Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gates of Paradise, by Melissa de la Cruz


Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Format: Hardcover; 368 pages
Series: Blue Bloods (Book 7)
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Avg. Rating:

Goodreads | Book Depository
Schuyler Van Alen is running out of time. The Dark Prince of Hell is storming the Gates of Paradise, intent on winning the heavenly throne for good. This time he has his greatest angels by his side, Abbadon and Azrael—Jack and Mimi Force, as they are known in the Coven.

Or so he thinks. Even as Lucifer assigns Jack and Mimi the tasks of killing their true loves, the Force twins secretly vow to defeat the Dark Prince once and for all. But how far will Mimi and Jack go to conceal their real loyalties?

Meanwhile, former vampire Bliss Llewellyn has joined forces with Lawson, the greatest wolf of the underworld, to free his people from their imprisonment in Hell. As they struggle against impossible odds, an ancient message, woven into the very fabric of time, reveals just how much depends on the success of their mission.

Lucifer seeks the key to the Gate of Promise, and when Schuyler is taken captive and delivered straight to Hell, she must make an unthinkable choice—the same one the archangel Michael was forced to make during the Crisis in Rome. Will Schuyler find the strength to do what he could not?

The epic, heartbreaking Blue Bloods series comes to a close with this final novel about staggering courage, unbearable sacrifice, and the immortality of true love.

Admission: I have followed the Blue Bloods series from the very beginning. As much as I hate things that deal with fashion, money, socialites, etc.. I couldn't help but love this series. And this series has turned into something so much more than any of the things I have listed - and I freaking love it for that reason alone! But there's so much more. So, forgive me if I am a little biased when it comes to Blue Bloods. I think I can do a pretty fair review, though. ;)

This is the final book in the Blue Bloods series. While I'm sad to see it go, I have to say that I have enjoyed the ride. Compared to the last few books in the series, which dragged a little and come up a bit stale for me, Gates of Paradise was a breath of fresh air. Like all books in a series, it's nice to see some of your favorite characters reprise their roles in a story and see them grow. I've loved Schuyler from the very beginning and her journey has definitely had its ups and downs. However, I think the character that has truly shined for me in this particular book is Mimi - which is amazing considering how much I have hated her for a majority of the series. Her growth and own journey have both astounded me. She literally won me over without me even realizing it until the very end of the book, which I love because I never knew a character could be written so well.

I can't say much without the risk of spoilers, so I'll just keep this short and sweet by saying that this is an amazing book. The storyline is intricate and I loved watching everything come together at the very end. Literally any loose end or question that I could recall throughout the series was wrapped up with a nice little bow to where you were left with a filling of satisfaction instead of confusion.

If I had to pick out some flaws, I can think of two things that I didn't necessarily love about the novel. One, this book is DEFINITELY a part of a series.. and, in being so, you can't just pick up this book without any knowledge of the characters, series, and story/stories. If you try, you'll fail miserably - that's a promise. There were also some parts in the final chapters that felt a little rushed, as though the author was in a hurry to just wrap this series up and move on with her life. Though after seven books with the same characters in the same world, I think it's safe to say that it could be understandable. In all honesty, it's not THAT noticeable.. it's just something that kind of stood out to me while I was reading.

Overall, I completely loved this book. If you've been a follower of the series, I have no doubt that you will love this book as well. If you haven't followed this series.. I'd say you're doing yourself a disservice by not checking it out. Pick up this book, along with the others in the series. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Rating:
Source: Purchase


Melissa de la Cruz grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

Melissa is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails
 
Website Hit Counter
[Visitors since 4/9/2011]

Blog Design by Missy using images from the Bedtime Stories kit by Kotozebra Designs