Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Series: Blood of Eden series
Placement in Series: Book 2/3
Author: Julie Kagawa

Description:

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.

Review:

This book is one of those books which was just so good I want to give you all copies and sit and watch you read it while trying to remain expressionless, but really I will be sitting next to you hitting your arm and saying with wide, crazy-eyes: "I KNOW, right?! THAT part!"

But I'm going to try to get my thoughts out on this book in a slightly more coherent way, because you all need to read this book. Because you just do.

If you have yet to read the first book in the Blood of Eden series (The Immortal Rules) by Julie Kagawa, I suggest you do that first if you want both my review and the book itself to make any sense. You can read my review on The Immortal Rules here.

(Note: The following has very few spoilers.

What I liked about The Eternity Cure:
Once again Julie Kagawa's writing continues to amaze me. I seem to forget each time I open one of her books just how visually descriptive and real her writing is, then I start reading and it's like eating a perfectly baked fudgey brownie after months of not having any (I really like brownies and I'm hungry, okay? No judging). It's descriptive without being too descriptive, and the action scenes (which there are a lot of) are perfect. She makes you feel like you're there (though you might not always want to be, based on some of the things that happen and what the characters are seeing!) and are a part of the action.

What I did not like about The Eternity Cure:
The fact that I have to wait a year from now for the next book. Seriously, I have zero complaints about this book.

What I loved about The Eternity Cure:
Jackal! And the plot itself. Without spoiling too much, I will say this: The Eternity Cure starts not too long after where The Immortal Rules ends, and Allie, now a vampire who should not be able to dream, keeps having 'dreams' about her sire, Kanin. He is in trouble, and so she sets out to find him, following the bond that connects them. But when she finally reaches her destination, what she finds is far from what she expects! She stumbles upon Jackal, her vampire 'brother' whom she faced off against in the last book (and nearly did not make it). He requests her help in finding Kanin, whom Jackal is also searching for, and they set off to find their sire, putting aside their differences (or not really, based on the massive amounts of humourous - at least to me - bickering that is exchanged between them).
On their journey to find Kanin, we discover a bit more about Jackal (and in my case, start to fall in love with him - he is just too entertaining, despite how incredibly evil he can be) and even meet up with a few figures from Allie's past.
Also, a new string of the Red Virus has broken out and it affects not only humans, but threatens the vampire population as well.

The book is full of plot twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat (or at least sitting up in my bed clutching my Kobo), and just when you think everything is fine and phew, we can relax now... Nope! Julie Kagawa rips that chair right out from behind you and leaves you slamming hard onto your backside on the floor. And I loved every second of it.

You see a lot of Allie's development as a person (er, can we still call a vampire a person?) and a vampire in The Eternity Cure, and some shocking development in a few other characters (whom I will not mention because spoilers) as well.

The reappearance of Jackal was one of the best things to happen to this book. He is annoying and hilarious and sassy, and even though he did many unforgiveable things in The Immortal Rules, I could not help but like him in a very different way from the rest of the characters. I want to say more, but I know it will count as a spoilers, so I will just leave it at that. All I will add is this: more Jackal, please!

Rating: 5/5
I recommend this book for: Anyone over the age of 15 (some violence/language/themes that might not be suitable for younger readers) who has read The Immortal Rules (why read the sequel without first reading the book that started it all?)

Where you can buy this book:

In Canada:
Indigo/Chapters/Coles

In the USA:
Barnes and Noble

Internationally:
Amazon

For your e-reader:
Kindle
Kobo
Nook

Cover Reveal: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

Earlier today Hollywood Crush of MTV.com announced the official cover reveal of book two in the Call of the Forgotten series (and book six of the Iron Fey series).

After reading The Iron Fey series last year, Julie Kagawa quickly became one of my favourite authors (I also love her vampire dystopian series, Blood of Eden, which I highly recommend. You might think you're done with dystopians and with vampires, but you won't be once you start The Immortal Rules!).
When The Iron Fey series 'ended' with Iron Knight, I, along with many other members of the Iron Army (the self-dubbed fandom name of readers of the Iron Fey series), didn't want it to end.

