 | Title: Balthazar
Sexual Content: Kissing. Implied sex Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Vampire heartthrob Balthazar More, first introduced to readers in the New York Times bestselling Evernight series, fights for true love in this electrifying stand-alone novel.
Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.
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.
Review
Despite what the description says, I don’t think BALTHAZAR should be considered a stand-alone novel. I haven’t read the Evernight series and felt pretty lost in the beginning. There is a lot of history that I felt like I was supposed to know, not to mention characters and various previous relationships that significantly impacted this story. Eventually, I became invested enough that all the little holes didn’t bother me too much, but I can only image that readers familiar with the Evernight series will enjoy this book much more than those of us coming to this world for the first time.
I was a little surprised by the split POVs in BALTHAZAR. Based on the description, I was expecting it to be all Balthazar. I actually think the title of the book should have been SKYE, since it struck me as much more her story than his. Skye is dealing with her ex and his new girlfriend, the death of her brother, and the isolation from her parents, not to mention unpredictable psychic visions and a vicious pack of vampires after her uniquely powerful blood. Balthazar appoints himself her protector, and through a series of flashbacks, relives his transition from human to vampire and beyond. While it was initially interesting to read about Balthazar’s former life, I quickly became bored with the frequency and length of these flashbacks. One or two would have sufficed and that would have allowed more time for the romance between Balthazar and Skye to build more gradually. The ‘I’m in love’ realization happened much too quickly and unfortunately did not feel credible.
Well written and full of several swoon worthy moments, BALTHAZAR was a romantic and suspenseful read that, because of my ignorant of the series, left me a little lost in the beginning, but has completely motivated me to pick up the Evernight series and fill in the holes. If you are already an Evernight fan, than you’ve probably been dying for a book about Balthazar, and even to a newbie like me, it’s not hard to see why. He was tortured and heroic, and when he fell in love (even if it happened a bit too quickly for my taste) he fell hard, and consequently, I did too.
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