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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?
I was engrossed right from the beginning of Blue Bloods. It opened with a diary entry from a woman fleeing to the new world aboard the Mayflower. Further entries about strange deaths and disappearances are threaded throughout the book, adding mystery and instilling curiosity in the reader.Blue Bloods was written in third person from constantly changing perspectives, reminiscent of Anna Godbersen's prose. The characters were all interesting to read about with their own secrets and unique backgrounds.
Blue Bloods felt like it was setting the scene for the rest of the series, introducing the conflict, and getting us acquainted with the characters. Vampirism isn't even brought up in the book until just over halfway, but it was clear that the Blue Bloods' vampires were unique from other portrayals. They're regal, romanticized, and the blue bloods of Manhattan.
My only problem - though problem may be too strong a word - was that the characters so quickly accepted that they were vampires. They were told, showed small proof, and then got used to the idea in no time.
There wasn't a lot of romance in this book - a fling or too that didn't seem very serious. But the small romances seem to hint at bigger ones later in the series.
Blue Bloods grabs your attention and holds on, teasing you with intriguing beginnings of plots to be continued in further books. I fully intend to read the rest of the series, and give Blue Bloods 4 out of 5.
