11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging vampire series, October 25, 2009
This review is from: Blue Bloods 3-Book Boxed Set (Paperback)
This is a fun and engagin series for readers who are fans of Stephenie Meyer and Cecily von Ziegaser.
Blue Bloods
Something weird is happening to Schuyler Van Allen and some of the students at the elite Duchesne School...they start to experience blackouts, strange and terrifying nightmares, and mystifying feelings of deja vu. Blue lines appear on their skin where their veins should be. Their parents and some of their friends seem to know what is going on, but remain tight-lipped. It takes the death of a fellow student for them to learn the truth--they are Blue Bloods, a race of ancient vampires who are reincarnated into a new body every generation.
Though Schuyler is new to the vampire world, she and her friends Oliver, Dylan, and fellow Blue Blood Bliss are able to see what the mature vampires refuse to acknowledge--something is after the supposedly immortal Blue Bloods, something that is bent on killing them. The only problem is, can Schuyler and her friends get everyone to see the truth before it's too late?
Melissa de la Cruz has combined history, religious elements, supernatural intrigue, and a taste of the upper class to create a modern, sharp, and wholly unique take on the tired vampire story that will compel and intrigue readers. Her characters are varied and grounded, and even as vampires they are not so glittering and unreachable that readers cannot empathize with them.
For the most part, the multitudes of tiny details that comes with many main characters, flash backs, and an ever changing point of view are kept in check, but some minor explanations slip through the cracks, leaving you wondering about such things as when Schuyler found the time to learn the Sacred Language, and other finer points of being a Blue Blood. However, de la Cruz packs the pages full of engaging social dynamics, lively bits of history, and some practical solutions to the world's mysteries, such as the true fate of the missing Roanoke colony and how so many models really stay skinny. The wonderfully innovative ideas and plot twists in Blue Bloods mightily overshadow minor flaws and will capture the imagination.
Masquerade
Everyone in the Blue Blood community is shaken by the attack on Cordelia Van Allen, and the deaths of young Blue Bloods across the city. Schuyler knows that the Silver Bloods are behind it, but no one will tell her anything about them--the adults either refuse to acknowledge their existence, or are too frightened to. So she sets off to Venice with Oliver to search for her grandfather, Lawrence Van Allen, who supposedly has the answers she seeks. Meanwhile, back in New York, Bliss is devastated at Dylan's death and refuses to accept the fact that he is dead, and Mimi is slowly realizing that Jack might not be hers for very long unless she does something. And that something may involve conspiring with the one person who is determined to obliterate them all.
Breathtaking action and suspense dominates Melissa de la Cruz's second book in the Blue Bloods trilogy. The plot steers away from the rich and luxurious lifestyle slightly, and focuses a bit more on the silent war between the Blue Bloods and Silver Bloods, and dark secrets that have been kept among the Blue Bloods, making for a more convoluted and fascinating plot. More information is given on Blue Blood powers and weaknesses, and it seems that just as de la Cruz cleverly ties up one mystery, she open up two more. Schuyler and Bliss's characters are more fully realized in masquerade, especially as they begin to mature as Blue Bloods. Schuyler is also forced to deal with her feelings for both Oliver and Jack, leaving readers even more torn than ever. All of these many elements combined will only further draw readers into the glitzy and edgy Blue Blood world, and invoke some strong feelings of anticipation for the solutions to many puzzling mysteries. This highly creative and absorbing book will thrill readers.
Revelations
Life has been busy for the Blue Bloods: Schuyler Van Allen has been condemned to live in the Force household where she is highly unwelcome, and even accused of being a Silver Blood. Mimi Force is planning her "wedding" to Jack, her true love and Schuyler's secret crush. Bliss has been struggling to find a solution to keep Dylan at her side, despite his erratic and threatening behavior. And in the midst of it all, something is happening in Rio de Janeiro: sinister powers are restless, and the Blue Bloods fear the worst. But even the most powerful among them are surprised at just how costly the battle between with the Silver Bloods is, and just how many of their own are among them...
Revelations, the third book in Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series, is enticing and shocking. Covered up secrets and many characters' quests for unanswered questions propel the otherwise slow moving plot. Revelations is mainly comprised of drama caused by the Mimi-Jack-Schuyler-Oliver love quadrangle, and Bliss's past, but the "revelations" towards the end speed the slow story up and make it all worth the reading. De la Cruz's closing is surprising, exciting, and maybe just a bit frustrating in the sense that it will leave readers chomping at the bit for more. Nonetheless, many will be able to overlook the uneven storytelling and the fact that all it consists of is the characters struggling to make decisions in light of the new plot twists and drama, and if anything, Revelations will only cause the Blue Bloods series to gain popularity and eagerly anticipate the fourth novel, The Van Allen Legacy.
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