And the Iron Army was luckily and happily resurrected when Julie Kagawa announced that she would be continuing the series with new books featuring Meghan Chase's younger brother, Ethan Chase.

The first book, The Lost Prince, of the new series, Call of the Forgotten, was released fall of last year. It was, in my strong opinion, amazing, and I, along with the rest of the Iron Army, am anxiously awaiting the second book, The Iron Traitor (originally called The Traitor Son).

There is not yet a description released for The Iron Traitor, but you can see the cover in all of its gorgeousness (and sexiness!) by visiting hollywoodcrush.mtv.com's exclusive cover reveal post here.

Go on. This post will be waiting when you get back...

...

...

...

WAS IT NOT THE MOST GORGEOUS THING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?
Was anyone else expecting to see Ethan and not Keirran?
I for one and super stoked that they chose to go with Keirran on the cover, even though the books are not told from his perspective. I am jumping-up-and-down-in-my-chair excited to read this book (and also terrified - traitor son/iron traitor? Julie Kagawa, what do you have in store for us??)



The Iron Traitor comes out in November 2013, so there is still a few months' wait. Why not check out Julie Kagawa's other series, Blood of Eden, while you're waiting? (If you haven't already) The Immortal Rules is already out and the second book, The Eternity Cure, will be out May 1st. Check out my review of The Immortal Rules here. And look out in the near future for a review of Eternity Cure. I'm more than halfway through and it is great!



So what do you guys think of the reveal?
And hmm... What do you think?
Ethan? or Keirran?

The Iron Traitor cover looks a lot more similar to the original Iron Fey series covers, don't you think? Lost Prince's is too, of course, but the placement of the title reminds me a lot more of the Iron Fey series. I like it.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #1

(It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly blog meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Each Monday participating blogs post about which books we are currently reading and our reading plans for the week. You can sign up at Book Journey by clicking here)

This week I am reading...

Wasteland by Lynn Rush (Wasteland #1)

Blurb:

Bound by the blood contract his human mother signed four centuries ago, half-demon, David Sadler, must obey his demonic Master's order to capture fifteen-year-old Jessica Hanks. But as he learns more about her, he realizes she may be the key to freedom from his dark enslavement.The only obstacle-Jessica's distractingly beautiful Guardian, Rebeka Abbott. He must not give in to their steamy chemistry, or he will lose his humanity. But fresh off a quarter millennia of sensory deprivation as punishment for not retrieving his last target, he may not be able to resist temptation long enough to save what's left of his human soul.

I am about halfway through this e-book, but since I do not yet have the next books in this series, I will have to put the Wasteland books on hold. I am enjoying it so far, and am curious to find out where the book goes from here.


I try not to read multiple books at once, but it is a habit I am having difficulties breaking, especially now that I've started to read one book on my breaks at work and one at home before I sleep. So the second book I am devouring is...

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux #2)

Blurb:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

The series that made me desperately miss book blogging! Again, I am halfway through this book and loving it completely. Who can stay away from Daemon Black? As much of a jerk as he can be, he is an irresistable one (perhaps that is why) I love to read about. And having a main character I, as a book blogger, can seriously relate to? Makes the reading experience that much better!


After this I have a pile of 70+ unread books (and growing - the curse/blessing of working at a bookstore with a discount - oops!) to attack, but more than likely I will be reading the following titles:

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa, procured very gratefully from Netgalley (see my review of book #1, The Immortal Rules, here)

Frostbite (Touch of Frost #1) by Lynn Rush, the e-arc I was lucky enough to get my hands on

Review: The Lost Prince

Title: The Lost Prince
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten (books 5 in the Iron Fey series, book 1 in the Call of the Forgotten trilogy)
Rating: 4/5
Blurb:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.


Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

Review:

Ethan is all grown up!

I was super excited when I found out Julie Kagawa was writing a trilogy continued from The Iron Fey featuring Meghan Chase's younger brother, Ethan. I know it would be an amazing book, as Kagawa never disappoints, and I was right.

