Review & Giveaway: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Author: Julie Kagawa
Title: The Eternity Cure
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Publication: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
~Website | ~Blog

Synopsis from Amazon
In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood.

She has done the unthinkable: died so that might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

The story begins with Allie searching for her sire, Kanin, and she's running out time as his sanity hangs in the balance. Every time she sleeps she can see what he's going through and fears that he will succumb to the monster within and become lost to her completely. Never having much family of her own lately, Kanin is all she has left, well so she thinks as the "blood call" leads her down an unexpected path. Allie may think Kanin is her only task but chaos is just around the corner. She must save many or all will be lost to Sarren's madness.

“You will always be a monster - there is no turning back from it. But what kind of monster you become is entirely up to you.” 

Allie struggles with holding to the last threads of humanity she has and refuses to give in to the hungry demon within. She's a vampire with morals, and chooses to live differently than what she views as the norm in vampire society. Throughout this story, she grapples with her choice to become a vampire...ghosts from her past won't let her forget the events that lead to her decision. I found her voice to be authentic and could sympathize with her uncertainty, loss and pain. She's lonely; having left behind the one boy she cared for in the safe haven of Eden and facing the possible loss of her sire. It's seems that she just keeps losing everyone she loves. 

“You're still beautiful and dangerous and incredible, and I'll keep telling you that for as long as it takes you to believe it. But right now, all I want to do is kiss you, except I'm terrified that if I try you might throw me off this balcony.” 

Allie and Zeke, though they shouldn't be together for obvious reasons, Zeke tries to convince Allie that things will work out between them. However, Allie remains afraid that in just a moment of letting her guard down, she will slip up and hurt him. Zeke has changed some in this book, maybe I missed how fearsome he was in the first book but he's become a very incredible but naive young man this time around. It's so hard not to want him to be with Allie as his love for her has given him the ability to be more open about all vampires not being evil. Allie experiences much emotional torment with trying to keep him at bay for his safety and her heart but as things gradually start to spiral out of control, she finds this to become difficult. She wonders if it's possible for the two of them to make a relationship work and it not end in disaster for them both. 

"I'm not going after that psycho unless I have to. You think I'm bad?' He snorted and shook his head. "You haven't seen anything until you've met crazy Sarren."  

Which brings me to Sarren, he’s one sadistic lunatic. I'm still trying figure out exactly what the heck he's trying to do. He claims to have a solution to end the Red Lung virus but no one is going to like it. This man freaked me out; he is a whole new level of crazy that Kagawa has crafted. Overall, this has moments of goriness and loads of action. It felt like being immersed in a Resident Evil movie or video game. Kagawa's writing moves fluidly and the plot has some humorous yet gory segments throughout. I liked the characters but surprisingly my favorite in this book would have to be Jackal, his development is interesting. I think this is a good read that zombie and vampire fans will enjoy this book.

Note: Quotes are from the Arc copy that I received and may be different in the original copy.

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Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Book summary:

MY VAMPIRE CREATOR TOLD ME THIS:

"Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?"

I didn't then, not really.

I DO NOW.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Review: When I got this book, I thought oh boy, more vampires but this is much gorier, and absolutely no sparkling here. Kagawa does a good job of sticking to the traditional vampire lore but with a few interesting tidbits. It is set in a dystopian society where the vamps are at the top of the food chain and the humans are the meat, well the blood source. I was not able to truly connect with the characters, people died and no tears were shed. Allie, the main character is tough, and just trying to survive each day, but once she becomes the thing she hates, she fights to hold onto her humanity. One of the most interesting things about Allie is her struggle between the monster within and her heart, and this is an important theme in this book and I am quite sure it will be in the next installments as well. Really,how do you fight yourself? Now, I felt it went on a bit long and this for me slowed down the pace. I think if was a shorter, this would help the read go much smoother. What is great about this book is the action, lots of cool sequences that are visually stimulating, and would look great onscreen. Which leads to my next point, the movie rights(option) for this series has already been snatched up before this book was even released. Overall, good read! Gory, action-packed and must read for those fanatics that want a more original, yet traditional vampire society. 



Author: Julie Kagawa
Title: The Immortal Rules
Publisher:Harlequin Teen
Publication: April 24,2012
Audience: 14 and up
Genre: Paranormal, Dystopian
Source: publisher via Netgalley
Rating:3.8 out 5
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Book Review: Iron Knight

I curse you, demon! Soulless one. From this day forth, let everyone you love be taken from you. May you suffer the same agony as the girl you destroyed, may your heart know pain unlike any other, for as long as you remain soulless and empty.

