Balthazar by Claudia Gray

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. 

Now the Evernight series is one of my favorites, I'm not gonna lie, but for some reason this book just trumped the whole series! Just completely wipe the vampire stereotypes (brought to you by Twilight) out of your minds and make way for these books. My personal opinion is saying that Claudia Gray is one of the best authors I've read. She has a way of giving so much depth to her books and taking a normal subject and making it extraordinary!


Anyway, Balthazar was absolutely everything I hoped for. It met every single expectation I had for a Claudia Gray book. It was romantic, thrilling, well-written, and met every past criteria Balthazar, as a character, was in the Evernight series. The character, Balthazar, is a real heart-throb, Sure he's a vampire and kills people, but only because he has to. He has this humility unlike other vampires and a real kick-butt past that has haunted him ever since. It's really touching and very interesting for us mortals. Skye is also a very good character. She is very well interrupted as average, flaws and all. Sure she can be quite rash sometimes, but other than that, she is smart, strong, and compassionate.

This book can be read by itself, and it is set up for a sequel, but I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because I could relate things from Evernight to things in this book. Just a little minor thing there, but still. Overall, It couldn't have been any better, honestly. I am just in love with Claudia Grey's world and I can't wait for more.   Cover: 1.5/5 stars     Plot: 4.9/5 stars     -Katie