Customer Reviews

Hourglass (Evernight Novels)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Claudia Grey continues her love story of starcrossed lovers Bianca and Lucas in Hourglass, the third in the Evernight series.

The story begins with Bianca and Lucas working with Black Cross (a vampire hunting organization)and trying to hide Bianca's true identity. The author is able to make this novel as exciting as the other two while breaking from the Evernight School location that was center in her other two novels. The mystery and final plot twist are foreshadowed but still surprising and the cliffhanger left me excited to read the next book in the series.

The Evernight series explores forbidden love like the Twilight books that are loved by teens but does it in a more exciting manner. Teens and Young adults will love this series.

As for possible objectionable content. The main characters have sex, the descriptions of which are not graphic. There is no alcohol or drug use. There is violence and biting because no vampire novel would be complete with out some biting.

Stargazer was much more than I expected, Claudia Gray's imagination carries the story even as the high tension between the 2 star crossed lovers Bianca (a rare born vampire) and Lucas (a vampire slayer) keep tension and drama high. This story was surprising and emotional and ends at a cliffhanger that will make you wonder how the author will ever be able to conclude her next book!

In the 3rd book of Claudia Gray's series, Bianca and Lucas find themselves along with a human friend part of the secret Black Cross (deadly and ruthless vampire hunter). Even as Bianca 'trains' to kill the evil vampires she tries desperately to hide her vampire nature from the Black Cross members. And the stakes get higher as her vampire half takes over and her cravings for blood increase. Desperate, Lucas knows it is only a matter of time before they are caught and struggles to find a way for them both to escape. But when his hidden stash of money is discovered and taken they begin to despair. To add to their troubles the wraiths continue to haunt Bianca and they are taking on a more forceful approach. And to make matters even worse they find Balthazar, a good vampire friend of Bianca's has been captured and is being tortured by the Black Cross. How can they save him and themselves, too? While Bianca becomes progressively and mysteriously weaker and the pact her parents made with the wraiths looms over Bianca's future, tension builds to near claustrophobic levels. Can their relationship survive, will they?

This was an amazing read that you will not forget. Betrayal, death and heartache make for a fast paced and exciting read. As mentioned earlier, I have no idea how the author will continue her next book. There were a couple of big shocks that I never saw coming that were not resolved. I am still not sure how I feel about what eventually happens to Bianca, except to say it was tore at my heart. This story became even more emotional as the stakes for a life together elude Lucas and Bianca seem insurmountable The wall between them keeps getting higher and higher as circumstances are determined to keep them apart. They are the contemporary paranormal equivalent to Romeo and Juliet. Their love for each other is wonderful to read and it makes their short moments together all that more poignant and heartfelt. I loved this book even as I ground my teeth in frustration when I read the surprisingly and intense ending. The only reason I didn't rate it a full 5 stars is because of the cliffhanger ending. Another year to wonder what will happen to a couple a care so much about. Argh!

The "Evernight" novels (Evernight (Evernight, Book 1), Stargazer (Evernight), Hourglass and Afterlife) focus on seventeen-year-old Bianca, half-vampire, half-human who's in love with Lucas, a fearsome Black Cross vampire killer. In the third novel, Hourglass, the mysteries of Bianca's birth (two vampires can only have a child with the help of wraiths, or ghosts) are slowly and painfully unraveled as she and Lucas live life on the lam.

At the close of "Stargazer," Evernight Academy was torched by the Black Cross, a powerful vampire hunting society that's existed for over a millennium. Now, Bianca and Lucas must take refuge in the place that endangers Bianca the most...right in the heart of the enemy. As Bianca fights to escape detection as a vampire, she begins to experience worsening dizzy spells. Cut off from her parents and her friends at Evernight, most notably Balthazar, Bianca is uncertain what to expect from her changing body. No one ever told her what happens to a half-vampire who refuses to make the transition...

"Hourglass" contains a winning blend of action and romance. Bianca's world is turned upside-down; former Evernight friends become enemies, and certain former enemies lend a hand. Bianca's relationship with Lucas finally heats up (tastefully). And the cliffhanger ending will leave fans on the edge of their seats until the fourth novel "Afterlife" comes out. Fans of The Twilight Saga Collection and Blue Bloods 3-Book Boxed Set will likely enjoy "Hourglass."

