Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

Schuyler Van Alen is starting to get more comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, but she still has many unanswered questions. A trip to Italy in search of her grandfather only serves to make things more confusing. What secrets are the leaders of The Committee hiding? Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball. In true Blue Blood fashion, the ball is totally fab, complete with masks and hidden behind this masquerade is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire’s destiny.

The thrilling sequel in Melissa de la Cruz’s vampire mythology has all the glamour, attitude, and vampire lore that made the first book a hit.


Book Overview:

Author: Melissa de la Cruz | Series: Blue Bloods | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Christina Moore | Length: 7 hours, 1 min | Publish Date: May 1, 2007 | Genre: YA Paranormal | Rated: ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: Yes


“A brain with no heart and no reasoning … well, nothing is more meaningless.” 


Well, I think this one was much better than the first one. Don’t get me wrong though. I really did enjoy the first one and how de la Cruz set up this world of Gossip Girl-esque vampires of the Upper East Side. Trust me, if you’ve ever read or watched Gossip Girl, and you read this book, you’ll see the comparison pretty quickly. In real life, blue bloods are considered families that came from old money, the ones that built their fortune over generations and are some of the richest and famous families. A lot of them reside in New York City, more specifically the Upper East Side.

Adding the fact that they are vampires into the mix just makes it that much more fun.

The story continues in this sequel, and while Schuyler is trying to find her place in this world, we see that there is trouble in paradise. Someone is clearly targeting teenage Blue Bloods, during a time when they are most vulnerable and don’t have access to their full array of super vampire powers, and yet the Conclave keeps saying that everything is okay. Obviously, it’s not if there’s been at least three deaths so far, all completely drained of their blood – what they call “Full Consumption”.

It’s not just Schuyler having issues though. Mimi and Bliss are having their own adventures, with Mimi trying to get rid of Schuyler forever and Bliss trying to figure out who the mystery boy is that saved her from drowning when she was sleepwalking. It’s dramatic, all right. But it’s high school, it’s bound to happen.

My favorite thing about this one is that some of it takes place in Venice, and that’s one of the places I’ve been dying to go. Maybe they’ll get to explore Venice more often, especially since some of the Blue Blood past took place in Rome back during the Caligula days? Yes, please!

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne,her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes to the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates. But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler’s life changes dramatically. The death of a popular schoolmate haunts her in unexpected ways. And strangest of all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her.

Once an outcast, Schuyler is thrust into Manhattan’s most exclusive social circle. Its members are the powerful, the wealthy, and – as Schuyler soon discovers – the unhuman. They are Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires, and for centuries they’ve been invincible. Now something is preying on this elite group, and Schuyler wants to find out the truth. But is she the most vulnerable of them all?


Book Overview:

Author: Melissa de la Cruz | Series: Blue Bloods | Format: Paperback | Length: 302 pages | Publish Date: April 1, 2007 | Genre: YA Paranormal | Rating: ★ ★ ★  | Recommend: Yes


“Black is the color of night. White is the true color of death” 


So this is actually a reread from many years ago, but I’m glad that I was able to find the book at my local library because I actually missed this series.

Like I’ve previously mentioned, I am a sucker for vampire books – no pun intended. I’m always looking for good ones, and with the popularity of vampire books lately, I know there are some that I will end up missing if they don’t get as much publicity as others. Blue Bloods was one of those that I didn’t hear much about in the public eye, but just so happened to come across it at my library many years ago. I’m so glad I did though because it is one of my favorite series about teenage vampires.

Well, okay maybe they seem to be teenage vampires, but that isn’t completely the case.

“One minute you could be getting a smoke in the alley on the Lower East Side with your friends, having drinks and dancing on tables in a popular nightclub. And the next minute, you could be dead.” 


I don’t want to spoil the twist on these vampires completely, but let’s just say that they were on the original Mayflower trip to Plymouth Rock, and that doesn’t even begin to describe what else they have been through. Rather than staying in one form their entire lives, these vampires are able to go through cycles, where they live out their lives as one person, “die”, and be raised again as another person. This at least takes cares of anyone being nosy and looking through many photos throughout history and finding a familiar face throughout the centuries. Am I right?

This was a good start to the series, and I’m glad I got to reread it and adjust my initial rating of the book. It could have been better, but I still love it. I can’t wait to actually finish the series this time!

Author Spotlight
Courtesy of Goodreads

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy
Goodreads Member Since: February 2012

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.