REVIEW Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods #1) by Melissa de la Cruz
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Release Date: May 1, 2006
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Young Children

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Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods is the opening installment to a universe that now spans more than 10 books and multiple series. Some of the series have even been made into live-action adaptations, like the Witches of East End tv series on Lifetime. I was very curious going into this read, as I’ve heard many different opinions on the book (and the series as a whole). Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite live up to expectations and I was left disappointed as a result. 

The premise was cool. The idea of fallen angels coming to Earth and living as vampires was so unique; that aspect was largely what convinced me to read the book in the first place. I was also quite intrigued by the different “blood colors” - blue bloods are vampires and red bloods are your average run-of-the-mill human. I really enjoyed the diary entries from Plymouth that were periodically featured - I wish the author had spent more time on that and less time in New York prattling on about various brand names and designers. To me, it made the characters seem shallow and took away some of the nuance the author tried to weave into the story (this could just be a case of the book not aging well or me not being the type to care about that thing, I’m not sure). 

The romance in this book was odd. I’ve never been a fan of the “insta-love” trope, and the budding feelings between Schuyler and Jack are definitely that. Instead of “insta-love”, I feel like the author could have just as easily gone with something along the lines of “fated mates”. Another aspect of the romance I was very weirded out by was how possessive and territorial Mimi was of her twin (and no, it wasn’t just a case of “no one’s good enough for my brother”). I understand that there was a special type of ‘angelic’ bond involved, but it was just too weird for my tastes and ended up negatively impacting my enjoyment of the read. 

The point of views were also a bit weird in this book. It rotates between three of the female main characters in the book; Schuyler, Mimi, and Bliss. The three characters couldn’t be more different on paper - one’s an orphan, one’s old money and a longtime member of the popular crowd at school, and the final one’s a new student at school who’s also old money. Despite the differences, I had trouble keeping track of who was narrating at any given time while listening to the audiobook, and this ended up negatively impacting my enjoyment of the read as well. 

Overall, Blue Bloods was a mildly entertaining book with some major issues that affected my overall enjoyment of the read. Kudos to narrator Christina Moore for her great performance in the audiobook! I don’t necessarily regret taking the time to read it, but this is a case where I’m very happy I chose to borrow it from the library instead of buying it directly. I am curious to read about what happens next, but I’m also hesitant to commit to continuing the series with the number of books and the risk of subsequent installments having the same problems. If you’re a fan of fantasy and you love stories in the style of Gossip Girl or Twilight, then I think this book might be worth giving a chance. If Twilight was not your cup of tea (but you’re still a fan of young adult vampire romances), I recommend looking elsewhere for your next read. 

About Melissa:

Melissa de la Cruz is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Descendants series, as well as many other best-selling novels, including Alex & Eliza and all the books in the Blue Bloods series: Blue Bloods, Masquerade, Revelations, After Life, The Van Alen Legacy, Keys to the Repository, Misguided Angel, Bloody Valentine, Lost in Time, and Gates of Paradise. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter.

 

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