Month: August 2014 (Page 32 of 43)

BOOK REVIEW – The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I could choose what kind of people I preyed on, but in the end, I had to prey on someone. The lesser of two evils was still evil.

Wow. Just wow. What a book. What a journey.
What an ending.
I am speechless, stunned, shocked into oblivion…..and yet here I am trying to write a coherent review and nothing but, oh dear lord, fangirling for this novel comes to mind. Let me just try here.

*Spoilers for book one ahead*

Okay. So. The book starts where we left off, but four months later. Kanin is being held and tortured by Sarren and Allie has left Zeke and all the others she helped get to Eden behind to track Kanin down and save him. It’s no joke that book one wasn’t my favorite, but by the end of it I was really excited about what might happen in this second installment. I was skeptical that the author would take the book in a direction where I would fall in love with it, but after finishing the first book, I immediately looked at ratings and reviews for book two (as I ALWAYS do) and saw the drastic difference in both my friends’ ratings and the other GR members. So, I decided to give the second book a chance to change the course of my thoughts towards this series, and I am so eternally grateful that I did.

And just like that, my traitor mind shifted to a lean figure with jagged blond hair and solemn blue eyes. I remembered his smile, that lopsided grin meant only for me. I remembered his touch, the heat that radiated from him when we were close. His fingers sliding over my skin, the warmth of his lips on mine…

There really is nothing I can say to express just how amazing book two was. For starters, all the characters (well, most of them) that annoyed the shit out of me were gone, the timeline and progression of the story was so much quicker and fast-paced, and the goody two-shoes we knew as Zeke is gone. In his place was a fierce, badass motherfucker who let no one stand in his way. I mean, if you knew Zeke in book one you’d realize how true of a statement that is. Yeah, he’s not what most of you alpha loving ladies would call a ‘badass’ as I previously stated, but gone is the puppy who trusted and loved everyone. I gained new respect for him and I cared immensely about what would happen to him in the end.

**He smiled. A cold, dangerous smile, his eyes glittering with dark promise. It sent a chill through me as I realized I didn’t know him anymore.**

Which brings me to my next point. THAT ENDING. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ending?! It was epic, raw, gritty, and I am still shocked. Yes, for the fiftieth time-SHOCKED. I LIVE for that type of ending-that is precisely what made me fall in love with reading again and why I named myself thusly here on GR. Those are the endings you remember, the ones that stick with you after you have read 100 more books. This will be a conclusion that will never leave me and I am so, so happy the author took it there. She has gained my following as a reader and I already have another book in another series by her sitting on my reading device. I loved it and she has gained a forever fan.

Zeke cupped my chin and gently tilted my face up. I resisted a moment, then gazed at him defiantly, feeling the blood trickle from my eye, expecting him to recoil. But he smiled and lightly touched my face, wiping the tear away.
“Both eyes open,” he whispered, and brought his lips down on mine.

I FELT what the characters were feeling, I CRIED with them, I panicked and felt adrenaline course through me just as they did, and, inevitably, I felt crushed as they did. If ever I am too dramatic I will say so: there’s no shame in being excited and exaggerate, but what transpired at the close of this book was so heartbreaking and so desperate and so CRAZY that I won’t admit to being dramatic. It is what it is folks, and that was perfection. We didn’t have ONE crazy ending, but TWO. Yes, this author was on the verge of making me rate this 4.5-“Oh, that was a crazy ending. Hm that was good, better than I expected-I hope the next book is goo…wait…what? What did that fucker just say? WHAT’S HAPPENING??? OH. MY. GOD. No. Effing. Way. THIS. IS. AWESOME.” But with a simple twist of words, I fell to my knees and I now bow to this author. Thank you for that-truly.

Nothing lasted in this world. The harder you held on to something, the more it would kill you when it was gone, so it was best not to get attached to anything.

Allie is smarter, harsher, stronger, and she is willing to risk it all for her sire and now Zeke. I really related to and loved her character even more and felt she grew as a person, er, vampire, and I loved that she gave her heart and soul to the two people she now loves most in the world. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking to see her struggles from within and desperation to not become the monster she’s destined to be. And then there were returns of other not so great characters-one I was surprised to find became a favorite because of the witty banter and hilarious personality, and then the other character…..I still want to strangle. But each character brought such emotion to the story and only added to the intricate web that Kagawa has weaved.

