Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods #5)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
ISBN: 9781423121282
Publisher: Hyperion
Page #: 265
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online... for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.

As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler's mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart."
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First Lines:

"There were seven of us at the inception of the order. A conclave was called to address the growing threat posed by the Paths of the Dead."
Page 1
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Review:

The Blue Bloods series is one that I always try to get my hands on when a new one comes out. The first three were pre-blog, but here are my review of the last one: The Van Alen Legacy

I always have to review the last few books before reading the next one. There's something very similar about this series and a couple others. But that's neither here nor there. This book was different from the rest because the characters were split into different locations. Before they've all been together and drama ensued. But here we have a few story lines that never really come together - Schuyler and Jack are on one side of the world and Mimi is all the way on anther. Never the two meet. For me, that gave it a bit of a choppy feel.

I did enjoy the whole mystery set up of this book. The time you read about Mimi is all focused on the vampires that are being abducted and killed. There's a whole lot of coven- and Regent-speak, but it's a good mystery. I'd almost call this book more mystery than fantasy at this point. But it's all rooted in the vampires' past lives and how they are all connected. It was a cool story line.

The whole thing about the gates of hell got me a bit confused. I think it's because there was a lot about this in the last book that I don't remember. So when the book started out describing them, I tried to play catch up. And not too successfully. Hopefully the next book will be more focused on this - considering where the book leaves you, this might be a possibility.

I think these books might be great if you're sitting down to read them back to back. I've been picking them up as they're published and am finding myself confused every time. Perhaps they just work better as a full series - bam, bam, bam. Ya know? But I do think that people will love this series if they haven't picked it up yet. It's a great vampire story that is a totally different take on the whole thing (from most other vampy books).

It looks like there are several things in the works for upcoming books in this series - and some novellas, it looks like. Take a look at the author's website to get an idea.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Bookalicious
Katie's Book Blog
Just Another Book Blog
Paranormal Haven
The Neverending Shelf
The Book Butterfly
Lots of reviews out there. Take a minute to browse :).

Waiting on Wednesday (39)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

Afterlife (Evernight #4)
by Claudia Gray
To be released: March 8, 2011

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"When a shocking twist of fate turns Bianca into a wraith and Lucas into a vampire, the star-crosses lovers have no choice but to return to the sinister Evernight Academy to deal with the repercussions."

I know it's a pretty basic description, but if you've read the other books in the series you would get it. I loved the other ones and I can't wait for this one. Here are my reviews for the first three:
Evernight (This one was pre-blog)
Stargazer
Hourglass
I'll definitely be looking for this next one in a few months. I do recall having a hard time with the book before this one, so I anticipate being blown away by Afterlife. :)

Waiting on Wednesday (38)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week:


The Hunt of the Unicorn
by C.C. Humphreys
To be released: March 08, 2011

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"Elayne thinks the old family story that one of her ancestors stepped through a tapestry into a world of mythical beasts makes a great fireside tale.
But she lives in the real world. In New York City. And she's outgrown that kind of fantasy.Until she finds herself in front of a unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters museum and sees her initials woven into the fabric. And hears a unicorn calling to her. And slips and falls—into that other world.
Suddenly the line between fantasy and reality isn't so clear. But the danger is real enough. Almost before she can think, Elayne is attacked by a ferocious beast, rescued by a unicorn, and taken prisoner by a tyrant king. Each of them seems to have an idea about her—that she's a hero, a villain, dinner!
But Elayne has a few ideas of her own. She wants to overthrow the king; she wants to tame the unicorn. She wants to go home! And she's willing to become both hero and villain to do it."

I don't typically get excited for high fantasy novels. But I think the thing that hooked me on this one was the whole real world to fantasy world shift. It's sort of like the Julie Kagawa books in that way. You learn about the character in real world terms before she's shoved into another place. At least, that's what I'm hoping. Doesn't this sound interesting?!

Eternal: More Love Stories with Bite edited by P.C. Cast

Title: Eternal: More Love Stories with Bite
Author: Edited by P.C. Cast
ISBN: 9781935618010
Publisher: BenBella Books
Page #: 212
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Love is Eternal... so are they.
Claudia Gray delves into the history of Patrice, from her bestselling Evernight series, and her doomed affair with a mortal World War II soldier.

