Book Review: Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz

Title: Revelations
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods (Book #3)
Pages: 264
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Year Published: 2008

"Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called not question: is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force.
When an ancient place of power is threatened in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high, the battle is bloody, and through it all, Schuyler is torn between duty and passion, love and freedom."

My Rating: 4/5

Although this book was enjoyable it was fairly predictable. I liked watching as the vampires grew older and acquired more "powers", it was fascinating that they were able to do so many things (very creative La Cruz). In the end though I was able to guess easily who the "criminal" was. I believe I started guessing correctly half way through which made the ending fairly boring. I will continue to read these books as I am addicted, but I hope the next one is not as predictable.
THANK YOU MELISSA DE LA CRUZ FOR IMAGINING SUCH UNIQUE ABILITIES!

Hope you enjoyed,
Love,
Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz

As I mentioned in the book review above this was a good book, but not as good as the others. I found that I was able to guess who the Silver Blood was throughout most of the book. I had my suspects from book 2, but the cover gives it all away. Who has read hair and acts oddly? Bliss! Whoever made the cover just pissed me off. I still love how this book is set in New York, but I found that the setting wasn't as highlighted in this book and that was disappointing. I did enjoy exploring Charles Force's house though.

Characters:
Schuyler: We've seen so many changes in Schuyler since the first book. I found it hard to believe that she was hooking up with Jack, but I was cheering her on. Who doesn't want the boy that they aren't supposed to have? I love the idea of them together. I wasn't impressed when she tells Oliver she loves him. I doubt that highly actually. It wasn't even a big emotional break through, it was more of a hey, I love you. I was baffled.

Bliss: As I mentioned above, I knew that Bliss was the Silver Blood through most of this book and this is due to the cover. I loved the way she narrates the story though. I was mad when she didn't realize herself that she was the one causing everyone harm, not Dylan. Is she really Gabrielle's daughter though? That's the question that I can't get out of my head.

Mimi: The same as ever. Selfish and lustful. Mimi has what she does because of the kind of angel she was. I really think that she'll end up turning to the dark side... especially if she loses Jack. She doesn't deserve him anyways, he just doesn't seem to fit with her.

Jack: I really love this character, although I think that he might be playing Schuyler. If there isn't a way to break the bond why would he lie to her? I don't think that him and Mimi should go through with the bonding but I don't see how he can't without undergoing a trial.

Oliver: I feel sorry for Oliver. He's been used and abused by Schuyler so many times. She had to know that he loved her and that making him her familiar would only make it worse. I was even mores surprised when she confessed her love. If I was Oliver I wouldn't believe a word she said.

Dylan: I knew that Dylan was innocent. He doesn't mean to hurt anybody, and he seems like such a sweetheart. I only hope his memory will recover.

Lawrence: I was so sad when Lawrence died. He was such an interesting character, and now that he won't return to the cycle things are just extremely depressing.

Jordan: I'm confused as to what the watcher is, but I"m assuming she's one who is watching Bliss, making sure that she isn't going to live to fulfill evil deeds. Jordan didn't do such a good job though, and she was captured.

Charles: I could hardly believe that Charles was reduced to basically nothing, especially when the Blue Bloods need an Archangel the most.

Kingsley: Seriously thought he was the guilty one. What the heck!?!?!


Moments to Remember:
♥Pg. 75
"Outside of this place, they could be nothing to each other. He would not even allow himself to look at her. He could not afford it. So she wanted him to enjoy himself, to look at her as much as he liked.
'Get over here,' he growled."

♥Pg. 205
"Brazilians wore skimpy bikinis, no matter their shape or size; it was liberating and somewhat appalling at the same time. The American in Bliss believed grandmothers should not wear thongs."

♥Pg. 264
"Love. It's so close to hate, it's almost indistinguishable.
But this is how t was for the two of them.
Love and hate.
Life and death.
Joy and anguish."

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Title: Dreamland

Author: Sarah Dessen

Pages: 205

Publisher: Penguin Group

Year Published: 2000

“Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He’s magnetic. He’s compelling. He’s dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else- her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?”

