{Joint} Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Forever Song
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, book #3
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

So, The Forever Song is another book that April and I read "together" and discussed afterward. We chatted back and forth about it, and I pretty much pasted the contents of our discussion below for your reading pleasure. We tried to stay spoiler-free for the entire series, but as always, read at your own risk.

Jen:   As a series finale/the ending to a trilogy, I found The Forever Song to be adequate yet slightly mediocre. I liked it, but it didn't have the pull for me that the previous books in the series did. I found that I could easily put the book aside and read other things without my mind wandering back to it, wondering what all the vamps were up to while I was elsewhere. This saddens me because this is one of the best vampire stories I've read in awhile, but it also should be noted that my lackluster feelings on the finality of the series are in no way detrimental to my opinion of the series as a whole. It's still one of the best vampire series I've ever read.

April:  I really loved this one. Though I do know what you mean as far as being able to put it down. I didn't think about it much when I wasn't reading it. It's certainly not as gripping as the first two. But overall, this series is pretty awesome.

The thing that made The Forever Song for me was Jackal. He kept me laughing the whole time. While I love all of the characters, Jackal outshines them all in my eyes.

Jen:  No doubt about it, Jackal made this book for me, too. I mean, I loved him more with each book as the series progressed, but he was undeniably awesome in The Forever Cure. And how far his character has come...he's no angel by any means, but by the end, there's something redeemable about him. I'm really going to miss that guy. Probably more so because I always pictured him as Chris Hemsworth while I was reading. =) Also, he had the best lines. His banter with Allie was priceless. I think it's kind of obvious that Kagawa loved him as much as we did. I know this is probably wishful thinking, but I'd love to see him get his own spin-off series. I could read about him and his antics ad nauseam.

I also love what a survivor Allie has proven herself to be over the course of the series. She's suffered loss time and time again, and yet she keeps moving forward. Allison battles her humanity the entire time, questions whether she is a monster, and yet I don't think it was ever tested as much as it was in this final book.

April:  Yes!! Allie has always been strong through-out the series, but in The Forever Song, she really shows her strength. Both mental and physical. I can't imagine what it must be like for a vampire fighting off that hunger. But I do love food and if humans were like cupcakes to me, it would be really hard to contain myself. So major props to Allie.

And how about that twist? That "No Freaking Way" moment! I won't mention what it was, but I so didn't see it coming and I'm not sure why I didn't, but wow. I was hesitant at first whether I was happy about it, and it took me a while to warm up to it, but in the end I think it worked out alright.

Jen:  Ha! I actually had a few of those moments, but I think I know which one you're talking about. :) I actually expected something along those lines, and I was anticipating and dreading it at the same time. But you're right, it did work out plot-wise and hurting-my-heart-wise, so I'm okay with where Kagawa took the story from there. That last thing that happened, though, that last major thing...that gutted me. I actually cried some. I don't cry often or easily when reading, but damn.

I wish I'd felt such powerful emotion -- even if it was only hatred toward Sarren -- for the entirety of the book, and not just in a few spots. It just felt like the guts of the book was lacking: we're moving along well, exciting things are happening, then we fall into that valley of a middle where I stayed away from the book for well over a week because I was kind of bored, and then we're at the end, which is damn near explosive with all the things that are happening. I mean, the middle wasn't a total snoozefest because we were learning things about the characters, even when things weren't happening to them, but I needed more to hold my interest at that point.

April:  Oh my gosh, yes that last thing. That might have killed me just a little bit. But I guess it made sense and I can see why she wrote it that way. Still it didn't make it less heartbreaking.

I agree that the middle didn't hold my interest as much either. I put it down as well, but picked it back up way sooner than you did lol. I found it interesting enough, but I think my biggest problem is that I'm not as into vampires as I was when I first started reading this series. The ending sure was jam packed though! Near explosive is the perfect way to describe it. Once I neared the end it was hard to put down and I was pretty happy with the conclusion. I'm kinda sad that it's all over now but I feel like there could definitely be a spin of if she chose to write one.

