Balthazar: An Evernight Novel [Hardcover]

Claudia Gray (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 6, 2012 | Series: Evernight

For hundreds of years, the vampire Balthazar has been alone—without allies, without love.

When Balthazar agrees to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, he has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s newfound psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel, seductive master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Now Redgrave plans to use Skye’s powers for his own evil purposes.

Balthazar will do whatever it takes to stop Redgrave and exact his long-awaited revenge against his killer. As Skye and Balthazar stand together to fight him, they grow closer—first unwillingly, then undeniably. Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by her. . . .

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of New Orleans-based writer Amy Vincent, the author of the New York Times bestselling Evernight series. She has worked as a lawyer, a journalist, a disc jockey, and an extremely poor waitress. Her lifelong interests in old houses, classic movies, vintage style, and history all play a part in creating the world of Evernight.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; First Edition edition (March 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061961183
• ISBN-13: 978-0061961182
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #562,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Claudia Gray has worked as a lawyer, a journalist, a disc jockey, and an extremely poor waitress. Her lifelong interests in old houses, classic movies, vintage style, and history all play a part in creating the world of Evernight.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice to See A Good Guy Win March 21, 2012

By anne-marie

Format:Hardcover

Skye Tierney is in her own personal purgatory. After Evernight Academy burns down she's forced to return home and finish her junior and senior year in her hometown. A place that reminds her of a brother long gone, parents who've checked out, and an ex-boyfriend who wasn't worth all she gave.

Now her life's in danger and her guardian angel is the swoon worthy Balthazar. A very old vampire wants to enslave Skye and Balthazar knows first hand how ruthless this particular bloodsucker can be, as his past not only comes back to haunt him but hunt Skye as well.

Balthazar marks a return to all the things I loved about the Evernight Series before it all went wrong for me. The romance wasn't as wonderful as Bianca and Lucas, it was a more subtle falling for each other. But it was nice to see a character like Balthazar who deserved better than he got in the previous series to win the girl and have someone appreciate him in that way. I loved the backstories. Getting to see how Balthazar and Charity's story began along with flashbacks to different periods in Balthazar's life was very entertaining. The only thing that seemed a stretch was what and how vamps reacted to Skye's blood. I would have liked some reason as to why her blood is special and how did the other vampires find out about her. Is it because she's a medium, or a more powerful one, do other former human students from Evernight have a similar effect. It just seemed so random that they picked her to come after. Gray did a great job filling us in on the who, you really get to know Balthazar and Skye, I just wish she would have filled us in more on the backstory of the plot's catalyst.

The book kicks things off fast but leaves an explanation as to why quite vague. Still, Balthazar was an entertaining read. It had strong characterizations, and interesting new villains. That definitely redeems some of the disappointment from Afterlife.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Loved Balthazar In The Evernight Series, You'll LOVE This! March 13, 2012

By Step Into Fiction

Format:Hardcover

If you have NOT read the Evernight series or have NOT finished that series please read with caution. There is some spoilers that were unavoidable. Proceed with caution . . .

I read the Evernight series and I enjoyed it. Not one of my favorite series but enjoyable nonetheless. What definitely kept my attention through the four book series was this amazingly delicious vampire, Balthazar More. So, when I found out Claudia Gray was giving him his own book, you can imagine my excitement. I believe I squealed...a little bit. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this and learn more about this mysteriously addicting vampire.

This book did not disappoint for this Balthazar fan. It was everything I wanted and probably more. I was nervous about the other character, his love interest. Skye Tierney. I didn't care for her in the Evernight series and it was probably unfair of me to judge her, since she wasn't in much of them until Afterlife. So I was dreading this book but I must say this first and foremost. After I finished this book, I came out loving Skye. Maybe even more than Bianca. I always thought she was going after Lucas so I don't know, it turned me off. But boy was I wrong.

Another character whose changed my opinion of them? Charity. I went from absolutely hating her and wishing she'd die, even though she was Balthazar sister to being confused on how I feel. She did have the absolute best quote in the entire book. One that I did not expect and one that had me laughing for a good while. I won't tell you what it is so you'll hopefully have the reaction I did. Wouldn't want to ruin your fun!!! But you see a lot of Charity throughout this book, whether it's in present time or in memories from either when they were human or some of their earlier vampire memories.