My Rating: 10/10

This is an incredible book. I loved that Sarah Dessen makes the reader feel as though they are the main character. I feel like this book touches on so many teen issues and although twelve years have past since it’s been published they are all relevant. Really in the past decade or so things haven’t changed that much. I have not read a lot about some of these issues and I hope to find a book from the opposite point of view in Caitlin’s relationship. Curiosity makes me wonder what that book would be written like. I hope to read more Sarah Dessen books, but I hope I probably won’t read more back to back.

THANK YOU SARAH DESSEN FOR WALKING THROUGH SO MANY TEEN RELATIONSHIPS!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I loved this book! It had so many unexpected elements that made reading it entertaining. I wasn’t bored even when something wasn’t popping out of no where. I think that so many teens can relate with Caitlin’s story. At least one element of it.

Drugs are a big thing in this book which isn’t suprising to me really. I live in a small town with a drug problem, so I understand how drugs can be everywhere. I think it’s important that Caitlin actually experiences pot. I do wish that she hadn’t used it so easily but really she does mostly in the book without much of a consequence.

Peer pressure is another thing that I noticed in this book. Rina practically forces Caitlin to join cheerleading. This doesn’t surprise me in the least as this is normal in teenage society. If one friend is doing something the other friend usually joins to fit in.

Caitlin is a very over shadowed child who doesn’t get the attention she deserves. Many younger siblings have the same thing where the older child is a shining star so why even bother to live up to expectations when it doesn’t get them noticed.

Abuse is a huge deal in this novel and I think it’s important that teens learn about this. I was shocked when this first happened in the book, but fascinated to see how it would play out. Would it be a one time thing, or would it happen over and over? Soon it became apparent that this was to become a norm in this relationship. I was practically yelling for someone to see that Caitlin was being hurt so horribly.

Characters:

Caitlin: A superb main character who really helps us walk through so many teen issues (mentioned above). I could hardly believe that a girl would simply let a boy hit her, but she did really love Rogerson so it wasn’t something so out of the blue. I was so happy when they broke up even though it hurt her, being with him would have hurt her more.

Rogerson: I really liked this character in the beginning thinking that he was the misunderstood bad boy, but after he started hitting Caitlin, I lost all respect for him. The fact that it wasn’t just a one time thing, that he said I love you after and that he used it to get sex as well were awful. It really opened my eyes though.

Rina: I think that Rina isn’t really the best friend I hoped that Caitlin would have. I would hope that I would notice if one of my friends was being abused in any way.

Caitlin’s Mom: I don’t think that her mom really even tried to treat her daughter’s fairly. It is obvious throughout the book that Cass is who was her favorite and still is even though she isn’t even in the same state anymore. I’m happy that she finally realized what was going on with Caitlin, because if she hadn’t who would have?

Caitlin’s Dad: I was hoping that her dad would just say she couldn’t go with Rogerson one night and so Caitlin would just start to pull away from Rogerson but he didn’t. If I was her dad I would have kicked Rogerson’s butt.

Boo & Stewart: I wish that my parents had a couple of friends like this. Hippies (I find) are hilarious.

Cass: I wish she hadn’t have left because I feel like this is what changed everything for Caitlin.

Corinna: One of my favorite characters. I thought that her and David had it made, but we don’t really know what happens in their relationship and though it’s obvious they were in love it just didn’t work.

Moments to Remember:

♥Pg. 92

“I’d watch his expression change as he got closer, hearing the strains of one of my baby-baby-oh-please-baby songs.

‘Oh, my God,’ he said to me once as he flopped into the driver’s  seat, pulling the door shut behind him. ‘What is this shit?’”

♥Pg. 115

“‘Which two planets are almost identical in size?’

‘Duh,’ he said, smoothing my hair back, ‘Venus and Earth.’

‘Rogerson,’ I asked him sweetly as we sat watching a video in the pool house, ‘where would I find the pelagic zone?’

‘In the open sea,’ he said. ‘Now shut up and eat your Junior Mints.’”

♥Pg. 124

“Corinna was still crying, even as Dave kissed her forehead and smiled. Taking one of her hands and twirling her around the small, paint-peeling kitchen. ‘Stop,’ she said, half-laughing as he dipped her over the garbage can. ‘David, honestly.’”

