Morganville Vampires Series Book #10: Bite Club by Rachel Caine

The first rule about Fight Club: You don’t talk about Fight Club.

The same should go for the vampire version – Bite Club. You know, I wasn’t sure that Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series could get any better than it did in the last book Ghost Town. But I was shockingly surprised.

In book 10 of the series, Shane is having his usual anger management issues, but they seem to be worse than normal. He’s attacking Michael for no reason. He thinks Claire is cheating on him with Myrinn, and he accuses Eve of being a fang banger. Jeez, Shane take a chill pill would you? But as it turns out, his anger has only been amped up because of a vampire named Glorianna – or Glory for short – and this protein shake that contains vampire blood.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that the reason his anger has been hyped up – along with a few other members of Morganville – is so not only they could be in vampire version of Fight Club, but because Bishop needs an army to fight for him as he tries to take over the town again.

Wait. Bishop? The big badass vampire from five books ago? The one everyone thought was dead?

Yeah, apparently, he wasn’t dead. Amelie kept him alive but locked up without blood. Dude. That’s just… *shakes head*

Thankfully Bishop’s rise to power again is short lived, thanks to Myrinn killing him with airborne silver nitrate. And as for Myrinn, I still think there is something going on there between him and Claire. Or at least, he wants something to happen between them. I don’t know, it could just be me reading too far in between the lines.

And then Michael and Eve are getting married! WHAT?! And what’s with Michael not being too overly ecstatic about this? Something is up there. Also, Claire rejecting MIT – the dream school she’s wanted to go to forever – what was up with that? Yeah, she would have to leave Morganville, but c’mon girl! It’s your dream! You can’t forsake those just because you don’t want to leave Shane and the others.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Not as good as the last one. There were some plot points I wasn’t too ecstatic with, but still really good considering it’s the tenth book in a series.

Bookshelf worthy? Electronic only.

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot

After reading this book the only question I really have is this: When did Luke – who I absolutely loved in book 1 – become such a dick? Seriously. What happened to that guy in France who special ordered Diet Coke for Lizzie because he knew she loved them?

Anyway, right. Luke is engaged to Lizzie, but instead of being ecstatic over the news like her friends should be, they are anything but. Chaz isn’t happy because he’s in love with Lizzie (not that you really know that until near the end of the book) and doesn’t believe that Luke is the right guy for her. Shari isn’t happy because she also doesn’t think Luke is the right guy for her. Why don’t they? Well, um. Hello, he did get her a sewing machine for Christmas and told her that he had no intention of marrying her before leaving for France. And then he shows up on New Years with a ring – a total 180 – and asks her to marry him? Seriously. How can Lizzie not see the problem with that?

Oh, and also the fact that Lizzie feels like she’s about to throw up/breaks out into hives every time she thinks about the wedding. You know, Lizzie, considering you graduated from the University of Michigan, you aren’t very smart. Most women would take that as a sign that Luke isn’t the guy for them.

Instead the reader has to suffer through almost 200 pages of Lizzie trying to figure out that Luke isn’t the guy for her. It isn’t until Gran’s funeral, where Luke doesn’t show up but Chaz does, that she realizes that Luke and her are over.

Anyway, my favorite character out of this book was Tiffany, because she was the voice of reason when it came to the whole Luke/Chaz/Lizzie thing. She understood what Lizzie couldn’t. It was so awesome.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Meg Cabot’s books are always amazing and such quick reads because they are so interesting you don’t want to stop reading.

Bookshelf worthy? If I only had the room…

Blue Bloods Series Book #6: Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

So, while the last book finally made it easier to keep up with the different narrators by devoting a complete part of a book to each, this book resorts back to each chapter is someone else. But instead of being Schuyler, Mimi and Bliss/Deming – this time the third narrator is Allegra, and it isn’t in the present time. Allegra’s chapters are all about how she came to break her bond with Charles.

This was one of the reasons why this book was by far my favorite of the whole series so far.

Schuyler and Jack are married now – the ceremony took place in that awesome novella (that I didn’t read) – and are still looking for the Gate of Paradise while Jack is on the run from Mimi and the blood trial. While they are looking for this Gate, Schuyler starts getting sick – vomiting with blood – and she thinks that she is pregnant with Jack’s child but Jack knows that it’s because of their bonding, something called the Wasting Disease. Hey, I thought she was pregnant too because yeah, she’s a Blue Blood but she’s also human, it’s totally possible, right? Ha. Apparently not. Since Jack broke his bond with Mimi to bond with Schuyler, the bond is causing his love pain. The only way to break the bond? Is to either kill Mimi or perform a service for his master – who you know, is Lucifer. Considering my ‘love’ for Mimi, I’m thinking the first option is better.