“There are no good choices, Allison,” Kanin offered in a quiet voice. “There are only those you can live with, and those you can work to change.”

Fantastic plot, fun and dangerous journey, and a love that could never work, this book had it all. I got everything that was lacking in the first installment in this one and, as I had said, it totally changed my opinion of the series and made me crazy with want for the finale to this stunning trilogy. I am so, so pleased this paranormal dystopian reached its full potential, because now I don’t have to write it off as the first P/D I’ve not liked. *Phew*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Immortal Rules #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Eternity Cure #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Forever Song #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea

BOOK REVIEW – The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Slowly, I turned. The body in the chair hadn’t moved, still slumped forward with its head bowed. But as I watched, it stirred, raising its head…and I felt the earth shatter as his familiar, piercing blue eyes met mine across the floor.
“Hey, vampire girl,” Zeke whispered, his voice slightly choked. “I knew…you’d come for me.”

I absolutely, completely, and undeniably loved this story. It’s been a long journey since book one, and an even longer journey for me and this author. It takes a lot for me to bawl uncontrollably, to lose my breath with the pages as they turn, to make me want to read a purely fantasy series, to damn the author while also pledging my undying devotion and love for them…altogether it takes a lot to make me an incoherent blubbering mess and this author never fails to do so. It’s not always about shoving the largest amount of horrible things that can happen into a story, and it’s not about killing off characters just for the sake of dramatic endings-with some stories that works, and with others, it’s a desperate attempt to make something larger and unforgettable with a single dreaded occurrence. But with Julie Kagawa, no moment is thrown in just for the sake of it and no character is wasted.

“No.” Kanin’s voice was suddenly hard, terrifying. “You are simply using your demon to hide from what you really feel. Because you are afraid of what that means, that it might be painful. It is far easier to be a monster than to confront the truth.”

***There will be spoilers from previous installments***

Allie has been dealt all the worst cards imaginable. She was killed saving a ‘friend’, only to be turned into a vampire and shunned by that said friend after she lost everything and became a monster, she fell in love with a boy that still ~~has~~ had a beating heart only for him to be revolted by her when he found out what she was, but then come to his senses when he realized she was a good pers…errr…vampire, only to lose him again (or did she??) at the hands of Sarren-a sadistic vampire hellbent on revenge and cleansing the world of the evil that now plagues it…..*takes deep breath* aaaaaaand that’s all I’m willing to recap, lol. But that’s only the beginning, and through it all, she’s had her sire, Kanin, and her almost-always-there blood brother, Jackal. I loved each and every character and found them to be so addicting. When I would put the book down, it was all I thought about. When I read a snarky line from Jackal, I almost always laughed. When Kanin would show his support for Allie or help her overcome that darkness that threatens to overcome her, my heart grew to unmanageable sizes…and then there was the romance.

Zeke’s cruel smile didn’t change. “I died, vampire girl,” he repeated, as if it were obvious. “And Sarren helped me forget. I forgot the pain of being a mortal. The human you knew before…he’s dead. Dead and gone.” He stepped forward, raising the katana above his head, eyes bright with glee and madness. I could barely see his features through the haze darkening my vision, but his voice rang out, cold and ruthless. “And now, you can join him.”

One thing I admire about Kagawa is the way she delivers her blows-you know something big is coming, you are fully prepared to take the bait, you are amped up, nervous, giddy, excited….and then she delivers the pivotal scene that will change it all. But that’s not all, oh no, this author doesn’t mess around with those wimpy final moments-she will repeatedly make you think that the big climactic scene is over, let you believe that you are safe and don’t have to cower at the thought that something else is going to happen to your precious characters, and then BOOM. Something EPIC happens and you aren’t ready for that second knee-buckling blow that wasn’t supposed to happen-she ALWAYS gives you two endings. Not just ONE final battle scene but TWO-and you never see it coming. And more than that, she isn’t such a bleak author that you think, “Well, why’d you have to go and do that?!” She almost always rectifies the problem or twists shit around so that it all works out in the end-for good or bad. But it doesn’t matter, because it is always clear that that was the destined path that was highlighted for the characters and you aren’t left questioning ‘what-if?’ And while I knew that, while absolutely stunning and crazy, the end of book two was just something to make us pine for book three like crack addicts eagerly awaiting our next fix, I still didn’t know how she’d work it out. I didn’t know if it would be romantically pleasing after the wait…but I knew she’d work it out somehow-I have that much faith in her.

