The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)
   by: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Dystopia/Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 416 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

 

 

I've really enjoyed this series by Julie Kagawa. When I first read The Immortal Rules, I loved how unique the premise was. A dystopian world controlled by vampires? Heck yeah! It was cool to see a world where humans were inferior to vampires and were forced to live and obey by THEIR rules. We have watched Allie transform in front of our very eyes from a girl living on the edge of society to a really kickass vampire who is determined to fight the monster within and not let it strip her of her humanity. The events from the end of The Eternity Cure really set quite a bit in motion for Allie and she'll have to figure out how far she'll go to seek revenge or if she'll lose herself in the process....

 

Pacing: Part One was really slow going for me. I had trouble concentrating, as there just wasn't much going on. After that I found I had no trouble reading the book, even with its predictability.

 

Storyline: I obviously won't reveal too much here, as this is the final book in the series. Allie is really struggling with her identity, as the events at the end of The Eternity Cure have really changed everything for her. Watching her lose sight of everything she has worked to gain and what Kanin has taught her was really hard, as she fought so hard to not succumb to the monster within. I felt a lot of things that occurred in this final book were pretty predictable and I won't lie. I was relieved at some of that predictability because otherwise I would've been a hot mess over this book. Kagawa did still deliver a few heart-stopping moments that really made me cringe in fear of what direction she would go. I do feel Kagawa did a good job of wrapping up her series and tied up all loose ends and questions I may have previously had.

 

Characters: As I said, we see a very different Allie at the start of this book. It's a bit hard to swallow considering how much time Kanin and Zeke spent guiding and teaching her. She is really a shell of who she used to be and is determined to end Sarren and make him pay. Kanin is still as stoic as ever. He has such a powerful, quiet presence. He is disappointed that Allie is choosing to give in to the monster and not fight it. But when you have nothing left to fight for.... I've always liked Kanin's character, even though he is harder to read. He feels so much guilt and shame for the past and it's something that weighs heavily on him everyday. He does not want to see Sarren succeed in ridding the world of the human race and so he will push forward to make things right.

 

Jackal is also back in this book and I have to say, I really love his character. He's a lot of fun and really does a great job of providing comedic relief. His back and forth jabs at Allie are great and had me chuckling. Jackal has not proven to be the most trustworthy of allies, and we still spend a lot of time wondering what his ulterior motives are and whether or not he will betray his kin at the last moment.

 

There are other characters that I can't really discuss without spoilers, so I won't, but I will say at 70% I had a huge grin on my face and all felt right in the world, considering the odds of survival were NOT in their favor.

 

Final Thoughts: I think fans of this series will be quite satisfied with the way it ended, and I felt the events that transpired HAD to happen and I had a feeling they were coming, as much as I didn't want them to. I really like that Kagawa did not hold back either. The world is a barren, ravaged wasteland where rabids are running rampant and it really is all about survival. There are some pretty gruesome, grotesque parts and I really commend her for staying true to the darker nature of this novel.

 

 

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
    by: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 446 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

                               
After reading Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, I knew I had to read her new book The Immortal Rules. I loved the concept behind it- a society where vampires were in charge and humans were nothing more than meals, who had to be 'registered' in order to walk around freely. Those unregistered would be forced to live on the fringes of society, barely scraping by to find food, as well as staying hidden to avoid detection. I really enjoyed the freshness of The Immortal Rules, which follows Allison (Allie) Sekemoto, who goes from living on the fringe with her rag-tag friends, to being on death's doorstep, only to be saved and turned into a vampire. However, even after being trained by her sire, Kanin, Allie cannot let her humanity go so easily. She meets up with a group of humans on the run, searching for a place called Eden, where humans are still in control. Amongst this group, we meet Zeke, who Allie can't help falling for, knowing that it is wrong, and that he would turn against her if he found out the truth about her real nature.

The Eternity Cure picks up not too long after the Immortal Rules ended. Allie is on her own again, determined to rescue Kanin, who has been taken hostage by Sarren, another master vampire, who hates Kanin.

I think what I like most about Allie is her fierce determination. She refuses to give up, no matter how bleak things may seem and remains steadfast in her beliefs throughout the novel.

I will be honest, this book did take some getting in to. I struggled through Part I, as it was giving us alot of backstory to what was going on, and Allie was alone for most of it. However, once I hit Part II, things really picked up and then the rest of the story was a blur, I read through it so fast.

Allie forms an uneasy alliance with Jackal, the Raider King of Old Chicago, who was bent on killing Allie in the first book. After some surprising revelations are brought to light, the two head toward New Covington to find Kanin. However, the two will need to speak with the Prince of the city, and the only way to do that, is by venturing through the sewers, where mole men and fringers are seeking refuge. As in the summary, there is a new strain of the Red Lung virus that has been unleashed on humanity, which makes traveling through the city quite tricky. Allie and Jackal need a new way to reach the Inner Circle. They find a young fringer who brings them to his new leader, who happens to be a very familiar face.

I obviously do not want to give anything away or reveal any spoilers, so let me conclude my review with this: The Eternity Cure ended up being exactly what I was waiting so desperately for, and after waiting a month to be approved by Harlequin, it was definitely everything I could ever want in a book. After Part 1, the book's pacing is fast, the action is non-stop, and it will leave you breathless, wanting to know what happens next!

*Thank you to Harlequin Teen for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review. I received this book in return for an honest review.*