Book Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure: Blood of Eden, Book II
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publishing Date: April 30, 2013
Genre: young adult, paranormal, romance, vampires
Editions: print, ebook audio
Length: 446 pages

How do you face the end of eternity?


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.

A_TIFFYFIT'S REVIEW Book. Hangover. This is probably going to ramble with lots of fan-girling emotions. Maybe I can even dig up a gif or two. Once again, Ms Kagawa has kept me up far, far later than I should be awake. My head is pounding from the headache brewing behind my tired eyes. The high pollen count my town has been suffering isn't helping to be sure, but reading straight through the night to finish this book is surely the major culprit. *shakes fist at my body's limitations*

This was me. My fingers were confused as I was tapping at my Kindle to turn the page. I had to re-read a few paragraphs because it seemed like I had just read it. That's because I had...I hadn't turned the page yet!

The Eternity Cure picks up where The Immortal Rules left off. Allie is following the call to find her sire, Kanin, who is currently being tortured by Mister PsychoPath Vampire. Along the way there, she discovers her vampiric-blood brother (they share the same creator, Kanin) and decides its better to have him along than not, despite their recent past and his not-so-trustworthy status.

I LOVE Allie's character. I do. She's a total bad-ass who struggles with her inner monster and her humanity, agonizes over things, and in the end, is one tough cookie with a huge heart and capacity to love and forgive. And really, if it weren't for her, I probably would've been gnashing my teeth all annoyed at the men in this book: from Salazar (the Prince of New Covington) to Stephen (you know him by a different name if you read The Immortal Rules and don't worry, it gets bandied about a lot in the book to remind you, but I don't want to spoil WHO he is for you. Just keep in mind "The Princess Bride" when Buttercup is yelling, "And when I call you a coward , it is only because you are the slimiest weakling ever to walk upon the Earth!" yeaaaaaaaaaaah), Kanin to Jackal, and yes, even Zeke. But Allie and her responses are the perfect antidote for some rather doltish comments/behavior. And Kanin...I get that you're a Master and old, but that whole remain calm thing at all times would drive me bonkers if I knew you in real life. And yet...I love that about you. I love how you can see people and who they are. I hate your self-loathing and regret bandwagon you've got going on, although it's also part of what defines you as Kanin.

The dynamics of the group are fabulous and honestly...despite him being so untrustworthy, I LIKE Jackal. Sure he may have these seriously maniacal plans, he may be a total cold-hearted bastard, but you gotta respect that he is upfront and tells it like it is. And who doesn't like a bad boy?

But Stephen...OMG, STEPHEN. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! You gutless turd, you disgust me. Brava, Ms Kagawa, because I really wanted to reach through my Kindle and strangle him. And every time he opened his mouth, I was doing this:

Not towards Ms. Kagawa's writing, but to the actual character himself. She wrote him that loathsome. 

I think I said it when I was reviewing The Immortal Rules  and I'll say it again: OH HELL YES. HELL HELL YES. You know why I say this? Reader Zone. It's sacred. There is absolutely nothing in this book (or any of Julie Kagawa's books I've read) that kicks me out of reader zone. Once entrenched in the story, that's it. I'm there. The world is rich, the descriptions gory and incredibly visual, the characters well-developed and multi-faceted, the emotions vivid. 

I ... cannot even describe to you the last 20% of this book. (Can you tell I read it on a Kindle? My notes are percentage based!). My suggestion is to know your reading speed, get your chores and stuff out of the way, curl up, and READ. It's an edge of your seat page-turner, heart-wrencher, emotion pulling book that is nearly completely satisfying. Nearly, you say? Yes, nearly. Why, nearly? BECAUSE THERE HAS TO BE AT LEAST ONE MORE BOOK AFTER THIS AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE ENDING OF THIS ONE, THE LAST LINE MAKES YOU GASP. 

And I think that's as spoiler-free as I can get. I hate spoilers, I don't want to tell you specifics. At this point, any book Julie Kagawa writes, I want to read. Thanks for killing my bedtime! 

MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU:

Because if I just rambled on and on and on about how much I love this book series and can't wait for the third book, you should know more about Julie Kagawa and her new series and the fact that this trilogy was optioned for a movie and how much Harlequin rocks and and and...

About Julie Kagawa:

Julie Kagawa is the author of the internationally bestselling Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series. Born in Sacramento, California, Julie moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things: how to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks and that writing stories in math class is a fantastic way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate.

Julie now lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. She still laughs whenever she sees a centipede. Visit her at www.juliekagawa.com and follow her on Twitter @jkagawa.
Links

Harlequin's Website

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Follow Julie Kagawa on Twitter

Blood Of Eden series website

Julie Kagawa's Blood of Eden optioned for movie

Julie Kagawa's new 2015 fantasy series optioned for movie by Universal