Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Gates of Paradise By Melissa De La Cruz Review

Before I say anything about this book's contents, I would like to say what a great pleasure it was to read and journey with the characters in this series. It is a pity that this is the last of the series. I will always hope for a little more of these characters like Jack Force, Mimi Force, Martin Kingsley, and Oliver something.

The Gates of Paradise is one of those books with a happy ending. Truthfully it wasn't like The Hunger Games or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where everyone dies or anything like that. It was sweet, quick, and also creepy. If you are looking for a happy book, this is it.

Gates of Paradise Cover
What an amazing cover! Don't you agree? I like the flower. It is so beautiful in the cover. I like the building at the bottom of the cover, too.

The plot was good. I like the twist and turns with Kingsley and Mimi's relationship. Bliss and Lawson are on the relationship stage "It's complicated." Schuyler and Jack are on the relationship stage "Hopefully we will get back together, but it just doesn't seem possible until the war ends." Oliver and Schuyler seem to be on the page "best friends." And that is all worth mentioning without telling you spoilers!

The downfall of this book was that everything felt to be rushed. There were many points in the book where I just want to say, "Slow down. Calm. You need Starbucks, Ms. De La Cruz. Lots of coffee." Battle scenes--I want more scenes of the Fallen fighting against the Traitors. She skipped over most of the scenes. Not FAIR! I want more of the fighting. Give me a visual of it. 

Ahhhhh. The gooey part of the book. Let's just say there is blood, betrayal, and more blood. There should be more blood, after all they are vampyres. And there are some lovemaking scenes, but they aren't that big of a deal. It's more of a mention than a vivid description. (Thank Heavens!) 

To me, the strongest writing in the book is the Mimi scenes. I mean, I love Mimi, but I'm not trying to be biased or anything. I truly believe Mimi was the strongest character in the book. Bliss would be second. And Schuyler the last. 

Characters:
Schuyler: To me, she was just running around the globe, trying to find the answer to the problem. Her biggest problem: "Only the Blood of Her Father Can You Now." Schuyler is questioning who is her father. She found her other sister. She found her father's family. But who is the father in that quote? From that shy girl we met in the beginning of the series to this girl right now, we see the changes of Schuyler Van Alen. 

Mimi: Mimi is the BEST CHARACTER in this series. She is just amazing and stunning. Her character went a full 180 degrees. She was the total opposite of what she started out with. Her problem: Lucifer and her oath to him (Remember this?).

Bliss: I like Bliss. She is awesome. However she is weak in this book, she's no longer a vampyre. She is a human now. Gone for a year, Bliss returns to find the world the same yet different. She travels with the Hellhounds to free the rest of them. 

Jack: Jack, at first, was the one who wanted to go to the Dark Side, while being Light. Jack is an excellent actor, and that is all I'm going to say. 

Oliver: He may be moving on. Poor Ollie. He deserves another love. He just had one ripped from him. He is just healed of a broken heart, remember?

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!
(Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Spoilers:

  • Jack dies. He is killed by that lapdog of Lucifer. Schuyler let him die, to save the Blue Bloods. In the end, he comes back to life. AFTER THREE FREAKING YEARS!!!
  • Oliver becomes Regent. A vampyre. His familiar is Schuyler's sister, Finn!
  • Mimi and Kingsley goes to hell! They bond. Mimi is the new Queen of Hell. It's their choice to go there.
  • Most Blue Bloods went to Paradise.
  • Bliss runs with the wolves. She becomes one.
END SPOILER

*Slobs* This is the final story to this series. It is a pleasure adventuring with out. Farewell, old friend. I will never forget you.

My rating is four out of five. Farewell. 






1 comment:

  1. The format of the past is driving me crazy! Note to self: Make sure you evolve until you find the right method. And stop procrastinating.

    ReplyDelete