Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)
by Melissa De La Cruz
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Book Summary Information
Author: Melissa De La CruzEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-27
ISBN: 142310126X
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781423101260
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)
Book Review: Thoughts from a bookworm in Tacoma
Summary: 3 Stars
I'll be the first to admit that I'm in no way qualified to define what a "good book" is. No one can claim that right. Everyone will have to decide for themselves whether De La Cruz's work is their style. All I know is the feeling I got from reading "Blue Bloods". It was not something I expected, and I can only describe it as isolation. I am a fairly average working class young woman. I've always liked books where there is at least one character who faces, even in a fantasy context, the same kinds of problems that I occasionally do (money troubles, cruel superiors etc.). I've never perceived the extremely rich as having real problems. There is always money to cushion the blow, so that even if (for example) their child gets a horrible cancer the child will still be exponentially more likely to survive than the child on my economic level who gets the same illness, simply because the rich child will have parents who can afford the endless medical treatment and will never have to deal with insurance issues.
First of all, De La Cruz has created a race of vampires who are continuously reincarnated (rather like Tolkien's Elves), and who were originally fallen angels. Not only are her vampires not "made" by other vampires, but they were never human to begin with! That alone makes me feel a bit put off. Where's the fun in a vampire story if you can't imagine the risk of becoming a part of this vampire community yourself?
The second problem lies in the fact that all of her vampires come from Old Money American pedigrees (one of them is even revealed to be Miles Standish and the Archangel Michael all rolled up into one neat package). They are not merely "rich", they are "obscenely rich". As a working class girl, I will never be even remotely part of this world. The habits of obscenely rich people are so alien to me that I find myself unable to relate to them. In fact, when you have a heroine in a story who is in a similar life situation to myself, the people that are like De La Cruz's vampires are usually her antagonists! Now, I know that De La Cruz is a fashion expert and has written for many fashion mags. This seems to be why she goes out of her way to mention so much detailed fashion and pop-culture information. I've sometimes noticed this from writers who have successful non-writing careers. Robin Cook sometimes does the same thing with medical facts. I find this excessive pop-culture trivia distracting. I will never be able to afford these brand name clothes and so I don't know much about them and see no reason to find out. I don't see why De La Cruz needs to say that the character is wearing jeans by this designer and bought them at this specific boutique on this specific street in Manhattan. All she needs to say is the character is wearing expensive designer jeans and I'll get the picture. I have to admit, it sometimes sounds like she's showing off her knowledge as opposed to furthering the plot.
It's possible this has something to do with the difference between "vampire stories" and the "chick-lit" stories that De La Cruz is chiefly known for (ex. her Au Pair series). People expect different things from different genres. I rarely read chick-lit. I read "Blue Bloods" because it's a vampire story. I expected the kind of atmosphere that is generally invoked in a vampire story. Instead, I got the atmosphere of a chick-lit novel. It felt very odd. I'm now halfway convinced that the two should not be mixed, except in a comedic context. De La Cruz writes this book as if she's unaware that she's straying into a completely different genre, and there are going to be people (i.e fans of vampire stories) reading her novel that are going to expect completely different things than what she's used to (i.e fans of chick-lit). It's very tricky for a writer to successfully cross genres and I don't think that she did it very well.
This is, I am more than willing to admit, a personal view and should in no way deter anyone from at least trying this writer out. I believe every writer should be experienced first hand before someone makes a judgment. And De La Cruz is a fairly good story teller. It's a credit to her skill that I actually wanted to find out how the story ended, otherwise I probably would've just abandoned the book in the middle. But my desire to find out the ending was strained by the time I got to the last chapters. I just wish that she had made her characters and her fictional world more accessable to the majority of the population. It really is a shame that I couldn't get over my feelings of being shut out and enjoy the story more.
Summary of Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)
Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she?s starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz?s vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read.
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