Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Publish date: 2014
Source: Purchased
Format: Kindle ebook
Length: 448 pages
"Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her." (Goodreads)

I bought The Queen of the Tearling quite a while ago when it was a Kindle daily deal (those are dangerous!). I started reading it on a plane ride coming home from a student trip I chaperoned to Europe. I'd finished my other book and after perusing my Kindle, decided to try Tearling. It was a slow start, but I really liked it!

The Queen of the Tearling is definitely a slower paced book, so if you need faster paced books, this one might be a struggle for you. I usually don't like slower paced books, but this one really worked for me. Maybe because I started it on a plane ride and there wasn't much else to do? For whatever reason, I liked it a lot.

There's plenty of time to get to know Kelsea and her guard. Lazarus was particularly awesome and I liked his and Kelsea's friendship. I feel like most fantasy books have a good relationship between the queen and the head of her guard and this was no exception.

Like I said, this was slower paced and sometimes that was a pain. The chapters were loooong, which I dislike, but the ending was exciting and worth pushing through the slow parts. I'm excited to read The Invasion of the Tearling! It's even on my wishlist, which is rare :)

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Publish date: 2012
Source: Purchased
Format: ebook
Length: 236 pages
"Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it." (Goodreads)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight has been on my radar since it came out last year, but I didn't have any strong desire to read it. When it was 2.99 for kindle a little while ago, I figured I should read it since it seems like one my female students would enjoy. I think they will, although I didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

At the beginning of the book, I felt like I could really empathize with Hadley and what she was going through. I probably would have reacted to those situations in the same way, although I definitely would not have done what she did at her dad's wedding, regardless of how well we got along. Other than that decision, I liked Hadley and felt like I learned a lot about her despite the short length of the book.

The one thing that bothered me throughout the book was the fact that it was written in the third person. I feel like it would have been better in first person from Hadley's point of view. I think I just prefer a first person narrator in general and was honestly surprised that this one was third person. I'm not sure if that makes me nitpicky or what!

I think this one will be a big hit with my students and I'm looking forward to book talking it soon. I didn't love it, but I think they will!

Review: Simply Irresistible

Author: Jill Shalvis
Publish date: 2010
Source: purchased ebook
"Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother--a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career--if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes--and mouth--are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor." (Goodreads)

I read Simply Irresistible because of Ginger from G Reads! love for the entire series. This ebook version of this one was pretty cheap and I read it in a few hours during the readathon. I didn't think it was fantastic, but it wasn't terrible either.

I knew from the start that Simply Irresistible was going to be one of those books with a happy ending no matter what, as most romances of this variety have. Of course I was pulled in by the hot contractor mentioned in the blurb too. Who wouldn't be? The book was pretty cheesy, but not cheesy enough to make me stop reading it.

SPOILERS BELOW

One thing I didn't like about Simply Irresistible was how Jax seemed to be the answer to EVERYTHING. I mean, seriously, he had like seven jobs and everything explained at the end? Too much. Seemed to press the idea that you need a man for things to work out. Gah.

Review: Eve

Author: Anna Carey
Publish date: 2011
Source: Purchased ebook
"The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life." (Goodreads)

Eve is one of those books that I'd heard of when it came out, but I didn't have quite enough interest in to read. Until I met Anna Carey, that is. When I went to Chicago for RT in April, Anna Carey, Cynthia Hand, Taherah Mafi, and Veronica Rossi were doing a signing at Anderson's on that Friday night. The signing was great and Anna Carey was especially hilarious. I felt bad that I hadn't bought Eve at the time, but later the ebook was super cheap, so of course I had to buy it. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. Here are my mixed feelings:

First of all, I really like the concept of this book. I love dystopian/future books in general and the idea of a plague wiping out most of the population, while sad, is kind of exciting (only in books/movies though! Plagues, stay away from me!). My expectations for Eve were pretty high so although I didn't love all of it, the plot itself was captivating enough to make me keep reading and finish it. Adventure, lots of characters, plague aftermath, etc=ingredients for a fun book.

That said, I was annoyed with Eve as a character for most of the book. I didn't like how she went from believing one thing for her whole life and then within a few pages, had completely changed her outlook on life. That change was a bit too quick for me to believe it. There was also another event involving a guy that I had a hard time with. As in, when I read it, I immediately thought "Are you kidding me? You had to go there?" Blah.

