Series: Blue Bloods, Book One
Publisher: Atom
Format: Paperback
Published: 22nd February 2010
Number of Pages: 336
Book: Bought
Genre:Paranormal, Supernatural, Urban Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Action Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover
Recommended Age: 14+
Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Smoking, Alcohol, Drug and Sexual References
Author's Site: Melissa de la Cruz
Blurb From Amazon:
They're Young, Fabulous and Fanged…
And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school - she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl - but all that's about to change…
Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous - and secret - vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who - or what - is behind it before she's next.
Review:
“You are the newest Blue Bloods. Today is your induction into your secret history. Welcome to your new life…"
Schuyler Van Alen goes to the prestigious Duchesne School – a school full of socialites and the ridiculously wealthy. But even though the Van Alen family is so deeply intertwined with Manhattan history the two are indistinguishable, Schuyler has always felt like an outsider in her society.
But, as it turns out, she's part of a group of outsiders. A group of gorgeous, rich and powerful vampire elitists.
Schuyler is a Blue Blood – a vampire. She's immortal – she will never die. Understandably, it's a lot to take in.
Taking it all in gets a lot harder when the fellow Blue Blood and super-rich-and-popular Jack Force reveals that Blue Bloods – who, according to The Committee, cannot be killed; by anyone or anything – are being murdered. Forever. With no returning.
Something is hunting the Blue Bloods – an old and ancient foe that no one, especially The Committee, want to admit exists. And it's hunting Schuyler now.
Nothing is as it first seems. No one are how they first seem to be. And no Blue Blood is safe...
Man, I love this book! I don't know what it is – it is just totally addictive! And so original! I absolutely adored the vampire lore – and my taste of high-society-American-life. And all the mystery: damn, it was hooking! Blue Bloods was like Gossip Girl meets Vampire Diaries meets CSI. Awesome!
And damn do I want to be a Blue Blood! It’s just all so very cool! Well, aside from crazies stalking them and blood lust and whatever... And the weird twinny-thingy. Still. Minor technicalities…
Onto Schuyler... I liked Sky. She was weird, unique and wonderfully odd – oh, and funny, sweet and brave, too. But mostly awesomely weird. I like weird. And I like a girl who always, always sticks to her guns – and Sky never backed down, not ever. She was awesome.
Oh, and her best friend Oliver was brilliant too – he was such a sweetie. But what is it with best friends crushing on other best friends who don't return their crush? Seriously, people: what's with that?! Even so, I loved Oliver.
I loved Jack too. He was... yum. Sure, he was very very easily manipulated (damn, his twin was evil!) but I still liked him a lot – he was so... noble, almost. I guess that's what immortality does to you. I'm intrigued about where he’ll go next. But that bond with his sister? Freaky with a capital F… It also didn't help that I really wasn't overly keen on Mimi. I just didn't like the girl – she was too reckless, too cold, too... Mimi.
But now I just have to gush about this world! I mean, the vampire lore is some of the coolest and most original I've ever come across – I just gobbled it up! And I so wanna be a Blue Blood! The mythology is all so rich and detailed and wonderfully built up: I loved it and totally believed everything. But onto the more... upper-class-ish side of the world building...
Now, as a total fashion bimbo, I must say that I don't get all the designer brand stuff. So I will admit that the extensive name dropping and clothes description wasn't my favourite part of the story. But then I was like, ‘Hey. This is a book about the one-percenters and to them, this stuff is every day.’ The lavishness of everything just added to the high society atmosphere and made me feel, for a bit anyways, like a hot, fanged, rich-rich-rich girl with designer everything and immortality to boot!
Seriously, can I be a Blue Blood?
I found de la Cruz's writing irresistible. It was so gorgeous and so utterly hooking. I liked how we got to see from lots of people's perspectives, even if sometimes I wasn't overly sure whose head I was in at the time (it jumped occasionally within sections, which threw me a bit at times). But even so: so utterly gorgeous. And as for the whole mystery, plot-line side: hot damn, it was awesome! It was a little slow to begin with, but the suspense... Well, it just built from the word go. I was tugged right into the heart of the mystery, totally hooked and absorbed. I could not stop reading – not for anything. And if anyone had tried to take my book away whilst I was reading... Well, I would've ripped their arm off to get it back: I simply had to continue reading and I just had to know how everything ended. And I must say, I was surprised by a lot of the twists. Not all of them, but some.
So, if you haven't read Blue Bloods and are looking for an utterly different and unique take of vampires, this is for you. But here's a little warning: you will not be able to put this book down no matter how hard you try, so don't expect to get much else done the day you read it. God knows I didn't. But don't say I didn't warn you guys: you will want to read it in one sitting and you will be dying to pick up Masquerade the second you put Blue Bloods down.
Speaking of, where the heck have I put my copy of Masquerade? I simply must know what happens next! I gots to know, people!
What can I say? I'm utterly hooked.
Star Rating:
4 Out of 5
4 Out of 5
Read this book if you liked:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Angel by L.A. Weatherly
Rephaim by Paula Weston
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Happy Reading
Megan