Review: The Eternity Cure - Julie Kagawa

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

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she 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.

Blood of Eden series:
Dawn of Eden (Novella in the 'Til the World Ends anthology)
The Immortal Rules
The Eternity Cure
The Forever Song

Visit Julie Kagawa's website for more information.

Review:
I'm finding it really hard to write a review for The Eternity Cure, I absolutely loved the first book in this series but for some reason this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. I enjoyed how dark The Immortal Rules was and it was great seeing a nasty side to vampires again but the thing I loved most was Allie, She was just such a fantastic character, she had been changed into the thing she hated the most because it was the only way to survive but she remained the kind of person who put everyone else's needs above her own even though she considered herself a monster. Allie was strong, smart and capable and more than anything she was a survivor, she was willing to fight for what she believed in and she wouldn't back down no matter what danger she had to face.

Unfortunately I think Allie lost some of that kick-arse attitude in this book, it's hard to put my finger on exactly what felt so different about her here but she started to really irritate me. I think it was the way she constantly mooned around over Zeke that started it (even when they're fighting for their lives she's more interested in thinking about kissing him than worrying about how to kill her enemies!) but it was also the fact that she's become so indecisive, the way she's turned her back on her principles to take the easy route, the way she spent half the book complaining about being a vampire and how terrible it was and especially the way she was so judgemental of other vampires for doing things that she has done herself. I don't know how it all went so horribly wrong with her and I really, REALLY hope she pulls herself together in The Forever Song.

As far as the plot goes the beginning of the book felt very slow to me, it seemed to take a long time for things to get going but once the pace picked up I started enjoying the story much more. I actually found myself coming to like Jackal (something I never would have expected!) probably because he was so honest about who and what he was. He had no problem killing people who got in his way which is something that Allie was constantly judging him for but he never pretends to be a good guy and he is after all a vampire. Allie herself was happy to kill when she felt the situation required it but she constantly berated Jackal for not following her own self imposed set of rules and I felt that she was a little hypocritical in her attitude.

I didn't hate The Eternity Cure, in fact there were a lot of things I liked about it - the search for Kanin, the changes to the Red Lung virus and the battle with Sarren to name a few - but it didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped it would. I'm still going to be reading the final book though because I really do have to know how things are going to turn out for Allie and her friends.

Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: 'Til the World Ends - Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall

New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed authors Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre and Karen Duvall imagine what it takes to survive in a world where everything you know—and love—is about to disappear…forever.

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden—as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems….

Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre

After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside—in the Red Zone—is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside…for good.

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall

Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms—in the cosmos and beyond. And she's not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She'll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends.

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Julie Kagawa
Ann Aguirre
Karen Duvall

Review:

Dawn of Eden - Julie Kagawa

Blood of Eden series:
Dawn of Eden (Novella in the 'Til the World Ends anthology)
The Immortal Rules
The Eternity Cure
The Forever Song

Dawn of Eden is a prequel to Julie Kagawa's Blood of Eden series, it's set long before events in The Immortal Rules and gives readers more insight into how the red lung plague initially started and just how quickly it spread. To be honest this story was the reason I wanted to read the anthology and it was a really nice addition to the series. It introduces us to two new characters: Kylie is a young doctor struggling to look after the patients at her field hospital with limited medical supplies and dwindling members of staff; and Ben is a young man who just wants to make it back to the isolated farm he grew up on to check that his family are okay. If you've read The Immortal Rules you'll probably recognise Ben's farm but I'm not going to say more than that in case you're new to the series.

This was a great prequel that hooked me in very quickly. It's quite dark (all the books in this anthology are to a certain extent) but there is a thread of hope running through it too. Ben and Kylie are great characters and I enjoyed the romance that develops between them. We get a brief appearance from Kanin too and it was interesting to learn a bit more about his past.

Thistle & Thorne - Ann Aguirre

I think Thistle & Thorne actually ended up being my favourite story in the anthology, as far as I can tell it's stand alone but the way things were left at the end has me hoping that we'll see more of these characters in the future - I would definitely purchase a full length novel about these two if Ann Aguirre decided to write one! This is set in a dark world where much of the land is desolate, the wealthy live in protected, gated communities while the poor struggle to survive in what's left of the old cities and towns. Life is hard, gangs rule and unless you keep your head down you're very likely to come under attack.

Mari Thistle is an expert thief but she only steals what she needs to survive and to keep her younger siblings safe. She is the sole provider for her family and when she catches the attention of one of the gang bosses she suddenly finds herself in deep trouble. Thorne is a member of the gang who isn't happy with the way things are run, he has been waiting for a chance to make a power play against the current leader and Mari gives him the perfect excuse. The two of them must work together to find a way to beat a dangerous enemy if they are going to have any hope of surviving.