Hope you enjoyed,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: The Night I Disappeared by Julie Reece Deaver

Title: The Night I Disappeared
Author: Julie Reece Deaver
Pages: 242
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Year Published: 2002

"Held hostage by an inner world..."
"Something scary is happening to seventeen-year-old Jamie Tessman. Ever since she and her mother arrived in Chicago, she's been plagued by freaky mind-slips and vivid daydreams about her sort-of-boyfriend, Webb. When Jamie's inner world start taking her hostage and keeping her imprisoned for longer period of time, she becomes terrified that she is slowly losing her mind.
Jamie's mom doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong. No one does- until Jamie meets Morgan, a new friend who's had her own 'brush with nuttiness.' When Jamie disappears into her inner world one night and can't find her way out, Morgan sees to it that Jamie finally gets help. Morgan's aunt, a psychiatrist, breaks though Jamie's paralyzing fear and helps her unravel a tangle of long-forgotten, horrifying secrets in her past..."

My Rating: 9/10

I really liked this novel because of its theme. This book is mainly about mental illness and how to deal with it. I guess most of us just consider people with something like schizophrenia as crazy, but really is is an illness just like diabetes. There is nothing to be ashamed of, because most of us will eventually deal with a mental illness (ex. depression, bi-polar, anorexia, schizophrenia, etc.) whether it be us ourselves or our loved ones. I really think that our society needs to learn to deal with people who have these illnesses, Our generation needs to learn that all of these things are ok, and need to be taken in stride with every day life. As you can probably tell this book changed my view on things immensely.
THANK YOU JULIE REECE DEAVER FOR PUTTING ME IN A 'CRAZY' PERSON'S SHOES!

Thanks for read,
Love,
Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: The Night I Disappeared by Julie Reece Deaver

I really loved this book, and I found that I could hardly put it down. The way that Julie Reece Deaver wrote from the 'crazy' person's point of view was a lot more insightful than other books I've read involving mental illness. In this book it's like we got to see inside Jamie's head and see what she's feeling about what's happening to her. There is a ton of description I liked used when Jamie goes off into her inner world that makes it more real for the reader, and without it the book wouldn't touch me like it did. I enjoyed how after Jamie got out of the hospital she seemed to take in more of the city. The trials were another interesting idea that really tied the story together. The way that Jamie travels back and forth so frequently and without warning makes me feel like I'm traveling with her, figuring out what's going on with her.

Characters:
Jamie: I felt horrible for her at the beginning of the book when those girls where making fun of her in the bathroom. That's just horrible. She really has had a rough life and when she finds out Webb's not real I don't blame her for grieving, that was her confidant, her only true friend. To have that suddenly gone would be heartbreaking for all of us I'm sure. I could tell that there was something not quite right with her, but I though thta tmaybe it was that she had been molested by her babysitter's boyfriend. I never thought that she was kidnapped and ended up killing someone in self defense. It made the blood on the shirt make a ton more sense. I hope that this character gets better and proves to everyone that this can't hold her back .

Morgan: Morgan is an awesome friend because she doesn't treat Jamie like she's crazy or a freak. She just goes along for the ride and is there to drag Jamie out of her dark space after she's realeased from the hospital. If Morgan hadn't been there to get her out of the house I have no doubt that Jamie would have just imagined another friend.

Webb: Even though he's not real, I think it's important to let him be a character after all he plays a big part in Jamie's life. I can understand why she imagines him as her protector because who doesn't want someone to be there for them, and when her mom wasn't she deserved someone else and so she made him up.

Jamie's Mom: I love that she just leaves her daughter who is having mental problems alone and expects her to deal (sarcasm) . I would probably have had issues to if my mom was never around to talk to me. Jamie's mom doesn't come home for dinner most of the time, and sometimes she doesn't see her for days on end. I hope that she doesn't start to treat Jamie like a freak.

Dr. Hacker (Morgan's Aunt): I really liked her because not only was she nice and not weird, but incredibly funny. She's not afraid to joke or tease and I have the feeling that she could make anyone feel better after a certain matter of time.
Ellis: Why would you ever do such a thing to an innocent 9 year old kid? And then tell her she can't tell? I hope she goes to jail.


