Ending in Rapture

A conclusion to a well-loved series is tough. You know how you want things to end, so the ending has the dangerous tendency to be predictable, which is always disappointing. Or the author could do something completely unpredictable, but what if it kills your favorite character or means the girl ends up with the wrong guy? Then you are just ticked off that you bothered to even read the whole bloody series in the first place. But sometimes, just sometimes, an author can do something magical. They can do something unexpected and still make you happy. Difficult to accomplish? Absolutely. Phenomenal experience? You bet your rump it is! Well, Lauren Kate didn't disappoint with Rapture, the final book in the Fallen series... Not by a long shot.

Now that Luce has seen the beauty and the horror of all her many lives of falling in love with Daniel and then her immediate destruction, she knows the consequences and she still loves Daniel. But Lucifer won't let them accomplish their one true desire: to end the curse and finally be together as they have always wanted to be. Lucifer decides to start the Fall again, to erase thousands of years, not only of Luce and Daniel's love for each other, but also of the rest of the world's evolution. By starting the Fall anew, the angels must again choose between the Throne (God) and Lucifer (Hell). But the consequences will be catastrophic.

Daniel knows that there are three relics in the world that might lead them to the path where the Fall is to begin. If they can find these three relics and locate the place where the original Fall took place, they might be able to stop Lucifer before he follows through with his mad plan. But the relics haven't been seen for generations, centuries, and locating them is only half the battle. With only a little over a week to stop Lucifer, all the angels and demons must come together and work as the team they once were. But how do you stop the greatest evil of all when he sets his mind to something?

I never saw this ending coming. I knew what I wanted, but I didn't expect what actually happened, and I have to say, I am not the least bit disappointed. I think Lauren Kate did a beautiful job finishing this series and I am very glad I stuck with it. I struggled with the first book, but I think the story just improved with age and culminated in this final, epic volume. The final section (I won't give it away!) is so beautiful that while you read it, you feel like you are beholden to something magical, supernatural, and just beyond your ability to comprehend. It was amazing and I feel completed by this final novel in this series. I feel like there was no better way to end the years of books I have kept up with, so Brava, Ms. Kate. Brava.

This series can fluctuate in its excitement and confusion levels, so I would start the series with a kid who is strong enough to keep up with it. But I wouldn't give this series to the kind of kid who doesn't like to read all of the books in a series, because this series definitely gets better with time. You would be doing yourself a disservice to read one or two books and put it down. But if you want a really beautiful series that started out a little bit trite and transformed itself into something magical, I give you the Fallen series!

To Hell and Back

The second to last Blue Bloods story by Melissa de la Cruz, Lost in Time, is a story told in three parts: Jack and Schuyler, Mimi and Oliver, and Allegra and Ben. The stories intertwine and play off one another, but all three alternating story lines are leading to the final clash between the Blue Bloods and the evil Silver Bloods (pawns of Lucifer and creators of Nephilim) at which point one race may be eradicated for good.


Jack gave up everything to be with Schuyler. He abandoned Mimi, his bondmate, he and Schuyler are now on the run, and if Mimi catches him, he will face a blood trial for leaving her. They have traveled all over the world in search of the Gates of Paradise and the gatekeeper. They hope their efforts will save the Blue Bloods, and keep Jack out of Mimi's grasp, but they can't believe what they find. Human women are being snatched all around the world to breed Nephilim by the Silver Bloods as evil soldiers in Lucifer's fight against the heavens. And the covens aren't just in danger, they are being annihilated one by one.


Mimi wants to end Jack's life for leaving her, but she is heartbroken that Kingsley Martin, the man she loves, was swept into hell while trying to protect her. She and Oliver, Schuyler's former best friend, conduit, and familiar, rush to find a way to bring him back from the seventh layer of hell. Mimi knows she must barter  with a soul in order to pull Kingsley from Hell, and she plans to use Oliver for everything he is worth. What she doesn't expect is to find Kingsley fairly content as the Duke of Hell.


