Customer Reviews

Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods, Book 5)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I love the Blue Bloods series. The author has created a great group of characters and has invented a totally original and entertaining vampire mythology - not an easy thing to do these days. She writes great action scenes and always manages to infuse just the right amount of romance into her stories. Romance that is not over wrought or manufactured. All of these things still apply to this installment. The author's characters and writing are as masterful as always, but I found myself rather disappointed in the plot and it's structure.

This book is very short. At only 265 pages it often has a "bare bones" type feeling that was not present in the earlier books. Schuyler and Jack are in the story for the first 80 pages, then everything flips to Mimi back in New York. We only get back to Schuyler and Jack for a very short time at the end. This gave the story a very unbalanced feel and left me looking for the rest of it. I know the whole point of a series is that you have to wait for the next book, but the author seems to have cheated a bit here and given us just half of a story.

There's not any big news to be had, although a new character has been introduced that I hope gets to hang around. She was very instrumental in the ending which I felt was very anti-climactic. Just not a lot going on here. Unless you're a rabid fan, you can probably pass this one by and pick up again on the next one without losing much. That's a sad thing to say about any series, but unfortunately true about this one. Not a recommend unless you're a hyper fan and just can't stand it.

This was a hard book to rate. On one hand de la Cruz always has great plotlines and deep violence. I adore Mimi and her viciousness as well as love how her character continually evolves into something more than the popular blonde girl. Her story was the story in this book. She wants Jack dead at her feet, but chooses the good of the many over revenge... for now. You see there is someone else taking Blue Blood teens and worse, Lucifer is still in the back round and at the back of everyone's minds. I also think this was a great move for de la Cruz (expanding the story lines to not revolve solely on Schuyler) this is going to be perfect for the books that come after the next couple. It will help keep the story line fresh, and the plot moving in different directions.

Now what I didn't like was that this book seemed shorter than others. Especially after Keys to the Repository, I was kind of hoping for a nice thick book to sink my teeth in to. The Vampire Academy series just got bigger as they went along, but it seems that the Blue Bloods series is getting smaller. Keep in mind the next installment, which comes out in December, is a novella as well. On top of that while I loved that it was revolved around Mimi, I felt like Jack and Schuyler should have gotten a bigger part. I mean we ended the last book with them finally being able to be open about their feelings and being with each other (minus Mimi's bounty hunters) and now we only see their plot line on the peripheral. Also what the heck is happening between Charles Force and Allegra Van Allen? They aren't even in the storyline. The next full length installment will be out in October 2011, but again I'm not sure how big that means. I have loved this series, and while I was not 100% happy with this book, there was enough good to keep me hooked and waiting for Bloody Valentine, which hopefully will be about Jack and Schuyler bonding.

Jack and Schuyler fled to Europe to fulfill Schulyer's mission. At the moment, they're on the run as Jack chose Schuyler in an unprecedented affair. While they have their romance, they also have death threats looming over their heads. Mimi is angry - really angry.

Mimi's the interim leader of the Blue Bloods for the time being. She's downplaying her role during school, but she's responsible for their survival. When a homemade vampire movie leaks signaling the kidnapping of one vampire, Mimi's in trouble. The video, taken at a party, threatens to burn the vampire alive - in front of the human world. Mimi knows she needs to find this girl quickly and hush up the vampire rumors in the human world. Not only does she need to save this girl's life but she needs to save her own spot as leader among the Blue Bloods.

It's not easy saving the world while heartbroken. Most people assume she's heartbroken over Jack's betrayal. She's not. She's heartbroken over losing Kingsley.

She calls in the big guns to help solve the mystery of the abduction: Deming Chen. Deming infiltrates the popular group of vampires at the party to start nosing around and asking questions.

Between herself, Oliver, and Deming, Mimi hopes to uncover the mystery before they run out of time.

My Thoughts: The 5th book in the addicting series featuring love and heartbreak, friendship and betrayal, new friendships formed, new secrets discovered and old secrets shared. While I'm routing for Jack and Schuyler, I have to admit that I love Mimi in this book. I love her new role in the Blue Bloods society and her new relationship with Oliver. Plus I'm routing hard for Kingsley. I'm hoping that he's still alive and there's a chance for him and Mimi. As usual, the ending leaves you breathless and eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Jack and Schuyler fled to Europe to fulfill Schuyler's mission. At the moment, they're on the run, as Jack chose Schuyler in an unprecedented affair. While they have their romance, they also have death threats looming over their heads. Mimi is angry - really angry.

Mimi's the interim leader of the Blue Bloods for the time being. She's downplaying her role during school, but she's responsible for their survival. When a homemade movie leaks, signaling the kidnapping of one vampire, Mimi's in trouble. The video, taken at a party, threatens to burn the vampire alive - in front of the human world. Mimi knows she needs to find this girl quickly and hush up the vampire rumors in the human world. Not only does she need to save this girl's life, but she needs to save her own spot as leader among the Blue Bloods.

It's not easy saving the world while heartbroken. Most people assume she's upset over Jack's betrayal. She's not. She's heartbroken over losing Kingsley. Meanwhile, she calls in the big guns to help solve the mystery of the abduction: Deming Chen. Deming infiltrates the popular group of vampires who were at the party to start nosing around and asking questions.

Between herself, Oliver, and Deming, Mimi hopes to uncover the mystery before they run out of time.

