Book Review: Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods #5) by Melissa de la Cruz

Summary: 
After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all of her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online…for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.

As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler’s mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart.
 
Review: 
I think that Melissa de la Cruz has done a great job with the Blue Bloods series.  She has not confirmed how many books will be in the series, only that there will be several mini-trilogies within the series where certain things get resolved.  For the exact quote from her site, click here

While Misguided Angel was not my favorite Blue Bloods book (The Van Alen Legacy wins that honor) it was just as good as I've come to expect from this series.  The book is told in four parts, with Schuyler and Jack's story told primarily in the first quarter.  As a big Schuyler and Jack fan, this was disappointing; however the other parts highlighting Mimi, a new character called Deming Chan, and a fourth section with all the characters included made up for the lack of forbidden romance.

Misguided Angel did feel somewhat transitional to me.  I think that Melissa is taking the series in a new direction, and the events of this book, especially the inclusion of  Venator Deming Chen, set things up for at least three more books in the series, in my opinion.  Schuyler's legacy is to find the gates, and she did not even find the first gate in this book.  So, she has a lot of work to do yet to fulfill her legacy.

I have never been a fan of Mimi, but she really grew on me throughout the book.  Mimi experienced a lot of personal growth (which I felt she was in desperate need of).  I did miss reading about Bliss.  I have always really liked her.  I'm looking forward to hearing more from Bliss in the spin-off series, out April 2012.

The ending sets things up perfectly for the next book: people you thought were dead aren't, it looks like there will be a bonding in the near future, and will Mimi really kill Jack?  Many of the questions I had after reading The Van Alen Legacy went unanswered, but that's okay.  I'll definitely be back for more Blue Bloods drama!

Just One Gripe: 
This book was pretty short (about 270 pages).  I burned through it in less than three hours.  It felt like the thrill was over so fast after waiting for so long!

The Best Thing About This Book: 
I really like Melissa de la Cruz's complicated plots.

Appropriate for a younger audience: 
Yes

Score: 
Characters:  4/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting/Imagery: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Ending: 3/5
Total Score:  18/25






8 comments:

  1. For some reason, I've never read anything by Melissa de la Cruz. There's something about the premise that just doesn't strike me enough to push it to the front of my TBR pile :)

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  2. I love when you like something so much it seems too short.

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  3. This book was awesome! Nice review :)

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  4. I've read the first 3 in this series but haven't gotten to the last two yet and am really looking forward to it. I love her complicated plots as well, there's never a dull moment. Wonderful review Kelli!

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  5. I have to say that I couldn't get into the "Blue Bloods" story at all. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the plot did nothing for me. However, I do recommend it to my students and they enjoy it. Goes to show that each person has a different view/reaction to a book. Thanks for the review, Kelli!

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  6. I have this series (books 1-4) on my shelf. I hope to get to it one of these days. I need to make a serious dent in my TBR pile!

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  7. I have this series on my TBR pile but haven't started it yet, I'm going to have to try & read it soon though after reading your review :o)

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