Masquerade-Blue Bloods, Vol. 2

Blue Bloods are the highest level of elite modern New York society. The teen Blue Bloods attend Duchesne School, enjoy the most fabulous parties and share a dark secret. Blue Bloods are vampires; they literally bleed blue blood and sprout fangs when hungry. But that doesn't stop them from partying in this second installment of Melissa de la Cruz's fantasy/horror series, which has even more mysterious secrets and action than its predecessor. Schuyler Van Alen and her destined human assistant, Oliver, begin the book by traveling to Italy in search of Schuyler's outcast grandfather. Her grandmother just passed away in this cycle and advised her to get help from her grandfather. She finds him, but he doesn't seem to be interested in helping her fight the Silver Bloods, who have tried to get rid of the Blue Bloods throughout history. No one believes her insistence that they're back, but she knows that some teens and her grandmother had help dying from the Silvers. Mimi and Jack Force are leading the Blue Bloods in getting ready for the traditional Four Hundred Ball. They will be presented officially at the ball, with their vampire names and identities. Mimi begins to plan an exclusive afterparty for the teen vampires, but she is most looking forward to letting everyone know that she and Jack are destined to be together from history. He may be attracted to Schuyler, the half-Blue Blood, but in each life he and Mimi have ended up together. Bliss, the Blue Blood who moved from Houston with her Senator father, finds herself in strange locations. One time she wakes up at the bottom of a lake, and an unknown vampire helps her. She blacks out more and more frequently and doesn't know why. She still feels that Dylan, her boyfriend who disappeared in the first book, is alive. He must be the one helping her, she thinks. On a modeling gig with Schuyler, she feeds for the first time with a crew member, only to regret it as they then share a bond. At the afterparty, Schuyler is kissed by a masked vampire, but she thinks it's Jack. He has ignored her ever since she announced her feelings that the Silver Bloods have returned. She grows weaker and weaker as vampire and human mixed bloods fight in her for dominance. It becomes clear that she must feed for the first time on a human. She wants it to be Oliver but wonders if that will change their friendship forever. A very attractive new student, Kingsley, enters Duchesne and gets to know all the important players right away. He encourages Mimi in her jealousy of Schuyler, and when some dark magic affects several of the teens, Mimi lands in serious trouble. Could she really be a Silver Blood? Loyalties are tested, and Schuyler struggles the most with this question. Get ready for more surprises and dark secrets in this compelling series. Fans of both vampire stories and Gossip Girl-type New York chick lit will love these books. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

I picked up Masquerade after finishing Blue Bloods, Melissa de la Cruz's first novel about the vampires aka Blue Bloods. This second effort follows-up where the first ended...the young Blue Blood, Schuyler Van Alen goes to Venice in search of her grandfather, Lawrence Van Alen whom she believes can help solve the mystery of the Silver Bloods, a deviant branch of vampires intent on destroying young Blue Bloods. Back in Manhattan, preparations are in full-swing for the Four Hundred Ball, the elite event for vampires only. We are re-introduced to familiar characters such as Jack and Mimi Force, the immortal twins, Bliss Llewellyn, Oliver Perry [Schuyler's conduit], and some new ones like Kingsley Martin, the new boy. I thought this was a better plotted novel than the first...there's more intrigue, and also a lot more elaboration on what makes the Blue Bloods tick, i.e. their abilities, the training that goes into the young Blue Bloods, their weaknesses and of course the partial unravelling of the mystery of the Sivler Bloods. Schuyler Van Alen's character is more well-defined here, and her relationships with Oliver and Jack are explored in more depth in this novel though with no real resolution. There is a lot more that needs to be explained, and I guess that's to be found in the third novel, Revelations, which I am eagerly anticipating.

I, for one, was thrilled when I heard there would be a sequel to "Blue Bloods." As soon as a friend of mine got it, she handed it off to me when she was done. Like her, it took me 6 hours to read cover to cover. Fast paced and just as good as the first, Melissa de la Cruz reveals enough answers to satisfy the reader's appetite (I can't count how many "Oh my God!" moments I had), but leaves just as many cliff hangers to leave you hungry for another installment. I cannot wait to read the continuation to this excellent story.

When we last left off with Schuyler Van Alen, she was just getting used to the news of being a Blue Blood, or what we normally label them as, a vampire. She gets invited into the New York Blood Bank Committee and, before she knows it, Schuyler is swept away into the unknown world of the Blue Bloods. Unfortunately, it seems like Schuyler discovered her true self at the wrong time, since three Blue Blood teens have been murdered. Still not satisfied, Schuyler wants more information for why young vampires are dying and the only way she can find out more is by visiting her grandfather, who lives in Italy. And so in MASQUERADE, Schuyler is off with her best friend to get to the truth. But while Schuyler is trying to learn more about her new world, the Four Hundred Ball is being held in New York, and it seems like the party, before and after, are more than what she bargained for. Of course, with all of this mystery and drama, Schuyler's life also has to be filled with a little boy drama. It's not enough having mixed-up, obnoxious feelings toward Jack, but with the new guy in town, things just happen to get messy. Melissa de la Cruz continues her amazing series, Blue Bloods, with full force in MASQUERADE. Some problems are solved while even more are unleashed, and you just can't help but fall deep into this wonderful series. The relationships that Schuyler has with everyone around her are just amazingly sweet. The good part about this series is that there is definitely more to come. The drawback just happens to be waiting for the next one. Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

I finished this book within 6 hours of picking it up. I couldn't put it down! De La Cruz keeps the pace going quickly as the novel picks up several months after Blue Bloods ended. Schulyer is still on the hunt to find the truth about the Silver Bloods and fight her feelings for Jack Force, while encountering a slew of new problems that she has to face. De La Cruz packs so much action in this novel, you will wish it was twice as long. She leaves the reader waiting impatiently for the third book in the series with unanswered questions and an unbelievable final scene. I absolutely loved this novel.