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

The Forever Song, book three of the Blood of Eden trilogy by Julie Kagawa, is the stunning conclusion to what I deem to be the best YA vampire series to date.  There.  I said it.  If you have not read The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure, stop reading now; while my actual review does not contain spoilers, the actual synopsis of the novel released by the publisher does.   A big one, in fact.    

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.                                                          @Goodreads

 It’s hard to write this without spoilers, but I am forcing myself.  After all, at the time that I’m posting this, most of you have not read it; it hasn’t even been published yet.  Therefore, this review will be a bit cryptic, much like my review for the other novels in the series.  You can read those here and here.

In the final novel in the Blood of Eden trilogy, Allie struggles more than ever with her humanity in the wake of significant personal tragedy.    The story opens with Allie, Kanin, and Jackal traveling to Eden in search of Sarren, the psychotic vampire that has embarked on a dangerous journey to destroy humanity so that the world can start over.     

Allie knows that she is now a monster.   She cares little for humans, beyond stopping Sarren from wiping out her food supply.  She is hurt on an epic level, and to make matters worse, master vampire Kanin, her sire, is filled with disappointment towards the monster she has decided to become. 

Sound good so far?  It gets so much better.

What is waiting for the trio on their journey is worse than anything they could have imagined.  And… I can’t really say any more than that.

There is a rather large development 29% into the novel that I did see coming, however, I was somehow still shocked and amazed when it did, because it was just done so well.  No disappointments with the last installment of this series at all.  I commend you, Julie Kagawa.  You are… amazing. 

One little qualm:  At the end of The Forever Song, as Allie is reflecting on the time she has been a vampire, it is stated that she has only been a vampire for about a year.  I didn’t go back and make sure that time matched up, but from what I remember… it does not.  All of that happened over just 1 year?  Kanin’s training?  Wondering around after she separated from him, before she found Zeke’s group? Staying with Zeke’s group until they made it to Old Chicago, and later, Eden?  That’s just the first book, and I believe four months separates the first from the second.    This was a very minor issue to me, just something I noticed.  Perhaps it was only a year.  Whatever.

My rating for both The Forever Song and the Blood of Eden is five whopping stars. 

Please note:  I received a free ARC of The Forever Song by the publisher (Harlequin Teen), and Netgalley.  The book was not advertised to be the last in the trilogy, and I requested it without knowing.  Once I realized, after I had read the reviews, I decided to purchase both the first and the second installment in the series.  Well played, Harlequin Teen.  

Expected publication date:  April 15 2014

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

The Eternity Cure is the second novel in Julie Kagawa’s Blood of Eden trilogy.  If you have not read the first novel, you may want to skip this so as to not read any inadvertent spoilers, especially in the synopsis.  My actual review does not contain any spoilers. You can check out my mini review of the first novel in the series, The Immortal Rules, here.

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.                          @Goodreads

As I previously stated, I purchased this novel and the first in the series once I received an ARC for the third novel in the series, and became intrigued.  Well worth the gamble, I must say.  While The Immortal Rules hooked me and restored my faith in vampires and YA literature in general, The Eternity Cure made me realize that this trilogy is going to be one of my all-time favorites.

More murdering, monstrous vampires.  More rabids.  A new plague that destroys humans and vampires alike.  Vivid descriptions, excellent writing, and a heroine that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.  Gripping, dark, and tense, this novel has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.  Julie Kagawa is not the type of author that is afraid to let tragedy befall her characters.  And oh, does it.

The two minor issues I had with The Immortal Rules were the underlying religious themes, and the love interest, Zeke.  The religious themes continued -- lightly -- throughout The Eternity Cure, and they again were not a problem for someone that hates shit like that (me).  I am a little worried that there is going to be some huge spiritual reveal in the last book in the series, but so far so good.

Zeke, who I thought was boring in the first novel, was much more tolerable in the second.  He's still not the best love interest (he's not Edward or Jacob), but I do have more respect for his character.  I even grew to like him a bit.  I wouldn't have wiped my ass with him in the first novel.

I gave The Immortal Rules a 4.5 star rating, but The Eternity Cure was better, and gets a solid five.

Stay tuned for my review of The Forever Song, the last in the Blood of Eden saga, coming soon!

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

Excuse me if this review sounds like it is coming from an obnoxious fan girl, but The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa, has completely restored my faith and renewed my interest in the overplayed vampire genre that previously bored me to tears.

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in 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 dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.  @Goodreads

I stumbled upon this series on accident; I requested The Forever Song, on Netgalley, without realizing that it was part of a series, Blood of Eden.  Once I realized and read the reviews on Goodreads for this series, I decided I had to read it.  I immediately purchased The Immortal Rules and have since purchased the second novel as well, so... well played, Netgalley and Harlequin Teen.

This book was released in 2011, and is therefore considered old news to most avid YA dystopian fans.  I don't have much to say about it that hasn't already been said.  This post is to drive awareness to this series -- it's really good.  If you haven't heard of it, this is what you need to know:

Dystopian.  Vampires that are monsters, not beautiful, sparkling beings.  Zombies (called rabids).  Strong female lead.  Great writing.  Excellent world-building, and viable explanations on as to how the world ended.  Fast-paced.  Masterfully detailed.  And as far as I'm concerned, insanely underrated.  I had never heard of this series until a few days ago!

There are some religious undertones throughout, but they did not offend my heathen sensibilities.

I'd actually give this novel 4.5 stars, but since I was lazy and didn't make half graphics, I'll round up.

The novel is amazing, and has many strong points, but the main character's love interest is not one of them.  Boring!  Hopefully that improves!