This book included all of Julie Kagawa's usual awesomeness. Amazing writing, exciting and heart-breaking plot twists, old and beloved characters, new characters that you just want to hold close to you in order to keep them safe... It had it all. And the storyline, of course, was fabulous. The lost and forgotten fey had intrigued me when we met them in The Iron Knight, and I was glad this was something Kagawa decided to write on.

I definitely recommend reading the entire Iron Fey series before starting this one (although it is not competely necessay, it would better benefit you, as a reader, to know the whole background story about what happened to Ethan's sister Meghan), including the novellas and especially Iron's Prophecy.

I'm intrigued to find out where the rest of the series take us, though mostly I am terrified. The next book is titled The Traitor Son, and I am biting my nails in anticipation and fear. I won't say much more as I don't want to spoil anything in the previous books, but if you have been on the fence about this series, it is one that I highly recommend!

Iron Fey Comics plus Giveaway

So it's official: Julie Kagawa is working with a team at Bluewater Productions to make Iron King (and the rest of the books) into comics!
Julie Kagawa talks about the project and how they are looking for pledges in the form of donations to help the project along (and how you can win Iron Fey-related prizes for pledging!) in the video below:

Exciting!

Julie Kagawa is also having a giveaway on her blog (international!!!) for anyone who helps to spread the word about the Kickstart.

Link to Julie Kagawa's blog post

Kickstart page

Book Haul #2

My second book haul video!

Featuring:
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver (book #3 in her Legacy trilogy)
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa (book #5 in The Iron Fey series)

and a special mention of Looking For Alaska by John Green

Reviews to come of The Lost Prince and The Forsaken soon, for sure (and possible Looking For Alaska and Sacrifice).

Waiting on Wednesday #4

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogger meme started by Breaking the Spine. If you want to check this meme out at its origin and particpate, just click here.

This week I am waiting on a first book in a new trilogy by Julie Kagawa. I thoroughly enjoyed her Iron Fey series, as well as the first book in her Blood of Eden series, The Immortal Rules. She has quickly become one of my favourite authors, and when it was announced that she would be writing three more books as a companion to the Iron Fey series, but this time featuring Meghan's younger, grown up brother Ethan Chase, I was ecstatic!

Blurb:

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

I'm very curious as to see where this series will take us -- Julie never disappoints, and I expect Ethan's story will be just as compelling as Meghan's.

The Lost Prince is due out at the end of October of this year, so mark October 23rd on your calendar!

Mini Review: Iron's Prophecy

Title: Iron's Prophecy
Author: Julie Kagawa
Placement in Series: 4.5
Series: The Iron Fey
Rating: 5/5
Blurb:

Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child…

 I honestly did not know exactly what I was expecting when I began to read the final novella of the Iron Fey series that followed Meghan Chase's adventures. Certainly not a hint as to what we might see in Ethan Chase's series, that's for sure.
What I was mostly relieved about was that this novella was not just a 'hey look -- Meghan and Ash lived happily ever after' novella. There was a lot of actual content and conflict; basically, this story was not fluff.

In Iron's Prophecy, we learn that Meghan is pregnant (this does not count as a spoiler, considering is reveals that in the blurb), but there are some complications, of course. The Oracle visits Meghan and has something to tell the Iron Queen, but Meghan must meet the Oracle at a certain location. Accompanying her, as usual, are some old favourites, Grimalkin and Puck, and of course her knight, Ash.

I just have to admit here that I could not read this novella all at once. When I realised how much I missed these characters, I freaked out so much that in order to maintain my sanity, I had to put the book down. Seriously, if you had seen me on my social networking sites while reading this novella... I was crazy. It's just... these characters!

As usual, Julie Kagawa's writing is impeccable. Iron's Prophecy was a nice last adventure we could all take with Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grim before we begin journeying with Ethan Chase on his adventures. Iron's Prophecy helped bridge the gap between The Lost Prince, for reasons I will not reveal. At least, that is what I am predicting based on what we learned in this novella.

