About the Book
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Author:
- Melissa de la Cruz
Cover Story: My Eyes! My Eyes!
BFF Charm: Yes, Yes
Talky Talk: Straight Up (On 6 Inch Manolo Blahniks)
Bonus Factors: Viral Videos
Anti-Bonus Factor: Changing Names
Relationship Status: Still Going Steady
Spoiler Alert: This is the fifth book in a series. If you haven’t read the previous four Blue Bloods books, there will be spoilers ahead.
Cover Story: My Eyes! My Eyes!
Partial face and bird wings, ack!!! Watch out, partial face! It’s right behind you! That giant white bird is RIGHT. BEHIND. YOU.
The Deal
Jack and Schuyler have run away from Mimi and the New York coven, who want Jack dead. Unfortunately, the European coven that offered them shelter has turned out to be a sort of prison of it’s own. So now they need to escape from that.
Back in New York, Mimi is trying to still go to high school, grieve Kingsley’s disappearance into a hell dimension, and act as Regent fro the New York coven, all while a new threat is on the horizon. Because somebody is targeting Blue Bloods again…
BFF Charm: Yes, Yes
My BFF charms still stand from the first four books. I do feel that Schuyler’s personality diminished in this book. Perhaps De La Cruz thought we knew her well enough from the first four? It’s just been so long since I read the first four that I kind of forget a lot of things. I mean, I remember the important stuff, like what an awesome character Mimi is, and how H-O-T hot Jack is. Thud. Thud. But some of the finer points are lost.
That said, Oliver’s unlikely alliance with Mimi allowed the author to continue to develop both of their characters in a really fun way. Of course, anybody paired with Mimi is pretty much in for a wild ride, so…
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
This installment was focused around the continuing romance of Jack and Schuyler, and while I still love them together — and the whole ‘he’s gonna be killed dead for choosing to be with Schuyler over his bondmate Mimi’ ratchets up the stress — now that they’re together the tension diminished a bit. De La Cruz seems to attempt to hold the reader’s interest with a balance of suspense and sexytimes, but in a series where the driving force (pun intended) is “will they or won’t they”, once they ARE can’t help but flounder. Of course, who’d want to read Romeo and Juliet’s European Vacation or “Romeo and Juliet’s Trip to Whole Foods if they hadn’t offed themselves?
Talky Talk: Straight Up (On 6 Inch Manolo Blahniks)
Not the strongest in the series, this book still drives the overall story forward, setting the stage for the final two books, in which I assume De La Cruz is going to place the shit on a plate in front of a giant fan. As a bridge book, Misguided Angel still had its purpose — to introduce a new Big Bad, as well as a new Big… Good. The fashionista-speak has calmed down a great deal by Book 5, for which I’m grateful, if just so I don’t have to wonder if I’m supposed to know the labels De La Cruz is name dropping. Overall, I still really enjoyed the book, but I don’t think it should be read as a stand alone.
Bonus Factor: Viral Videos
The use of videos was really clever and helped build the anxiety with the threat of a new evil in a nice modern turn to counterbalance all of the historical stuff.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Changing Names
Abbadon? Michael? Allegra? Lawrence? Gabrielle? Who’s who? For those not in the know, pretty much everyone has their ancient name and their current name, and mostly go by the latter, but sometimes the former gets thrown around, just to mess with my head. I get it, I do, your days on the playground would be horrendous with a name like “Metraton”, (which, is why when I — in a weak moment, mind you — suggested “Anakin” as a boy’s name if we ever had kids, my husband shot me down. Thankfully.) But I need a bookmark with a list of who’s really who, because my “little more A” brain has forgotten, people!
Relationship Status: Still Going Steady
This series and I have hit a little lull. I think we’re not that exciting to each other anymore, and that’s okay. It happens from time to time. We’ve both been busy, and it’s easy to let life get in the way and feel disjointed when you’re in a long-term relationship. But that’s okay, because I have a feeling that with the next installment, it’s going to bring home the sex toys or I’m going to find out it’s had a secret coke addiction or something. Either way, I think the excitement will be back.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Misguided Angel is available now.
