Masquerade -Page 45

Did you like your book, and would you recommend it to someone?

I really liked Blue Bloods and I'm liking Masquerade so far too. Melissa took the concept of vampires which have been so turned and twisted into beings that are nothing like the first vampire that Bram Stoker created, (known as Count Dracula) and turned it into her own creation that is unique and unlike any other vampire variety.
I've never heard of any vampire race that could die but be reincarnated. Nor have I heard of vampires whose life force were their memories of all their past lives. There's a first for everything, though, right?
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is tired of the Twilight variety of vampires. (I mean come on, sparkling vampires? That's totally not cool anymore.) To anyone who liked the House of Night series, or the Vampire Diaries series, or the Vampire Academy series, or the True Blood series and any other vampire series out there. If you dig vampires, you're sure to dig this series. I garauntee it. :)

Masquerade -Page 40

So far in this book, Schuyler and Oliver have gone to Venice, Italy to try to find her grandfather. Her grandmother, Cordelia, told her that he would help her find out how to beat the Silver Bloods. But when she gets there, she can't find him in any of the places Cordelia told her he might be. Then, as she and Oliver are taking one last Gondola ride, she thinks she sees her mother. (Who would be in a coma back in the states right about now) Thinking this, she chases after the woman, with Oliver desperately trying to keep up with her super fast vampire pace. The woman leads her to a hotel, where the woman disappears.
The woman working at the entrance tells them that a professor who lives there is out and might or might not be back soon. Curious, Schuyler and Oliver ask to see his room. The lady obliges, telling them his room number.
They go to his room, and find out the professor is actually Schuyler's grandpa. Excited that she finally found him, she races back down to the clerk, who seems to have no recollection of ever talking to the two and asks them to leave.

Elsewhere, Bliss is having nightmares so bad that she usually wakes up in places she shouldn't be. Like the top of the Empire State Building, and the bottom of the lake in Central Park. But she always seems to wake up before she actually dies. Or doesn't die, since she's a vampire and all. Someone is keeping her safe, watching after her. Rescuing her everytime it happens, and Bliss thinks it's her should-be-dead boyfriend, Dylan Ward. But for now it is only wishful thinking, since whenever she tries to thank him, he disappears.

This is all I have read so far. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Masquerade -Page 36

I am reading the next book in the series, but I still have to write about the first one I guess.

If you could rewrite any part of the story, what part would you change and what would you change about it?

If I could change any part of my book, I would change the part where Dylan becomes a Silver Blood against his will. Dylan is Schuyler and Oliver's friend, and Bliss's boyfriend, and even though he acts weird and doesn't dress formally like everyone, he was still a good kid and really liked and might have even loved Bliss. He didn't deserve the life he was thrown into. He's hurting his friends without meaning to, and they still forgive him because they know he's fighting it. He's fighting the war within himself, trying to be a good person.

I hope he is able to win that war in the next book. I'll have to find out.

Blue Bloods -Page 303

So far what I have read is that there are powerful vampires, called "Silver Bloods" that are the only thing that can kill Blue Bloods. Silver Bloods were originally blue bloods that got their power from fully consuming (or drinking all of the blood) of another blue blood, taking their memories and past lives with their blood.
Blue Bloods can "die" but they come back, reincarnated, sort of. They have the same memories that are awakened when they reach maturity. That's why when they take the memories of another Blue Blood, that Blue Blood dies and doesn't go through the cycle again.

This book is part of a series, so there are a lot of things that go unanswered at the end.

Who is telling the truth? Mr. Force, the angel Michael who came to earth of his own accord with his twin, Gabrielle (who is also reincarnated as Schuyler's mom) to become a vampire to help protect the innocent? Or is Cordelia, Schuyler's grandmother and sole family in the world until she dies, telling Schuyler that she is the only one who can stop the Silver Bloods, the one telling the truth?

Will Schuyler be with Jack in the end, since she now can't be with Oliver? (it would break the vampire code since he's a human) Or will she defy the Vampire laws and choose Oliver in the end because he's not a jerk?

