Vampires of Manhattan

July 14, 2014
De la Cruz brings the characters from her Blue Bloods YA books into a new adult series with this bland opener, which combines a bare-bones plot with lots of sex. The characters and the core concept—that vampires are actually angels on earth, fighting against the forces of Lucifer—transition well and engage new readers easily enough, but the story and writing are still immature. Ten years after defeating Lucifer, Oliver is the leader of his vampire coven. With his human lover, Finn, he plans to reinstitute the tradition of the Four Hundred Year Ball. Ara, a vampiric police officer, is investigating a suspicious murder. And Mimi has left her cushy life in Hell with her husband, Kingsley, to work in an art gallery. As the threads converge, de la Cruz wastes all the tension on flashbacks that only highlight how obvious the betrayers and villains are. There’s nothing especially awful about this novel, but there’s nothing especially great either.

August 1, 2014

Kicking off her new adult series, the author brings back the cast, now older, from her "Blue Bloods" series about rich teen vampires. It's been a decade since they defeated Lucifer (Gates of Paradise), and the coven has rebuilt with Oliver Hazard-Perry as its leader. To celebrate, vampire Oliver and his human familiar Finn are throwing a ball for vampire high society. Oliver will also use the occasion to perform the ritual that will make him king of the vampires and bind the coven to him. After a decade of peace and prosperity, though, a young mortal girl is murdered, and pentagrams begin appearing everywhere. Araminta, a venator, investigates with help from wolf Edon. Kingsley and Mimi make an appearance, too, as they leave hell for Manhattan and become embroiled in the situation. Tension mounts as the ball approaches, and the Blue Bloods begin to wonder if Lucifer is really dead or if there's a traitor in their midst. VERDICT Fans of the original series will be happy to read about the Blue Bloods again, but with minimal backstory, readers new to the series will be lost.--Melissa DeWild, Kent Dist. Lib., Comstock Park, MI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
De la Cruz's popular YA series, Blue Bloods, concluded with Gates of Paradise (2013), but the prolific author is far from done. This series-opener finds the Blue Bloods characters, now in their thirties, contending with marriage, divorce, careers, and an unexpected resurgence of demonic activity. Ventators Ara (formerly Minty) and Edon investigate a pair of murdered girls found in close proximity to dangerous, powerful pentagrams. Meanwhile Oliver, now regent, prepares for the grand 400 Ball, a celebration that will unify the coven and solidify his future as its leader. Oliver is so fixated on making the ball perfect, however, that he fails to notice how close the dark magic has come to his door. There could be a compelling paranormal police procedural here, but de la Cruz spends so much time filling in back story and giving voice to her characters' deep inner conflicts that important plot points are lost in the fray. Fans of the characters, though, will be plenty satisfied by the dishy, Gossip Girlstyle story and eager for further installments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)