Masquerade (Blue Bloods Series #2) by Melissa De La Cruz, Tk (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help-her grandfather.  Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city's wealthy, powerful, and unhuman-a true Blue Blood affair.

But it's at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

Rich with glamour, attitude, and vampire lore, this second installment in the Blue Bloods saga will leave readers thirsting for more.  

Children's Literature

With the Children's bestseller lists frequently featuring series like "Clique" and Stephanie Myers' popular "Twilight" novels, readers will most likely be intrigued by De La Cruz's series "Blue Bloods," which combines the fashion conscious teens of "Clique" with the vampires that populate Myers' series. However, what differentiates De La Cruz's novel from just anther piece of chic lit is its ability to combine theology, gothic tradition, and history into a narrative that hooks readers with its plausible explanations about how vampires have managed to infiltrate and practically run human society. Masquerade, the second novel in the "Blue Bloods" series, focuses on the experiences of Blue Bloods, a group of elite immortal vampires who were once angels in heaven but fell with Lucifer when he was overthrown. Having repented for their crimes against God, these vampires try to enrich human society while feeding off a select group of human familiars whom they treat as lovers rather than as food. While the Blue Bloods are some of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world, they fear Silver Bloods, vampires who did not repent and continue to do Lucifer's work. Readers experience the vampire life from three different perspectives: Schuyler Van Alen, Mimi Force, and Bliss Llewellyn; all three are beautiful teenage Blue Bloods with illustrious backgrounds, lots of relationship drama, and parts to play in the future battle between their kind and the Silver Bloods. Readers who start the series with this second novel will find some summaries of Blue Blood history and the first novel's events, but De La Cruz does not recount everything and some aspects of Blue Blood life willrequire guesswork if one is not familiar with the first story. This novel is also not the end of the saga; the girls' lives are still hanging in the balance as the novel concludes, but the adventures that take place among the three protagonists, in-between shopping trips and clandestine kisses, will sweep readers up and also offer explanations about major historical events including what really happened to the Lost Colony and what the aristocracy is really up to in their mansions.

VOYA

The young, rich, and undead students of the Duchesne School return in this sequel to Blue Bloods (Hyperion, 2006/VOYA April 2006). Fearing the return of the ancient race of vampire killers called Silver Bloods; anticipating the wonders of the Four Hundred Ball, where they will be presented to the Blue Bloods community; and mourning the loss of loved ones, Schuyler, Bliss, Mimi, and the others face peril all around them. Schuyler discovers the depth of her powers on a trip to Venice, searching for her long-lost grandfather. Bliss experiences strange and disturbing blackouts, and Mimi suffers the most frightening fate of all. More serious in tone than de la Cruz's previous vampire novel, this sequel continues developing her modern mythology, tying the characters to Lucifer, Michael, and other former angels of heaven. The tongue-in-cheek tone of the first book prevented the story from being too over-the-top, and this novel suffers a bit because of its gravity. De la Cruz intersperses newspaper articles and psychiatric reports about a young woman who disappeared in the 1870s under mysterious circumstances. These archival anecdotes further tie the present to the past, although a bit awkwardly. Still fans of the first book and the author's other works will not be disappointed. The continued fusion of the New York City kingdom of the super-rich with the creepiness of the vampire world is sure to please teen readers, and a late surprise will make them eager for the next installment.

Kirkus Reviews

Sexy vampires in Coco Chanel glam up Manhattan in the continuing web of intrigue. These wealthy teens and parents are Blue Bloods, immortal vampires who've been reincarnated continually since the fall of Lucifer. Accustomed to running society in the guise of upper-crust humans, Blue Bloods now fear Silver Bloods, who have returned to threaten soul-sucking corruption and murder. Themes range from good vs. evil, to skinny models and haute couture, to eternal bonds of love and dizzying teenage lust (conflated with the urge to suck blood, natch, which is necessary for survival). Which powerful Blue Blood family is harboring a Silver Blood? Who's corrupt, and who's lying? Several unknown motivations are reserved for the next installment, and de la Cruz sometimes strains the plot, leaning soapwards near the end; but overall, a tasty and alluring sequel for the vampire-sex-and-fashion set. (Fantasy. YA)

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