Recent books
I just finished the fifth book in the Blue Bloods series. I borrowed them from my 13-year-old niece, who is more the target audience. The overall feel of the series is sort of like a cross between Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries. I think the books were worth the time it took to read them - the characters were engaging, the plot was interesting enough to keep me involved, and they were a fast read - but overall I'm frustrated by the series. I think the writer is very good, but she needed a better editor or a circle of beta-test readers, people who could read the books as she was finishing them up and point out the logic holes that are big enough to drive a truck through. Characters (especially teenage ones) may be expected to occasionally make stupid decisions, and that's an acceptable plot device. The stories are (almost completely) internally consistent, but there are some pretty fundamental "But no one would do things that way, it's unnecessarily stupid" issues with the way the world and the hidden bureaucracy of the Blue Blood characters are set up, and they're never explained.
Next up will be the Parasol Protectorate series. If nothing else, there promises not to be a high school student in sight, and that'll be a huge improvement.
Next up will be the Parasol Protectorate series. If nothing else, there promises not to be a high school student in sight, and that'll be a huge improvement.