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Wednesday 22 June 2011

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz


The world of the Blue Bloods is falling apart as we begin to spiral towards a conclusion of a great series and a dramatic struggle for survival...

This is the fourth book in the Blue Bloods series and it doesn't disappoint. There is a good balance of action and slow-paced stuff. With revelations, tours of the world, more flashbacks and a great surprise at the end, the plot was rich and interesting.

Romance has taken a back seat now. There is less of it in every book, though I suspect that the Schuyler-Jack ending in this book suggests that the flame will be rekindled in the next instalment. This was very much a book of secrets and confrontations, with plot twists and turns that can be a little confusing if you don't concentrate. The split perspective between Schuyler, Bliss and Mimi keeps you on your toes and the contrast between their personal stories at this point is heavy.

Schuyler is very much an unchanging character, but a strong one. She is motivated and very prepared to do anything to stop the Silver Bloods. Her romance with Jack doesn't impact on the story much, but a twist at the end leaves us confused as to what has changed between the two...

Bliss is my favourite of the three main characters- she is a lovely person with a dark secret. I think that this book is really about facing your demons and holding on to normality for her. She's under a lot of stress from the events of the previous books and she's not herself, but she is still a sweet, darling girl to everyone. She's consistent and a rock and she may be the only one of the three main girls who has her head screwed on straight.

We're starting to see Mimi grow up. While there is no drastic change, her relationship with Kingsley and the work she does in this book show us that she's got her priorities in a slightly more sensible order- survival of the coven, survival of herself, Kingsley, safety of small children in Rio. She seems to care less for Jack in this book and the feeling is mutual.

As a note- these characters are sixteen, seventeen years old. They don't really feel like sixteen-seventeen year olds. Their behaviour, thoughts and actions- especially where Mimi is concerned- are all those of young women in their twenties- or at least that's how it seemed to me. I was unable to relate much to them.

The pivotal point of the series, The Van Alen Legacy is a compelling read that paves the road to Misguided Angel with anticipation and expectation. If you've read the previous Blue Bloods books, it's definitely worth reading on- randomly reading Van Alen Legacy without reading the others first could cause confusion and a lack of interest.




My Rating: 3.5/5

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