Blue Bloods- a vampire novel

Wow! I have to start by saying, thank goodness for good Children's Librarians as I would never have selected this book if left to my own devices. My husband is an ex-librarian and through him I have developed a good relationship with some of the local librarians whom he used to work with. One lady in particular suggested Blue Bloods by Melissa De la Cruz to me after we had spent a mini session moaning about what a negative role model Bella from Twilight is for teenage girls, with her whiny, obsessive personality. I have to thank her next time I see her, as I spent the whole weekend (when I wasn't with the kids) engrossed in this book. It was very gripping and I can't wait to get the next one, requested online already. Don't be put off by the boring cover, the contents while not "Pulitzer prize winning" are very entertaining.


Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

Set in New York at a pretentious private school we are introduced to a type of vampire we have never met before. The author has made the clever decision to cast her vampires as fallen angels and they are working on making their way back into Heaven, albeit a lot of them are a way off the mark at the moment. They have rules they must live by, but these rules are falling by the wayside or being twisted to suit their own personal needs/gains. Add to this that they are being hunted and killed by something they cannot easily recognise and you have a gripping novel (or series as is the case here).

Schuyler Van Alen is a misfit at this school, but is happy in this role. She is the protagonist and while a bit too skinny for my liking, is actually a great role model for outcasts and misfits everywhere as she is comfortable in her own skin and dances to her own tune.

I loved this book, the author has developed interesting characters that can be related to, especially in the catty high school world we all know so well. There are no wishy-washy, whiny, needy characters which is quite surprising for a book chock full of teenagers. Yes, they have their own individual issues but there is no "tormented" character as of yet.

If I had one complaint it would be that De la Cruz flits from idea to idea a little too quickly, sometimes not fully developing a situation, such as the love that develops between Jack Force and Schuyler (Skyla) Van Alenen. After saying that, this is a series of books and she does need to hold on to some things that she can build upon in other novels.

There is a sex scene (and the characters aren't much older than fifteen) so if you are wanting to keep your child innocent for a little bit longer then maybe this book isn't for them. There is also death and violence but it is necessary for the story, it is about vampires after all.

Masquerade is the follow on from this novel and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. A great novel to huddle up under the covers with. Don't be put off by the boring cover, the contents while not "Pulitzer prize winning" are very entertaining.