ARC Review: Afterlife

Afterlife by Claudia Gray
Release Date: March 08, 2011 (Today!)
Published by: Harper Teen
Pages: 368, Hardcover
Young Adult
Source: netgalley
Overall: 4 star - Fabulous!
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The fourth book in this electrifying vampire series has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s Evernight books runaway successes. 
Having become what they feared most, Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They must return to Evernight Academy, Lucas as a vampire and Bianca as a wraith. But Lucas is haunted by demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the evil inside him, combat the forces determined to drive them apart—and find the power to claim her destiny at last. 
Readers have fallen in love with Bianca and Lucas, and they will be thrilled to read this exciting conclusion to their romantic adventure.

My Thoughts:


Claudia Gray has a way of throwing in twists and turns at the most inopportune, or is it brilliant, of times?  Either way, that is exactly what Claudia has done as she tied up the Evernight series with this fourth and final book, Afterlife.


One of the consistent traits of the Evernight series have been the twists and turns that have made a very enjoyable, fast paced, and quite emotional story that has spanned between a series a books.  Afterlife was no exception.  With Bianca coping with becoming a wraith, Lucas coping with becoming the one thing he never wanted to become, Balthazar coping with his sister's actions and his torn feelings for more then one person (one is family and one is not), and lets not forget Vic, Ranaulf, Bianca's parents, those who inhabit where ever it is wraiths go and those who inhabit Evernight there is never a dull moment in this series closer.


No stone was left unturned where the plot was concerned.  There were certain aspects of this story I was indeed worried about knowing the series was coming to the end, especially with new characters being introduced to us in the very end of Hourglass and in the very beginning of  Afterlife, but Claudia tied them all up and did it in a fulfilling manner.  Again with the mind boggling twists and turns that gave us answers to questions that may have lingered in our minds and let them slowly fade and make way for the story that awaited us.


For a love story I was sure was doomed from the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised with the realistic turns the relationship between Bianca and Lucas took.  Realistic, everyday, relationship struggles were evident, trust was tried, and consciences got in the way.  Who knew that a wraith and a vampire could encounter the number of issues Bianca and Lucas did and still not manage to turn on each other completely?


There is one character who I did feel didn't have the ending they deserved.  Balthazar.  Here's to hoping we hear about him in Claudia's future projects.  He would be the one person I felt wasn't given the story he deserved.  Yes, this was Bianca and Lucas' story but it was Balthazar who truly stole my heart in the end.  I mean, Bianca and Lucas are epic- they don't need me on their team.


As much as I enjoyed the Evernight series I was extremely pleased with how the story concluded with Afterlife.  Emotional, fast paced and action packed.  There wasn't much we didn't see in this book or series.  Not to mention we were given an ending I truly never saw coming.


Cover:4
Characters:5
Plot:4
Overall:4