“Just don’t get any ideas,” I growled at him. “Actually, I don’t know if I like the idea of going into your city of bloodthirsty killers. You’ve stabbed us in the back before-what’s to stop you from doing it again?”
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” Jackal gave me an annoyed look. “Even though it probably saved your soft little hide from being carved into a pentagram by Sarren. Everyone seems to forget that part. Would it kill you to have a little faith in your older brother?”
“It might.”

The romantic angst in this installment turned a lot of people off-not me. It wasn’t overdone, it wasn’t pushed too far, and it made the story flow so much better. What Zeke goes through in this installment is what Allie has been dealing with for three whole books-how do you fight being a monster…when you are a monster? He was NOT his usual do-good self. He has BLOOD on his hands. He has MURDERED people. He is not the Ezekiel Crosse we all knew and loved…no. He is a blood-sucking, undead, killing, dark mo-fo with a chip on his shoulder…aaaaannddddd….is it weird that he was totally hotter to me? Because let me tell you, some of those LURV scenes? Errrmmmm…YES PLEASE.

“Say you love me, vampire girl,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. “Tell me…that this is forever.”
“I love you,” I said immediately. “And if we have forever, there’s no one else I want to spend it with.”

I loved the progression of their relationship in this one and I loved seeing the gang of four back together. The group as a whole is funny, sarcastic…and one thing I always love about Kagawa’s characters is that they are always undeniably loyal. I mean, these people, no matter how they play it off, would do anything for one another. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, sweet, and addicting, and I loved each and every one of these characters through all of their pitfalls and questionable morality-I loved every wicked little bit of them-flaws and all.

He didn’t know. I didn’t care about Eden. I didn’t care about his virus, or the cure, or the rest of the world. It made no difference to me if the humans found a cure for Rabidism, or if they could stop Sarren’s new plague. Humans meant nothing to me, not anymore. They were food, and I was a vampire. I was done pretending that I was anything less than a monster.
But I would kill Sarren.

And then finally-the last gush session about Julie Kagawa. You didn’t think I was done yet, did you? Kagawa’s writing is pulsing, raw, gritty reality demanding to be seen-screaming in your face, not giving you a moment to catch your breath as she seamlessly flows from one scene to the next. Not once do you feel like you can pull away or entertain the idea of putting it down for fear that you’ll miss a moment you can never catch again. The writing pulls you in so deeply and grips you so firmly that you feel like you can’t even look up. Your eyes continuously scan the page and delve so deeply and thoroughly that you feel as though you’re drowning in a sea of words. And the minute you look up you feel as though this powerful connection is broken and the scene is irrevocably impaired and the moment is lost. It can’t be skimmed and it can’t be skipped-her writing draws you in THAT deeply.

The flames roared at me, filling my mind, until all I could see was orange and red. I couldn’t think; I could almost feel the skin peeling from my bones, blackened and bubbling in the heat. If it wasn’t for Kanin’s grip on my arm, I would’ve fled, though I didn’t know where I would go. All I could think of was getting away from the flames. And Kanin wanted me to leap through the fire?

So, with a heavy heart I say goodbye to an amazing series. Goodbye to Kanin, the vampire who changed Allie’s fate and was always there for her-saving her from herself on more than one occasion-who was a constant presence in her life from the moment he turned her. Goodbye to Jackal, her incessantly pestering and annoying evil (so he says) blood brother who-despite his tendencies to tuck-tail and run-always came back to save the day and make everyone’s lives a little bit more chatty (I mean come on, he totally started to love all their company). Goodbye to Zeke, the ever-hopeful human boy who was foolish enough to fall in love with a monster-only to become one himself, in the end-who would do anything for Allie at any cost. And then goodbye to Allie, the fierce, petite, young vampire who’s life was irrevocably changed after one act of foolish heroics and bravery-the girl who would leave NO ONE behind. The girl who is loyal to the bitter end-goodbye to all, and I will miss you dearly.