Speaking of the Angel of Death, she’s down in Hell with Oliver to look for Kingsley, the love of her life, who is the only reason that she isn’t really going after Jack to extract her revenge. She does find him, and after a month or so of playing games where he pretends not to want her or to go with her, she’s about to leave when…well, they get a little racy. And I do mean racy. Seriously most YA authors hint or suggest that characters have sex, de la Cruz puts it out in black and white. ‘He cried out as he entered her.’ Sexy. He goes with her. The only problem is that for Kingsley to leave hell, a soul has to be traded for his. AKA why Oliver is on this trip. Just when things get dire, Mimi does the unthinkable and trades her soul for Kingsley’s. HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER! Okay…remember what I said about hating Mimi Force? I take that back now.

Eventually the blood trial between Jack and Mimi does happen, but neither can kill the other. Which means…yeah, that’s right ladies and gentlemen. The Angels of Death and Destruction, who betrayed Lucifer to help the Blue Bloods, return to their master. I’ll admit when I first read this – before I read the book – I was scared shitless. Why would they do that? But now that I know why they did this, I can’t wait to see what the final book has in store.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Now that I’m used to the whole switching of narrators thing, it’s not as bad. The plot is as thick as my hair – which is really thick – and everything is escalating quickly for an awesome conclusion.

Bookshelf worthy? Yep, still own them.

Blue Bloods Series Book #5: Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

The biggest issue that I’ve had with this series was the fact that you had 3 different narrators and that they would change every chapter – or two depending on how series the events were in the last chapter. The problem was sort of resolved in this book with the novel being divided into four parts – Schuyler, Mimi, a Venator named Deming, and a sort of epilogue dealing with the three narrators. I liked the switch because you finally got to groove with the characters and didn’t have to worry at the end of the chapter of switching to a different narrator. My only complaint was that each section – except for the Deming section – was too short! Just when things were getting interesting with Schuyler and Jack, BAM! Part two: Mimi Force. And just when things were getting interesting with Mimi, BAM! Part three: Deming.

Anyway, Schuyler and Jack have gained the protection of the European Coven, but it was revealed at the end of the last book that the Countess was Lucifer’s first wife in another cycle. So Schuyler and Jack are on the run while looking for one of the Gates to Hell. Mimi Force is dealing with the aftermath of her bonding disaster and has been named Regent of the Coven. She has to deal with a possible discovery of their race by the Red Bloods and the kidnapping/burning of a Blue Blood. The new character Deming is brought in by Mimi to investigate who could have possibly have done this.

What all three of the narrators discover is that the Silver Bloods have been mating with humans for years, creating demon spawn. Yikes.

Out of all of these books so far I think this one is my favorite. Not only do you get to see Jack and Schuyler together, but also you get to – finally – see some character development in Mimi, especially when she starts to become friends with Oliver. Again, my only complaint was that the book was too short and how could de la Cruz rectify this? Um, how about adding the events of the novella Bloody Valentine to the end of this book? Especially because it turns out the events in the novella are important to the next book, if what I’ve read so far of Lost in Time is any indication.

Sorry, I get annoyed with novellas, because I don’t read them. I personally think they’re just an attempt by the author to lengthen a series and it annoys me. It’s like I have enough books to read, I can’t waste my time with 50-80 paged novellas, and usually the events in a novella aren’t too important to the storyline of the rest of the series. Except for Bloody Valentine apparently. *grumbles*

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Again, the plot thickens. Why is there a fake Gate? What can these Silver Blood/Red Blood spawn do? And will the Coven go underground?

Bookshelf worthy? Still have them on my shelves.

Blue Bloods Series Book #4: The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz

Here is my belief about the previous three books after reading this one: What was the point?

Honestly, my emotions went up and down in the previous three books and all of that exercise was for nothing. The gut-wrenching feeling I had when Schuyler left Jack in book 3, gone. The shock and hurt I felt when Bliss turned out to not only be Allegra’s daughter but to have Lucifer within her as well. Pft. What connection to Lucifer?

The only thing that was quite interesting was Mimi’s 180. I mean, here she is all against Schuyler and Jack, but then what does she do in this book? She hooks up with Kingsley and at the bonding ceremony she was going to leave Jack for him! I’m sorry, but what the actual hell?

There was also the issue of the timeline. In the book, it’s mentioned that it’s been a year since the events in Revelations, but I’m trying to do the math and it just doesn’t work out that way. It was March/April at the end of book 3, and this one picks up in August right before Jack and Mimi’s senior year, and Bliss and Schuyler are both sixteen. A year hasn’t passed. Maybe four months, but not a year.

Also, holy crap! Allegra is awake! But she doesn’t stick around long, does she? She talks to Schuyler for like five minutes and then takes off to help her bond mate (the one she broke off, mind you) Charles, who may or may not be dead thanks to the Silver Bloods. And what the hell is going on with these gates?

