The Van Alen Legacy

It has been over a year since Rio and Schuyler and Oliver have been on the run nearly as long. It would seem as though she has made her choice, but just as she makes a daring move to secure her and Oliver's safety, she is thrown into the very thing she fears the most and into the arms of the one she can hardly bare to live without. Being her mother's unncorrupted daughter has made Schuyler the Blue Bloods last hope, but despite the fact that she has embraced her task, she has managed to run from the biggest similarity that she and her mother share, until now. Is her mother right? Are there some loves worth dying for?

Bliss has been in a lost state, struggling just to remember her name. She can't account for over a year of her life, and there is a Visitor living inside her, taking over whenever he pleases. As Bliss fights to regain control of her mind, body and future, she uncovers the truth of who she is and in the process uncovers a scheme that could undo everyone and everything she has left but how do you fight something that lives in you? Will she be strong enough to stop the Visitor, before its too late?

Mimi has trapsed acrossed the globe, searching for the watcher with her venator team, lead by the very one who nearly caused her death, Kingsley Martin. But everytime they think they've finally caught up, they are left wanting. Is it the year of adventure and near death experiences that has caused Mimi to reevaluated her life, or has she only just found someone that allows her to be as she truly is? Is it just meaningless nothing, and impulse of this life, of this time, or has Kingsley been there, every cycle, pushing her and possibly loving her and worse, her loving him back?

This story is growing up with each installment, which I really like to see. I struggle with a series that stays at one level or meaning and understanding. It seems to keep the readers in a stationary spot for a while, especially students like mine who only read 2-3 books a year. Therefore, a series that grows with the reader is a big hit in my eyes- both for the reading ability and the maturation of the reader.This story does get a lot darker than the rest of the series. The clothes, shoes, and designer handbags fall to the wayside as plots, plans, murders, and Lucifer himself take the foreground. In a way, I like this progression. This is the fourth book, so it wasn't sudden, but it wasn't too slow, either. My only problem with this series is that each installment ends on a cliffhanger.

So, it took me a bit longer to get through this book. My interest was waning on the series because of this love story between Schuyler and Jack.

But de la Cruz did a technique that reinvigorated a series that is bound to be pretty long. She broke up the reading into POV sections. So now we have the story told from Bliss, Mimi, and Schuyler's points of view. I must admit Schuyler's point of view grated on my nerves. Her character is becoming more and more unlikeable to me the more she dwells on her star-crossed love with Jack Force.

Mimi and Bliss' parts on the other hand made me love Bliss as a character even more (I already loved her) because her struggle was one that was real and evolving and a real page turner. de la Cruz managed to turn the story on it's head by introducing a new element into the foray by way of Bliss' character development and I can't wait to see what this new element will bring to the table.

Mimi's parts on the other hand made us understand her more especially in regards to her relationship with Kingsley. And now instead of being the bitch that is holding Schuyler and Jack back from being this amazing couple you realize that Mimi always had more of a reason to be with Jack than Schuyler and in fact, Schuyler is not innocent and she's a homewrecker.

These books are geared towards teens but I wonder if they understand that some of these elements are not okay. Schuyler is very clearly a homewrecker and clandestine trysts in an apartment (referring to the 3rd book, Revelations) isn't fun and inviting it's scandalous and belittling. I sometimes wonder if I would let me child (when I have one) read some of these YA books.