite Balthazar's vampiric powers, Skye will have to join in the battle for her own survival. Gray has taken some of the minor characters from Evernight (HarperTeen, 2009/ VOYA August 2008) and its sequels and given them free rein. Skye is a fairly typical teen despite her unusual ability; she hates attending her old school and seeing her old boyfriend who has moved on to someone new. She resents her parents' absence as they continue to mourn the death of her older brother, and she longs for a closer relationship with Balthazar. Fans of the Evernight books will welcome this new addition. Readers new to the series will be able to enter into this story without having read the other novels. Romance, vampires, revenge, and blood and gore provide a winning combination for teen readers, especially girls. Reviewer: Teri S. Lesesne
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—Minor characters from Gray's "Evernight" novels (HarperCollins) take center stage here. Skye, a human teen with psychic ability, and Balthazar, her vampire inamorato, endeavor to thwart the evil vampire Redgrave and his minions as they try to exploit Skye's powers. The story never takes wing, though, courtesy of its Potemkin construct. As a main character, Skye does little. Her psychic ability is not useful—she sees how people are going to die but cannot do anything about it. Her function is that of being someone Balthazar can swoop down on and rescue from various dangers: lone walks in snowy woods, lone walks home from school, and fainting spells. Her parents, grieving over the loss of their son, are rarely home. Skye's solitude makes her more vulnerable to evil vampires and more in need of Balthazar's protection. When she does have a talk with her parents, they remain unbelievably committed to their work and grief, thus allowing a convenient, if implausible, out for Skye. She can run off with Balthazar without feeling guilty about leaving them. In addition, the attitude about sex is permissive to the point of being reprehensible. Charity, a 14-year-old vampire, is Redgrave's lover. This detail does nothing to move the story along. Readers know already that he is evil, so this relationship seems gratuitous.—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Library, NC
