The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods, Book 4) (edition 2009)

These books get more and more ridiculous I mean, Lucifer is inhabiting Bliss' body? Of courrrrrse he is but I can't help but love them. So bad, but so good. Although Jack and Schuyler really bother me as a couple. Team Oliver. I am enjoying the transition Mimi is making from spoiled brat to someone worth liking... maybe she Oliver can smooch it up later. Yes please. ( )

I really enjoyed this one. Not as much as I loved the first two, but it was still very relaxing and easy to read. I enjoyed the fact that it was split up so much into so many perspectives- it helped break the book up and made it easier to get through. Schuyler's character was very weak in this one, and lacked any real personality. One minute she was ''definitely staying with Oliver'' then the next minute she's ''definitely going with Jack'' and this kept switching the whole way through. I loved the other characters a lot more than I did previously. Bliss's story was captivating, and it was wonderful to get to know Mimi more- she's such an interesting character. I was very annoyed with the story surrounding Allegra, it was very flimsy and a let down, given that it's been built up during the other three books. The ending was okay, but really turned the story upside-down, so it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. ( )

In The Van Alen Legacy, all seems hopeless. Schuyler and Oliver are accused of killing Schuyler’s grandfather, so now they’re on the run. Schuyler and Jack are over. And the Silver Bloods are back and better than ever! And by better, I mean trying to kill everybody and take over the world. Pretty awful, right? But never fear! Allegra, Schuyler’s mom, has woken up from her self-induced coma, and has revealed to Schuyler The Van Alen Legacy. Which now gives Schuyler a purpose, besides bemoaning the fact Jack dumped her, she now has to find the seven gatekeepers and stop the Silver Bloods from finding the gates.
This book picks up right where Revelations left off. And I've got to say, I was disappointed. Revelations was amazing, I spent the last couple chapters gasping, so in comparison, this one was not good. Rotating from the viewpoint of three characters usually helps alleviate boredom, but it felt confusing, and slightly forced, at parts.
Bliss, one of the main characters, is struggling with her own serious problems, and I think Melissa de la Cruz could have expanded further on her problems. Mimi, another one of the main characters, was off kind of doing her own thing.
I felt this book was more of a setup for the next one. It didn't really do it for me, and I feel as though the series is dragging onward.

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz is the fourth book in the Blue Bloods series. The pacing of this story is much better as each chapter is told from a different setting and set of characters, increasing the tension for readers looking to uncover the grand plan of the Silver Bloods. Schuyler and Oliver, her human conduit, have been on the run since the end of the last book, and after more than a year of running from the Venators, they have done little to uncover the truth of her family’s legacy or the plans of the Silver Bloods. In many ways, Schuyler has taken a backseat in these books to allow Mimi to come into her full powers and true destiny as she and her fellow Venators search the globe for the Watcher, who was taken from Bliss Llewellyn family.

Bliss, on the other hand, has her own set of problems as she fights to regain control over her life and uncover what her father, the senator Forsyth, has been up to behind closed doors. Meanwhile, she realizes that even the people she has lost are carried with her always and are available to help her regain control and take appropriate action to prevent further devastation.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/11/the-van-alen-legacy-by-melissa-de-la-cruz-bo... ( )

This book was fantastic. I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. Melissa de la Cruz has the most amazing imagination I was awestruck. The twists & turns that Schuyler makes & all the back stories of the characters! Amazing all the detail & creativeness. I loved this book more than the last one. Can't wait to read the next one to see what happens to Schuyler. ( )