The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Pages: 446
Source: Bought
Format: Hardback

Goodreads Synopsis:

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


My Review:

I've been on a roll with sequels lately. This almost never happens. Too often I'm disappointed by the lack of plot or characterization. Or the romance gets to, dare I say, angsty. No one likes angsty. Well, except angst-y teenage girls, of which I am not (angsty, still teenage). And what's even better? When the second book is just as great, if not better, than its predecessor. 

Enter The Eternity Cure. 

Lots of zombie(?) butt whooping? Check. Awesomely fantastic characters (including, but not limited to, a katana-wielding vamp)? Check. Psycho bad guy? Check. Refreshing comedic relief? Check. Forward moving plot? Check. Emotional thrill-ride? Double check. 

1. Lots of zombie butt whooping?
So, I'm actually not sure if the Rabids are "zombies" or not, but they eat people and are sorta dead so that's what I'm gonna go with. And if action and zombie killing is what you're looking for, you've come to the right place. Within the first few pages, Allison has fights under her belt. Cool.

2. Awesomely fantastic characters? 
Let's break this down:

Allison - Oh, how I admire you Ally. I really do. With the constant battle between her vampire instincts and her human nature, you'd think it'd be a bit melodramatic. I mean, I'm not a vampire who is battling her natural instincts so I shouldn't understand. But I do. All thanks to Kagawa. I totally understand Ally and what she is going through and my heart breaks for her. There is no denying that she is fierce, but the battle she fighters to keep her human side is undeniably both harsh and admirable. She knows who she is, but also knows who she wants to be. She doesn’t deny her animalistic instincts when it comes to her loyalty and protectiveness, but she doesn’t want to become blinded to the good in humanity, even though her vampire side is superior in many ways. This constant battle to better herself made me root for her and understand to her hard life. I wanted to give this girl a hug so badly! But, considering she's fictional, that's a bit hard...so a mental hug with suffice. And I can't forget to mention the Katana! That sword's got a special place in my heart. 

Kanin - Personally, I always loved Kanin. Sure, he pretty much started Rabidism, but it was an accident and he had good intentions. Maybe I'm just a sucker, but I totally feel bad for him. Sure, I understand why people hate him, but I also understand why characters, like Allison, love him. He made mistakes, but he's never stopped trying to right the wrong. I admire his determination and his heart. 

Jackal - However, the best part of this book had to be Jackal. Jackal was a great comic relief that was much needed in this emotionally wrought book. His snarky jibes and sarcastic wit always showed their face at the perfect times, allowing a bit of light to come to their otherwise dark situation. And the relationship between he and Allison was an interesting back and forth with a bit of restrained companionship popping up between them. Honestly, without him, I think I would have liked the book a little less. Even though he is an arrogant jerk and definitely doesn’t mind the predatory side of being a vampire, he’s got goodness to him. It just takes a little digging to find it.

Psycho bad guy?

Oh yeah. Definitely a psycho. And I totally understand why! Which makes me have a grudging understanding of the reasoning behind his actions. Not saying they're right! Just....I get it. But still bat-ass crazy. 

Forward moving plot?
YESSSSSS! This isn't a filler book!!! Everyone, JUMP FOR JOYYYYY!!! Okay, outta the system. So yeah. You learn a lot. Can't give it away. Read the book. And, pretty much just a lot happens (new virus?). Including new stuff. Crazy stuff. Stuff that's centered on Psycho bad vamp. Read it.

Emotional Thrill Ride?
Double check. My heart was filled with joy one second and thrown under a bus the next. I was laughing, gasping, shaking my head, yelling (inside my head. Not out loud. I don't want people to think I'm crazy), gaping like a fish, saying nononononono, all the while wanting to give everyone hugs. Yeah. Lots of emotions. And the ending.....I just....I don't know...what?! I....ughhhhhh I hate waiting.

Romance - don't want to give anything away.... ;) 

 Overall:

So, if you can't tell by my awesome review, I loved this book. It was emotionally intoxicating, gave me a triple dose of action-packed adventure and made me fall in love with all the characters even more. This is one sequel that will make your head spin and demand the third book. No matter the cost.....