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. This book was just a little too long. I personally believe all the Bliss chapters were not needed. Mimi’s change of heart wasn’t in her character at all. And Jack and Schuyler ending up together annoyed me to no end – as much as I love this couple, why did she have to go through all that heartache if they were just going to end up together anyway?

Bookshelf worthy? Lucifer hasn’t played with my memories, so they’re still on my shelf.

Blue Bloods Series Book #3: Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

“I’m tired of being your best friend. I’m tired of being second best. I won’t settle for that anymore. It’s all or nothing, Schuyler. You have to decide. Him or me.”

With a quote like that, how is it possible that the love square that Schuyler, Jack, Mimi, and Oliver are in is not the most important part of this book? Well, real possible apparently.

Like with most de la Cruz paranormal books, the punches don’t really come into the end. And when they do they’re absolutely crazy. Schuyler breaks it off with Jack – as she should have. I mean as much as I love that couple and have been rooting for them from the beginning, the bond between him and Mimi is too strong. If he even tries to break it, he will be brought before the Clave and/or hunted down by Mimi herself and Burned. I see no silver lining in this situation and I know a lost cause when I see it, even if the break up killed me – not that you really saw it, just Mimi walking in on the aftermath.

Bliss’s true self is revealed – finally. I had a feeling that she was Lucifer and to find out that her father and stepmother were in on it the whole time just blows my mind. Not to mention the fact that Bliss’s sister, Jordan, is the Watcher and is hated by her parents. Talk about family drama.

In Memoriam: Lawrence Van Alen and Dylan Ward. Dylan finally dies, and his death is the catalyst for letting loose Lucifer’s second in command. Lawrence’s death…jeez. Why do I even bother having favorite characters in fantasy/paranormal/vampire books? They always get killed off by the author and always devastate me. But talk about a bomb to be dropped with Lawrence’s final death – great moment to tell Schuyler that she has a sister who will destroy them all.

Oy.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Plot thickens. Characters’ true faces are revealed. Hearts are broken. Wow. I can see why a lot of people liked this book the best out of the series.

Bookshelf worthy? Well, vampires haven’t glommed them away yet, so…

Blue Bloods Series Book #2: Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

I find it interesting in some of the reviews that I’ve read for this book, that a lot of people said that there was no point to it – that it was more filler than anything else. I would like to disagree. Although in some respects there were some ‘filler’ moments, a lot of what occurred in Masquerade, I have a feeling, impacts what happens in book 3.

So it’s been a few months since the events in Blue Bloods, Schuyler and Oliver are in Venice tracking down her grandfather, Charles is still visiting Allegra, Mimi feels victorious because Jack has strengthened their bond, Bliss is still grieving Dylan’s death and is having a lot of blackouts, and then there’s the introduction of the new character Kingsley. Schuyler does find her grandfather but he tells her that her grandmother lead her astray – he can be of no help to her…until he shows up in New York and decides to help her anyway. I really liked the character of Lawrence Van Alen, he reminds me a lot of Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series.

Still don’t care for the character of Mimi Force, I mean, sheesh. Yeah, I understand that her and Jack are bonded to be together, but c’mon. If you keep trying to force Schuyler and him apart, he’s going to want her even more. Speaking of, although the masquerade kiss was cute and the ‘sweet dreams’ bit was adorable, I still thing there needed to be more Jack/Schuyler fluff in this book. Hopefully, though, Mimi has learned her lesson with her almost blood burning near the end there.

I had a feeling something was going on with Bliss that had to deal with the Silver Bloods. The blackouts weren’t normal. The dreaming about a beast wasn’t normal. Add in the article at the end of the book about Maggie – that basically describes Bliss to a T – and the fact that her father has an emerald called Lucifer’s Bane and I honestly think that she is the Silver Blood/or her father is housing a Silver Blood. Quite curious to see how this goes – especially with the unexpected appearance of Dylan (wait! Wasn’t he dead?!) at the end of the book claiming that he knows whom the Silver Blood is.

Two things I didn’t like with this book: Charles plan to adopt Schuyler. Um, excuse me? But Cordelia did state in her will that Schuyler is an emancipated minor aka she doesn’t need a guardian. Hopefully someone realizes this in the next book, because with her living with the Forces it’s going to make it harder for their to be fluff between her and Jack. The other thing that I didn’t care for was the whole Schuyler/Oliver storyline. That was the only redeeming quality in the last book was that they were just friends. That got blown to bits after she makes him her human familiar (ew) and realizes that he’s been in love with her forever. Le sigh. Bad plot, de la Cruz, really bad plot line.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Much better than the last book. Characters that were flat start to come to life, intrigue increases, and new characters are fun.

Bookshelf worthy? The cover art is quite interesting and I already own the whole series, so yeah.