Blue Bloods

Melissa de la Cruz

Published 2006

302 pages

Rating: B+

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. 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 girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think.
Could those vampire legends really be true? Steeped in vampire lore and set against the heady backdrop of the rich, young, and powerful in the heart of New York City, Blue Bloods will be devoured by Melissa de la Cruz's legion fans.

My review

A twist of Gossip Girl and House of Night, this book surprised me with the brilliant story Melissa de la Cruz has created. I'm an avid fan of vampires but to be honest, it does get a bit boring to read the same thing over and over again. That was definitely not the case with this book! It was a whole different take on vampires for me. I loved how they're quite human and civilized, unlike Hollywood's version of a vampire. Blood sucking monsters with no trace of humanity left. The blood suckers in this book are classy, sophisticated, designer wearing socialites. They love attending traditional balls and high class events. Their status is determined by wealth and heritage.

The main character, Schuyler Van Alen is a misfit. Her past is very tangled with secrets and shame. She doesn't wear designer clothes and she hangs out with "losers", her best friend Oliver Hazard-Perry JR. and an outcast Dylan Ward. The three of them form their own group and are scorned by their peers particularly Mimi Force, queen of their school. When Schuyler becomes a Blue Blood she discovers a whole new world. She feels new cravings and is starting to fit in more. Jack Force, Mimi's twin and "soul mate", has even taken a special interest in her and Bliss Llewellyn, Mimi's "best friend" has befriended the trio of misfits. When deaths present themselves in the Blue Blood world, Schuyler joins forces with Oliver, Bliss, Dylan and Jack to figure out who is killing off Blue Blood teens.

I have to admit that I wasn't really sure if I would enjoy Blue Bloods but the book was actually great! It had an amazing plot with characters to relate to and laugh with. The mystery was great and the book kept me guessing till the end. I became fond of Bliss, Dylan and I hate to say this, but I even like Mimi. She's an interesting character and I can't wait to know more about her and Jack's past lives. Speaking of that, I also loved the special powers the vampires had in this book. They were totally different and interesting! I wish Melissa would of included more action and steamy romantic scenes in the story but it was a good book nonetheless.

-Marisa

Jekel Loves Hyde

Beth Fantaskey

Publishing May 2010

288 pages

Rating: B+

Synopsis
Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules – especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship. To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything – even Tristen’s love – just for the thrill of being… bad.

My review

The main character, Jill Jekel, is small, timid and quiet. I loved her. At first, she seems to be very vulnerable and weak but by the end of the book I found her to be courageous and strong. She was very interesting and I felt like I could relate to her, differences aside. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book from her perspective. Speaking of that, I also loved the odd times where the story was being told by Tristen.

That leads me to evil Mr. Hyde himself. Tristen was a very complex and mysterious character. I liked him from the beginning but I never really fully understood who he was. His life is filled with secrets and unanswered questions but as you get deeper enthralled in the mystery of his "curse" things become clearer and secrets are revealed. Him and Jill are like opposite people but yet they're also alike in many ways. Which is why I loved the chemistry (aha) between them.

I really liked Jekel Loves Hyde. From the first page, I was intrigued and wanted to figure out how the story would develop. It had a great plot, full of mystery and I loved how Beth retold a great classic story in a new and exciting way. I love the whole idea.

Although I really enjoyed the book, I feel as though there was something missing. The book felt rushed to me. At the end of the book, everything happened at once in a matter of about five pages. And romance! I feel like there was barely any romance. It was mostly fighting and physical tension. But other than those two minor things, the book was great! Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is still my preferred book of Beth's but this one did not disappoint either.

-Marisa

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Marisa:


Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .

This book sounds interesting! I also love the cover :)

(Briana and Arielle may post later.)

In My Mailbox (31)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Marisa: There was an awesome discount on some books at Chapters so I bought a few interesting ones this week.

The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson

A series of mysteries.

An explosion of truths.

The Explosionist: Someone sets off a bomb outside fifteen-year-old Sophie's boarding school, but no one can figure out who. The Medium: Soothsayers and séance leaders are regular guests at her great-aunt's house in Scotland, but only one delivers a terrifying prophecy, directed at Sophie herself. The Murder: When the medium is found dead, Sophie and her friend Mikael know they must get to the bottom of these three mysteries in order to save themselves—even as the fate of all Europe hangs in the balance. Set in a time of subversive politics, homegrown terrorism, and rapidly changing alliances, The Explosionist is an extraordinarily accomplished debut novel for teens that delivers a glimpse of the world as it might have been—had one moment in history been altered.

