Evernight by Claudia Gray

Evernight
Claudia Gray
Harper Teen
May 27, 2008
ISBN# 978-0-06-128439-7

From the jacket flap:
Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."

But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

My thoughts:

Bianca Olivier becomes the outsider in a new school when her parents take teaching positions at the Evernight Academy and she’s forced to leave her old life and friends behind. As classes are about to begin for the school year she meets a boy, Lucas, who is as different from the other students as one could be. They become close friends, but each of them is protecting a secret that could change more than just their relationship, it could put their lives in jeopardy.

Lucas Ross has done as his mother insisted and enrolled in the Evernight Academy, but he’s less than happy to be there. Living in a dorm, he’s gotten a decent roommate in Vic, but the majority of students treat him like the outsider he is. Meeting Bianca is the best thing to happen to him, but the past is about to catch up to the present.

Like many of the young adult vampire reads in the past few years, Evernight takes place at an academy designed for our fanged friends. Set during a time when a number of humans are being allowed to attend the school, the story takes readers on a journey of discovery for both the heroine and her hero. While Evernight starts out slowly, Ms. Gray captures the reader’s attention with a surprising twist and the story picks up the pace from there until the climactic end. Suitable for teens, but may be enjoyed by adults as well.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews