Deceptively slight
Against my better judgment (based on past experiences with vampire books), I decided to pick up the second in the Blue Bloods series.
Since no one believes that there is a vampire killer on the loose, Schuyler van Alen decides to search for the only person with knowledge on the subject - her long-lost grandfather. A new vampire herself, Schuyler has fun discovering her superhuman strength and powers, even though it takes a toll on her. But those powers can't protect her against Mimi Force, the snobby and vicious queen bee; nor can they help her get over Jack, Mimi's twin, a major hunk Schuyler thought she had a connection with. And even those problems pale in comparison to the real dangers posed to young and old vampires alike. Bliss, Mimi's right-hand gal, is experiencing violent nightmares and blacking out at random moments. A new student arrives to stir up trouble. And once Mimi finds out that Jack is still in love with Schuyler, she might be tempted to try some Dark magic to make Schuyler disappear forever.
Given the very large amount of information about vampire lore and familial history that abounds in this book, I was surprised how entertained I was by the story. There's something enjoyable about Schuyler's journey and how she toughens herself up. The crazy love triangle between her, Mimi, and Jack (vampire siblings are quite different from human siblings, or so we're told) is also pretty engrossing. Mimi becomes a more interesting villain and a somewhat more developed character, as any goodness she possesses relates directly to her relationship with Jack. Schuyler's relationship with best friend (and professional vampire companion) Oliver also goes through a couple changes, setting up a more complicated dynamic for the next book. The only character who isn't as compelling (other than Jack) is Bliss, a perpetual victim who pines over her dead-question-mark boyfriend.
There are moments when the plot overtakes character development or vice versa which can frustrate the reader and dilute interest. For example, if the book tells me so little about Bliss reluctantly hooking up with Kingsley, the cocky new guy, why should I care? For that matter, what does it mean that we hear a lot more from the female characters than any of the male characters? Jack's character in particular suffers from this; beyond his good looks and charm, it's hard to see why Schuyler is still into him. Even so, I like that de la Cruz puts so much emphasis on the ever-evolving mystery and trusts her readers to pay attention to the particulars of her extensive vampire legend. We get plenty of insight into how the Blue Bloods see themselves in a Red Blood society, and the roles they play in the greater scheme of things.
For the most part, it's a whole lot of fun. I may even be tempted to continue the series. Rating: 4 immortal party-crashers out of 5.
Given the very large amount of information about vampire lore and familial history that abounds in this book, I was surprised how entertained I was by the story. There's something enjoyable about Schuyler's journey and how she toughens herself up. The crazy love triangle between her, Mimi, and Jack (vampire siblings are quite different from human siblings, or so we're told) is also pretty engrossing. Mimi becomes a more interesting villain and a somewhat more developed character, as any goodness she possesses relates directly to her relationship with Jack. Schuyler's relationship with best friend (and professional vampire companion) Oliver also goes through a couple changes, setting up a more complicated dynamic for the next book. The only character who isn't as compelling (other than Jack) is Bliss, a perpetual victim who pines over her dead-question-mark boyfriend.
There are moments when the plot overtakes character development or vice versa which can frustrate the reader and dilute interest. For example, if the book tells me so little about Bliss reluctantly hooking up with Kingsley, the cocky new guy, why should I care? For that matter, what does it mean that we hear a lot more from the female characters than any of the male characters? Jack's character in particular suffers from this; beyond his good looks and charm, it's hard to see why Schuyler is still into him. Even so, I like that de la Cruz puts so much emphasis on the ever-evolving mystery and trusts her readers to pay attention to the particulars of her extensive vampire legend. We get plenty of insight into how the Blue Bloods see themselves in a Red Blood society, and the roles they play in the greater scheme of things.
For the most part, it's a whole lot of fun. I may even be tempted to continue the series. Rating: 4 immortal party-crashers out of 5.
Comments
Post a Comment