Strange Angels author Lili St. Crow takes us to St. Mary's Catholic prep school where one disaffected girl can't seem to stay away from the boy she believes killed her best friend.

Wicked series' writer Nancy Holder reimagines Romeo and Juliet with an undead Romeo who's waited centuries for his beloved Juliet's return.

Heather Brewer, author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, tells the story of a girl who wakes up kidnapped and locked in a freezing basement with the boy she loves, facing a monster she doesn't dare put a name to.

Rachel Caine returns to the setting of her bestselling Morganville Vampires series where her latest supernatural threat isn't to the residents' lives, but to Eve and Michael's bond.

And Shade author Jeri Smith-Ready introduces us to a gypsy community that harbors vampires, a girl caught between her family and her dreams, and the boy who gives up everything to help her."
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First Lines:

"The air in the USO canteen was hazy with cigarette smoke, thick with longing. It would've been hard to say who was more easily enchanted by romance in this place. Maybe it was the young men going off to war, desperate for comfort and perhaps someone to fight for."
Page 1 from "Bloodshed" by Claudia Gray
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Review:

I picked up this book because I have read and loved something by almost every one of these authors - a couple are ones I haven't read yet, but I have their book in my posession. So I'm getting there. But these stories were all really good. A few had surprise endings - or completely blew my assumptions of the story out of the water. Very well done book. I'm going to attempt to go through each story.


The historical Evernight story by Claudia Gray was wonderful. I loved how the school was still a focal point, but you really got a whole new view of it. And it also was an interesting take on what happens when someone is turned into a vamp without allowing it. It's also a look at how love can blind you to reality - especially when it's eternal.


I haven't read the series by Lili St. Crow, but I probably will try to after reading this story. The perspective in this story really is one of a crass high school girl and the way she lives her life. Thrown in is a couple of murders and a vamp on the loose. I found this one to be a bit more abrupt, but I think in longer form it would be wonderful.


Nancy Holder is another author I haven't read much by (I think), but I have one of her books in my TBR pile. There's something about Romeo that just bothers me. He probably would have in the old version too - but he's just so... obsessed. And crazy-seeming. But that's just Romeo for you, I suppose. :) I did love how the ending turned out, though.

The story by Heather Brewer was the most interesting to me. She writes a story that is pure horror and terror... then twists up the ending giving the whole story a new light. It's very well done and I love how she writes. I would love to see how this story could have panned out if it were longer.

Of course I loved the story by Rachel Caine - but I'm a long time fan of the Morganville Vampire books. It's great to get a story from Eve's point of view. Honestly, it felt like she has more meat to her instead of Claire. I would totally read more about her. I kinda hope the new character she introduced is in the next novel.

And last, but not least, the story "Thirst" by Jeri Smith-Ready. I think I had the most confusing time with this one. Probably because it's set in a place/mindset that I don't get. But it's a great story of love and desperation. Shows what lengths someone would go to for someone they love.

All in all, I think this was a great group of short stories. Especially for those who are into the whole vampire thing. There are lots of variations on the same ole' story. I very much intend to pass this one along to my teens.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Cem's Book Hideout
Amberkatze's Book Blog
Poisoned Rationality

Waiting on Wednesday (37)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

The Chaos (Numbers #2)
by Rachel Ward
To be released: March 01, 2011

Summary from Scholastic:
"Adam has more than inherited his mother's curse: When he looks in someone's eyes, he not only sees the date of their death...he feels the searing, shocking pain of it. Since Jem died, Adam has lived by the sea with his great-grandmother, Val. But when rising tides flood the coast, they return to London. The city is an alien, exciting, frightening place. Most disturbing of all, Adam can't help but clock how many people's numbers are in January 2027; how many are on New Year's Day. What chaos awaits the world? Can he and Sarah stop a catastrophe? Or are they, too, counted among the "twenty-sevens"?"

I absolutely loved the first book by Rachel Ward. Here's that review. I think this second book came out already in the UK, but I really look forward to getting my hands on this one. I mean, how creepy would it be to see everyone's death date when you look at them?! Great concept, wonderful author... It will be great.