Review: Blue Bloods, by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)
by Melissa de la Cruz
Hardcover (302), Paperback (336)
Hyperion
May 1, 2006
· isbn: 0786838922
· isbn13: 9780786838929

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society.

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

Could those vampire legends really be true? Steeped in vampire lore and set against the glittery backdrop of New York City, Blue Bloods will be devoured by Melissa de la Cruz's legion fans.

This is the beginning of a series of review posts I'm doing for all of my past reads. I'm going to try to do one a day until I'm completely caught up -- though I will have reviews in between for new reads as well.

I have to admit, I'm not one of de la Cruz's legion fans. Books about girls, fashion, gossip, etc ... they tend to bug me, mainly because I've never been that girl. However, her Blue Bloods series is one of my guiltiest pleasures.

I picked up this book on a whim. After re-reading the Twilight series for the second or third time (the re-reads blur together at this point), I went on a hunt at my local bookstore and came across this. The cover intrigued me. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. Then, I flipped it over and read the description on the back ...

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes to the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates. But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler's life changes dramatically. The death of a popular schoolmate haunts her in unexpected ways. And strangest of all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her.

Once an outcast, Schuyler is thrust into Manhattan's most exclusive social circle. Its members are the powerful, the wealthy, and - as Schuyler soon discovers - the unhuman. They are Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires, and for centuries they've been invincible. Now something is preying on this elite group, and Schuyler wants to find out the truth. But is she the most vulnerable of them all?

Hook, line, and sinker.

Blue Bloods presents a great new twist on the history of vampires, including true facts from Mayflower history. Oh, and fallen angels, too! Both the history of the vampires and the plot kept me reading until the very end. There were twists and turns that started at the very beginning when Schuyler thought she saw her classmate, Jack Force, ran over by a car, and goes until the very end when Schuyler goes to Venice to find her grandfather and catches a glimpse of her mother - who's supposed to be lying in a hospital bed back in New York ... in a coma. Melissa de la Cruz weaves a wonderful spell on you as Schuyler learns about the Blue Bloods - their history, their society, their rules and their enemies.. the Silver Bloods.

The characters are just as big of a part of keeping you reading as the story itself it. I instantly connected with Schuyler, who never changed who she was to fit in with The Committee and/or Mimi Force. Mimi makes a good bad girl that you love to hate. She's a witch with a capital B, and she wears the title proudly. Oliver is Schuyler's best friend and you cannot NOT love him. Bliss, who is a 'transplant' in the Manhattan society surprises us all by being more than just Mimi's second in command and she's actually a truly sweet person. Let's not forget Jack Force - resident hottie. He's the typical bad boy to the good girl - he's hot one moment, cold the next.. but that just keeps him all the more alluring. Can't help it, his warm moments won me over.

Overall, the book was great. If there was anything to complain about, it was all the pop culture references and the superficiality of the wealthy characters that were all about flaunting the money. Yeah, annoying. BUT, things like that do target a certain crowd, and I understand why de la Cruz would incorporate it into her novel. If you're looking for a serious vampire book, you might want to look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for a vampire book that is Twilight-esque mixed with a heaping dose of teen dramas like Gossip Girl, then this is definitely a read for you!

The Verdict?

Review of the Series: Blue Bloods  |  Masquerade  |   Revelations  |  The Van Alen Legacy