Allegra, Schuyler's mother, has awoken from her coma, and you finally see the events that put her in that very coma. In her attempts to stay away from Ben, Schuyler's human father, she finds herself drawn to him despite her visions of her in a coma and Ben lost. Allegra knows her choice is killing both her and Charles, the bondmate she abandoned, but she can't help but be drawn to the man she loves.


This was an interesting twist to the story, and I have to say I enjoyed the three separate parts of the story. Each chapter alternated between the three stories, and it was done well. I can imagine it is hard not to make it seem choppy or inconsistent, but de la Cruz did a good job with it. My only issue was how important everything was to the ultimate story. The only subplot of the three that really makes a huge difference in the entire series is Jack and Schuyler. Mimi spends a month in hell flirting with and being ignored by Kingsley. I wanted to tell her to grow up and get back up to the surface where her people needed her. And the Allegra story, while interesting background and relevant to what is happening between Jack and Schuyler, seemed more like filler than necessary plot advancement this late in the series. Overall, if you have stayed with the series this long, you will appreciate this book, but it wasn't enough to tide me over until January 2013 when the final book is going to be released. I know de la Cruz is plucking away at two more series' (Beauchamps and Wolf Pact), but I wish she would just shore this one up before moving on. It seems silly to make people wait almost 18 months between books while you work on other projects, but then again, I am sure her publishers had something to do with that decision (and who am I to judge- I guess they know their business). And so here I wait for book #7, very (im)patiently!

A Former Life Reveals...

Now that a Silver Blood has been released in the safe Repository, the Conclave can't ignore the fact that the abominations that feed off the Blue Blood vampires are back and they are hunting. Bliss was almost killed and a member of the Conclave was killed. Now they must get to the bottom of the threat, even if it involves trusting Blue Bloods they aren't sure they can trust.

Nothing is as it seems in New York for the young Blue Bloods. Bliss is thrown for a loop when her missing boyfriend, presumed dead by Silver Blood, returns. But something is wrong with Dylan. Bliss and her friends suspect he has been corrupted, but they can't bring themselves to report him to the Conclave for fear of what could happen to him.

Schuyler has problems of her own. By taking her best friend and Conduit, Oliver, as her familiar, she has blurred the lines between friend and lover/light snack. When she starts seeing Jack Force for discreet (or so they think) make-out sessions, she feels torn between the two boys she loves, but in two very different ways. Add to that the fact that Jack is bound to Mimi Force and the breaking of a bond is exactly what put Schuyler's mother into a decades long coma, and you have quite a pickle on your hands.

But trouble with the Conclave makes the teenage drama pale in comparison. Schuyler's grandfather has gone to South America to investigate a possible Silver Blood uprising. When he doesn't return or get in contact with anyone, the entire Conclave, including Bliss, Schuyler, Mimi, Jack, and Oliver travel down to investigate. What they find in the city where Lucifer's second-in-command is imprisoned is a betrayal that goes to the very core of the mighty 400 Blue Bloods. Someone within the 400 has betrayed the group, but will they learn of the betrayal in time?

This was another great installment of a great series. Sometimes I feel like they end on too much of a cliff-hanger, but with the other books stacked on my nightstand, I can survive! If I had to wait a year for the next book, however, I might be a little more irritated. This book certainly upped the ante in terms of vampire politics and crazy plots and plans. The teen drama, high fashion, and crazy New York nights are still there, but the series has taken a deep dive into the dark and scary world of Fallen angels and creeper demons.

Can a Mask Hide a Vampire?

When we last left the Blue Bloods in Melissa De la Cruz's first book, the Blue Blood teens had determined that Silver Bloods (vampires who feed on other vampires for super power) were behind the recent rash of deaths. Unfortunately, they couldn't get anyone to listen to them. When Schuyler Van Allen's grandmother is attacked by a Silver Blood and almost destroyed completely (if you save enough blood the soul can reincarnate), she tells Schuyler to go to Venice and find her exiled grandfather. He was the only one who could help them.