The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth

Emilia Finch and her cousin Luka are gypsies. They live a strongly traditional life, rich with story, music, dance, and magic, governed by the laws of the clan and the ways of the road. To the repressive Puritanical government of 17th century England, however, the gypsies are thieving, fortune-telling vagrants who are most likely allies of the devil. Soon, a series of terrible events lands the family in jail, charged with murder. Emilia and Luka manage to escape, promising to bring back help and free them. But how? Emilia believes in the legend of the charms: it is said that the luck of the Rom soured after a long-ago gypsy matriarch broke her chain of charms, giving one charm to each of her five children. If they can gather the charms from the families, Emilia thinks, the strong magic of the Rom will somehow bring her family freedom. Luka, on the other hand, is more practical - he wants to enlist the help of the other clans to help the Finches escape. Emilia and Luka must race through the countryside, navigating a hornets' nest of Rom-hating Puritans, Royalist spies, and traitors, if they are to complete their quest before the magistrate delivers a death sentence.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

In a world in which elegance, beauty, and singing ability are revered, Aza is bulky, awkward, and homely. Her saving grace is that she can sing and has a gift of voice manipulation that she calls illusing. Through a chance meeting at her familys inn, a duchess invites Aza to act as her companion and accompany her to the palace to attend the kings wedding. When the beautiful new queen discovers Azas gift for throwing her voice and for mimicry, she sees a way of protecting her reputation and disguising her own lack of talent. Pressured by the womans threats upon her family, Aza deceives the court into believing that Ivi is a gifted singer. When the ruse is discovered, Aza is forced to flee the castle in order to save her life. Through her adventures, she discovers her own strength of character, learns about her true heritage, and decides that her physical appearance is not worthy of the stress and worry she has wasted on it.

All of these books sound so interesting and I can't wait to read them! PS look out for my review of Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey!

(Briana and Arielle may post later)

Betrayals

Lili St. Crow

Published 2009

304 pages

Rating: A-

Synopsis (contains spoilers for those who haven't read Strange Angels)

She’s no angel . . .

Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)

Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England School for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem— she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide. . .

Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?

My review

Betrayals starts right off where Strange Angels ended. Dru is now at the Schola, a school for teen dhampir and wulfen. She thinks she's safe from Sergei... but little does she know that she's even closer to danger than she was before. Someone in the "Order" wants her dead. Someone is working with Sergei. Many things are going on behind the walls of the Schola.. lies, tension, romance, danger and worse.. betrayals.

First off, I really loved Strange Angels so I was pretty excited to read this. If you liked the first book then you'll definitely love the second book in this chilling series. I must say that Betrayals was better than SA. It had more action, a better plot, etc. The book was just all around very good and entertaining.

The characters in the book were actually very enjoyable and awesome. I love Dru as the main character too. She's a strong female heroine with a soft side and a tendency to run headfirst into danger. Graves is interesting and totally different from any other book character. He's funny, sweet, charming. You gotta love him! And then there's Christophe. If you've read my SA review then you know that he's my ultimate favorite! He's so mysterious with so many different sides to him. I also really loved the new characters in this book.

To finish, this book kept me interested from page one and didn't disappoint. The plot was excellent, the characters were excellent, the action, the suspense, the drama... all excellent. I just wish that there was more romance and that the book's sentences were easier to understand. Some were very weird and didn't really make sense to me. Other than that, I completely recommend this book to everybody!

-Marisa

Cat the Vamp

Christina Martine

Published 2009

221 Pages

Rating: C+

As a child, Catherine Taylor never understood why her parents were so secretive and distant. After the death of her grandmother, Cat’s parents take her to a mysterious castle called Blacklune. They explain to her that they, and she, are vampires, part of a hidden community co-existing with humans. Now that she’s of age, Cat will be initiated into the community and undergo a period of training in its methods and morals, along with several other vampire students her own age.

