Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Click the cover to purchase at Amazon

Book: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Hyperion
Release date: May 1, 2006
Source: Borrowed from local library
Series: Blue Bloods #1

Summary: (from Goodreads) 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?


First impressions: I'm generally a fan of the alternating time perspective, and it worked really well here. Letters from a woman who came to America on the Mayflower are interspersed throughout the book, giving us clues about the mystery as the story progresses. Loved it! It felt spooky and different and gave the book a touch of old world classiness that mirrored the high society lives of the present time.

Lasting impressions: I thought the book was a giant success and am really glad I decided to try out this series. It was a great cross of paranormal with a contemporary feel. I must say, this whole boarding school theme is growing on me.

Conflicting impressions: I figured out the mystery just a little too easily, and this coming from a girl who NEVER figures out the mystery.

Overall impressions: I breezed through this book in just a day or two, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Prissy, preppy New York girls are not usually my go-to characters, but here I felt they were all fleshed out well, with real personalities that didn't seem ultra thin. I especially liked Schuyler Van Alen (and what a name!), who both fit in, yet didn't. She marches to her own beat, yet can hang at a fashion shoot no problem. Sure, I'll model these designer jeans for you. Sure, I can get us into this club. Yet just when you thought she'd veer off into Mary Sue territory, she'd bring it right back to reality.

The world and setup here is quite interesting. Vampires are some of the most powerful members of New York society, called Blue Bloods because, well, they have blue blood. As teenagers, when they start to turn (because it's hereditary...kind of...but really reincarnative...sort of?) they are at their most vulnerable, and this knowledge is being exploited by something out there killing off the vamp kids, one by one. The narrative follows a handful of these young kids, some are vampires, some aren't, as they sort through these events.

The story builds nicely, and as the kids stumble through discovery after discovery, they eventually start to piece together what's happening. The book does at times feel like one big, long prelude to a larger story arc that will build in subsequent novels, but as a stand alone it is also completely satisfying. I loved de la Cruz's incorporation of the Mayflower history into the story, and I hope that we get to learn more about the vampire culture and how it is exactly that they regenerate. This is a quick, fun read, especially for fans of the vampire genre.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Click the stars for a description of my rating system


Want a different perspective? Check out this review by In the Good Books.

12 comments:

ChrisS said...

Thanks for the review. I have always been curious about this book and will now make a point of reading it when I come across it again..

Jess (Gone with the Words) said...

I really love this series, glad you enjoyed it! Great review!!

Jess @ Gone with the Words

Tabitha said...

Great review. I've been waffling over this book for what seems like forever. I might just pick it up now...finally. :)

BTW, you've got a blog award waiting for you here:
http://tabithaolson.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-lovely-blog-award.html
:)

Emma said...

I REALLY want to read this but I'm sort of afraid that if I add any more books to my TBR pile, it will reach out and smother me in the middle of the night... Loved your review (as usual) and I'm really hoping to get more consistent with reviewing and blogging now that my race is over. Thanks for sticking with me :)

Logan E. Turner said...

@Chris - It's a quick read, so I definitely recommend if you're in the mood for something light and fun.

@Jess - I'm definitely hooked on this series now!

@Tabitha - Thank you for the award! I think you'd like Blue Bloods.

@Emma - I have that exact same nightmare. How'd the race go? Glad you're coming back. We missed you!

Missie, The Unread Reader said...

Logan! Nooooo! Now you have official make me the last person on earth to read this book.

So, hereditary and reincarnation? I've heard the world building is very interesting and unique. Since you seem to confirm it, I'm gonna have to now believe it. LOL

Also, it makes me happy to hear it works as a stand alone. I applaud series books like that.

Michelle Flick said...

I am glad you enjoyed... I agree about the easy read but sometimes that is really refreshing!! THanks for the post!

Diana said...

Logan,

Hurray for you reading Blue Bloods! So glad you enjoyed reading book one. This is one of my all time favorite series! I hope you like it as much as I do. Can't wait to see what you think of the rest of the books :)

Diana

Marathon said...

SO you've finally decided to pick this one up, eh? I'm so, so glad you loved it, as this is one of my favorite series. And trust me, the mystery gets a bit harder to interpret throughout the course of the series. And the plot gets better and better as the series progresses as well. Trust me, you are in for a ride!

Asher K.

Small Review said...

Hehe, Missie is not yet the last person on earth to not have read this book. I haven't either, so I'm very glad you've reviewed it. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when you said this book can be read as a standalone! Whew!

This book sounds fun. I love alternating time perspectives! So many things about this series sound unique. I'm very curious.

Logan E. Turner said...

@Missie - Definitely good world building, but some of it went a little over my head obviously. You and Smalls need to get reading!

@Mflick1 - Totally! It's nice to breeze through a book every now and again.

@Diana - I'm looking forward to the rest of the series for sure.

@Asher - Harder to interpret? Ruh roh! I hope my little brain can keep up. I'm already kind of puzzled. :)

@Smalls - I definitely don't feel the need to read the rest of the series, but I want to just because it was so much fun. You can rest assured that you can read this one and not get sucked in if you don't care for it as much as I did.

Aylee said...

Heh, I just read one in which I figured out the mystery easily, even though I never do normally either! But other than that, the concept sounds really interesting and unique! I'm pretty much burnt out on vampires right now but maybe I'll read this eventually. Really interested in the alternating time perspectives!

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