Jen:  Yep, I was in the market again for a good YA vampire story when I found The Immortal Rules, but I've since overcome that desire. I do appreciate that Kagawa's vampire tale featured a post-apocalyptic setting, which made it very different from those that came before it, and the series will forever have a place on my shelf. This ending is bittersweet but satisfying. And, yet, I still find myself hoping for more of this world by way of a Jackal spin-off. (Nope, I'm not going to let that go. :D)

GIF it to me straight:

We want more Jackal!!

About the author:

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

Find Julie:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: blood of eden, favorites, harlequin-teen, julie kagawa, must-read, post-apocalyptic, reviews, vampires

Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, book #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

Is Julie Kagawa a vampire?  Seriously, she writes Allie's character as if she herself has gone through the transition from human to vampire, and yeah, this monster has been done and redone, but I don't know that I've ever read a vampire story -- especially from the point-of-view of the vampire -- that I've loved more.  And I've read a lot of good ones.  Trust me.

It's not just the writing or the characters that make this series so remarkable, though those things do set it apart from others.  It's also the world....the plague-ravaged, vampire-ridden, desolate world.  I highly suggest reading the Dawn of Eden novella in the 'Til the World Ends anthology to see more of how this world came to be, though more of that is definitely explained in this book.  (Also, the novella does contain a sexual encounter that might be a tad too explicit for some of my readers.)  It's also the misbegotten journey across this crippled world to find Kanin that makes it even more compelling.  Can't forget that...it was the primary focus of the story.



Which brings me to my favorite part of the book:  JACKAL.  Yes, I still have mad love for Kanin, but Jackal kind of stole the show for me in this novel.  Granted, he gets a lot more screen time, but even so, he reminded me of another vampire I initially loved to hate and then just flat-out ended up loving because of his snarky, you-can't-make-me-be-good attitude.  I saw a lot of Damon Salvatore in Jackal but not in a way that made it seem like the author totally ripped off his persona.  (And, no, I didn't make this comparison just so I could use Damon gifs, but how awesome is it that that worked out for me?!?)

     "No problem, little sister." The leer returned, making him look normal again.  "Comment number one--hhow much do you weigh to snap the bridge like that?  I thought you Asians were supposed to be petite and dainty."
     Okay, moment over.  I sheathed my blade and glared at him.  "And here I almost thought you weren't a complete bastard."
     "Well, that's your mistake, not mine."

I just imagine that there are very few moral vampires and far fewer that waver between what is good and what is wrong.  It only made sense that in Allie's struggle, she would encounter kin who were losing the battle.  Not all vampires can have the moral compass of that Kanin fellow.



I wrestled with a connection to Allie in the first book.  I didn't feel her story but rather watched it as an outsider, and that often hinders my ability to really get engaged in a book.  But this time around, it felt personal.  Her struggles were my own.  Her pain and frustration was mine to feel, as well.  And her love...oh, wow...that was totally mine, too.

     "What, then?  Don't tell me you feel something for the little...Oh."  The vampire blinked, then curled his lip back, disgust and pity crossing his sharp features.  "Oh, sister.  Really?  That's just sad."
     "Shut. Up. Jackal."

I didn't really ship the Allie/Zeke pairing in the first book either, but this book changed all that for me.  I don't know what Kagawa did differently -- if anything at all -- but this time around, this story owned me.  My heart bled for these characters and what they went through are still going through.



Yeah, that ending made my head want to go all explodey.  But it was worth it.  'Cause I know the next book will be even more fierce, even more badass.  And I can't freaking wait!


Rating:  

About the author:

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

Find Julie:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: blood of eden, book trailers, favorites, harlequin-teen, julie kagawa, must-read, post-apocalyptic, reviews, vampires

Teaser Tuesday #51: Taken by Erin Bowman & The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser(s) comes from the following book(s):

Title: Taken
Author: Erin Bowman
Series: Taken, book #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

My teaser:

He twists around, his face right before mine.  The eye above his scar is disconcertingly foggy.  "If you know what's good for you and your girlfriend, you will shut up and follow us to safety.  But if you want to burn, by all means, stay here."

-- p. 98

Me and this book got off to a bad start, but it's picking up.  It probably doesn't help that I read Arclight right before this, and that book was pretty phenomenal as far as sci-fi goes.

