My Thoughts On: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Posted April 17, 2013 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 18 Comments

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Published by Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: April 30, 2013
446 Pages
Source:  NetGalley



Out here in the Fringes, there is only one rule: Blood calls to blood. She has done the unthinkable: died so she might continue to live. Now Allie, the reluctant teenage vampire who was cast out of Eden, and Zeke, the human boy who loves her, must attempt to save the world from a deadly new strain of plague. In order to do so, they must first hunt down the monster who holds the promise of the cure—and Allie’s beloved mentor—in his sadistic grip…. Joined by Allie’s blood brother, Jackal, this unlikely posse of companions will brave a landscape stalked by raiders, rabids, and rogue vampires. But even if they survive, they’re bound for the Inner city, and a vicious showdown that will test their bonds in ways they never expected. It may just be that becoming undead was the easy part. Confronting the horrors of Allie’s awakening hunger, her growing feelings for Zeke, and the uncertainties of their future is going to be the ultimate challenge. -(summary from Goodreads) 


The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

My Thoughts:  Julie Kagawa, you never ever cease to completely amaze and fully entertain me! 


THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SPOILERS
FOR THE IMMORTAL RULES.  
Proceed with caution if you haven’t read that one!

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Recap:  The end of The Immortal Rules left us with Allie’s new mission to free her vampire sire from the evil vampire master Sarren. Allie sets out alone after leaving those she loves behind in Eden. All she has is her blood bond to guide her, but she is determined to find Kanin and release him before it is too late. 


The first thing or two you need to know is this
Julie Kagawa has stepped-it-up with this series. 

I know that fans of this author were a little big WHAT WHAT WHAT?? last year when we first heard of a vampire/dystopian-ish series coming from this author, but this odd feeling was quickly-so-quickly put to rest when we read The Immortal Rules and realized that we can trust Julie Kagawa. The thing is this: with The Eternity Cure, she’s taken The Immortal Rules, and she’s gone up a few notches. 






Where The Immortal Rules had some great world-building, some great heart-warming scenes between characters, lots of ruralization and countryside, and plenty of chances to get to know our amazing heroine – The Eternity Cure drops us into the action and we don’t have time to play around with a ton of heart-warming scenes! There is much too much at stake in this book. The pages have to turn fast because if Allie and Co. waste time, people could die – and I’m not only talking about Kanin here. You all remember Sarren from the first book? Well, he and the evil Prince Salazar have too many nasty tricks up their sleeves to make more than just Kanin suffer. 



What I’m saying is this – sure, there are a few heart-warming scenes between characters. They’re nice touches and lulls in the action for a minute or two. They give us a chance to remember what Allie was before she was turned and that there is still some humanity out in that crazy world. But the world is going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket, and if Allie and her crew can’t keep moving and find what they’re looking for (aka “the cure”), some things are going to go from very, very bad to much, much worse. 
IT. IS. SO. AWESOME. 

The second thing you need to know is this:
WELL HELLO THERE ZEKE!
Didn’t we leave you safe with the others at Eden? 

Yes! Yes, we did! Silly Zeke… (Not a spoiler, folks. Check the summary above.






The boy has COME LOOKING FOR HIS LOVE. How do you all think this will end up? The human boy chases after the vampire girl? 



Oh sure! We’ve seen this type of thing before but THIS GAL RIGHT HERE doesn’t really get tired of it. Will it ultimately work out? Who the heck knows!? I guess we’ll all find out, won’t we?  



The third thing you need to know is this:



OH MY GOSH THAT ENDING WAS CRAAAAZY!



The Eternity Cure kept me on my toes all the way throughout, which is basically what I want in a book with an action-driven plot. But goodness gracious, by the time I got to the end of this one, I was nearly jumpy and felt like Julie Kagawa was almost traipsing into the horror genre just a little bit. Just a little bit! There are some fight scenes throughout the story that are intense, but the latter one-third of this book is like the YA version of a Quentin Tarantino movie. I got along just fine with this, thankyouverymuch, but I realize that some readers will probably be a bit surprised and maybe even taken aback by the level of violence and blood involved. 
The ending – the very last bit of the book – was CRAZY. I mean, as a reader, I felt like I could calm down just a little bit after that “blood bath” of an intense scene near the end (*fist pumps*), so I began to exhale a bit and perhaps I let my guard down and started to even calm down thinking things were wrapping up. Big mistake? Yep. There’s a little bit more. And GOOD GRIEF, you guys. That ending is a shocker. 
I have no idea where this next book will take us and IT THRILLS ME TO PIECES. 
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The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa is a stellar second-part to this amazing series. At first, I had to get used to the differences between this book and The Immortal Rules because they do indeed feel a little bit different BUT what we have to do is TRUST OUR AUTHOR because you guys, Julie Kagawa always delivers. She does. 

