Blue bloods was a great story, but the ending was a bit of disappointment.

The book was good; It was great; but the ending just dulled the whole story. It was action filled and then nothing happened. Whether it was the authors way of saying that you should buy the next series or that she just couldn’t be bothered. Either way I wasn’t satisfied

The characters were pretty cool. I got a clear picture of them. They had their faults. The start was simple but it brought you in. My favourite character was Schuyler. Her character was awesome. Just because she was down to earth and she wasn’t an up herself character.

The flow of the story was great. She knew how to word things right and the way everything was arranged was also good. Nothing I would’ve changed about that... Blue Bloods is a book that I would recommend. But maybe if the ending was more action filled would be better.

When you read Blue Bloods, make sure you have the sequel Masquerade beside you – because you’ll be hooked on the story and simply want to keep reading.

Set in New York this is the story of the young upper crust attending Duchesne School who also happen to be turning into vampires. However the main thrust is not so much about vampires as it is about fallen angels – who happen to need blood to live.

It’s a welcome twist on mythology and religion to have vampires as the fallen angels who accompanied Lucifer in his fall from grace and who live in endless cycles of reincarnation until they are again worthy of heaven.  Of course along the way they have amassed wealth and power and are the crème of society with their ethereal beauty, unearthly powers and better connections than anyone! 

It is as a teenager that a Blue Blood comes into their powers, gains recall of their past lives and starts to need to drink blood.  And so at the prestegious Duchesne Schools the ‘in’ crowd takes on a whole new angle – being as they tend to be the Blue Bloods.

Schuyler is a wonderful lead protagonist: she’s quirky, believable, loyal and determined.  Even though she is the daughter of the angel Gabrielle she will always be an outside due to her human father and her status of being a new, rather than reincarnated, soul. However while Schuyler is the main character the story is also delivered from the Point of View of quite a few others. 

There are three main female POVs – Schuyler, Bliss an outsider from Texas trying to fit in and Mimi the top bitch of the batch. It’s true that each are stereotypes and therefore their roles, actions and dialogue are in keeping with this, but for me, it works. There are also three main males - best friend Oliver who is also her human aide, Mimi’s twin Jack whom Schuyler has a BIG crush on and Dylan who may or may not be a source of evil.

With these six main characters the plot necessarily jumps around a little, but there is a wonderful sense of sinister secrets and a growing tension, so that when the first murder occurs you’re ready for the resulting danger, conspiracies and alliances.

One criticism I just can’t avoid is that, yes these are the spoilt Blue Bloods, but they smoke, drink, go clubbing and get modeling contracts – then suddenly worry about school! However you need to just go with it (and after all it’s quite fun *grin*). 

For anyone who loves New York as much as I do you’re bound to enjoy Blue Bloods, because the city is a virtual character in itself.  From decrepit warehouses, Upper East Side penthouses, museums, Central Park, couture fashion boutiques … the city and its multiple faces is used to reflect not only the diverse characters but also the tension and dangers facing the students of Duchesne and their families. 

One thing’s for sure, the book went far too quickly and I was relieved that I had Masquerade to hand so that I could continue deeper into the mystery of the Blue Bloods and the danger stalking them through the streets of New York.

For me this was a great example of all that a YA UF should be.  We had a great and large cast of characters, family strife, young love, school horrors and a sinister threat. But a warning ... have Masquerade ready to read because you'll be dying to know what happens next!

Blue Bloods is an all new take on vampires, crossing fallen angels with an almost Atlantis style history creates this original type of vampire known as “Blue Bloods”.

Dotted in amongst this great story are bits of early American history starting with the Mayflower landing. The imagery of the conditions and the side-story around this time really added an extra depth to a storyline that was often more ‘lifestyle of the rich and the famous’.

This has all the signs of being a great series that will become a rite of passage for all teenage girls to read! Some of the language really is just beautiful. How’s this for a kissing scene we’d all like to experience? “He kissed her, and their souls melted into each other in a melody older than time.”

However, I just don’t think the cover and blurb really do the story line justice, they  puts too much emphasis on the vampire aspect which doesn’t really come into play for quite some time into the story and rather distracts from what could have been quite a revelation otherwise.

Once we get through the world building and the history we start to get into some serious mystery. Although we are left with a bit of a ‘to-be-continued’ of an ending, the overall story was very well written with likeable good guys, despicable bad guys and very much had that ‘mean girls’ feel (apt that the movie got a mention).

Mimi is the ultimate in cow. She’s the horrid ‘popular bitch’ that can always be found in any American teen movie. Her brother Jack wavers between being the good guy and the bad guy and is just too wishy washy to live at this stage of the game. Oliver is just as a best friend should be. And Schuyler, well, other than the rather difficult name, she’s your atypical misfit. Well, your atypical misfit with some seriously unique family history.

Blue Bloods start off as your pretty average Young Adult novel and finishes as a sensational Teen Paranormal with all the aspects you could possibly want. I was advised to make sure I had Masquerade ready, and I now understand why the two have been released together, you just can’t stop at one. Blue Bloods is the tim-tam of teen literature... one is never enough.