Title: The Eternity Cure
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, book #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Source: galley received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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 teaser:

Carefully, I grasped my sword and eased it out, being sure the metal didn't scrape against the sheath.  Getting here had been way too easy.  Whoever was on the other side of that door knew I was coming.  If Sarren was expecting me, I'd be ready, too.  If Kanin was in there, I wasn't leaving until I got him out safe.

-- Loc 335, 7%

Eeek!  Kanin!  After that prequel story in 'Til the World Ends, I've been dying for some more Kanin.  And I've heard we get to see more of him in this book, though I can't confirm yet because me and my buddy are taking it easy on this read along...just a few chapters a night to soak it all in.  =)


What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!

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Labels: blood of eden, dystopian, erin bowman, harlequin-teen, harper-collins, julie kagawa, post-apocalyptic, read-along, sci-fi, taken, teaser tuesday, vampires

Short Story Sunday #7: 'Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall

Short stories are awesome.  They give us in-depth insight into characters, providing anecdotal proof of why some characters are they way they are.  They entertain by creating a certain mood or focusing on a singular effect...some instance in a previous body of work (or one to follow) that might have been glossed over or ignored completely in a longer novel. 

And so, every Sunday for the foreseeable future, I would like to highlight short stories and novellas set in worlds I've already come to love and learn a little more about some of the secondary characters in my favorite novels.  I'll be underscoring some of my favorite aspects of these short works of fiction, in addition to offering up a mini review of each work.

This week I'm featuring a short story from an anthology focusing on the end of the world as we know it:

Title: 'Til the World Ends
Author: Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall
Series: Blood of Eden, book #0.5 (prequel)
Publisher: Harlequin Luna
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Source: from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was the 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.

This week, I'll be reviewing Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa.  Next week, I plan to review the short story by Ann Aguirre, followed the next week by Sun Storm by Karen Duvall.  That's the plan, anyway.  :)

Dawn of Eden, prequel to The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa

First, let me say that although this is a prequel to the Blood of Eden series, you don't have to know anything about that series to enjoy it.  If you have read The Immortal Rules, you'll definitely enjoy this short story more because it takes place right at the turning point, when things went from bad to worse, and the characters happen upon a familiar face, one that I didn't even realize how much I'd missed until their identity became clearer.  In fact, there were quite a few familiar things, which kind of made this book feel like coming home.

Second, this short story is a bit more mature than a lot of YA, including The Immortal Rules.  It doesn't detract from the story; I just wanted to give fair warning.  Actually, the (sometimes graphic) sexuality of the book fits the intensity of the situation.  Baser instincts take over when survival is on the line, when your world has been turned upside down and you're not sure whether you'll see the light of another day.

I really enjoyed this short story.  I actually had forgotten how much I enjoyed The Immortal Rules and its post-apocalyptic/dystopian take on vampires and the surviving humans.  It was interesting to see how the plague originated and how people reacted to it...and to those that it changed.  The reactions were so believable and realistic, with the characters reflecting on losing their humanity along with everything else they'd already lost.

This is a great addition to the Blood of Eden series and has me anticipating The Eternity Cure even more than I already was.  Because as much as I liked the characters in Dawn of Eden, I am so ready to return to the aftermath and all the characters I've already grown to care about:  Allie, Zeke, and (hopefully) Kanin.

Rating:  

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Labels: ann aguirre, blood of eden, harlequin-teen, julie kagawa, karen duvall, novellas, post-apocalyptic, reviews, short story sunday, til the world ends, vampires

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  The Immortal Rules
Author:  Julie Kagawa
Series:  Blood of Eden
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Publication Date:  April 24, 2012
Source:  ARC

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.

Whereas most of my reading buddies were firmly on one side of the line or the other when it comes to this book, I found myself conflicted. I liked it. It definitely had its moments, but I expected to love it, based on previous experience with Kagawa’s novels. Allow me to explain.