Ash has a problem. He has been banished from the Iron Realm by the one woman he loves, Meghan Chase because the very thing that surrounds her could kill him. Vowing to return to her some way, he begins his journey to the End of the World. With Puck and Grimalkin at his side he must seek out the seer to learn the path he must take and prepare to face many trials on his journey to become human. He must choose between love he lost and the future he desires. Cursed to never truly grasp love without a soul, will he survive this quest for mortality?

I liked how Ash changes and grows in this installment of the series. He came from a background where emotions were considered as weakness when actually it is the beginning of his true strength. I wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first but I must say I'm satisfied.I have come to love this series by Kagawa and hope for more.


My Recommendation: Teens age 14-18 and to anyone interested in YA paranormal fiction.


Cover Review: Absolutely LOVE it!!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Publication: October 25, 2011



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Book Review:Iron Queen By Julie Kagawa

My Name is Meghan Chase

In less than twenty-four hours I'll be seventeen. 

Déjà vu, right? Shocking how quickly time can pass you by, like your standing still. 

I can't believe it's been a year since that day. The day I went into Faery. The day that changed my life forever.

When I first started reading the Iron King, the first book in this series, I thought I've read this before.....great another fairy book about the same mythological characters, Excellent! I mean how original can you be with the same story being retold over again. Yet, reading beyond my initial response,I realized that this story was something different, and special. I found myself unable to stop turning the pages, eager to find out what would be next in the journey for Meghan and her companions Ash, the Winter Prince, Puck, her mischievous best friend and Grimalkin, the forever disappearing cantankerous cat. What I love about the Iron Realm series is that Meghan has levels. She is not a weak female character, but strong in ways that others around her fail to even come close to what makes her great. She is not afraid to be human in world where she is surrounded by soulless fey, who only seek to take advantage of her lack of knowledge of the rules of Faery. As her character develops she becomes more capable of taking care of herself, not content to sit back and watch others die as she cowers to the side.No, Meghan is a fighter, and this character will be one that I'm sure teens can relate to and that hopefully will continue to be more of in future literature to come. Kagawa does an tremendous job of incorporating technology into the world of the Fey and on creating such richly developed characters.

But the beating heart of Nevernever, which I felt all around me in every tree, every leaf and blade of grass, was pulsing with rot. Everything was touched with Iron glamour, and it was slowly eating away the Nevernever,like paper held to a flame.

Summary:In the aftermath of defeating the Iron King, Machina, Meghan and Ash find themselves exiled to the mortal world never again to return to Faery. As they journey to Meghan's home, dreams of a happy future with Ash become shattered when on the doorstep of her parents home, the Iron Fey wait to take her back to the false king. In a tale that will have you flipping the pages for more, we follow Meghan back into the Faery Realm, as she may be the only hope to saving Nevernever from the destruction caused by the false king. Meghan now saddled with powers of the Iron and the Summer courts, which she is unable to master without the magic of one fighting against the other. With so much to lose, can Meghan learn to wield her power in time to save Nevernever?

My Recommendation: I would give this book to anyone interested in fantasy, paranormal, or magical worlds. This a book that will appeal to teens ages 14-18, who are embarking on the journey to finding their own strength and adults that are into young adult literature.

My Rating: 4 out 5 

Book Review:Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

“Don’t do this. If you don’t come out of this soon, you’ll fade away and drift forever. Fight it. Come back to us.” 

I didn’t want to wake up. There was nothing but pain waiting for me in the real world. If I was asleep, I couldn’t feel anything. If I was asleep, I didn’t have to face Ash and the cold contempt on his face when he looked at me. Darkness was my retreat, my sanctuary. I drew back from Ash’s voice, deeper into the comforting blackness. "

Meghan Chase has been an outcast all her life in the mortal world, being a half-breed Summer Fey does not change that. Cold and abandoned by Prince Ash she finds herself  prisoner to the Winter Queen. Caught in the middle of the turmoil in the courts, as the Scepter of the Seasons has been stolen, a winter prince killed and the Winter Fey are accusing the Summer Court for this treachery. Faery powers bound, Meghan must not only find a way to stop the pending war between the Winter and Summer Court but convince the Fey that the Iron Realm does indeed exist.  This book is packed with things I love Fairies, love triangles, and action. This is a great read!

My Rating: 4 out of 5 

Recommended Reading: If you like books about fairies here are a few that might peek your interest. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, Wings by Aprilynne Pike, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin, Ash by Malinda Lo, Need by Carrie Jones and The Fairie Path by Frewin Jones. For adults that want something more "adult" try the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton(WARNING!! these are some hot books).

Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved it! This book was very interesting, the main character Meghan is intriguing. Puck her protector is entertaining, and the constant debts that Meghan keeps getting herself into...WOW! who knew saying "Thank you" could get you into so much trouble. I'm curious to find out how Meghan's tale will unravel.



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