Very fast-passed sequel with non-stop action. When we last saw Bianca and Lucas they were on the run with the black cross after the evernight academy was torched. Along for the ride in this sequel is Raquel, Bianca's roommate from Evernight. Seeing as how Bianca is a half-vampire who must drink blood every couple of days, it doesn't take a soothsayer to know that she is going to have difficulties with the black cross.

Bianca and Lucas muddle through and their interactions on the run are some of the more touching scenes in this novel. Lucas really grows as a character and turns away from his black and white view (human=good/ vampire=bad) of the world. Vic and Balthazar make appearances, although the later for a heartbreaking scene of devotion to Bianca.

My major complaint about this sequel is how the mystery surrounding Bianca's changing body was handled. Throughout the series, the question has always been if she refuses to change into a vampire, what happens? The author drops enough hints throughout this book that by the time the transition happens, you knew what Bianca was changing into. And that is the key problem for me.

Spoilers.----------------------

Bianca changes into a wraith. Why Bianca could not have foreseen this is beyond me. She knows that vampires can only have a child with the help of wraiths. Her soul is from the wraiths and her body from the vampire parents. The wraiths appear around her and say "our," or "she is not for you" and defends her from being turned into a vampire. When Bianca does not complete the transition to a vampire, she starts getting dizzy, losing her appetite, will to live and starts fading away (like one would expect for a wraith). For a kick-a** heroine to this point, I expected more. Make a call to her parents to see what was happening instead of lying down and dying. Doing something.

The ending was a huge cliffhanger and now you have to wait until next year!

After the fire at Evernight Academy, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with the Black Cross - a group of vampire hunters. This is not ideal as there are many problems with the arrangement including one big problem - unbeknownst to the Back Cross Bianca is the daughter of vampires and may become a vampire herself. Bianca and Lucas want to get away from the Black Cross as soon as they can but they have other worries: vampires are after them, Bianca's friend Balthazar is in trouble, and Bianca is feeling sicker each day. Little do they know it but soon Bianca and Lucas's lives will be changed - forever.

Picking up where Stargazer (Evernight) left off, "Hourglass" is a fact-paced page-turner of a vampire novel for young adults. It is the kind of novel that you both want to keep on reading to see what happens next yet also want to read it slowly to savor each moment. Author Claudia Gray puts several twists in the book (none which I'll reveal here which makes the book hard to review!) that will catch the reader by surprise and which take the series in a completely different direction. The paranormal aspects are what carry the series and are nicely done but even if you took those elements away in this book Gray does a great job of showing how difficult life can be for teenage runaways. Bianca and Lucas continue to grow as characters and I was glad to see Lucas redeem himself after being so whiny in Stargazer (Evernight). There is not nearly enough Balthazar in this book but his few scenes add much to the book and are heartbreaking. There is a delicious underlying sense of danger throughout the book that make it an exciting read. There is also a sense of sadness throughout the book as Bianca and Lucas, through no fault of their own, have lost and continue to lose so much - don't surprised if you find yourself tearing up at times while reading "Hourglass". Speaking of surprises - there are plenty in this book and "Hourglass" ends on quite a cliffhanger - one that will have readers eagerly waiting for the last book in the series which is due out next year.

"Hourglass" is an excellent addition to the Evernight (Evernight, Book 1) series - a series that I like much better than the Twilight series.

In this third book in the EVERNIGHT series, Bianca has fled Evernight Academy with her boyfriend, Lucas, and holed up with the team of Black Cross vampire hunters Lucas used to be an avid member of.

For a time, Bianca is able to hide her emerging vampiric nature by feeding on birds in secret. But she knows every minute she spends among the Black Cross her life is in danger, and she and Lucas plan to take off on their own as soon as they have the means.

But when a friend from Evernight Academy is captured by the Black Cross, and a series of events leads to Bianca's true nature being discovered, the pair must go on the run sooner than they expected. Even that, however, is not their greatest challenge. Because as Bianca's parents warned her, her first taste of human blood was the turning of an hourglass, and it's no longer clear whether Bianca will be able to choose how she'll live the rest of her life.

