Blood of Eden #3 The Forever Song

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!! Presenting Blood of Eden #3 The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa.

Here is the summary of the book:

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.

Julie Kagawa.... truly magnifique. The Forever Song makes for the perfect and satisfyingly kick-ass ending to a mind-blowing series. I am of course sad to see another one of my favorites end but I am also happy because it was a perfect ending in every way. And I have no idea what to write because I am hungover a book.... Again.... But i'll try to put things in order for you all.

Eternally thankful to Kagawa for restoring vampires to their original fanged glory, aka leaving the sparkles behind. Absolutely loved it, all three of the books. EPIC and UTTERLY PERFECT..... A plague ravaged Earth. Dark and Desolate. Blackness everywhere with the select few holding tight to the feeling of 'hope'. Hope for a better tomorrow. Rabids scouring the land after dark, devouring anything and everything in their way via their scaly, bony structures and a certain streak of that madness and of course the bloodthirsty scream that follows.

After a string of authors portraying vampires, as sparklies or with the abilities to forgo feeding from humans and sustaining on animal blood. I truly salute Kagawa (I am sure many would agree) of showcasing them in their classic glory. They are monsters, they are blood thirsty and no amount of animal blood can sate the raging monster within. Human blood, fresh is what they prefer. And it is a given that they are the bad guys. But of course exceptions do exist. But however good you strive to be and keep a control on yourself, you will cross that line. It is in their carnal nature and try as they might they can't avoid it.

That was actually what made it all the more interesting to experience. After the shocking cliffhanger ending to The Eternity Cure, the final book, The Forever Song sees Allie, Kanin and Jackal going after the psychotic vampire Sannin and do everything to stop him from ushering about the end of the world with an updated version of the plague virus and destroying the safe haven that is Eden and the world.

With a dark future awaiting the motley group of heroes, on their quest to save the world, we saw Allie truly embrace her dark side. She switches off her humanity so as to speak. She was already a badass Katana wielding heroine but she truly proved herself with this book. She is conflicted with what she should be. After how Zeke was dealt his fate by Sannin, Allie goes through a big change. She is still clever and very much determined but Zeke's fate gives her quite the shock.

Poor Zeke. Anxiously delving into the book, there are a lot of surprises for the gang. Even with the grueling fate dealt to him by Sannin. He actually manages to comes out of his funk. He is still adorable and determined. His chemistry with Allie was a marvel. Perfectly balanced and not at all over bearing on the plot. They balanced each other out, through thick and thin.

Jackal, the raider king came a long way from the bad guy he was in the first book. He is still bad but you just can't help not love him at all. He doesn't show it but in his own way he cares, whether they be allies or kin. His sibling chemistry with Allie was a full on surprise. With all the gory and dark acts and the rabids they encounter on their journey, Allie's sibling banter with his snide and sarcastic comments were a much appreciated comic relief. Something you would surely appreciate as you read what happen.

Kannin. This old timer has my respect, as a vampire and as a character in this book. He is repentant of his actions and would do everything possible to correct his mistakes. He is the silent guardian. Strong willed and kick-ass. He makes for 'The' amazing master vampire. And truly with a fast paced plot, you will not want to leave it for even a minute.

Hooked till the very end. With its own share of romances, secrets, surprises, heart-wrenching goodbye and the very graphic epic fights, The Forever Song makes for a perfect conclusion for this post-apocalyptic dystopia. And of course, the sneak peek to Kagawa's upcoming new series 'Talon', was the perfect dessert after the delicious & delectable main course that was 'The Forever Song'.

"A perfect kick-ass ending to an epic vampire saga"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopia

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: 15th April, 2014

Rate:             5 /5 (It was Amazing)

Books in Series(review links):

         #1 The Immortal Rules
             #2  The Eternity Cure

Other Books by the Author(review links):

         The Iron Fey & Call of the Forgotten(series)

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

Blood of Eden #2 The Eternity Cure

Blood calls to blood and it just keeps getting stronger.....  Presenting Blood of Eden #2 The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa.

Here is the summary of the book:

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.

What do you want me to say that others already haven't!!! Julie Kagawa you are bloody brilliant. There is nothing imperfect about this tale at all. Kagawa wowed us first with her bestseller Iron Fey series (which still continues with its brilliance) then she forays into the vampire lore, adds post-apocalyptic dystopian to the mix and brings us vampires in their original glory, which I'm pretty thankful for. Beginning with the Immortal Rules, the journey gets even more hair-raising in this second installment, The Eternity Cure.

There is something pretty appealing about the notion of the 'call of the blood' or even that of  'blood is thicker than water'. People (and i'm including supernaturals too in that quota) tend to stick closer to or are impartial to blood relatives rather than to friends. Although even that can be contradictory in itself but it gets the concrete feel when its vampire blood involved. This is where the story begins Allison leaves Ethan and his group in Eden and sets out to find and rescue her sire Kanin, who she realizes has been captured and tortured repeatedly by the psychopath Sarren. Making usual allies along the way and braving the storm of danger coming everywhere around her.

One of the best things about this book was the brother-sister relationship between Jackal and Allison. Both are sired from Kanin, so both are looking for him and they joined forces for it. Jackal is sharp as a hot needle and snarky as the devil. He knows how to press someone's buttons to the point of no return and likes to make dirty jokes. Allison on the other hand is the strong-willed, determined heroine who fights tooth and nail to get what she sets out to do.