In The Immortal Rules, Allison Sekemoto has already spent her time establishing herself as a force and a strong character. She spends the length of The Eternity Cure living up to what we already know about her, and she continues to grow as a character. Her skills become stronger, her leadership becomes stronger, and the blood bond between herself, her sire, and her “brother” in blood (Jackal) becomes stronger as well. What I love about Allie, though, is that we see some vulnerability in her – she continues to struggle with her decision to become a vampire. She wonders if letting Kanin change her was the right idea – should she have let Kanin allow her to die that night instead of changing her? Is this any way to truly live? Allie does not relish the way the vampires have to survive and has a hard time justifying her necessary actions to herself. I love her inner struggle, and I love the conversations she has with her sire, Kanin, as she continues to grow as a vampire and tackle these issues. While Kanin feels like he is not really mentoring Allie any longer, he kinda-sorta is because Allie continues to look up to him and take his advice and his warnings very seriously. I love this. 

Just as Allie is a fantastic character, so is Kanin. The Eternity Cure sees Kanin go through some ultimate physical and mental lows, and this is very difficult for those of us that enjoy his presence in the series. However, it is seeing him rise up and make it through the things that the evil Sarren and the awful Prince Salazar continuously throw at him that reinforce Kanin’s strength and his great role in this series. I love his always-positive influences on Allie and Jackal, and now on Zeke as well. The interaction between Kanin and Jackal, whom he also sired, is a very interesting one and I enjoyed reading it as well even though I did not always appreciate Jackal as a character. Jackal is one that I tend to call a “wild card” because he is sometimes like a villain and sometimes like a pseudovillain. (Somebody discuss this with me if you’ve read the book. Do you agree? Disagree?) At any rate, Jackal is certainly one to watch because he will show up again in the series and we all have to keep our eyes on this guy – we don’t know what his motives are nor what he’s up to! He’s sure to provide some sort of entertainment for us in the final installment – whether it is the positive or the negative kind remains to be seen. 

And Zeke – precious, precious Zeke. It’s no secret from the summary that he is back from Eden. I’ll not spoil the reasons for this, nor the how’s – just know that there is a story there and it is a big one. We all know that vampires and humans aren’t really meant to live together because of the whole I’m-not-alive-but-you-are thing PLUS there’s the whole HEY-I-drink-human-blood-and-you-have-what-I-want thing, so Allie and Zeke have some big things to work on if they plan on making making a relationship work. Remember that Allie left him behind out of love and in good faith that he would have a better life, so as you’re reading this book…well, just keep that in mind. This relationship is interesting and there is NO TELLING what will become of them. Thankfully there is no painful triangle to endure because the very nature of their relationship and how difficult it is is hard enough for readers! 
As I mentioned earlier, The Eternity Cure is quite a page-turner. The plot moves quickly and there is no boredom to be seen. The plot is action-driven – for the most part, the characters have already been established in the first book, I think, and we’ve got a good sense of the world as it has been built. We spend a great amount of time back in the Fringes and in the Inner City of New Covington, so if you remember that area well, you’ll do just fine with this book. I’m telling you, if you love an action-packed urban fantasy book about vampires with plenty of fight scenes and you don’t mind a little bit of some blood being spilled, The Eternity Cure will absolutely for you. The villains are just awful and the characters you already love will make you love them even more. 

I don’t have an idea of when the next book in this series is out yet but you better believe that the very second I can get my grabby hands on it, I will. Nothing makes me actually grabby-handed like the mention of author Julie Kagawa, who is an instant-read favorite of mine. You guys, the stakes have been raised in this series and I can do nothing but flail and squeal at how delighted I am over what this author has written to entertain me. I will revisit this series again and again (of course) and after an ending like that, MAN I can’t wait to see what waits for Allie and the rest of the gang as they _______! 

I recommend The Eternity Cure for fans of vampires, dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, action-driven plots, and fans of the fabulous Julie Kagawa in general. I am like a squeally person even writing these words down. I’ve said it before – it is an honor to be able to read books that make me as excited as this series does. I am grateful! 

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Check out my thoughts on Blood of Eden (prequel) HERE.
Check out my thoughts on The Immortal Rules HERE
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The Eternity Cure will appeal to fans of:

Vampires
Paranormal/Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Genre
Action-Driven Plot
Butt-Kicking Female Main Character
Great Characters, including Secondary Cast
Romance: Already Established. No Love Triangle
Julie Kagawa, because obviously.

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
will be available April 30, 2013.

**I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion and review. I received no compensation for my thoughts. Thank you forever Harlequin Teen and NetGalley!

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Have you read THE IMMORTAL RULES?
Is THE ETERNITY CURE on your to-read list?
Have you already read it? 

Thoughts? 

Tell me! I want to know! 



Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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18 responses to “My Thoughts On: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

  1. I get the sense you enjoyed this one… 😉
    I'm so looking forward to reading The Eternity Cure. Should be able to sink my teeth into it next week! Great review, Asheley.

