Blue Blood Series by Melissa De La Cruz

Good Reads Description:

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?

Could those vampire legends really be true? Steeped in vampire lore and set against the glittery backdrop of New York City, Blue Bloods will be devoured by Melissa de la Cruz's legion fans.

Thoughts...

These books are quick, easy, and entertaining reads.  They are definitely not your run of the mill, oridinary vampire novels.  There are a few new vampire ideas introduced throughout this series which was refreshing. The best way I can describe this series would be vampires meet Gossip Girl.  The novels surrounds a coven of vampires living in the upper east side (hence the Gossip Girl reference). Just for fun, please see my Gossip Girl character cross reference below...

Schuyler - Jenny  (Different fasion sense, unique)
Oliver - Dan    (Loyal, Oh so Loyal...just forget the fact that Jenny and Dan are brother and sister in Gossip Girl)
Jack - Nate   (Handsome, sometimes mysterious, every girls crush)
Mimi - Blair (Bitch, Queen Bee)
Bliss - Serena (Beautiful, Somtimes follows the in crowd, sometimes can lead her own way)
Kingsley - Chuck  (ARROGANT)

Now of course, each cross reference doesn't match up to the Gossip Girls characters perfectly, but surprising I found quite a few similarities to the characters in the Blue Blood novels and the Gossip Girl characters.

As I said, these books were entertaining and easy reads. I think I read like one book a day. There is a great cast of characters, entertaining dialogue, and a intriguing plot. That being said, I do wish that the plot developed a little quicker throughout the series.  Each book in the series is more like an installment that a stand alone book. Just because you are  getting to the end of the books does NOT mean that you will get any form of closure.  There are at least three minor stories going on throughout each book so the book flips points of view frequently which can be a cause of frustration.  Sometimes I though to myself, No, No, just get on with this.  That being said, it does keep you on your toes and you do get tired of any story line too quickly.

Overall, I recommend these books to anyone who enjoys young adult paranormal romance.  You get a little bit of everything rolled up together with this series...