Come to think of it, in a way both Jackal and Allie are pretty much similar to each other.... well according to Jackal they are. And even if they are polar opposites and hold opposite ends of the stick when dealing with each other they are united in their goal. To save Kanin. Somehow the dynamics of their sibling relationship reminds us of two hot headed vampire brothers of CW.... (you can all totally guess that one i'm sure) but completely different topic. Still it is refreshing the dynamics is. Jackal totally adapted to the norm of a blood sucker - no regrets about the kill, be sure to keep his head in the game, manipulative and unpredictable. Allie on the other hand still got both legs on both boats = one in the humanity and other in vampirism. Rational and still possessing the ability to love and choose for herself........ her and Ethan are totally corny in that area but who cares, it balances the darker elements of the book perfectly.



I read this way before the release of this book but only now posting my review. I just couldn't find the words to describe the perfection this book is. Julie Kagawa knows how to deliver. Impeccable, suave, dystopic; the setting, the plot, the characters, the action, everything was amazing. Well balanced. And i'd go as far as to say that Kagawa really had me gobsmacked.... "you are terrible....... first you make us cry and then throw a bone like that at the end of the book"..... *seriously* that is the reason why we love you so much, you know how to keep the plot alive (a quality that an author needs very much) ....... Gimme 'The Forever Song' soon please, I can't wait.......

"Enthralling, Shocking, Compelling and sinister acts abound.... oh just perfection..... utter perfection"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopia


Publisher: Harlequin Teen


Rate:             5 /5 (It was Amazing)

Books in Series(review links):

         #1 The Immortal Rules

Other Books by the Author(review links):

         The Iron Fey & Call of the Forgotten(series)

Alternate Covers of the book:

As far as the redesigned covers go while the new ones do suit the dystopia theme, i like the UK and Australian covers much better than the lot.

Australian Cover

UK Cover

Blood of Eden #1 The Immortal Rules

This will instill the credibility of vampires back into you, trust me. Presenting my review of Blood of Eden #1 The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. This is the anticipated book of the season. If my review is long...well deal with the book is a giant compared to what you'll be reading below.

Here is the summary of the book:

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.

After her big stint with the hugely popular(my personal favorite) Iron Fey saga, Ms. Kagawa, has taken on a new turn.....to go the post-apocalyptic paranormal romance way. But will she be successful in instilling our interests back in the vampires and delivering something that is not sparkly(sorry couldn't resist)....well the answer is, YES SHE DOES. So without much further ado lets move forward to the review.

Based in a world where the creatures of the dark, vampires have all come out of hiding, feeding on their human blood cattle, keeping the them tightly within their grasps, in a sort of outer fringes off their inner cities keeping them as miserable as possible. Among the humans their are two factions the Registered and the Unregistered. The registered are the ones who get to enjoy life a little bit easier then the unregistered do. Oh and did I mention that the unregistered don't get the luxuries the registered do and have to resort to stealing which is one of the most heinous crimes of all and is punishable by death....well not a bleak future you can tell.

Enter Allison Sekemoto, an above mentioned blind spot, she and her rag-tag unregistereds search day and night(well day mostly) in trash cans, gutters and old city ruins for food and clothes. But hunger is not something you could always control sooner or later it consumes you and you can't do anything but to sort to dangers means to feed your stomach and Allie and her group pays the price when they are ambushed by rabids (the monsters that are made as a result to a failure of vampirism), Allie is on the brink of death, about to go rabid or die when a mysterious vampire finds her and gives her the option of either dying and retuning as a rabid or be a vampire, She chooses the latter. Its simple psychology people tend to not reconcile with death choosing and doing all they can to stay alive.

As a vampire she learns all she can and needs to survive as a vampire from her mysterious creator, Kanan. She learns to fight, to survive but yet she can't see the point of drinking human blood, hoping animal blood can serve purpose but to no avail. And if she does and its not enough to satisfy her then sooner or later she is going to become one of the blood-thirsty rampaging lot, which is never a good sign. But trouble strikes and she is on her own again, this time coming in contact with a big human group travelling to find the only vampire-run city in the world, Eden. Does Eden truly exist or is it just a fable? But most of all how long can she feign to be a human? Eventually she'll realize that she'll need blood and soon to survive. Will it be enough to prevent a fall-out with Zeke, her new friend who definitely doesn't miss out on things.

Julie Kagawa has successfully delivered the best piece of vampire literature yet. This is the story of how Allie learns how to be a vampire. She is strong character, she is loyal to boot and looks out for her friends and she is also very much a rebel and a closed off girl. The other characters are there to play a part in pushing Allie to accept her nature and use it in the best possible way. Romance is kept at a minimum, which is a good sign. Vivid, dark and alluring descriptions, Julie Kagawa delivers what Julie Kagawa delivers. Can't wait now to see how goes the second book.

"Now that's what true vampires are all about"

UPDATE: I just heard yesterday that The Immortal Rules is optioned for a movie for Palomar Pictures, on this happy occasion let me add the trailer to the book....wouldn't it be more awesome if the iron fey series also gets optioned.

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal, Post Apocalyptic


Publisher: Harlequin Teen


My Copy: Publisher and netgalley


Rate:              5/5 (It was Awesome)