The world-building is pretty phenomenal. Yes, vampires have been done…overdone, if you ask some. And dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels are all the rage right now. But neither has been done quite like this. In most situations, vampires are a species to be feared and reviled, and the same is true of Kagawa’s monsters. But in The Immortal Rules, vampire masters are kings of their domains, ruling over lower-level vampires and keeping humans as pets. On the fringe of these vampire civilizations are registered humans, used for blood-letting and kept alive by the king for this purpose alone. There are those who rebel against the system, refusing to be registered and constantly scavenging for their next meal because they will not submit and become the equivalent of human pin cushions. But in the ruins of what used to be North America, lies a fate far worse than that of the Fringe. Out there, lying in wait for their next victim, are Rabids -- vampire-hybrids that know nothing but blood lust. There is no safe place in this vampire-run future…only danger, in one form or another.

Allie, the main character, was a miss for me, at least in this first book. I say that because the protagonist in Kagawa’s The Iron Fey series bothered me in the first book of that series, as well, but throughout the following installments, she showed real growth and I slowly became attached to her and her plight. I’m going to venture a guess that the same will hold true of the MC in this series, as well. There was nothing wrong with how Allie was portrayed, per say, but I never felt any connection to her character, beyond what was on the surface. Only toward the end of the novel did I see any real depth to her character, which is why I choose to believe that I will grow to love her character the better I get to know her, just as I did with Meghan in The Iron Fey books.

The supporting characters, however, I found quite intriguing. I really think Kanin deserves his own book. He’s the vampire master who shows Allie the ropes in the beginning, but it’s obvious that he is so much more than that. If he had appeared more during the middle of the book, it might not have drug on so badly for me. Zeke’s appearance near the middle helped further the story and recaptured my interest, but it was lost again for a time while Allie wandered along with his group. It wasn’t until Jackal entered the picture that the book grabbed me again. I love the bad guy who speaks eloquently and tries to convince you he’s not really the enemy here.

The synopsis for this story doesn’t do it justice, but maybe it’s better going into this one with few expectations of what the story is really about. The story is interesting in and of itself, but the subplots really keep things interesting. Considering Kagawa freely admits in the acknowledgements of this book that she never intended to write a vampire novel, I find it extremely entertaining that she’s written such a fascinating, out of the ordinary story about said bloodsuckers.

So, my star rating came down to this:

• World: great
• Main character: so-so
• Supporting cast: great
• Originality: great
• Willingness to give the next book a chance: great

If you’re a fan of vampires, you’ll probably enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of Kagawa’s writing style, you’ll probably enjoy this book to some degree. If you’re expecting this book to be like The Iron Fey series, I think you’ll have better luck elsewhere, though I know several others who will disagree with me on that last point. Still, it was an engaging read, and I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Rating: 

Book-A-Likes:  Blood Red Road by Moira Young (dystopian elements are similar) and Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (because of the whole monster-grows-a-conscience-thing)

 

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Labels: blood of eden, dystopian, harlequin-teen, julie kagawa, reviews, vampires

In My Mailbox #22

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.

I'm behind on posts, including this one, because my baby girl turned FOUR yesterday and I've been dealing with birthday plans, plus I'm on vacation this week, so work was extra hellish last week in preparation for my absence.  But, without further ado, here's what I found in my mailbox this last week:

For Review:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, ARC from the publisher

Starters by Lissa Price, ARC from the publisher

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, ARC from the publisher (this one doesn't have the finished cover)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, ARC from the publisher

Won:

ARC of Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver from Book Loving Mommy

Purchased:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (rec'd by Andrea & April)

Torn by Amanda Hocking

ebook deals:

The Dark Devine by Bree Despain ($1.31 at B&N)

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain ($1.31 at B&N)

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore ($5.03 at B&N)
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep ($4.25 at B&N)
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep ($4.99 at B&N)
First Frost by Jennifer Estep ($.89 at B&N)

 

All those ebook deals were thanks to my friend Jess pointing out to me that the first two books of The Dark Divine series are currently on sale.  I couldn't keep myself from browsing for more deals while I was there.  :(

So, what did the book fairy bring you this week?  Any deals?  Any much-coveted titles?  Do share...

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Labels: amanda hocking, blood of eden, ebook deals, his fair assassin, in my mailbox (imm), lauren oliver, mythos academy, recommended reads, steals/deals