This is definitely a must-read if you have read the Iron Fey series. And if not, then I highly recommend them. I caught on to the series a little late (just after The Iron Knight was released), and fell in love immediately. The character development is refreshing, and the unique twist Julie Kagawa added to the fey world is amazing. She certainly knows how to bring back an 'overly done' (as some might say) genre by adding her own imaginative spins. She did the same with her vampire-dystopia, The Immortal Rules, which I wrote a review on a while back.

Now to wait two more months for the first book in the Call of the Forgotten series :D
I certainly cannot wait!

Cover Reveal: Iron's Prophecy

I was a little late to the party when it came to reading Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. I picked up the books soon after the fourth in the series, Iron Knight, was released, but I quickly fell in love with them and they now remain one of my favourite fantasy series. When I found out that Julie Kagawa was writing a series featuring Meghan Chase's younger brother Ethan, I was (and still am) ecstatic. The first book in that series comes out later this year, around the same time that book 4.5 in the Iron Fey series is released, Iron's Prophecy:

And that up there is the beautiful cover for the novella, which I'm sure will satisfy a lot of Iron Fey fans. The plot blurb that was also released, which you can read here on Goodreads, is the final novella revolving around Meghan Chase's life, and will give us a glimpse into her life as the Iron Queen. There is even  mention in the blurb about Meghan carrying her and Ash's son, which is super exciting!


Looking at the previous Iron Fey covers, I've noticed that Iron's Prophecy is a slightly different style. It's a lot darker in colour compared to the other books. The following are the two other Iron Fey novellas' covers:

The cover for Iron's Prophecy reflects the style of the cover for the first book in Ethan Chase's series:

At least in my eyes, anyways. Perhaps because it's the final novella of Meghan Chase's time? Or maybe it's just random and I'm looking for deeper meaning in a book cover than was intended. Oh, no, what have my English teachers done to me? Haha.

So what are your thoughts?

What do you think of the Iron's Prophecy cover? Excited to read it? Have you read all of the novellas and if so, do you think they add to the story, or that the series would be fine if they didn't exist?

Personally, they're more than just fluff stories to me. In fact, they aren't fluff at all. In the full-length novels there are hints as to what happened in the novellas, and I found it enlightening to read the novellas. It definitely adds something.

Also, how excited are you for Ethan's series? I'm a little excited.................. *bounces around ecstatically*

Review: The Immortal Rules

Book: The Immortal Rules
Series: Blood of Eden
Author: Julie Kagawa
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Description
My Rating: 4.5/5


Review:

Caution: Possible spoilers below. This has been your warning. You may now proceed with the knowledge that anything I say from hereon out is not my fault for spoiling it, as you have been warning. I cannot stress that enough. Although I do promise that I do not spoil anything of too much importance other than basic plot points that the book trailer and synopses let on.

Okay wow. Where do I begin?

The story begins with a look into the life of Allison Sekemoto (who we can only assume through several hints is of Japanese heritage, but is unaware of it as race is far from importance in this dystopian world -- in the means that people have much bigger things such as vampires and survival to worry about than where they came from). She lives in a dystopian USA run over by vampires. Her city is protected by walls that keep out the rabids (crazed vampires with no sense of thought, personality, or humanity), while the inside is run by the regular vampires. Registered humans give blood to the vampires every so often in exchange for shelter and food. The Unregistereds, which includes Allie, basically forage for themselves and try to stay out of the vampires way.

I must say that I love how there are two very different groups of vampires: the crazy out-of-control rabids, and the city ones. Neither, of course, are the kind you want to be buddy-buddy with, considering all you are to them is a food source, but I would rather take my chances in the city than out in the ruins where the rabids could get me. Then again, I wouldn't want to be under control of vampires, either.