So basically the plot kept me interested enough to keep reading despite having issues believing the characters. I'm sure I will read the sequel to find out what happens though!

Review: Going Too Far

Author: Jennifer Echols
Publish date: 2009
Source: purchased ebook
"All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over...." (Goodreads)

So for whatever reason, I had never read a Jennifer Echols book before. This one was only 3.99 for kindle a couple weeks ago AND my library doesn't have it, so it wasn't too hard to convince myself to buy it. I started it, thinking I'd read a few pages...yeah, you know how that goes.

I pretty much loved all the characters in Going Too Far. I liked that Officer After was not in high school, although he did seem much older than 19 at times. It's nice to see good guys in YA books--I mean, how much more of a good guy can you get than a police officer? I really liked his and Meg's relationship too. It was not insta!love. Lust, maybe, but it was nice to see it progress and develop.

I liked Meg a lot too, despite being annoyed with her and her bad decisions at the beginning of the book. I definitely made some assumptions about her that were not true by the end. I liked how Jennifer Echols gave us more and more about her past as we got further into the book and we can learn why Meg is the way she is. Character development: a good thing!

Going Too Far blew me away and I was shocked by how much I loved it. I can't wait to read more of Echols's books, especially Such a Rush!

Review: Story of a Girl

Author: Sara Zarr
Publish date: 2007
Source: purchased ebook
"When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend--Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption." (Goodreads)

A while ago, I won a copy of How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr, which was the first of her works that I read. I liked it a lot, especially the refreshingly different narrating voices, so when I saw that Story of a Girl was very cheap (maybe even free?) for the Kindle, I jumped at the chance to buy it. I read most of it on the plane returning from my vacation and liked and appreciated the quick read.

Deanna, the narrator of Story of a Girl, has one of the most realistic voices that I have read in contemporary YA. Deanna is a selfish girl who makes mistakes and wishes her life was different, but I appreciated that Sara Zarr chose to portray her this way. It was refreshing to read about a girl who didn't make the best choices and who didn't have the best home life. I felt bad for Deanna, yes, but at the same time knew that she was the one making crappy life choices sometimes.

This book is quite short, only 192 pages according to Goodreads, and it flew by on my Kindle. I like reading short books sometimes, but I feel like the ending came up way too abruptly and that everything was "resolved" too cleanly. Despite being short though, I did feel like Zarr included lots of details that made the story even more realistic, like things about Deanna's house or immediate family members. As I was reading, I found that I could think of people I knew that were similar to the characters from the book.

I'm not sure that I'd recommend this for everyone, but if you are looking for a quick contemporary read that's still pretty heavy hitting, give Story of a Girl a try!

Review: The Goose Girl

Author: Shannon Hale
Publish date: 2005
Source: purchased ebook
"She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm." (Goodreads)

The only previous Shannon Hale book that I'd read was Austenland, which I liked. The Goose Girl was 1.99 (I think) for the Kindle a while ago and at the urging of Christina at BookTasty, I bought it and read it while on vacation last week. It took me a little while to get into it but I ended up loving it! Shannon Hales wins again!

Like I said, I'd only read Hale's Austenland before and holy wow, are these books different, but awesome. The first thing I really noticed about The Goose Girl was the writing style. It is very fairy tale-esque and really set the scene for the story. It was simple, but not too simple, if that makes sense. I liked all the descriptions of the setting and felt like I was able to picture Ani's world.

I didn't know this particular fairy tale, but was able to become invested in it after a few chapters. I think it started slow for me because the first chapter takes place when Ani is a child. As soon as it jumped to the present time of the story, I was sucked in. I liked Ani as a character and was rooting for her the whole time. She was a strong girl and I felt so frustrated for her when things went wrong. When a book can make you feel as angry as the characters are...it's good.

If you haven't read Shannon Hale, I would definitely recommend this (and Austenland!). I believe there are three other books in the Books of Bayern series, and I plan on reading them soon. Who knew I liked fairy tale retellings?

