Thursday, October 20, 2011

Lost in Time by Melissa De La Cruz

Lost in Time, by Melissa De La Cruz, is the 6th (and 2nd to last) book in the popular YA Vampire series, Blue Bloods.  Lost in Time starts off where De La Cruz's last Blue Bloods book, Misguided Angel, ends.  I do believe that you need to be familiar with the other books in the series before picking up Lost in Time.  Also, if it has been a good amount of time since you read the last book I recommend picking up Misguided Angel to refresh your memory.  There is so much going on in the Blue Bloods world that it helps if you can recollect everything that has happened.

At the end of Misguided Angel, Schuyler and Jack had decided to have a bonding ceremony (they got married to us Red Bloods.)  Jack's sister/nemesis Mimi, after losing her love Kingsley Martin to the Demons of Hell, had decided to make the journey through the Gates of Hell with Oliver to get him back.  Finally, Charles and Allegra (Jack's father and Schuyler's mother) had disappeared leaving the New York Coven in shambles.

Lost in Time is written from the point of view of 3 characters: Schuyler, Mimi, and Allegra.  Each character is involved in their own individual story.  While the happenings of Schuyler and Mimi take place in current time, the chapters revolving around Allegra go back to before her Comatose state.  De La Cruz allows her readers a closer look at Allegra's relationships with Charles and Ben and how the consequences of her actions unfolded.

In Lost in Time, Schuyler is able to convince Jack to help her find Catherine of Siena and the Gate of Promise before facing his blood trial with Mimi.  They find themselves on a wild goose chase throughout Alexandria and Cairo searching for the Gate Keeper.  After each wrong turn the couple comes closer together as they realize just how important it is to find her secrets in order to save their world from Lucifer.

Mimi, the current Regent of the Coven, looks on as the chaos in the Blue Bloods world grows.  She comes to realize that to be an effective leader she first has to be happy.  She and Oliver decide they have no choice but to enter Hell to save Kingsley.  With determination and many struggles Mimi finds the man she loves.  However, Kingsley has changed due to his time in the Seventh Circle of Hell.  This unexpected realization puts Mimi and Oliver in danger, as well as the New York Coven.   

Melissa De La Cruz does a great job in weaving an entertaining story filled with lust, suspense, and heartache.  She describes Hell in a way that I have never seen done.  Her Hell is not just a place with lakes of fire and demons.  De La Cruz creates a world inhabited by fallen Angels, Demons, Trolls, the dead, and Hellhounds.  Each level of Hell is different and miserable in its own unique way.  Oliver discovers that the clothes are itchy, the buildings are too hot or too cold, the food is too sweet or rotten.  Nothing is right.

I really enjoyed watching Mimi and Oliver's friendship grow.  They started off despising each other in the beginning of the series and grew to truly enjoy each others company.  De La Cruz shows in Lost in Time how they have come to know each other better than almost anyone else.  Mimi no longer just worries about herself and what is going to make her life easier, she now views Oliver as a true friend which as a result changes her and her relationship with Kingsley.

When I found Schuyler and Jack's story start to drag Mimi and her escapades lifted me back up.  De La Cruz really handles the Mimi/Oliver/Kingsley storyline well.  It is witty, quickly moving, and hot (in more ways than one!)

I recommend Melissa De La Cruz's Lost in Time to all YA literature fans.  De La Cruz does a great job of leaving her readers asking for more.  My countdown is on for January 2013 when the final Blue Bloods novel, The Gates of Paradise, is released.  I'm excited to see how the story turns out for Schuyler, Jack, Mimi, Kingsley, Oliver, Allegra, Charles, Bliss and all of my other favorite Blue Bloods characters. 

Hyperion and BookPleasures.com has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book, Lost in Time, for the purpose of review.