Book #46: Blue Bloods

Title: Blue Bloods (book #1 of the Blue Bloods series)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Date started reading: March 31, 2012
Date finished reading: April 1, 2012

Publish date: March 2007
ISBN: 978-1423101260
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "Within New York City’s most elite families, there lurks a secret society of celebrated Americans whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower. They are the powerful and the wealthy — and in fact, they are not human. They are the Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires. Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapidated mansion. Schuyler is a loner — and happy that way. But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler’s life changes dramatically. She has a mosaic of blue veins on her arms, and craves raw meat. The death of a popular girl from Duchesne is surrounded by a mystery that haunts her. And strangest off all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her. Schuyler wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?" (http://melissa-delacruz.com)

How I obtained the book: Received through the Paperback Swap book club. (I had to pay to mail a book to another member in order to receive a credit to request this book)

Memorable quotes:

• "Life was more fragile than anyone ever realized. 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 night club. And the next minute, you could be dead." ~ Schuyler
• "Flashy displays of status and affluence were looked down upon. ... It was all right to look poor, but actually being poor was completely inexcusable."
• "Aggie Carondolet's funeral had all the trappings of an exclusive social event. ... Aggie's untimely death had been fodder for the tabloids. PREP SCHOOL GIRL DEAD IN DOWNTOWN CLUB. ... The city was obsessed with the beautiful, rich, and tragic. (The more beautiful, rich, and tragic, the bigger the headline.)"
• "Black is the color of night. White is the true color of death." ~ Charles
• "There was nothing Mimi disliked more than rebellion in a subordinate."
• "Vampires? Were they out of their minds? The Committee was just a front for a bunch of blood-sucking B-list movie monsters?" ~ Schuyler
• "They were embarking on a journey into the darkness inside themselves." ~ Mimi
•  "Life as a vampire wasn't at all like she'd read in books or television, which were just red herrings created by The Conspiracy, a subset of The Committee dedicated to keeping the Red Bloods from knowing their true existence. ... According to The Committee, nothing could kill vampires. Nothing. Death was merely an illusion." ~ Schulyer
• "Things like vampires and past lives and immortality just didn't exist in the real world. And Schulyer was a card-carrying member of the real world. She didn't want to check into CrazyTown any time soon." 
• "You're like a vampire slut." ~ Bliss to Mimi
• "Immortality is a curse and a blessing." ~ Cordelia
• "It was maddening how your best friend could twist the knobs inside of you so much that it hurt." ~ Schulyer about Oliver

My commentary: I've seen several reviews that said the first book of this series wasn't that good but the series got better later. Frankly, I don't understand why anyone would say this book isn't excellent. It's not my favorite vampire-related book I've ever read, but it's definitely better than many others I have read. The vampire mythology the author has created is totally different than anything I've read before. Yes, there are "good" vampires and "bad" vampires, which is nothing new, but the idea that the vampires are basically fallen angels, that is new. The writing style is intelligent but easy-flowing. I think the book was an amazing start to a series

Buy on Amazon.com: Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, Book 1)