At Blacklune, Cat meets a young man who had appeared to her in dreams, Morgan. She and Morgan form an instant bond, but success with their vampire lessons doesn’t come so easily. Tempted by the lure of blood and the powers they now have, Cat and Morgan push the limits over and over, ignoring the concerns of their classmates and the scolding of their teacher, River. As they become ever more reckless, Cat and Morgan risk going too far. It’s only when serious harm comes to someone else that they realize they have to control themselves--and it may be too late.

(from publishers website)

If I had to describe Cat the Vamp in three words, they would have to be: dangerous, sexy, but incomplete. I felt that there could have been more to the story. Martine could have expanded her characters greatly, but also the story line. Don’t get me wrong, her characters were established and their personalities were identifiable, but they fell flat at times. I wish that they were more three dimensional, instead of the two dimensional characters that most of them were. Her characters personal lives before they came to Blacklune were a little hazy and they could have been discussed more to make the story seem more intimate. Also, at moments in the book the writing seemed a bit choppy – example: the main character, Catherine, and her new found love interest, Morgan, would be eating breakfast in the ballroom and in the next paragraph they would be roaming around town at night. The story line didn’t seem to flow as well as it could have. I do feel the book could have been longer and have a little more plot included, but it really was enjoyable to read because it was a different kind of vampire novel, one that I think people might like reading. And it was a quick read, which was a plus.

Going back to what was said earlier, the book was also dangerous and sexy. It is not the average teen vampire novel. Cat the Vamp is something more dark and mysterious. Since most of the characters are merely bystanders, they are extremely mysterious. Especially the “head vampire”, River. He is very dark and sort of lurks in the corner throughout the whole book. Morgan seemed to be an all around good guy and a total sweetheart. His affection for Catherine was genuine and Martine shows that well. Catherine Taylor a.k.a Cat, the main character, could be rather moody and it was difficult to like her, but the idea of her is very well put out there. The characters were relatable, especially for those who remember their first love. Altogether, the story line greatly reflects the teenage world of today, you are faced with doing what is right and doing what makes you happy and learning from your experiences. Beware, at times it does get a little inappropriate between Morgan and Cat; and there is some use of crude language and also the presence of drug use, but that adds to the story as it evolves. I’d say that this book is most suitable for high schoolers, mainly anyone over 15 or 16 years old.

All in all, this story is enjoyable if you want a dangerous vampire book, but at times it lacked plot and character development. I rated a C+ because I feel that there could be a lot more put into the book, and if it had some more "oomph" to it, I would have rated it most likely a B.

-Arielle

For more information on Cat the Vamp or the author, Christina Martine, visit this website HERE.

Update!

Hey you guys!

I am not sure if you guys remember me since I have been gone for quite some time. Ha. And I will probably be gone for a while, but hopefully I will be able to make some appearances on the blog here and there. I just wanted to give you a update on whats going on with me! Lately, I havent been able to read..but yesterday I got a book in the mail called Cat the Vamp by Christina Martine and that has gotten my full attention! I will hopefully be finishing it within the next couple a days and I will then be reviewing it for you guys! It has been forever since I have reviewed a book!

Here is the synopsis for Cat the Vamp and its front cover.

They never imagined the temptations of power, love and blood...

As a child, Catherine Taylor never understood why her parents were so secretive and distant. After the death of her grandmother, Cat’s parents take her to a mysterious castle called Blacklune. They explain to her that they, and she, are vampires, part of a hidden community co-existing with humans. Now that she’s of age, Cat will be initiated into the community and undergo a period of training in its methods and morals, along with several other vampire students her own age.

At Blacklune, Cat meets a young man who had appeared to her in dreams, Morgan. She and Morgan form an instant bond, but success with their vampire lessons doesn’t come so easily. Tempted by the lure of blood and the powers they now have, Cat and Morgan push the limits over and over, ignoring the concerns of their classmates and the scolding of their teacher, River. As they become ever more reckless, Cat and Morgan risk going too far. It’s only when serious harm comes to someone else that they realize they have to control themselves--and it may be too late.

You can check out the website for the book HERE.

I miss you all!

-Arielle

In My Mailbox (30)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Marisa: Hey guys! I haven't been blogging lately and I miss it so much but I'm trying to be on as much as I can. I received two awesome books in the mail this week. They both sound so cute and fun!


A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Love the cover! Can't wait to read/review it!


The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty! When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe? The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Another cute and fun read :D


That's all I got in the mail this week! What did you guys get?

(Briana and Arielle may post later)