IT HAD to happen. After the global success of the Twilight series, there was bound to be another author in the market of teen-angst vampire novels.
And there is – Claudia Gray's Evernight is the first in a what looks set to be a fairly successful series.
Evernight Academy is a posh boarding school hidden away in the hills of a state in the United States. Its gothic halls and turrets, topped by gargoyles no less, is stuffed with students who seem just a little too perfect. They're beautiful, well-dressed and super smart.
Bianca's parents have raised her in a small-town America but have decided that she needs to learn to socialise; that she needs more 'polish' in order to better make her way in the world. Which is why the whole family has up and moved to Evernight. Bianca's parents are teachers.
But she doesn't feel like she fits in. Her uniforms aren't tailored, her interests aren't those of her precocious, well-travelled peers and she doesn't feel as beautiful as her new room-mate.
Still, there's one person she's clicked with – Lucas. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs and wants to protect her. On top of that he's handsome, charming, witty and thinks Bianca is cool too. What more could a teenaged girl ask for?
Unfortunately, their feelings for each other are about to open a whole can of worms that both the reader and the characters will be surprised by.
I'm tempted to give more away – the plot is actually quite clever and isn't slavish to the themes and content that Stephenie Meyer created in the Twilight series thankfully. But to do so would be a bit of a spoiler.
Suffice to say, there are vampires involved, lots of them and you'll be a bit surprised as to who's a vampire and who's not. There are also anti-vampire hunters, creepy stalkers and a mad chase across the country.
Gray has a tight turn of phrase; one really feels that Bianca is a typical teen caught up in things beyond her control. Although her obsession with Lucas seems rather too intense for a first love, there are reasons why their passion takes hold so quickly.
Evernight is a young adult novel, but there is quite a lot of sex, passion and emotions involved in the story so it isn't the kind of book to give to the younger reader. However, the maturity of most 'young adults' these days would cope with the plot without too much damage.
All in all, Evernight is a good beginning on another fine offering of speculative fiction. It's a shame really that it didn't come out before the Twilight phenomenon took hold; I actually prefer this storyline to Myers – yes, blasphemy, but there it is.
Evernight is less soppily romantic and has more action than the Twilight series; much more my cup of tea.
Evernight by Claudia Gray is published by Harper Collins and is available at all good book stores and online outlets.