I loved these two characters, Mari is fiercely independent and is used to having no one but herself to rely on. She is incredibly protective of her siblings and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe even if it costs her everything. Thorne is harder to read in the beginning, I wasn't sure what his motives were but it quickly becomes clear he has a good reason to want to change things. It's not easy for these two to trust anyone but the more time they spend together the better they are at reading each other. I enjoyed the world building and would love to revisit these characters so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed we see them again in the future.

Sunstorm - Karen Duvall

I actually ended up feeling disappointed by Sunstorm which was annoying because the story had so much potential. The world building was really interesting and I liked the idea of solar flares causing so much damage to the earth. Due to the strength of the flares people were now only able to leave their homes in darkness, daylight was too dangerous and would cause horrific burns to anyone caught outside with no shelter. A few people were able to survive the sunfever though and they gained some pretty interesting abilities.

I think the story fell down for me because of the characters, I found it hard to connect to any of them and I never felt particularly invested in what happened to them. There were frequently large jumps in time which made the story harder to follow and so many things that happened just seemed too conveniently placed just to move the plot forward. I still think the anthology is worth reading if only for the first two stories but this one could have been so much better.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

This is not your average vampire story, and these are not your average vampires. A rabid virus has killed off 6 billion humans, leaving a shell of a world, with the remains of the human population serving as blood cattle to the Vampire Prince and his followers. This is a world where vampires rule...

Allie 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 killed her mother and instill fear in the repressed population.

But after a disastrous food expedition, Allie is forced to make the decision she hoped she'd never have to face - die, or become one of them. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most - a vampire. To survive, she must work with her vampire creator and learn the rules of the immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

When Allie is separated from her creator, she flees into the unknown, to the world beyond the wall of her vampire city. There she joins a ragged band of humans who don't know what she is. These humans seek a legend, a cure to the Red Lung virus that decimated the population and created the rabids, the mindless creatures responsible for spreading the infection. But does such a cure exist? And can Allie prevent her vampire urges from destroying her new found family?

Blood of Eden series:
Dawn of Eden (Novella in the 'Til the World Ends anthology)
The Immortal Rules
The Eternity Cure
The Forever Song

Visit Julie Kagawa's website for more information.

Review:
Allie lives in a brutal futuristic world where a virus has wiped out the majority of the human population. The lack of humans to feed from caused vampires to come out of hiding and they have now taken control of the cities treating the remaining people as little more than cattle. People who are registered have to provide blood to the vampires and in exchange they are given a small amount of food to eat. Those who refuse to register live on the edges of society forced to steal and forage for food to survive but unable to leave the city for fear of the rabids (zombie like creatures) who are outside the city walls.

Allie hates the vampires and everything they stand for, she dreams of the humans rising up and fighting against them one day. Her life on the fringe of society is difficult but she has a crew who she lives with and they all help each other to survive. Then one day something terrible happens, an attack by the rabids leaves Allie with two choices - death or being turned into the thing she hates most. Although she hates the idea of becoming a vampire deep down Allie is a survivor so she takes the only option available to her. Forced to leave her home Allie is at the beginning of a difficult journey, she meets up with a group of humans who are searching for sanctuary but if they discover what she is they will never accept her.

The Immortal Rules is a fantastic start to Julie Kagawa's new series, the world she has created is dark and terrifying and it made a nice change to read about more traditional nasty vampires who look at humans as food. The world building was great giving enough information about the history to capture your interest and make it believable but not overwhelming the story with massive info dumps. I'm looking forward to discovering more as the series continues.

My favourite thing about the story was Allie though, she is a great heroine and one who always puts others before herself. When she was still human and living with her crew in the vampire city she looked out for the other members of the team and went hungry herself to make sure they had food too. Then once she has been changed she protects the human travellers that she meets even when she knows they would kill her if they discover her secret. I found it really interesting watching her try to come to terms with the fact that she has been changed into something that she has always hated, she has her opinions about vampires challenged but she has no doubt that she has been turned into a monster and she hates herself for it. I really want to find out more about Kanin, the vampire who changed her and hope he has a bigger part in the next book. I also loved Zeke who is second in command of the group that Allie meets on her journey.  It was nice to have hints of a possible romance but I'm glad that this didn't overtake the rest of the story.

Like I said I think The Immortal Rules is a fab start to the Blood of Eden series and it is a book I'd recommend to vampire fans and lovers of dystopian / post apocalyptic fiction. I can't wait for the next instalment!

Source: Initially received from publisher via NetGalley but I also received a print copy from Mira Ink in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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