Masquerade starts with Schuyler, new Blue Blood/ half blood, in Venice with her best friend and human Conduit, Oliver, (vampires use Conduits to help them in the human world) trying to find Lawrence Van Allen, Schuyler's grandfather. Just when they think they have failed, they locate him and warn him of the Silver Blood threat. Lawrence tells them he won't come back to New York, so Schuyler and Oliver return disappointed.

When they get back, though, they find the other Blue Bloods getting ready for the big 400 Ball- where all 400 Blue Bloods gather each year to induct the newest members. With preparations in full swing, Schuyler is still trying to get to the bottom of the Silver Bloods when her grandfather returns. He plans to help both his family and the rest of the Blue Bloods stay safe against these abominations. Unfortunately, something keeps happening to Schuyler's friend Bliss- she starts to black out and wake up in strange places, and her dreams have become monster filled nightmares. Even Schuyler can't seem to take to the vampire transition as she starts to get weak and pass out often. When her grandfather tells her to take a human familiar (someone the Blue Bloods feed off of, but never kill), she decides to use Oliver, further complicating their relationship.

When the 400 Ball kicks off, Schuyler shows up in her mother's gown, setting the guests at the party into an tizzy as she blows away even the most high-powered Mimi Force. When Mimi and her twin brother Jack are recognized as bonded angels, the Angel of Death and the Angel of Destruction, Schuyler learns they are a reincarnated pair that comes together every cycle out of love and devotion (although being born as siblings in this cycle complicates things in the human world). Now Schuyler's crush on Jack seems futile, but Jack hasn't stopped noticing Schuyler, much to Mimi's horror. When Mimi decides to protect her eternal love and bond, she decides to unleash an evil that will rock the Blue Bloods like nothing ever has before.

I read the first book of this series many months ago, and I got distracted by other books before reading the rest of the series. When I got an advanced copy of De la Cruz's new book (adult fiction) I started to read it and realized there are connections to the Blue Blood's series. So I decided to delve back into the series so I didn't miss anything in the new book. I always worry about waiting too long for a sequel, because with as many books as I read, I tend to forget much of the book. Sometimes an author does a good job of briefly catching you up on the story, but sometimes they write a sequel as if no time has passed since the end of the last book. De la Cruz was part of the former- choosing not to leave her readers grasping to remember what had already happened. It was done briefly and well detailed so someone reading the series straight through wouldn't feel it was too repetitive. I definitely appreciated her efforts with this.

The book itself was fun and exciting. The series is a bit younger than some other YA out there, and would be good for most middle school through high school students. The language and subject matter are fairly tame. The only weird thing I had trouble digesting was that Mimi and jack, who are born as brother and sister in this cycle, will be bonded and essentially made husband and wife. It is explained well in the book, and I understood it, but the pair seems unnecessarily complicated. The bonded pair could have easily been two unrelated people. I guess I am just having trouble getting over the ick factor with this relationship! Maybe more will come out in the later novels in the series. All in all, this was a great follow-up and I am already knees deep in book #3!

Not Your Average Vampire Story

For some reason I have this annoying habit of shunning bestsellers, ignoring the fact that they are probably bestsellers for a reason. I have seen the Blue Bloods series, by Melissa De la Cruz, floating around for a while now, and like the other post-Twilight vampires, I have ignored it. At the urging of another YA-obsessed cousin, I gave in and bought the first one. I was fully prepared to dislike this series, but just like what happened with Harry Potter and Twilight once I finally forced myself to read them, I was kicking myself for not starting this series sooner!!

In posh Manhattan, an elite private school called Duchesne has more secrets than you would imagine of the children of the rich, famous, and stylish. Schuyler is an outcast at Duchesne, along with her only two friends, Dylan and Oliver. Kids like Mimi and Jack Force rule the school in a way Schuyler can't even imagine. When one of Mimi's "friends" (followers) is found dead in a members-only night club, things begin to change around Manhattan. Despite the official story that her friend overdosed, the fact that she was completely drained of all her blood brings a secret society to the forefront: The Blue Bloods.