MISGUIDED ANGEL is the fifth book in the addicting BLUE BLOODS series featuring love and heartbreak, friendship and betrayal, new friendships formed, new secrets discovered, and old secrets shared. As usual, the ending leaves you breathless and eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

"Misguided Angel" is the fifth instalment of Melissa de la Cruz's on-going "Blue Bloods" teen vampire soap opera series of books. Coming after "The Van Alen Legacy" this book is a severe disappointment, with a ragged plot-line, a complete detachment from the real world (oh yeah, I mean, as if!) and some very sloppy writing indeed.

No one ever expects anything particularly sophisticated or intellectual in this series, of course, but the first half of this book takes Melissa de la Cruz's output to new all-time low, with her appallingly flagrant ignorance of things outside of the USA making most of the story unfathomable as well as stupid. The first section of the book in particular gives every impression of being heavily influenced by 1970s' James Bond movies, more than anything else, relying on jet-ski chases to provide excitement in lieu of plot twists or real action. She also clearly has no understanding whatsoever of the phases of the moon and seems to think that the new crescent moon rises at sundown in exactly the same way as a full moon would. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

The second half of the book does start to salvage things a little, with the introduction of new (and, for once, interesting and complex) character, but sadly this turns out to be rather too little, too late and the book skitters to something of a sudden and anti-climactic conclusion just as it is really starting to get going. A tagged-on significant preview of the first spin-off book from this series does not bode well for anything other than a very long running series of money-spinning exercises.

"Blood Bloods" die-hards will buy this book whatever I write; just don't say I didn't warn you.

I started reading the series last year, so I was a little late to the party but that doesn't mean that I appreciate them any less. I absolutely loved the first 4 and was anxiously awaiting Misguided Angel. It's not a bad book if you read it for what it is--a filler.
I went into this book thinking it would be a continuation of Schuyler and Jack and her figuring out her legacy, but Schuyler and Jack were barely in this book. Less than half, actually. The book's description is only about 1/3 truthful. They made it sound like there is so much of the Van Alen Legacy, Silver Bloods, Schuyler's mom, even Schuyler herself, but it stretches the truth a bit. Misguided Angel focuses more on Mimi.
I did really like seeing this different side of Mimi. She has had to mature and grow up very fast, especially when a teenage Blue Blood gets kidnapped and is threatened with Hellfire which will burn the vampire's soul forever. And even though she is doing all she can to take charge and run things, she is starting to realize that at her age she cannot do everything and not everyone is going to take her seriously, which makes her more determined to hold onto the control and save the kidnapped.
Oliver is still in the story, as well, since he is working at the Repository and his story intertwines with Mimi's which is pretty interesting.

What I didn't like was that these books have been leading up to this huge decision that Schuyler and Jack make to go against everything and everyone to be together and then it FINALLY happens...and then we barely see them. And when you do, it doesn't seem that....magical. Where did their spark and chemistry go?
And I did not like the new Venator Mimi brought in. She kept saying how good she was and that she always got the job done, but she kept making things worse. I hope she is not in the next one. But I do hope the next one actually goes somewhere. And I hope that Melissa De La Cruz goes back to switching view points every chapter instead of breaking the book up into parts. That made it seem even shorter and it was short enough already.

If you are only wanting to read this book for Schuyler and Jack, don't expect much of them, but if you have wanted to see more of Mimi, this is the book for you.

I was skeptical about reading another vampire series but this truly is unlike any other. Every book gets better. My only complaint is that they could be longer but still a good read. Only vampire series I've read that can truly explain the origin of the breed and does not leave the reader in the dark. Also, a major plus is that it's not in the pov of an annoying teenager. It's in the pov of teenagers but not one who doesn't know how to speak or a weak character. Too much of that is happening in youth novels lately.

I love the BlueBlood series, yet was disappointed with this one. De la Cruz barely touches on Schluyer and Jack. Instead she presents a great intro to their time in Florence, yet does not finish the story. As for Mimi and Oliver, very interesting storyline, yet there was no wow ending with Jack and Schluyer. Also, the end of the book in Florence was confusing.

I love Melissa De La Cruz's take on vampires. It is totally unique and makes them stand out in a genre that is overrun with so many characters vying for the readers attention. When I first began the series I was skeptical, but she totally makes it work. This installment does not give the readers as much Jack and Schuyler as others in the series, and I was alright with that. Bloody Valentines was enough to give me a J and S fix.

I don't like writing spoiler filled reviews so, if you're a fan of the series but only because of Schuyler then warning, most of it is about Mimi and what's going in in the New York Coven. But if you like all of the characters for one reason or another, then you'll enjoy this book. I cant wait for the next one.

Taken from my blog [...]

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read the first four books in the series, stop now. Go read them. =]

Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series continues to amaze me. I was skeptical that anything could be as good as the last book but Misguided Angel held up under my scrutiny. It's torture that the next book in the series doesn't come out until October of next year.

Misguided Angel starts off a month after the ending of The Van Alen Legacy. The writing style was a bit different than the previous books but I was not disappointed with it. It was definitely the best way to show everything that needed to be shown.

The action in Misguided Angel started on the first page and continued non-stop. I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole book and I could not guess what was coming next. There was also a ton of tension in this book. It was hard to tell who was good and who was bad.

Overall, I loved Misguided Angel. I don't want to give anything away so if you want to know more about what happens, go read it!