EVERNIGHT fans will be far from disappointed in this continuation of Bianca's story. The suspense never lets up as her situation becomes increasingly desperate. But there's still plenty of both tenderness and heat in her relationship with Lucas, who has matured a great deal since the first book.

The book's many twists and revelations will only leave readers all the more eager to get their hands on the final book in the series.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

First and foremost, Claudia Gray clearly did her research on the Occult. Clear and precise knowledge of the common and not so common parts. I applaud her for this.

Hourglass does contain more violence in comparison of the previous two books, which I honestly am glad to see.

Unlike other young adult books in this genre that are nothing but graphic sex and drug use, Claudia Gray's writing and characters grow and mature with each book, something that is really lacking in todays YA fiction books.

Each character is well developed and in-depth, you can actually feel like they are interacting with the world around them. Minor characters in the previous books make a resurgence and become a larger part of the story, while Bianca learns more about her past.

Without spoiling anything, the book ends in a very dramatic cliffhanger, which leaves you wanting more.

Can't wait to read the next book!

I LOVED it sooooooo much right up until the end. Noooooo! I don't understand how she could ruin such an amazing book! Ugh! I wanted to cry and curl up in a hole and die after I read the end. HOW COULD SHE DO THAT. I know this sounds really immature but just feel really strongly about super sad endings and the fact that she actually had me HOOKED the whole time and just killed it right at the end. Urggg. I'm still reading the next one though, I don't think I can restrain myself. I just really don't want my heartbroken again.

I can't really give a full critical review to such a popular series. It's vampires. It's fun. It's not really lighthearted, but it is fully into romantic angst and danger in the modern gothic sense. In the end, with the glut of vampire books on the market right now, this is one of the more entertaining and engrossing of the series available. The plotlines aren't as directly derivative of other series and while the twists and turns are not very surprising--the foreshadowing is pretty heavy handed--the characters are fun enough to keep you reading and consequently upset when the obvious happens. The biggest hindrance to readers' full enjoyment is the twisty, cliffhanging ending. If you will be tortured by an unresolved and even discouraging ending, wait to read this one shortly before the fourth book is released in 2011. Of course, if you are a fan, it will be impossible to wait, so just consider yourself warned that it is much more frustrating than almost any tv series season ending with a much longer wait until resolution. But that also makes it fun as you guess about what is to come with your friends...it all depends on whether your heart grows fonder through anticipation or not.

I was probably too excited when I began reading this book. I had seen that it had mostly favorable reviews so I had rather high expectations, especially since I REALLY enjoyed the first two books in the series (Stargazer was my favorite). This book however left me very disappointed.

First of all, I thought that it was a little too depressing, the whole vibe of the book was grey likes its cover. (**Warning** I am going to throw in some spoilers). The book starts out in black cross - dreary setting- Bianca and Lucas never see each other, Bianca misses her parents, Bianca doesn't get enough blood and becomes weak, more bad stuff happens, then Balthazar gets kidnapped and tortured... all of which was painful to read, not suspenseful and I found the second half little better.

Bianca and Lucas escape Black Cross, but then it is just dull, they find a place to stay and then they get jobs. During this time Bianca's health is weird and I think what is happening to her is supposed to be a mystery but I found it very predictable.... We then find out that Charity is after them but to me she is not that menacing, just annoying and I found myself waiting for the end of the book, which was the one part I really liked, but only the very last chapter.

I feel this book was more of a setup for the next book rather than a whole story in and of itself, a lot of little things happened but there was not one overarching plot that tied the whole book together, or if there was I missed it. Maybe it was supposed to be the mystery of Bianca's health? I don't know.

Anyhow, even though I didn't enjoy this book I wouldn't say don't read it because based on the other reviews my opinion is the minority and even if you do agree with me, which I sort of hope you don't because it is always a bummer to be disappointed in a book, I am still glad I read the book because overall I do really like the series and I plan on reading the last book because I am really hoping it is better than this, I think Gray is setting something up and I am remaining hopeful that it will be good!