Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

Schuyler Van Alen is starting to get more comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, but she still has many unanswered questions. A trip to Italy in search of her grandfather only serves to make things more confusing. What secrets are the leaders of The Committee hiding? Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball. In true Blue Blood fashion, the ball is totally fab, complete with masks and hidden behind this masquerade is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

The thrilling sequel in Melissa de la Cruz's vampire mythology has all the glamour, attitude, and vampire lore that made the first book a hit.

Book Overview:

Author: Melissa de la Cruz | Series: Blue Bloods | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Christina Moore | Length: 7 hours, 1 min | Publish Date: May 1, 2007 | Genre: YA Paranormal | Rated: ★ ★ ★ ★| Recommend: Yes

“A brain with no heart and no reasoning ... well, nothing is more meaningless.” 

Well, I think this one was much better than the first one. Don't get me wrong though. I really did enjoy the first one and how de la Cruz set up this world of Gossip Girl-esque vampires of the Upper East Side. Trust me, if you've ever read or watched Gossip Girl, and you read this book, you'll see the comparison pretty quickly. In real life, blue bloods are considered families that came from old money, the ones that built their fortune over generations and are some of the richest and famous families. A lot of them reside in New York City, more specifically the Upper East Side.

Adding the fact that they are vampires into the mix just makes it that much more fun.

The story continues in this sequel, and while Schuyler is trying to find her place in this world, we see that there is trouble in paradise. Someone is clearly targeting teenage Blue Bloods, during a time when they are most vulnerable and don't have access to their full array of super vampire powers, and yet the Conclave keeps saying that everything is okay. Obviously, it's not if there's been at least three deaths so far, all completely drained of their blood - what they call "Full Consumption".

It's not just Schuyler having issues though. Mimi and Bliss are having their own adventures, with Mimi trying to get rid of Schuyler forever and Bliss trying to figure out who the mystery boy is that saved her from drowning when she was sleepwalking. It's dramatic, all right. But it's high school, it's bound to happen.

My favorite thing about this one is that some of it takes place in Venice, and that's one of the places I've been dying to go. Maybe they'll get to explore Venice more often, especially since some of the Blue Blood past took place in Rome back during the Caligula days? Yes, please!

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