Anyways, Allison gets Turned into a vampire (through events which I will not spoil) and her Creator teaches her the ways of being a bloodsucker. I really liked this bit, because it was not just Allison learning, but also the readers. And we don't learn it in a super boring 'oh my goodness, just get on with it already!' kind of way. We get fed pieces that we can take the time to digest. It worked well, and I applaud Julie Kagawa for that. I won't reveal much more plot-wise, because I hate spoilers and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, so here are some scrambled thoughts of mine about The Immortal Rules:

I thought the vampire genre had been killed repeatedly already, but Julie Kagawa was able to bring it back in a really interesting way. Tying it in with the current popular genre of dystopias was pretty genius, I must say. But the plot was again an interesting twist on dystopias, as well. It follows, of course, some basic dystopian plot norms, but it does not do so in a way that we know pretty much what is going to happen next. There were a lot of moments where I was like "Whoa! I did not see that coming!" which was great. Predictable is not always fun.

 The characters were pretty amazing, too. Of course Allison is the protagonist and we see everything from her perspective. She is a pretty BA heroine, I must say. Very unlike other protagonists in the vampire genre. Of course, they are usually human and unable to help their helplessness, so perhaps that is a factor.

 One thing I'd like to learn later in this series is how exactly the vampire cities are run so well. Do humans have jobs or do they just slack around? Do vampires do much or do they just feed? We don't get to see that in The Immortal Rules, and that's no fault to the plot or the author or anything -- Allison was never a part of the vampire cities in a direct way, so we might not ever get to see it. But I am curious to know.

The way Allison fought her Hunger felt very realistic to me (although what do I know? I'm no vampire), because she had a lot of trouble with it. In other vampire books and stories (and I'll point out Twilight as a specific because it's one of the few I've read, and also The Vampire Diaries - at least the TV shows as I've not read the books) they show the vampires as 'vegetarian' vampires. Allison's Creator makes it very clear that while it is possible to survive off animal blood, it's like junk food for vampires and never truly fills them up. This makes more sense to me, because it does not glorify being a vampire. As a vampire, you will kill a human. It's what they do. The Hunger will always win out. There are a few exceptional quotes from Allison's vampire Creator when explaining this, and they are some of my favourite quotes from this book. BUT I don't want to give too much away, so... go read the book :P

I know that I am seriously rambling here, so here are some quick sum-up points:

• The description Julie Kagawa uses to describe the vampiric dystopian world sucked me in. It is definitely not a place I would want to live in, but the description was so amazing that I could picture everything in my mind as I read, which is very important to me. Some books have amazing plots but seriously lack in the description, and some books have great description but that overshadows the plot. There was a great balance between plot, characters, and setting in TIR. So, go Julie!
• Allison is great. She is sarcastic, witty, caring, and overall bad ass. I do not picture her as the model on the cover art, considering Allie is supposed to be Asian (I'm guessing Japanese considering the references to the katana and her surname), but that's fine. It did bother me a bit at first, but Julie painted a well-enough description of Allie that I managed to pick up (I'm usually terrible at imagining characters in my mind and often rely on the cover art. My fault, no one else's).
• There is romance. And it is done well. It certainly does not over-shadow the plot. It is a small vine in the forest of the plot, and is done very well. Kudos.
• Julie was not afraid to kill characters. I learned this in the first few chapters and found myself feeling Allison's relectance to get close to any other characters. Which was cool.
• Eden! I don't want to spoil anything. So I won't say anything else about Eden. But I want to. I have questions. But I am sure those questions will be answered in the later books. Hopefully.
• The plot twists! Just when you think you know where the story will go, Julie snags the rug out from under your feet and points you down a new path in the maze. And not in a whiplash sort of way, either. Each twist was well-placed and well-done.
• If you are not a fan of vampire books, this book might just change your mind. I've been hesitant, but picked this one up for two reasons. 1-Julie Kagawa. I read her Iron Fey series and cannot wait for Ethan's trilogy. 2-vampire dystopia? That's new!

 In conclusion, Julie Kagawa continues to be amazing. Some may say the vampire genre has been overdone, but Julie brought it back in an original way. Knowing I have to wait about a year for the second book in this series to be released is...slightly torturous. Buuuut I know it will be worth the wait. Go read this book.

ps: My next review will be less scrambled, this I promise. But if I didn't type this out now, the procrastinating would never end.