“I don’t expect you to understand, little bird. I expect
you only to sing. Sing for me, sing for Kanin, and make
it a glorious song.”
-Sarren

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Immortal Rules #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Eternity Cure #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Forever Song #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Hmmm. I about plastered a 3.5 on here and I probably should have….but if I’m being honest, I skimmed a ton of this book in the middle. I feel bad rating this so low when I knew this was a fantasy going in, but I have just recently fallen in love with Kagawa’s writing (her dystopian/paranormal series)and I could not pass up an opportunity to read another of her works-fantasy or not. And I’m just completely optimistic-I always think I’ll get past the little bits of odd characterization and be able to zone in on what my sorry ass really came for-the romance and the action. Well, I was on two totally separate spectrums from start to finish: I liked the beginning, skimmed LOADS in the middle, and LOVED the last 30%. Oh fickle, fickle me.

“War?” Something cold touched my cheek, and I glanced up to see snowflakes swirling in a lightening-riddled sky. It was eerily beautiful, and I shivered. “What will happen then?”
Ash stepped closer. His fingers came up to brush the hair from my face, sending an electric shock through me from my spine to my toes. His cool breath tickled my ear as he leaned in.
“I’ll kill you,” he whispered, and walked away.

I’ll start with why I decided to rush to book two….one word: Ash. Guys, I am not someone who solely bases their reviews and reasons for loving a book on a male lead, but I just did not get enough of the dark prince, Ash. Once he entered the story my eyes lit up and my imagination took hold of the story-my heart started beating faster and I started to speed read just to get more of what he was saying and doing. I just couldn’t get enough of him. And it almost seems to go hand in hand with this author (I’ve just noticed) that when the guy gets heavily involved, drama and action and malice ensue. Perhaps this is the reason I’m so drawn to her writing and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

“No one touches her,” Ash said, his voice coated with frost. “Touch her, and I’ll freeze your testicles and put them in a jar. Understand?”

I’m also not ashamed to admit that certain….creatures? don’t sit well with me. In small doses the fantasy elements are fine and, again, I realize this is strictly a fantasy, but I didn’t start to fall in love with the story until all the introductions of characters were complete and we could focus on the journey and not so much every mythical creature known to man. For instance-in book two, there’s just as many creatures, but it is a five star book at 30% (it was a five star from page one) because of the progression of the story and we already know what is going to lay ahead and what we should be expecting. There’s not a ton of info dump like in this book.

On the one hand, I can say that Kagawa is excellent at world building in both her series I have discovered, and in her other series it worked for me, for the most part. But I think I was just shocked into submission for the first 60% of introductions here and I’m just now on equal footing as the story. I take a while to fall in love with a story when I am skeptical to the premise, but I will admit that when it came time to ask myself-Okay, so do I care about what happens to these characters, and would I be upset if I stopped after book one and never found out what else there was to see?-and I came to the conclusion that, yes, I did care.

It was like a color given emotion: orange passion, vermillion lust, crimson anger, blue sorrow, a swirling, hypnotic play of sensations in my mind.

All I know to say to everyone is that this is a fun story (at least near the end) about a COMPLETELY forbidden romance where the male is a winter prince and the female is a summer princess-see the problem? Their loyalties are to their families and the kingdoms they come from and it is treason to fraternize with the enemy (romantically, that is). Ash was sent to retrieve Meghan for his mother and also the queen, and when Ash finds and attempts to capture Meghan, they make a deal to find and save her brother, and then she will go willingly with him to the queen. Deals with Faeries (sigh, I know) are unbreakable and punishable if you attempt to get around them-they will come for you one way or another.

I licked my lips and whispered, “Is this where you say you’ll kill me?”
One corner of his lip curled. “If you like,” he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. “Though it’s gotten far too interesting for that.”

All in all I ended up really enjoying this book and I’m loving the second. I’m all for forbidden romances and perilous, scary journies where no one is safe no matter how careful you are. I didn’t 100% connect with Meghan as a character, but already in book two I love her. The only other character I feel deserves some recognition is Grim, the cat who also struck a bargain with Meghan to help her out along the way. He was funny, witty, sarcastic, and he just kept coming back-he was loyal and fun and he was a great addition to the story. So, I’m off to read and hope that the second novel keeps the pace up-I am so hooked!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Iron King #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Winter's Passage #1.5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Daughter #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna
The Iron Queen #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Summer's Crossing #3.5	The Iron Knight #4 Reviews: Chelsea
Iron's Prophecy #4.5 Reviews: Chelsea	The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I’d sacrificed everything-family, home, a normal life-for the stupid greater good. I had worked so hard; I was trying to be brave and mature about everything, but now I had to watch while the thing I loved most was killed in front of me?

