A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Stargazer by Claudia Gray

4.0

There are moments I hate Sarah J. Maas. Because it's thanks to Sarah J. Maas that I forbid myself to binge-read series. It maybe sounds a little stupid, but after reading all Sarah J. Maas books back to back, I had a reading slump that lasted like 3 months where not one book was good enough or what I wanted and needed. And therefore I counted the last week down until I could pick up this second book in the Evernight series.

One thing that really stands out in this second book is the build up. Claudia Gray makes sure to build up literally everything, leaving bits and pieces of information throughout the story, moving all the characters to the right spots and into the right moods. In the end that pays off and the finale is that exciting that I didn't want to put my book down until I was done reading. I love how the ending DID surprise me in a way, but how I noticed immediately where Claudia Gray had hinted at what we could expect.

In this book we get to see quite a lot more from Balthazar, who is now becoming really more of a character with his own characteristics and backstory instead of just the boy longing for a girl who's in love with someone else. I can't wait to make it to his novel and to read his story, because he certainly seems interesting and with a lot of history to tell!

Balthazar isn't the only side character who grows into much more during this story. Vic and Raquel are getting more screentime too and therefore we get to know them a lot better. I hope that in the next book the two of them will get an even bigger role, because they're really interesting to read about!

But, we also get to see a lot less of Lucas, which is something I understand, but I did miss him. The few times we do see him in the book are like a breath of fresh air though and I can't wait to see more of him in the next book.

And, I still like Bianca. Bianca is a relatable, kind and understandable character. She doesn't always do the best thing, but she does make choices I can follow and understand. I also like how realistic her reactions to all the twists and turns are, how human she is, despite the fact that she's not.

So, let's start the count down again! Next week, Thursday: Hourglass!