Welcome to The Real World According To Sam! It's October still, so that means I am still bringing on all the Halloween themed reading. Today we are talking about a YA vampire series I've been wanting to read for a while now. Let's jump right in!
Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: YA Paranormal
Genre: YA Paranormal
Year: 2006
Synopsis:
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 dilapidated 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?
Review:
As I mentioned, I have been wanting to read this series for a while now. I really enjoyed Melissa de la Cruz's Descendants series and as a teen, I did read a few paranormal books involving vampires. This just wasn't one of them. I also have many more I still want to get to. Blue Bloods is the first in a seven book series, involving teen vampires in New York City. This is almost like if Gossip Girl met vampires. That is definitely the vibe that I got while reading it. I borrowed this one digitally from my local library, so I haven't just been letting it sit on my shelves like some of the other books in my TBR pile.
This book introduces us to Schuyler Van Alen. She is part of New York City's elite, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at her. She doesn't dress in the latest fashion and doesn't hang out with the popular crowd, despite having her own status be decently high. This changes when she turns fifteen. Like the synopsis says, she begins seeing signs that something might be wrong with her. A group she has to meet with from her school tells her otherwise. They say it is completely normal and that every teen experiencing it should be very excited. These teens are gaining what seem like memories, from times they shouldn't have existed in. What's going on?
Naturally, they're all vampires. The elite of NYC are actually vampires who go through a cycle of life that includes regeneration. You cycle through life regularly for many years and you aren't supposed to be able to die. Yet one girl has. This causes a ripple of fear and confusion through the elite circle and among the teens who knew her. Schuyler, with the help of her best friend and a new crush, Jack, tries to find answers and may be getting in a little too deep. As the synopsis says, there is a bit of history thrown in which thickens up the power that the elite have in this area. It adds a bit of an extra layer of depth where there really isn't much.
This book is decently interesting, but it feels incredibly short. It also doesn't feel as crisp as I think it should. It's pretty standard as far as YA vampire fare goes, but like I said before, it also has a lot of Gossip Girl vibes. There is some girl drama going on and there is a big focus on what everyone is wearing. This also reminds me of my middle school days, back when I first got into a book series called The Clique, by Lisi Harrison. I loved those books and reading this one felt a lot like that book did, but if it added vampires. The story is interesting enough and I'm definitely going to keep reading on, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.
There seems to be a bit of a love triangle developing, which I am actually kind of interested in. I like all the characters involved to a certain degree and want to know more about them. Neither of the boys are annoying me too much at this point, but we are still pretty early on in the series and this book felt decently short to me all things considered. It is around 302 pages, but it went by quick and didn't feel very weighty most of the time. I feel like I watched an extended pilot for a show, or a few episodes of a first season. This definitely didn't feel like it would cover a full arc in any way. It is very much a beginning. While the boys aren't perfect, and they definitely have moments where they are bit frustrating, they never felt entirely insufferable. I think they have room to grow and I want to see how it goes. Schuyler also largely stands on her own, so she doesn't feel like she is being forced in any particular direction by either, so far.
Schuyler is a decent enough character with an interesting family. I definitely want to find out more about her history and what larger role she has to play in this circle of elites. I am curious how the drama and relationships of this social echelon will affect her ability to get information and unravel more secrets. Oliver, her best friend, has been helpful so far and I hope we get to know him better. Mimi is annoying and the twin blood bond is a bit strange so far. I'm wondering how that will play out in the series overall. I'm definitely going to be continuing on with this series whenever I get the hankering for light paranormal reading or a breezy drama with a little something extra.
I give Blue Bloods a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯. It is light and short. There isn't a lot to it, but it can be a good enough time if you know what you're getting with it from the beginning. It is simple teen drama with a vampire coating and you shouldn't expect much more from it than that. This definitely won't be for everyone and it isn't one of Melissa de la Cruz's best works...but a lot of teens and casual readers will enjoy it well enough. It isn't the best teen vampire drama, so take it for the light fare it is.
This concludes another review here at The Real World According To Sam, where I bring the books straight to your screen and even provide my own two cents about them. See you tomorrow!
Comments
Post a Comment