[REVIEW] Stargazer

title: Stargazer (Evernight #2)
author: Claudia Gray
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: February 9th 2010 by HarperTeen (first published March 24th 2009)
my copy: paperback, 329 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

The vampire in me was closer to the surface . . .

Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one. But she has fallen in love with Lucas, a vampire hunter who infiltrated Evernight Academy, the exclusive vampire boarding school she attends. Bianca will do anything to be with Lucas, even if it means lying to the powerful vampires of Evernight.

Her deceit leads her to dig deep into the mysteries of the school, and Bianca discovers that even those she trusts the most have their own dark secrets. When a ghostly force begins attacking Evernight—and targeting Bianca—she learns a shocking truth about her past that will forever change her future.

that got a bit better.

This is a reread.

Okay I finished the first book. Got through with this one as quick as the first one. Not that I enjoyed it or anything. I still didn't love it. Still a cringe-fest! But it did get a bit better than the first one.

Stargazer follows Bianca in her second year in Evernight after the incident that brought down a lot of chaos at the end of the first book which we'll refer to as the Lucas-Romance Problem. Despite the disapproval of her family and Mrs. Bethany of her relationship with Lucas, she decides to continue their relationship. Furthermore, Bianca decides to help Lucas in finding out why exactly Mrs. Bethany allowed humans into the school. 

The good thing about this book is that it expanded on the world by including ghosts into the mix! I know, I know. We all think that werewolves or vampire hunters are the "enemies" of vampires. But apparently it's ghosts (and to make things even wilder, apparently they're afraid of ghosts. lol). So, does vampires vs ghosts in the same book works? Somehow Claudia Gray makes it work. But as of right now, there really aren't much revealed about the nature of ghosts (which I expect to happen in the next book). 

Aside from the expansion of the world, I also like the inclusion of Balthazar's sister, Charity, in the story especially since he briefly talked about her in the first book. While I also somehow understand Balathazar's actions towards his sister, I also get quite frustrated with the things he does in here. But he's still better than Lucas, tbh.

On the Lucas-Bianca side of things, since they are the main characters, I am still very frustrated with their relationship. Glad that it got less cringe-y though. I mean if you want rebellious teenagers making frustrating decisions out of being "in love" you'd want this. Maybe this is just me being an adult at this point but yes, I hate it. OR maybe this is just me complaining about old YA tropes.

OVERALL, Stargazer is an okay read if you want something quick and something you're very familiar with. I am still very frustrated with the romance and like your usual second book, it doesn't do much in my opinion. It did move the story a bit by expanding it and that's good. 

tl;dr I don't recommend it (but expect review of the rest of the series because why not? lol.)

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