Book Review: Balthazar

Title: Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Release Date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 374 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: 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.

If you love paranormal YA books like I do, you have heard of the Evernight series by Claudia Gray. I even own the first book in the series but just have not had a chance to read it. When I got a copy of Balthazar (a spin-off title from the Evernight series) for review, I was a little worried that I would be lost having not read the original series first. I’m thrilled to tell you that my concerns were completely unfounded!

Skye Tierney, a former student at Evernight Academy, is having disturbing visions where she sees violent deaths and feels what the people in the vision felt. Skye writes to her friend from Evernight, Lucas, for help and he sends Balthazar to see if he can help Skye with her problem.

As Balthazar arrives in Skye’s small town in upstate New York, she is being attacked by vampire, one from his past. What should have been a quick visit to help an acquaintance with an issue turns into a full time mission to keep Skye from being killed or worse by an extremely evil tribe of vamps led by Balthazar’s maker himself.

Portions of the book are told in flashbacks and so you get to see how a 19-year-old Puritan boy became a 400 year-old vampire. I love Balthazar and even though I have not read Evernight, I’m so happy he got his own book. Balty is ridiculously swoon worthy and while he is a teeny bit brooding over his past and what he is, he is not overly emo. I love how he treats Skye and while his reasons for avoiding a romantic relationship with her are valid, it’s easy to see how much he cares for her.

The relationship between Skye and Balthazar is my favorite aspect of the book. Having known each other before, it’s easy and natural for these two to click. It also helps that Skye had a huge crush on Balthazar when they were at Evernight but she never acted on it.

Unlike a lot of girls in YA these days, Skye is very smart and capable. Balthazar does end up saving her a few times but that’s only because Skye is not always a match for a tribe of evil vampires. I’m happy to say that does hold her own a few times.

Balthazar is fast paced, exciting and so romantic. Claudia Gray's writing is solid and I raced through this book. If you have been holding back on reading Balthazar because you have not read the Evernight series, don’t. The book works perfectly by itself and has actually made me want to read the original series even more. There is no cliffhanger ending and my heart broke a little bit when I found this is a standalone book. I would love to know what happens next with Skye and Balty.

Content: Kissing, implied sex and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Fateful

Title: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Release Date: Sep. 13, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 356 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Historical
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.

When I read the summary for Fateful a few months back and saw that Claudia Gray was writing a book about werewolves on the Titanic, I knew I had to read it. While, I loved the historical aspects of this book, I was a little disappointed with the romance.

In Fateful, it’s clear that Gray did her research on the Titanic and it’s reflected in both the big and small the details about the ship. I love how Gray subtly and effectively combines the historical and paranormal aspects of the book.

Tess’s character is likable. She is a maid for a rich family whose matriarch treats the help very poorly. Tess, being smart and ambitious, plans to quit as soon as the ship gets to New York and make a new life for herself. She handles herself with grace even when being bereted by her employer. She is brave when the people she cares about are being threatened. The secondary characters are also well written and I loved how their stories were slowly revealed throughout the book.

As much as I liked Tess, I just was not enthusiastic about her relationship with Alec. Alec is the rich, handsome passenger from first class and Tess unwittingly gets involved in a dangerous situation he has going on with another passenger on the ship. Alec is dark and brooding throughout most of the novel. I understand that he is unhappy about his situation, but I really wanted him to stop moping and work just a little harder to keep Tess safe from Mikhail.

I was bugged by the fact that Tess does most of the ‘heavy lifting’ in this book while Alec is mostly sad. She thwarts the bad guy on several occasions, comes up with some of the better ideas to help Alec and pretty much saves him from himself. I’m all for strong female characters but I don’t think we need kick-butt heroines at the expense of strong male lead characters.

Their romance also happened a bit fast for me and before you say it, I know that a shipboard romance on the Titanic means that the couple has to meet and fall in love over a four day period. And yes, while I bought the shipboard romance in the movie Titanic, Alec and Tess are no Jack and Rose. I just was not feeling it. 

Fateful is original, has lots of action, forbidden romance and a dramatic and well written setting. Hardcore historical and paranormal romance lovers may like this more than I did. While not bad, this was just an OK book for me.

Content: Kissing, sex (no graphic descriptions) and violence.

My Rating: Just Fine

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. Check out my current giveaways: The Iron Knight, Anna Dressed in Blood, Darker Still and Dark Eden. This week, I got the following books:

From the library:
Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Fateful by Claudia Gray

For review:
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (thank you Tor Teen!)
Laddertop by Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card (Thank you, Tor Teen!)

For a giveaway:
I got a fantastic prize pack from HarperTeen and Patrick Carman! It contained a “Fear is the Cure” t-shirt, a lanyard, 10 copies of The Fear Test CD ROM and a bookmark. It’s all up for grabs in the Dark Eden giveaway.

I am really excited about this week because Girl of Fire and Thorns, Fateful and Article 5 are all former Waiting on Wednesday picks and I can’t wait to read them. I am also excited about Laddertop, it will be my first manga! What did you get this week?

Waiting on Wednesday – Fateful

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Fateful
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Publish Date: Sept. 13, 2011
Pages: 356 pages
Genre: Paranormal

Summary: It's about a servant girl named Tess in 1912, who wants to escape from the house where she works, and most particularly the lecherous young lord of the manor. But that's not her biggest problem. While on a voyage to America, where she plans to escape and start a new life, she meets Alec, who's ruggedly handsome, fabulously wealthy, intelligent and yet so clearly troubled that she'd rather not fall for him, but she does. That also is not her biggest problem. Alec, it turns out, is a werewolf ... one cursed to change every night, unless and until he surrenders his independence and joins the Brotherhood, a pack of violently misogynistic werewolves who have been tracking him for months. You'd think that would be their biggest problem, wouldn't you?

But no. Their biggest problem -- though they don't know it yet -- is that they're aboard the RMS Titanic.

I have yet to read Claudia Gray’s Evernight series but I fully intend to as I have heard good things about it. Fateful seems to have a lot going on (werewolves on the Titanic!) and that’s exactly why I want to read it. It just sounds so crazy and awesome!

What books are you waiting on?