REVIEW: BLUE BLOODS BY MELISSA DE LA CRUZ

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 27, 2007)
Series: Blue Blood Series #1

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America, but some among them were not pure of heart; indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires. Vampires who 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 N.Y.C, 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. 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. Could those vampire legends really be true?

One of my favorite things to do when I sit down to start reading a book is to make sure that I know NOTHING about the book at all. I like to have an open mind and not be biased based on other people's reviews. This is exactly how I began when I started reading Blue Bloods. And I just have to say that I loved every word on every page.

As I began to read and I realized that this book was going to be about super-rich vampires, I wasn't sure what to think. Usually, I'm not a fan of anything that talks about the super-rich (we're talking millionaire-type rich) because I can't relate to any of the characters. But Melissa de la Cruz actually writes so well and creates the characters with such great personalities, that I related to each of them. Schuyler, one of our main characters, is the one who likes to be different. She doesn't want to dress in high-fashion mode, and while she's still rich, she's actually poor compared to all of her friends. Her best friend, Oliver, is that dorky kid that we all love to love. Mimi is the spoiled, gorgeous girl that we love to hate. And then there's Jack. Jack is Mimi's brother and the hot guy that we so desperately want to fall in love with our girl Schuyler, because if he falls in love with her, than he can fall in love with us too...classic characters.

I also loved this idea that Melissa de la Cruz writes into her story that vampires are descendants of the settlers at Plymouth Rock (actually, they were the settlers). The history is fun to think about and play around with. But then Melissa even takes it a step further and creates a world where Vampires are actually fallen angels. The very same ones that followed Lucifer in the beginning of time. I love it! I think this novel is so unique and fun to read and I just want to follow all of our characters from beginning to end.

The way Melissa starts each chapter through the eyes of another character; the way each character is completely different and unique; the way the story just seems to flow and read so easily; they all make for one fantastic novel and series. I can't wait to find out what happens in Blue Bloods #2: Masquerade.

5 out of 5 stars

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