All the best ♥

Mackenzie 

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The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
by Julie Kagawa
Pages: 485
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley

Rating: Fan-freaking-tastic! 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

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.

My Review:

o_O  Mind is blown with the pure awesomeness that is The Immortal Rules. It was such an emotional thrill ride! I don't even know what to say that won't sound like blubbering, rambling, incoherent mess! My mind is still reeling! All I can think to say is GO BUY IT NOW (well, when it comes out)! I’ll buy it for you if I must just so you can read this pure awesomeness. Actually, scratch that. I have no money (its what being poor does to you), but if I did, I would totally buy everyone a copy!  

No Sparkley Vamps:

That’s right. No sparkles here! Just your class-A human blood-suckin, kick-butt, killing machines! And it’s amazing. This book made me terrified of vampires again!

Creepy atmosphere:

Kagawa did a fantastic job of world-building and creating such creepy and eerie atmosphere. I felt fully immersed in this world while reading. It was dark and gritty yet intoxicating. I was terrified and loved every moment.

4 books in 1:

This book is long, no doubt about it at a whopping 482 pages, but its divided into 4 different parts making it almost like reading 4 different books. Each has its own plot but they all flow together so smoothly and I loved every single one.

Allie:

Allie is an utterly fantastic character. She's tough, rough and hardened, but not without heart. She's always hated vampires, but after being attacked while saving a friend she ends up being saved by a vampire and given the choice to die or become like him. She always did whatever she could to survive, even if it meant become the very thing she hated. Now she's your regular blood-sucking, katana wielding (you read right), kick-butt killing machine. But don't hate on her just because she's a vampire. She may not be human, but she's bound and determined to not lose who she once was and that takes heart. Its hard on her, extremely hard, but although she may be considered a monster, she still has a choice, and that choice is to remain good. To not let herself become the monster everyone thinks she is. Is it easy? No. But is she going to do whatever she can to remain true to herself? Yes. And that, my friends, is something to be respected.

Kanan:

Awww Kanan, your so cool! He teaches her to weild weapons! XD I’d definitely love to have him as my vampire teacher. Sure, he’s more of a tough love kind of guy, but you can tell he really care’s about Allie. He was mysterious and aloof, but really wanted to help her. I don't want to give to much away but I  can’t wait to learn more about his story! Its heartbreaking! I really believe he's a great guy, you just gotta dig around to find it. 

Zeke:

This is the guy you want in real life. The sweet, caring guy that has such an incredibly good heart. But don’t think that he’s a wimp. No way. He may have a good heart, but he’s tough and protective too. A guy that’s incredibly sweet but also knows how to protect a girl? A perfect combination of sensitive guy and a man's man . Seriously, I fell in love with him. He was also so real. Unlike a lot of fictional boys, he’s not perfect, but I loved that about him. He had his faults and weaknesses, but he knew what they were and worked through them anyways.

Katanas:

She’s a katana wielding vampire. How freaking cool is that?!

Don’t worry, there’s still hope:

Perhaps one of the best things about a dark and gritty book is when their is always that little spark of hope. Even in the darkest of times, there's always that little light of hope and faith that your going to be alright. This book is dark and these characters are put in some awful situations but they keep going. No matter how bad things get, even if they sometimes doubt themselves, they have faith that things will get better. This is especially true when it comes to Zeke, something I absolutely loved about him. He went through unimaginable stuff, yet he never lost faith in something better. 

There was one thing I was kind of iffy about. The religion. Its nothing specific, but being religious myself, I kinda hate when they make religion bad. Of course there are....fanatics...out there, but not every religious person is. However, in this book it wasn't bad because A) it wasn't in your face (like some other books I've read before) and B) it showed both sides and didn't make the bad side ridiculously crazy. I actually let this part go to the back of my head because it didn't exactly make religion a bad thing, but I just wanted to warn you readers that it is in here. 

Overall:

This book was utterly fantastic. I loved the dark, gritty nature of the book and loved that, even in the darkest times, there was always hope. It was actually quite a beautiful story. It had fantastic characters and plot arcs and I know that Kagawa definitely has a fan for life when it comes to this series.

All the best ♥

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