Title: Gates of Paradise (Blue Bloods #7)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Release date: January 15, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 355
Source: Publisher
Reading level: YA
Schuyler Van Alen is running out of time. The Dark Prince of Hell is storming the Gates of Paradise, intent on winning the heavenly throne for good. This time he has his greatest angels by his side, Abbadon and Azrael—Jack and Mimi Force, as they are known in the Coven.
Or so he thinks. Even as Lucifer assigns Jack and Mimi the tasks of killing their true loves, the Force twins secretly vow to defeat the Dark Prince once and for all. But how far will Mimi and Jack go to conceal their real loyalties?
Meanwhile, former vampire Bliss Llewellyn has joined forces with Lawson, the greatest wolf of the underworld, to free his people from their imprisonment in Hell. As they struggle against impossible odds, an ancient message, woven into the very fabric of time, reveals just how much depends on the success of their mission.
Lucifer seeks the key to the Gate of Promise, and when Schuyler is taken captive and delivered straight to Hell, she must make an unthinkable choice—the same one the archangel Michael was forced to make during the Crisis in Rome. Will Schuyler find the strength to do what he could not?
What to say about Gates of Paradise? It’s hard to put my feelings into words about this book. There were so many emotions and I’m still kind of shocked. I’ll keep this review short, sweet, and spoiler free.
Coming to the end of a series, especially such a long one, is hard. There are so many expectations and it seems impossible for the book to live up to them. All questions need to be answered and everything needs to be tied up nice and neatly. That takes a lot of work and it can sometimes make a book really boring. That was not the case with Gates of Paradise. I was left completely satisfied with this book and I truly loved it from beginning to end. The story never slows down and there are so many shocking things going on.
Everything in the Blue Bloods series was tied up at the end of Gates of Paradise. I honestly thought the whole book would be spent rehashing previous events and tying things up in a nice little bow. I didn’t expect new questions and problems to be introduced but they were. Of course, they were also tied up at the end but it kept the plot going and those few shockers will keep readers hooked.
All of the old characters are back, including the wolves from Wolf Pact. If you haven’t read Wolf Pact, it’s not necessary to understand Gates of Paradise but it was nice to read beforehand. All the characters are coming to the final points in their journeys and no one really knows what’s going to happen next. Whole different sides of some of my favorite characters were revealed in Gates of Paradise and I wasn’t sure who to trust anymore. Melissa de la Cruz really knows how to keep readers guessing until the very end.
Overall, Gates of Paradise is the perfect ending to the Blue Bloods series. I am, of course, sad to say goodbye to the awesome characters but I was completely satisfied by this last installment. I laughed, I cried, and I squealed in joy. I look forward to Melissa de la Cruz’s next book, whatever it may be.
Looking for more reviews of Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz?
Lost in a Great Book’s review
A Walk on Words’ review
Midnight Bloom Reads’ review
Series:
Blue Bloods (#1)
Masquerade (#2)
Revelations (#3)
The Van Alen Legacy (#4)
Misguided Angel (#5)
Lost In Time (#6)
Gates of Paradise (#7)
I am really looking forward to reading this one. But I know I am going to be a blubbering mess at the end. 🙂 Great review.
Jenea @ Books Live Forever
I totally agree! Great review! I fell in love with the Blue Bloods series from the beginning and can not believe it’s over. The ending was epic and satisfying. Honestly great review, didn’t give anything away. Can’t wait for the Blue Blood’s spin off series!
Omg, I seriously want to get ahold of this book. I loved the series (Spent most of last year catching up) and Im totally sad to say goodbye! At least it got a five star review. Hope it lives up to the rest of the series.
I tried reading this but put it down really fast. I loved the series but things just seem repetitive and needed to wrap up. I knew this was the ending but couldn’t bring myself to finish. Maybe I’ll give it another shot!
Glad to hear this one was good! I need to check out this series.
-Brad @ BookYAReview
I’m a sucker for vampires!! I don’t care if they’re not selling to publishers anymore, there’s just something about them that I love. And this author has created a wonderful vampire world!
Thank you for keeping your awesome review free of anything that can ruin it for those of us who haven’t read it yet.