Review: Hourglass

Author: Myra McEntire
Publish date: 2011
Source: purchased ebook
"For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?" (Goodreads)

I bought Hourglass for my Kindle when it was pretty cheap and read it while I was on vacation recently. By the way, it was my first vacation with the ereader and it was AWESOME. I brought 2 regular books plus my kindle and ended up reading 6 books total. So much easier than bringing 6 books with me! Anyway, I read Hourglass on my Kindle and despite having a shaky start, I enjoyed it.

After finishing Hourglass, I think I liked the actual plot the most. The idea of what/who Emerson can see, time travel, the Hourglass: all are cool and I felt pretty satisfied by the end in terms of wrapping up the plot points. I will admit, I was caught by surprise by the plot twist at the end (I love when that happens!). So all in all, pretty good plot and storyline.

But...but but but the romance. It was. So. Cheesy. I felt like it overtook the story for a while, which I am not a fan of. And how conveeeenient that Michael was assigned to Emerson and was only a little older than her! At least it wasn't really insta!love, which I appreciated. The relationship progressed fairly normally, but was cheesy at times, plus Emerson could be a little whiny. Also? She got away with A LOT for being in high school. Her brother was not very parenty.

Verdict: I liked it, but didn't love it. The plot was enough to keep me engrossed when the romance over-cheesed. Should I read Timepiece?

Review: Small Town Sinners

Author: Melissa Walker
Publish date: 2011
Source: Purchased (ebook)
"Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver's license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, Lacey's junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn't know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.

Melissa Walker has crafted the perfect balance of engrossing, thought-provoking topics and relatable, likable characters. Set against the backdrop of extreme religion, Small Town Sinners is foremost a universal story of first love and finding yourself, and it will stay with readers long after the last page."

I'd been meaning to read Small Town Sinners ever since it was published, but I just never got around to it. No excuses, really. I even checked it out from the library at one point, but never read it (which is very rare for me). It is only 2.99 for the kindle right now, though, so I bought it and read it when the mood struck. I really liked it and think its themes will stick with me for a long time.

One of the things that really struck me about this book was the character growth. Lacey goes from a very naive girl who maintained her religious beliefs because that's all she knew to someone who wanted to learn and grow and make decisions for herself. The writing style meshed well with Lacey as a main character: simple, but effective. The dialogue seemed a bit mature at times (especially when they talked about religion toward the end), but nothing that bothered me too much. So far, so good.

Reading about the Hell House was INSANE. I was aware of stuff like that before reading the book, but learning about what goes into one made them seem really crazy. The fact that everything they perform is exaggerated so much bothered me, like the Abortion Girl scene. Hopefully people are aware that everything is dramatized, like Ty was careful to point out.

Speaking of Ty...this book has a case of insta!love. Their relationship started with friendship, yes, but I didn't understand why they were immediately drawn to each other. Other than that, I liked this book a lot and definitely think teenagers would enjoy it. Reading about Hell Houses was fascinating and although I have absolutely zero interest in going to one, I'd like to find out more about them. Hello, google!

Review: Crossed (Matched #2)

Author: Ally Condie
Publish date: 2011
Source: Library (ebook)
"In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever."

I read Matched a while back and enjoyed it, although it was not in my favorites of the dystopians I read last year (Delirium, Divergent, and Birthmarked win that award). I was looking forward to read the sequel, despite mixed reviews. My library does ebook lending, so I grabbed it for my kindle Thursday night and read it over a couple days. When I finished, I was basically just...disappointed.

Even though I was overall disappointed, there were a couple things I enjoyed while reading. The first is definitely Condie's writing style. Like in Matched, the prose is rather poetic and enjoyable to read. There were also some plot points that were interesting enough to keep reading the book, like a certain character having a secret. It's mentioned early and I wanted to keep reading to find out what it was. Mentions of secrets will always keep me reading.

Unfortunately, the one word that comes to mind when I think of Crossed is boring. I was just bored through most of it, but not quite bored enough to DNF it. Everything seemed to move extremely slowly and even after finishing it, I'm not quite sure what the point of the novel was. Seemed to be just filler for book three, sadly. Another thing I didn't like was the dual narrative of both Cassia and Ky. Matched was only from Cassia's POV and I don't like that this one was different. I need my parallelism within a series! I can handle dual narratives if the style is distinct between the two, but they were exactly the same. I often forgot whose chapter it was and had to check for character names to remember.