Moments to Remember:
♥Pg. 9
" 'You told me not to worry. You told me you'd look after me, remember?'
'I remember. I just didn't know at the time it would end up being my life's work.' "

♥Pg. 132
" 'Which skirt are you getting?'
'The black one. I figure it'll make me look thinner.'
'You know, guys never worry about stuff like that--'
'About how they look in skirts? No, probably not.' "

I hope you enjoyed this spoiler
Love,
Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

Title: Masquerade
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods (Book #2)
Pages: 304
Publisher: Hyperion Paperbacks
Year Published: 2007

"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, preparation are feverishly under way 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 with leave readers thirsting for more."

My Rating: 9/10

I was surprised to find this book even better than the last one! I really can't get over the fact that  Melissa De La Cruz has changed my view on vampires forever. I really love the idea of reincarnation in this book, because it just adds another paranormal effect. When my friends ask what the series is about I have started to explain it as Gossip Girl with paranormal activity. This seems to be an effective method. I would definitely suggest these books to anyone whose a curious mind, but it must be open as well. If you close your mind to the myths in this book it is nothing. I loved how the characters in this book started to feel like friends and how I got to explore New York from a far. I can hardly wait to read the third book :)
THANK YOU MELISSA DE LA CRUZ FOR SHOWING A "ROMANCE" AND A PARANORMAL THEME CAN COMBINE!

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny ♥♪♫

Spoiler: Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

I am loving this series so far. I felt in this second book I was a lot closer to the characters. The way they acted made sense and I could understand things from their point of view. I loved that I got to explore New York, a city I am definitely gonna see one day! I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see much of Venice, but if the author has never been there it is better that we didn't spend the whole time with Oliver and Schuyler. I loved the way that the Four Hundred Ball was described although I wish we would have heard more about the dancing.  The only reason that this book isn't a 10 is because I could tell who the Silver Blood. That's something that drives me insane, but the ending surprise made up for it!

Characters:
Schuyler: Our main character appears more grown up in this book. Traveling to Venice was something that I didn't think she'd do on her own at the end of the first book, but really it shows how grown up she is. I liked seeing how she got to learn her powers and more of her family history. I hope that her and Jack get together, but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen. Was it obvious to anyone else that Oliver was in love with Schuyler? DUH! I mean even I'm not that blind. Poor Oliver is in the friend zone though. I feel bad about that. I loved how at the end she did the right thing for Mimi even if there was the chance of her becoming a monster.

Oliver: We don't get to witness much from his view, but it's obvious that he's in love with Schuyler he goes above and beyond the call of duty by becoming her familiar. Something I wish he hadn't done though. This means his feelings will grow and chances are Schuyler wont feel the same at all. Poor boy.

Mimi: I know it's bad, but I like a good villain and Mimi definitely fits that bill. She's jealous, spoiled and popular. I could hardly believe when she became friends with Kingsley and began doing dark magic (something i didn't know that vampires did... vampires/witches?) I thought perhaps she had been the one to destroy the library, but I knew she wasn't that powerful. Even she isn't the true criminal in the books.

Jack: So I kinda love this guy :) I know it's wrong because he's playing with Schuyler's emotions but he's the kind of guy I go for. I don't like that he puts up with Mimi's bull. She doesn't deserve someone so loyal and loving. I didn't expect him to even think the L word about Schuyler though, that surprised me. I wonder how they'll all fair in one household.

Kingsley: This guy has Silver Blood written all over him. He is convincing people to do Dark Magic, not looking for suspects. I wonder if Charles Force is actually that stupid or if he is in on it? Suspicious! And what is Kingsley's relation to Bliss, is there one or was it just made up for the "investigation"?

Bliss: I was shocked at the end of this story when she finds out that she's at least Schuyler's  half sister! Wow talk about keeping a reader interested. I love Bliss, although she's kind of going crazy, I can relate to her. She doesn't really like Mimi but she sticks with her so she doesn't get left out. I hope that by finding this out Bliss will start to hang out with Schuyler more. I love the fact that Dylan is alive!


Moments to Remember:
♥Pg. 134
"It was just too weird to always look at Oliver and think he'd taste delicious. He was her best friend, not a snack."

♥Pg. 231
"But that morning, she had found an envelope stuffed into her locker. It was from the Mercer Hotel, and held a plastic door key for their suite. 'Se you there tonight,' Oliver had written. 'Chomp! Chomp!' "

 I can hardly wait to read what happens next, but I want to take a small break from these books so I can review books for those who haven't read this far yet.

Hope you enjoyed,
Love,
Sidny xoxo