And what about Dylan? Has he really been turned into a Silver Blood? He came to warn Bliss about the Silver Bloods and even admitted that he might have attacked Schuyler. Can he be trusted? Or maybe Bliss's worries are true, and he's dead, even though someone familiar keeps saving her from the strange situations she finds herself in (like almost drowning in Central Park)??

Only the next book, Masquerade, will tell.

Blue Bloods -Page 282

Setting - Describe the setting; include location, time period and socio-economic characteristics.

This book takes place in Manhattan, New York. I believe the time period is present day, but there are a few things that lead me to believe it is somewhat in the past. Then again, it could be because of the socio-economic status. This part of the city is very lavish and the inhabitants are quite wealthy. Even Schuyler, whose family lost most of their fortune is still considered wealthy. Because of their wealthy status, everyone seems to like to decorate their homes in a very old-fashioned style.

Thaaat's pretty much it for setting.

Blue Bloods -Page 200

My Opinions on This Book So Far:

What I get from reading the back of the book is that Schuyler is the main character, but the author tends to shy away from talking about things from her point of view or even talking about her a lot. Melissa likes to show things from the other characters' (especially Bliss's) points of view. It almost seems like Bliss is the main character, the way she writes about how (I think) she is turning into a vampire. Schuyler is experiencing the same things but we don't know about it until we look at in retrospect. There's even more detail about Bliss's relationship with Dylan than there is with Schuyler and Oliver's relationship.

I'm guessing Oliver is in love with Schuyler, the way he calls her pet names and texts her saying "miss u babe" but I have no idea what their relationship is like. I'm guessing they aren't going out though because Jack asks Schuyler to dance and she obliges.
But I know way more about Bliss and Dylan. Bliss has had a growing crush on him, to the point where she herself says she is obsessed with him. They blow off Aggie's funeral to go to a museum where they kiss and then they go to the dance together.

I might just be overthinking things, since I haven't read the whole book yet. These are just musings for now.

Blue Bloods - Page 128

Now that I've read a bit more of this book I've got a general idea of what the characters are like.

Schuyler (pronounced sky-ler) Van Alen- She is timid and quiet, never saying more than she has to to anyone other than her friends. She's also very caring, as is denoted by her reaction when she thought Jack had been hit by the cab. She seems to have an interest in her friend Oliver, who can always be seen with his arm locked in hers.

Oliver Hazard-Perry- He is more outgoing than Schuyler but not in a flamboyant way. He seems to really care for Schuyler and gets jealous easily as is denoted by how he grabbed Schuyler's arm while she was talking to Jack in the same fashion mentioned above and tried to get her to go back to the line outside the club.

Dylan Ward- He is outgoing and doesn't care what other people think of him, often seen sporting odd or mismatched clothes. He and Bliss talked breifly when she walked outside for a smoke. She couldn't find her lighter so he offered to light it for her crossing the "line" between the groups who normally smoke outside. He is often described as having dark circles under his eyes and looking tired a lot.

Bliss Llewellyn- A somewhat timid girl, she hangs out with Mimi Force, the most popular girl at school. Bliss transferred to Duchesne a while back and was considered an outcast for wearing clothes that made her look rich. (Here it's okay to look poor and is preferred, but if you actually are poor, that is looked down upon) until Mimi took her into her group. She secretly has a crush on Dylan but won't admit it even to herself.

Madeleine "Mimi" Force- the most popular girl in school, twin of Benjamin "Jack" Force, and also in one of the most prestigious groups of all the city. Subtley named "The Committee," It is actually a group of vampires. Mimi is almost a leader within the group, just as she is among her peers. She seems nice until Shuyler comes near her, and then she calls her mean things and comments on her fashion sense.

Benjamin "Jack" Force- The most popular guy in school, and twin to Mimi Force. He seems to have taken an interest in Schuyler, as he talks to her more than he ever did up until recently, and even lets her in on one of the most shocking secrets of the school; Aggie Corondolet,who was last seen walking outside for a smoke but didn't show up, didn't die of an overdose...she was murdered. But what Schuyler doesn't know is that Jack, Mimi and Aggie are all vampires. And someone is hunting them.

Pretty much all of the characters are revealed by their actions, but she does often describe their clothes.

Hm. That's about it.