It’s so hard to write reviews for series that you are consecutively reading, especially if you don’t have access to an internet or computer on the weekends like me. So hopefully I can separate the two books I’ve been reading so close together so that I can assemble a somewhat coherent review. It turns out that after book one of this series, I have been hooked and unable to put these down no matter what I’m doing or who I’m ignoring.

When you can’t breathe, each second feels like an eternity.

The Iron Daughter was, for me, on a whole different level than book one.

Now, I loved the end of TIK, but compared to the action and forbidden romance and heartache in book two, there just isn’t a competition for me. In this installment, we start off with Meghan upholding her end of the bargain-she is residing in the Unseelie (winter fey) palace and unable to leave because of her promise to Ash (promises/pacts/vows) which can’t be broken once made. But, aside from that, she doesn’t want to break it-she has fallen in love with Ash and wants nothing more than to face the world with him at her side. There’s just one problem-once they reached the winter court, Ash no longer shows his affections for Meghan and has started treating her with disgust and disdain. He is once again the icy prince she first met not so long ago and she doesn’t know what to make of it-didn’t he share the same feelings as she? Was he not the one who saved her countless times and risked his life for her? And the biggest question: Is he just acting for the winter court to keep her safe, or was it all an act with her…to get what he wanted out of the bargain?

What would I do now? Ash despised me. Everything he’d said and done was to bring me to his queen. He was a cheat. He’d used me, to further his own ends. And the saddest part was, I still loved him.

One thing I will say is that Meghan started out a little like a lovesick puppy, but it never really annoyed me as it did others. She is hurt, confused, and she doesn’t know what she will do in the freezing palace without her ally, the boy she fell in love with. Being that she is of the summer court, she is in an environment that is hard to live in and the winter fey are less than receptive-constantly trying to toy with her, cause her problems, taunt her with her claims of love for the unattainable prince and how he could never love her in return-she has never felt more alone.

I didn’t want to face him now. I didn’t want to think that he could be gone from my life forever, vanishing into a world where I couldn’t follow.

Ash, again, stole the show for me. He is brooding, mysterious, protective, and lethal-we didn’t get him 100% of the time, but we got enough of him that I was more than happy. His decisions and proclamations of love were so swoon-worthy that I had to settle down and just. Stop. highlighting. While Ash appeared stubborn at first, we get to see his emotions unfold as the journey progresses and it makes it all the sweeter when we reach the climactic and (woot woot) perilous conclusion.

“Forgive me,” Ash murmured, and I heard the faintest of tremors beneath his voice. “But I can’t…I won’t…give her up. Not now, when I’ve just found her.”

I am so beyond ecstatic that I found Julie Kagawa and her magnificent writing. It has been a while since I have found a book that has that perfect mix of romance, action, suspense, forbidden love…and a totally handsome prince who keeps my mind occupied way more than he should. When was the last time I’ve been so excited after a book….oh wait, wasn’t it? Yes. Yes it was-it was her otheeerrr series (The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure) that had me desperate for more. What I love most about Kagawa is that while she throws in additional love interests, her main characters know what they want. They might look at the prospect of what else there is, but they don’t veer from what they want and need-there are no senseless love triangles or unnecessary drama. Every problem has a place and she pieces it together seemlessly. She weaves such beautiful strings of words together that continue to mesmerize and render me useless. I love this author and I love what she does with her worlds. There is no lack of creativity and there is no dilemma the same.

“…Make your choice.”
Ash looked at me. I saw pain in his eyes, and a little regret, but they shone with such emotion I felt breathless. “I already have.”

Sooo here I am in the middle of book three and I’m still completely satisfied. The fantasy has stayed even with the other elements and kept me completely at ease in my comfort zone. Now, I can only continue and hope that nothing horrible happens (well…..nothing tooooo horrible hahaha) and that we keep getting Ash and Meghan time…because I am completely and utterly hooked on their adorable relationship and the dangers they face because of it.

“They see only this outer shell, not who I really am, beneath. You have. You’ve seen me without the glamour and the illusions, even the ones I show my family, the farce I maintain just to survive. You’ve seen who I really am, and yet, you’re still here.” He brushed his thumb over my skin, leaving a trail of icy heat. “You’re here, and the only dance I want is this one.”

