Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Published by Hyperion on April 1, 2007

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Pages 302

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne,her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes to the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates. But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler's life changes dramatically. The death of a popular schoolmate haunts her in unexpected ways. And strangest of all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her.

Once an outcast, Schuyler is thrust into Manhattan's most exclusive social circle. Its members are the powerful, the wealthy, and - as Schuyler soon discovers - the unhuman. They are Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires, and for centuries they've been invincible. Now something is preying on this elite group, and Schuyler wants to find out the truth. But is she the most vulnerable of them all?

Melissa de la Cruz knows how to create a world that is a juicy little voyeuristic view into the world of the socially and economically elite youth and that is one aspect I enjoyed.

This book wasn't bad for what it was: basically rich teen vampires. I hate to say this and stereotype an author but this first installment of the Blue Bloods series reminded me heavily of some series that focus on rich teens, mainly Cecily von Ziegesar's series Gossip Girl and Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars - just with vampires. From the focus on clothes, private schools, cattiness based on school popularity ranks, social status, and even what part of town characters lived in this did not feel like your standard vampire novel. While that is something unique for my reading experiences, I felt she spent most of her time creating that elite world and didn't quite execute what I was expecting for the vampire aspect. This book sets up something dark and almost invasive with it's look into the intimate lives of the Manhattanites that are hiding quite a few secrets but it barely scratches the surface. This first book focuses heavily on the characters, switching between the lives of Schuyler and the other members of her school and I was slightly let down in the area of something preying and attacking the supposedly invincible families. The paranormal aspects of this novel seemed almost like trimmings, just a little something to spice up ideas that have been used before.

As the series goes on and the vampire myths and aspects are explored, I think I will enjoy reading more. The unique fusion of established lore and legends with a new, fresh viewpoint has potential to create something readers can latch onto but only if it is executed fully. The story is light and filled with unanswered questions and what seems to be half ideas that leave quite a few expectations and high hopes. However, this means the series could wipe out and fall into the generic rabbit hole.

All in all, Blue Bloods is a 3 out of 5. This is a good place for young vampire/paranormal readers to begin, especially if they have previously liked something short and a little more along the lines of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars rather than heavy fantasy or paranormal books that are often talked about.