Balthazar is just as dreamy, charming and sexy as he was in the Evernight series, except this time he's in New York to protect Skye after she found her new abilities. Ever since Bianca possessed her body in Afterlife she's been able to see visions of people's death's. If she goes somewhere where a person has died, she see's it like she is there. Like she is that person, she feels their pain. This new ability of hers also makes her blood something like a drug for vampires. When they taste her blood, they're taken back to a time when they were human. Every vampire wants to feel like they're alive and her blood is the best way for them to do. The vampire who killed Balthazar is after her but not to kill her, just to use her blood for power. This stirs lots of emotions for Balthazar who wants nothing more than to kill Redgrave.

To top things off, because if that's not enough for Balthazar he's also trying to fight off feelings he has for Skye. He has a strict `no humans' rule because the one person he's truly loved was killed because of him and he refuses to let that happen to someone else. But how much will power does Balthazar have? Is it enough to stay away from Skye when it's his job to protect her?

If you've read the Evernight series, even if you are not a fan of Balthazar, like I am, I still recommend checking this out. You'll get glimpses of Bianca and Lucas throughout. If you haven't read the Evernight series, well...I can't say I'd recommend reading this. Read Evernight first and if you enjoyed those books, definitely pick up Balthazar.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Evernight Character Brought to Life March 6, 2012

By Amanda Welling

Format:Hardcover

First Impressions: Claudia Gray (or Amy Vincent) is one of my favorite Young Adult writers. I loved her Evernight series, especially her character, Balthazar. I was so excited to have the chance to review this new series and find out more about my own personal favorite Evernight character.

My Review: I'm not going to give a big lengthy review for this one. If you loved the Evernight series as much as I did, you are going to love reading Balthazar's story. In the Evernight books, you learn a lot about Bianca and Lucas and their love story. What about Balthazar? I always kind of felt bad for him and wanted to know his story, his background, and hopefully, his love interest. I was a little worried I wouldn't like this new series only because I usually find the spin-off stories are almost never as good as the original. Once I began to read it became apparent to me that Balthazar would be as good, if not better, then the original series.

Claudia Gray continues her easy to follow writing style in Balthazar. Each of the characters in this book has their own unique voice. However, unlike the Evernight series which is told by Bianca's point of view, this book is told by alternating POV's between Balthazar and Skye in the third person. This was a nice change-up for me because I'm not the biggest fan of first-person style of writing.

As I have already noted, Balthazar is one of my favorite characters. He is kind, sweet, very loyal and totally swoon worthy. This character was always a mystery to me in the Evernight books. In this book, we learn a lot about his past: how he was turned into a vampire, what his life was like before he was a vampire, and how his killed one particular character, Charity. He is a total kick-butt vampire, but he has this human-like quality about him and it is apparent that he sometimes struggles to create a balance between his vampire nature and what he was like before as a human.

Skye was also an enjoyable character to get to know more about. I honestly didn't remember much about her from the Evernight books but she makes much more of an appearance in Balthazar, since you know, she is Balthazar's lover. There is a lot happening when it comes to Skye and this character is what makes the book move forward. Skye is human and goes through a lot of trying times. She has to deal with a new school she doesn't really like, parents who do not really understand her, and encounters with the dead. Lovely right? Not so much. Redgrave who is Balthazar's sire, learns of Skye's unique abilities and intends on using Skye for his on advantages. That is, if he can get past Balthazar first.

I won't say much about Balthazar and Skye's star-crossed relationship. I'm excited to see how it will play out. I'm happy to report that their relationship grew over the course of the story and it didn't feel rushed. I think there will be so much more to tell in the next book and I'm really looking forward to learning more about Skye and her very unique abilities.

Final Thoughts: I can totally see this series flying off and being wonderful. I still have so many questions left unanswered and by reading this first book it has me hungry for more! Characters from the Evernight series make cameo appearance in Balthazar, but I honestly don't think you have to of read those books in order to understand this book. It works very well by itself. I would definitely recommend picking up Balthazar when it comes out. It's really wonderful!