At this point, I'm not sure if I'll read book three. This one was just not enough to continue my interest in Cassia's story and there are still many, many unanswered questions, some of which I think could have been addressed in Crossed. Thoughts?

Review: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand
Publish date: 2011
Source: Purchased
"Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has apurpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?"

I'll be the first person to admit that I am very wary of paranormal novels. I think I am prejudiced partly because of my dislike of Twilight and partly because there is so much paranormal out there. However, I've been seeing love for Hallowed, Unearthly's sequel, lately, and since this one is only 99 cents for Kindle right now, I decided to give it a shot. Unearthly ended up being a quick, fun read and exceeded my expectations for paranormal.

One of the main things I liked about Unearthly was that for the majority of the novel, it didn't feel like a paranormal. The main character, Clara, deals with some very normal teenage girl things, along with becoming more mature as an angel, but the paranormal aspects weren't overwhelming and didn't detract from the main theme: following the rules vs. following your heart. It was also great to see a parent with a large role in the story, which is often overlooked in YA for convenience's sake. The setting was cool too; I'd love to take a vacation to Jackson Hole and ski down some mountains!

Another reason I liked the book is that there was no insta-love! between the main characters. Clara and her guys actually developed relationships and had to deal with conflicts within them. I feel like I see insta-love! way too often in books, especially YA, so it was nice to see something more realistic. I'll definitely be reading Hallowed when it comes out later this month. Looking forward to another fun read!

Review: When She Woke

Author: Hillary Jordan
Publish date: September 2011
Source: Purchased 

"Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love. 

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love."

I heard about this book a few months ago and thought it sounded really interesting. I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and HATED it. Nathaniel Hawthorne's language and writing style was really difficult for me to understand and I thought a futuristic retelling sounded pretty good. I ended up enjoying it, despite a few parts I found incredulous.

The scariest and creepiest part about the whole book for me was the setting. When She Woke takes place in the not too distant future and I am terrified that our world could someday be much like what Ms. Jordan imagined for her novel. There was an STD epidemic which rendered many women sterile and led to abortion being completely illegal, punishable by years in prison. In the book, the blame for everything is on women, which made me angry, yet I can sadly imagine people thinking that was perfectly reasonable. Drove me crazy, but I couldn't stop reading it!

As the novel progresses, Hannah grows and realizes that what she was always taught about life was not true, in terms of morals and faith. She doesn't grow as much as I wanted her to, but she gets herself out of scary situations and crazy places. I was rooting for her the whole time, although I didn't always agree with her choices. The ending happened a little too quickly for my tastes, but I would still recommend this book just for people to understand how easily the setting could become our terrible reality.

Buy the Kindle ebook here (only $1.99!)

Review: Blue Bloods

Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publish date: April 2006
Source: Kindle e-book (only $2.69!)
"When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. 

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious 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 dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner...and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead... drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?" (from Goodreads)

Firstly, this is not a book that I would normally pick up. I'll be the first to admit that I don't typically enjoy "vampire books." I gave Twilight a shot a few years ago while I was student teaching, wondering what was so great about this book that my students loved so much. Not much, I found out, but that's another story. Anyway, I found out that the Smart Girls Kick It tour is stopping in Lansing Tuesday night, so I decided to quickly read a Melissa de la Cruz book since she is with the tour. Blue Bloods was only 2.69 for the Kindle, so that made that decision pretty easy.

It was surprisingly enjoyable! I thought it might be cheesy since, you know, vampires, but it was quite entertaining. I think one of the reasons that I liked it was all the history that was interwoven in the story. I adore American history and love unsolved mysteries like Roanoke, so I really liked that aspect of the story. The present setting, though, reminded me of Gossip Girl with all the wealth and designer clothing and whatnot. It got kind of old after a while since it's not something that I can relate to, but it wasn't a dealbreaker.

One thing that I thought was confusing about the novel was the differing points of view. The chapters switched between third person narrators- Schuyler, Mimi, Bliss, etc. It got annoying sometimes; maybe I am a one or two narrator kind of girl? I also wish that de la Cruz had just gone more in depth with everything, but maybe that will happen throughout the rest of the series? I plan on buying the next book in the series tomorrow at the signing (and get it signed), so we'll see!