Review: Lost in Time (Blue Bloods #6) by Melissa de la Cruz

Lost in Time (Blue Bloods #6)
Melissa de la Cruz
Publication date:  September 27th, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Number of pages: 342
Format: Hardcover
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository
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The stakes have never been higher for the young Blue Bloods of Manhattan. After their brief yet beautiful bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force depart for Egypt, desperate to find the elusive Gate of Promise before Jack must face his twin, Mimi, for a blood trial. A blood trial that only one of them can survive. But everything Schuyler thought she knew about the gate turns out to be a lie, and they soon find themselves ensnared in a deadly battle against the demon-born. Schuyler and Jack take up arms, only to realize that there is a much graver threat simmering in the Kingdom of the Dead.

Meanwhile, determined to save the only vampire she still loves, Mimi has followed Kingsley Martin into Hell. With the help of her new human Conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry, Mimi makes a bargain with the Queen of the Dead that she may soon regret. When the time comes to choose between love and revenge, both Mimi and Oliver will learn the true meaning of sacrifice.

confronted by danger, betrayal, and loss at every turn, the Blue Bloods must find the will to fight - and love - another day.(

April's thoughts:: 

The sixth book in Cruz's Blue Bloods series picks up seven months after Misguided Angel ended. The book is divided into three different stories story lines. The one thing I did love about the book was instead of dividing the books into different parts featuring the plots, each chapter alternate between them. Also you should make sure you've read Bloody Valentine first. While most short stories that come in between books are optional, the story lines in this book make much more sense with having read the three short stories.

As much as I love Sky and Jack, honestly I was a little bored by them in this book. In their story, while searching for the Gate of Promise they meet up with both sets of the Venator twins, Deming/Dehuna and Sam/Ted. Which not to my surprised both have coupled up. Despite I loved this book I found that very unoriginal. The best part of their story is towards the end of the book when they realized where the Gate of Promise leads to and who is actually the gate keeper.

Meanwhile Mimi and Oliver journeyed to Hell to free Kingsley. This has to be my favorite part in the book. Mimi is the character who has grown the most in the series, and I've grown to love her. Especially her friendship with Oliver. And Kingsley was charming as ever. But of course Mimi has a motive in bringing Oliver with her. To get Kingsley back she must trade a soul for him. But has Mimi changed enough to actually leave Oliver in Hell for all eternity?

And then we have the third story line in the book in which we go back in time. We get to see the events that lead Allegra to break her bond with Charles. I loved reading this part. But...I found myself shipping her with Charles which came as a complete surprise to me. I was expecting an epic love story that is worth breaking your bond for like Jack and Sky. Allegra knows something happened in the past in Florence. That she had made a horrible mistake, and Charles is keeping the truth from her. She doesn't believe she is worthy of his love anymore. This is making her feel distant from not only Charles but the whole vampire community itself. Ben made her forget about her vampire identity, and just feel like a woman. She doesn't want to take her vampire queen responsibility anymore. She's forgotten that she had willingly left heaven to guide them because she loved them so much. Honestly, I don't think the love she felt for Ben/Stephen (I'll refer to him as Ben) is any match for her love for Charles. I'm really hoping that in the last book is a twist, and Sky isn't really half human, that Charles is her father. There are little clues. In Bloody Valentine, when Allegra got the visions of Sky she had mention that she had Charles hair. Plus Sky has the archangel mark. Originally I thought it was because she's Allegra's daughter, but Bliss is also Allegra's daughter and there's no mention of a mark on her.

The ending of the book was amazing. With a twist I didn't see coming. Mimi nor Jack can kill the other. There's only one other way to undo their bond; the one who made them must unmake them. Which turns out to be Lucifer.

I can't wait for the last book to come out, and finally get some final answers. Especially what happened in Florence? Who lives happy ever after? And what is the deal with Sky's dad?

Verdict

Jen's thoughts::

The second to last installment to the Blue Bloods saga comes to an exciting and heart-stopping end as we are set into three separate directions in terms of the characters.

This story picks up seven months after the end of "Misguided Angel," and we are presented with three sets of characters: Schuyler, as she and Jack try to discover the final, and the most important gate, and it's gatekeeper, Mimi, as she and Oliver race around the world to try to rescue Kingsley, and finally, we have the flashbacks of the past featuring Tomi through Florence and what could have went wrong during that period.

Sky and Jack find themselves having to team up with two sets of twins, as they try to discover the location for the most important gate of all. When it gets revealed where it leads, time will be running out before it could be lost to them all forever.
I loved all the Jack and Sky moments. They know their time is limited, both of them know it, but it doesn't stop them from wanting to cherish every moment possible. But by the end of the book, there is a big moment where you discover what Jack does to attempt to break the bond between himself and Mimi. When he realizes that he might not be able to kill Mimi after all.. which I didn't think he would, or could for that matter.
I know some people have found these two to be a bit boring lately, but I like to think of it as they have grown and matured, and so has their relationship. Of course it's not going to be like it was in the first few books. But it doesn't make it bad, just they are on a different course. It's not just about them anymore, there is a bigger force, plot behind their actions now. I like their small moments, as that is what they only have now they are on a journey of discovery.

In the same city, Mimi and Oliver find a way into hell, and after much progression, they soon find themselves in the very place Kingsley had been taken. It's probably not what you expect from Hell, or maybe, it is when you take a closer look. And just what they discover there, and who, Mimi's realisations just might differ from her original plan and ideas of what she thought might happen once they got to their destination.
When Mimi makes the ultimate sacrifice for true love, it's impossible not to see how much this girl has changed since the spoiled rich girl we first got introduced to in, Blue Bloods.

And then we have the Charles/Allegra/Florence flasbacks storyline going on. We are told via flashes of the past that something was wrong in Florence. That it was apparent that Lucifer had somehow made it back into their world and under someone's skin. Using someone's body. The question is who?
Tomi, aka, Gabrielle has always known that Andreas, is her Michael. But he is so far and between during this time that she starts to doubt that he is up to something, and it starts to make her suspicious of him. Does she know him as well as she thinks she does?
And all the while, Allegra finds Charles at a club where she finally gets him to start to tell her what really happened in Florence. The time where things went wrong, but of course it's not something we hear of as it's at the end of the book and we have to wait until the final book in the series, Gates of Paradise, to discover the truth about it all.

I am looking forward to seeing some answers when it comes to Charles/Michael/Allegra/Gabrielle -- Geez, this is like some wacked version of a love square, yet there are two people in this senario, lol
I think, Bloody Valentine, while not compulsory, will give some insight to this story especially when everything is said and done. I do think there might be clues in that novella that might make more sense once the final book is here and we understand all the answers.
After re-reading this book and talking to April about Michael and Gabrielle, somehow, I have gotten even more obsessed than I have been before. It's crazy, I don't know how it happened, but it just goes to show why this is one of my favourite series within the YA genre.

Verdict