Book Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 30th 2013
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one one rule left: Blood Calls to blood.
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 she finds there will the 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 - 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...

I read this book a few months ago and I have to say I'm still amazed by it! It took me this much to write a review for it, because I wanted my review to be more than just "ooohs" and "aaahs".

I love Allie so much. She's such a badass character. I'm always amazed by how much she's grown from the struggling human to a very powerful vampire. If there's something that needs to be done, she does it. She is very loyal to her friends, even though sometimes those so-called friends don't deserve it. And she can be very scary despite her age (both as a human and as a vampire).

Something happened in this book that I didn't expect. And his name is Jackal. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to hate him for what he did to Allie and Zeke in the first book or if I should just give up and love the guy. Seriously! One minute he's on the good side, he's very loyal to everyone, he helps and rescues and does stuff that you don't expect and the next he does something so bad and wrong that I wanted to get inside the book and smack the guy. And then again he surprises everyone by showing his true intentions, so to speak. I can't figure him out, but I do hope he won't die in the next book.

We also get some big surprises along the way. We see an old character that I never thought I'd ever see again. There's Kanin in all his hotness, there's Zeke who makes me like him with every page and every scene. I can't really imagine not liking this book, honestly.

The ending of this book broke my heart. Just when I thought things were looking better something happened. I won't lie to you, I was expecting it. But the way in which everything happened was so sudden and so out of the blue, it was a bit of a shock. It was very tragic and I am starting to loose my mind waiting for the next book.

Sunday Book Soundtrack #11: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

This week's book soundtrack is for The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa.

Oh, I'm so happy there are other covers for this book. This cover, the Australian (and New Zealand I think) version is amazing! She's Asian, she has gorgeous red eyes, she could be Allie for all I know :P

1. Metallica - Nothing Else Matters - Not a big Metallica fan, but this song is perfect for Allie!
2. Paramore - The Only Exception - Again, good song for Allie
3. Evanescence - Sweet Sacrifice
4. Eminem - Sing For The Moment - This song has a great combination of pain, anger, suffering and confusion, the same combo I sometimes feel Allie has.
5. Jen Titus - Oh Death - If you're a fan of the Supernatural TV show then you probably heard this song before. If not, listen to it. It's creepy and so good. And it fits with the world in this series in my opinion (both the sound and the lyrics). 

Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa (YA)

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: August 1st 2010
My Rating:3.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

WARNING!! SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The second book of The Iron Fey series started well. Meghan is taken to the winter court by the boy she loves and then he leaves without even a parting word. As any other normal girl, she's angry and hurt. I think she needed to get to the winter fey's court, because I really believe she needs to toughen up. She spends some time at the court, without any true friends or allies, and then Ash comes back. At this point I'm expecting her to do something about that when she first sees him after being left all alone to protect herself from the bad fey people. Well, okay, maybe not the first time, because she wasn't exactly herself. But the second time. I felt that her reaction was too mild. And while I understand his reasons for leaving, I wanted her to show how angry and betrayed she felt. I don't know how, scream, hit something, curse, break things,  anything. But no. She cries.

Anyway, after they escape the winter court, they reunite with Puck and all is well for a while. Puck!! While I have to be honest and say that I am on Team Ash, I was glad to see Puck. He manages to make you laugh in the most weird, terrible moments, when all you want to do is sit in a small, dark cave and weep. He has his secrets, like any other person, but he's a good character.

Here's where things didn't work out for me anymore. Remember when I told you that the first book ended too fast, too soon, way too easy? The same thing happened with this book. I won't get into details, because I can't without giving some spoilers, but there was an incident with Ash that was dealt with in a matter of only a few chapters and because of that, I didn't feel as though it was as tragic or dramatic as it appeared to be.

I'm honestly waiting for the wow element to kick in, for me to be swept away by this series. Maybe next book?

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA)

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 1st 2010
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Bought
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

This is one of those slightly painful to write reviews.  Ever since I read The Immortal Rules I've been dying to read this series. I loved Kagawa's writing style and, since I've heard so much about The Iron Fey series, I thought I'd give it a try.

I loved the world in this series, the mythology and the whole "believe and it will exist" theme of the series. It was also interesting to see so may new creatures and the different interactions between them and the different rules and customs of the two courts.

The characters where great too. I especially liked Robbie. I wouldn't say I'm on his team, but I really enjoyed reading about him. He's very funny, charming and very, very mischievous. I was surprised to learn his real name and who he really is. I had a very different idea.

Then there's Ash. I did like his character, though at times he seemed a little too serious. But I liked that in the end he helps Meghan on her quest and that he tries to get along with Robbie.

Here comes the hard part of my review. While I liked Meghan a lot, I didn't understand her at all. I couldn't exactly figure out if she really loved Ash. I didn't feel that emotion for some reason. Yes, she was attracted to him (who wouldn't be?) but I didn't feel the love that much.

Then there's the ending. I would've wanted a little more drama, like we get in The Immortal Rules. Something big, something that leaves me staring at the computer and go "WTF? What just happened?". I don't know, something. Instead, I felt the book ended too easy, given what Meghan and Ash and Robbie had to go through to get to that point. Throughout the book there's this very nice pacing and a sense of danger and mystery and suspense and action, but right at the end it was stopped too fast in my opinion.

Even so, I did enjoy the books and I will be reading the next ones in the series.

Early Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood Of Eden #1
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

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.

This book blew me away. It really did. It was one of those books that keep you so focused on the story, that you don't even feel the need to move. You start reading and the sun is up in the sky and after about an hour, you lift your head up and realize it's dark outside and you check the watch and you realize hours and hours have past since you started reading. It's one of those books that make you want to read each and every sentence and really pay attention to what you're reading.

I loved Allie. She was a very complex character. What I loved about her was that you could see two different sides in her. She could be both fearless and scared, tough as nails and tender, she could mourn the loss of a friend and choose to kill another vampire just to save her human friends. I liked that about her. It made her look multidimensional. Of course, she has her bad moments, she makes some not so smart decisions, but everyone does. The fact that she's not perfect makes her even more like-able in my opinion.

I also loved the world presented in this book. It was my very first dystopian book and it made me ask myself why I waited so long to try this genre. It was amazing. I liked the fact that vampires weren't as indestructible as they normally are represented. They were just as powerless as the humans when it came to those zombie-vampire creatures.

Another thing that I liked was the fact that the author didn't take the easy, predictable way out. There were moments where I expected certain characters to do or say a certain thing and I was 100% sure they'd do it. And when those things didn't happen, it was so refreshing. It was amazing how each and every time I expected something to happen, those things didn't. Each page of this book was full or surprises and I loved that.

The book has it all: horror, action, suspense, romance, a little drama. Of course, I'm hoping we get to see Allie's vampire dad, Kanin, again.

I really can't wait for the next book to come out. I will probably reread this book soon, because I need to return to that world. And until I get my hands on the second book, what am I to do?

Recommended: If you like vampires, YA, fantasy, paranormal, horror, you name it, this book is for you. I do believe this is one of the books you HAVE to read.