The Van Alen Legacy (2009)

The fourth book of the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz is exciting and action-packed. Schuyler Van Alen spent most of the book jetting around the world hiding from the Venators because she was accused of killing her grandfather. She tried to sneak into a party (what a party!) to contact the Countess of Paris, a member of the European Coven, to seek shelter but all hell breaks loose (not just an expression). Mimi Force, a Venator on another team, has been sent on a mission to find a missing girl. The third character, Bliss Llewellyn, was battling with a sinister dark force that was taking over her body. All three girls came back to New York to return to their last year of high school.

But she would have to continue her education somehow. What had Lawrence always said? School was more than academics; an education prepared you for the humdrum of real life: working with others, tempering one's personality to
assimilate with the group but without losing your individual identity,
understanding the factors of logic, reasoning, and debate. For a person -
vampire or human - to succeed in the world, unlocking the mysteries of the
universe was insufficient. One would also need to grasp the mysteries of human
nature.

The cruel fact that love wasn't always convenient became apparent to all of the characters. Mimi was scheduled to "bond" with her twin, Jack (not too weird since their characters had always bonded in previous lives), but Jack loved Schuyler. Schuyler loved Jack but wanted to remain loyal to her human "Conduit", Oliver, who loved her. Bliss loved Dylan but he was dead and appears to her as a ghost. It's never easy, is it?

I have enjoyed this series since I picked it up after reading the Twilight series. In many ways I prefer this series, especially since Schuyler is so much more proactive than Belle. I loved how de la Cruz snuck in the pitch for high school quoted above. The next book, Misguided Angel, will be out in October.

My rating for this book: ++++