The 400 Blue Bloods are a constantly "reincarnating" (it isn't really reincarnating, but that is the simplest explanation) after they have lived an Expression for 100 years. There are a few Blue Bloods who have lived their immortality in one expression, but that must be approved by the rest of the Blue Bloods. But the most important rules of the 400 involve their lives as vampires- and how they do not abuse or kill Red Bloods (we measly non-vampires). When a new threat is attacking Blue Bloods and draining them of every drop of blood, thereby ending their souls, lives, and immortality, The Committee decides to induct the new Blue Bloods early. Much to Schuyler's surprise, she is invited. With her new Blue Blood secret and status revealed, she learns more about her friends and family than she could ever imagine. After she is attacked, she, Oliver, and fellow Blue Blood Bliss are determined to find out what is killing Blue Bloods when they are most vulnerable- as teenagers.

This is an exciting series that is a mix of Gossip Girl and Twilight. You have the posh Manhattan backdrop full of name-dropping and labels galore. Every school day begins with a detailed description of the Minolos, the Gucci, and the Dolce. The Vampires are the tame variety we got with Twilight, although they do have deep dark secrets. The interesting part of this setting is how De la Cruz used the Blue Bloods to explain much of the fashion industry in NYC, from the top designers to the models on billboards, and almost all the important socialites. How very interesting to use blood sucking to explain these two groups of people!

The writing is about on par with Twilight. It isn't too juvenile, but not too mature either. The story is very tame; there isn't much by way of sex or violence, although there is a great deal of club hopping. Since alcohol doesn't affect the Blue Bloods, it is a constant presence, although not the focus. Blue Bloods is a great series for any Twilight fan who needs something else now that meyer is finished with that series. However, it is also a great series for the Twilight skeptics! This kids who hate the popular series' just for their popularity's sake would probably enjoy this story. With all the high fashion, this is also a great story for the more "cosmopolitan" of kids! I know I am greedily devouring the second installment!

Falling? or Hovering with Uncertainty?

Sometimes you simply can judge a book by its cover! Fallen, by Lauren Kate, is packed with teen angst, sorrow and confusion, as if that wasn't clearly stated by the haunting cover! But is there more to the story than just a teen in trouble?

Luce has been sent to a reform school called Sword and Cross after a boy dies in her last school and she is blamed for the fire that killed him. When she gets there, she is instantly taken in by a girl named Arianne who shows her the ropes. But the one thing Luce can't seem to ignore is Daniel Grigori, despite the fact that he clearly isn't interested in her. When another boy, Cam, shows he is overly interested in Luce, she is torn between Daniel's cold shoulder but haunting appeal and Cam's overzealous attention that borders on stalking.

When Luce befriends Penn, the daughter of the former groundskeeper and only kid not forced to be at Sword and Cross, they begin to dig into Daniel's history. What they find is confusing and indicates there is more to Daniel Grigori than he lets on. When things at Sword and Cross start to go horribly awry, Luce finds out there is more to her life than just the strange shadows she keeps seeing; destiny might be at work here.

The synopsis of this book seems vague, because the majority of the novel is quite vague. Luce is at the boarding school for something we learn is not completely her fault, but there isn't much explanation offered. The story continues for a fell 9/10 of the book about Luce in the reform school, and only in the last bit are any questions answered. Even then, the story seems lacking because the explanation is rushed and not really fleshed out.

This book is very slow, not because the characters are uninteresting, or the setting is dull, but because you know there is more coming. You keep waiting for it and waiting for it, but it doesn't come until it is squeezed into the last 50 pages of the book. I am assuming the story will be more clear in the upcoming sequel, but this book would be hard for most reluctant readers- there just isn't enough to understand until the bitter end. I enjoyed the story, but I would be reluctant to give this to a student because it is so slow moving. Hopefully the sequel will be faster and clearer!