BLUE BLOODS by Melissa de la Cruz

They're Young, Fabulous and Fanged...

And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school, she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl, but all that's about to change...

Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous and secret vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who or what is behind it before she's next.

This is the first in the Blue Bloods series. It's a YA series that I've had my eye on for a while, so when I found out it was being released in Australia, I couldn't wait to put my name down for a review copy. I'm a sucker for vampires.

Schuyler Van Alen might attend a private school for the rich and live in one of the greatest cities in the world, but she's never truly fit in. But that's fine, because she's got her best friend Oliver by her side. And together they hang out and manage to ignore all the other teens who are so unlike them. That is, until Schuyler finds out that she's a Blue Blood--a vampire. And not only that, but she's surrounded by them.

As if that's not hard enough to deal with, she's got a crush on one of the most popular guys in school, and is about to find out the real reason why her mother's in a coma, while Blue Bloods are being murdered by a creature more powerful than vampires. With so much going on, even her friendship with Oliver takes an unexpected turn.

Of course, there's a lot more to the story. And it's not just told in the point of view of Schyler. We also get into the head of the very obnoxious, Mimi Force. As well as the Texan, Bliss Llewellyn. As they each go through their own transformations and problems. Out of all of them, I found Mimi to be the hardest to enjoy and relate to because of her bitchiness. Bliss made a welcome change, but of course, Schuyler's story is the one that I enjoyed following the most.

She's the one caught up in the middle of something she had no idea even existed. As she slowly accepts what's going on around her, she also starts to understand things a lot better. And because of her, as a reader I got to delve deeper into the mythology of the Blue Bloods. I really like the new twist the author has given to vampires. I also found that because of how these vampires exist, the the book has a more adult feel. There's certainly not much innocence left in these teens.

Blue Bloods is an interesting book that introduces the reader to a world that at first seems as if it's just filled with spoilt rich teens, but soon opens up to a lot more. The mystery of who is killing these vampires and why, had me guessing the whole time. I can't wait to get all the answers...

And because I've got the next book on my TBR pile, I can at least get a few more answers and get more involved with the Blue Bloods right away.

Blue Bloods: Blue Bloods Bk 1, March 2010, ISBN 978-190-565474-1, Orbit Paperback