    • Oh yes! I enjoyed this one very much. It was a little bit different from The Immortal Rules because the worl has already been built so there is much more focusing on the story as a whole and the characterization, and the plot was intense. I thought it was thrilling and just non-stop. If you like action sequences, you'll definitely like this one. Great book!

    • I'm excited for you to read this one! It's certainly a little more out there in that it is almost branching into the horror genre a little bit, but it still stays on the YA side of things and I thought it was great. I loved the progression of the story and the way it ended. Julie Kagawa just comes through for me every time. 🙂

  2. I'm about 1/4 through this – had to take a break, but am loving it oh so much! I was a little hesitant about another vampire book, but totally appreciate Kagawa taking us back to when vampires were SCARY. Can't wait to get further into this one!

    • Yes! These vampires are certainly more scary than most of the vampires out there these days! I can't wait for you to keep going with the book – it gets more and more intense but I just loved it even more the further I got along. I can't wait to see where the story goes next. Can't wait to see your thoughts!

  3. "The latter one-third of this book is like the YA version of a Quentin Tarantino movie." <<< Perfect description. I'm still having nightmares. Great review, and I'm glad you loved this one. You're right, so much more action and craziness in this book. And I have no idea what is going to happen next, but I think I'll need a full year to prepare for the madness.

    • I'd still love to discuss this one with you. I think that the further into the book I got, the more I loved the story and the Tarantino-like quality about it is what I liked toward the end because it seemed to fit with the progression of the story. BUT I realize that if readers don't particularly love that type of story, they won't connect with it. It IS a different book than The Immortal Rules, certainly.

      GAH, that ending, though?! I am so excited to see what's next. JKagawa just keeps me on my toes every single time. I absolutely adore her, I really do. I wonder if you'd have had the chance to read Blood of Eden, the prequel, if you'd have liked this one better? That short novella was much more like The Eternity Cure than The Immortal Rules – almost like it could have prepared you for it?

  4. I'm thrilled you've enjoyed this one, Asheley, although I'm not a fan of this series and won't be reading this book. I actually don't like Zeke AT ALL and something about Kagawa's writing never works for me, no matter how many books of hers I read. Still, I am so glad this wound up living up to your expectations – and more! 🙂

    • I really did enjoy it, Keertana, but I have loved everything Julie Kagawa has put out for us. This series is much different than Iron Fey but I still like them both quite a bit. Zeke does show up in this book, and his presence was shocking to me, but I grew to like it quite a bit and I enjoyed his storyline. I'm sorry these books don't work for you but I tell you, I just loved this one to pieces! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  5. Ok, I am smack dab in the middle of this book as we speak, so I WILL return. But so far, I am liking this book even more than The Immortal Rules. And I think it is probably due to a character who has a name that rhymes with CACKLE. Any scene with him in it is turning out to be my favorite. Imagine that, me loving a secondary more than an MC…

    • I figured you'd like this one and i'm interested in seeing how much you like it as it progresses. Jackal is an interesting character, isn't he? I don't want to say too much about him but he made me feel all kinds of feelings throughout the book. I'll just leave it at that.

      The ending of this one just excites me to no end. I can't wait for you to finish it so you'll know what I'm talking about. I just LOVE Julie Kagawa's work. So much! She never fails to amaze me with her ability to keep me entertained and my mind captured on her story.

  6. I loved The Immortal Rules and I loved this one even more. It was so intense!!! I'm still harboring a crush on Kanin. There is something about that Vamp that makes me want to drop my panties.

    I think maybe because he's old and wise.. lol.

    Love everything she writes though. I'll be trying to get at the next one with my grabby hands too. I think it will prob come out next year around this time.. maybe. I hope. The Immortal Rules was around this time last year, but that doesn't always mean it will be the same. I would like it now please, because Whoa to that ending. :o)

    • I think Kanin is a WONDERFUL character – I love him so much!!! I totally understand why you would crush on him. 🙂

      I'm a complete Julie Kagawa grabby-handed reader, for sure. Probably more with her than anyone else? Yep, I think maybe so.

  7. I have HEARD about this cray cray ended (though not the specifics), and I am now wildly curious what the fuss is all about! I have to admit to more mixed feelings about the first book (although I liked it), but the rave reviews are making me think I should probably give this one a try. Thanks for the review, Asheley!

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

    • Hi Wendy! This book is a little bit different from the first book but I loved it just the same. Julie Kagawa never fails to surprise me and make me excited for whatever she has coming up for us. That ending was CRAY but really exciting! I'm interesting in seeing if you like it or not. This one has much more of an urban fantasy, almost horror-ish feel to it, although on more of a YA level. I loved it.

  8. Really loved the ending on this one and have a lot of thoughts-am excited to see where book 3 will take this story as book 2 has already upped the stakes a lot.

    • I'm ready for book three too! I can't imagine what's going to happen. JKagawa has kind of left things wide open for us and the stakes were so high with this one, I have NO CLUE what will happen! Glad you liked this one! I was wondering how you'd feel about it. 🙂

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