…..Final thought-one of the new characters tore my heart completely open and left me speechless with the loyalty that came with that alliance-HE is not one to be missed and is a completely fun addition to this compelling series. That is all…

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Iron King #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Winter's Passage #1.5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Daughter #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna
The Iron Queen #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Summer's Crossing #3.5	The Iron Knight #4 Reviews: Chelsea
Iron's Prophecy #4.5 Reviews: Chelsea	The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I learned that love can transcend race and time, and that it can be beautiful and perfect and worth fighting for but also fragile and heartbreaking, and sometimes sacrifice is necessary. That sometimes it’s you against the world, and there are no easy answers. That you have to know when to hold on…and when to let go.

God. Damn. It. Damn you, Julie Kagawa! What. Was. THAT?! That is not one, but two, TWO series where she has literally (I DO MEAN LITERALLY) killed me with the endings at the pique of the series. People. I am telling you now-I love peril and I love action and I LOVE the climax of a story but rarely am I a blubbering, incoherent mess of emotion during these aforementioned scenes. In The Iron Queen I laughed, I swooned, I cried, and I literally fucking fell apart as the ending unraveled. I didn’t know what I was going to say about this book because it is just so hard to express how epic you believe it is in terms that others can interpret and apply to their own thoughts and beliefs, because once they get in their head that I think something is epic, they think surely something awesome happens that will blow them away…but everyone is different in their levels of astonishment and awe and I have learned that many times before-but I can’t deny what I thought this book was: Epic.

Ash pulled back slightly, his silver eyes bright as he stared at me, his cool breath washing over my heated face.
“You are beautiful, you know that, right?” he murmured, all seriousness, one hand gently framing my cheek. “I know I don’t say…things like that…as often as I should. I wanted to let you know.”

Book three. Oooooh book three how will I explain you spoiler free for my friends who are considering reading this series? Something happened in book two that lead to undesirable circumstances for Prince Ash and completely ideal circumstances for Meghan…to an extent. So, we start book two with Ash and Meghan…in a precarious state they never imagined possible. After the events leading to this, the Iron Kingdom, the false Iron King, and all of his minions are after Meghan so they can bring her back to their land where her power can be used to fuel the false king…and make him the strongest of all of Nevernever-which would mean the end of the summer and winter courts (Prince Ash, Grim, and Puck included) and everyone that calls Faery home.

“One more thing,” Ash said in his dangerous, soft voice as we turned away, and Glitch shot him a wary look. “If you do not return with her,” Ash continued, staring him down, “if she comes to any harm while she is with you, I will turn the entire camp into a bloodbath. That is my promise, lieutenant.”

Meghan has become a complete badass. She was good for most of the book and even most of the last book, but in this book, we see a fierce, strong-willed, and impressive girl who has done a complete turn around since book one. She had to make some tough decisions and she didn’t always know what to do, but in the end, she kicks ass, and there was no way she couldn’t have earned respect from everyone who reads of her battle against the false Iron King to save all of Nevernever. After all…the fate of the whole Fey world sits on her shoulders.

“You tell the false king he doesn’t have to send anyone to get me,” I said in the firmest voice I could manage. “I’m coming for him. I’m coming for him, and when I find him, I’m going to kill him.”

And Ash. Oh Ash. I need my review gush session for the amaaaazing Prince Ash lol. But what is so funny about Mr. Ash is that….all he does is brood and tell Puck off-AND I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF HIM! Whyyyy is this guy under my skin so deep? What is it about him that makes me squee and fangirl and obsess over him so? I don’t know what makes him so special to me, but he is. His sole purpose has become to protect Meghan, to love her, to save her from those who mean her harm-his sole existence is this human girl who came out of nowhere and turned his dark world upside down, bringing him out of a deep depression and the darkness that has plagued him for years and drawing him back into the light. He is loyal, protective and now wears his heart on his sleeve…and I love him. (If I hadn’t mentioned that before ;))

His lips touched my hair, very lightly. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmured. “You are my heart, my life, my entire existence.”

I don’t think I’m going to say much more…my last three or four reviews (if you include the novella) have been more than forthcoming on information and, frankly, at this point, I’ve probably said too much. All I can say and express is how shocked, happy, and surprised I am that this series has became a favorite of mine-I think this just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how out of your comfort zone a book or series is, it’s how the author writes it. It’s how that author appeals to you and draws you in and most importantly-how they execute it. An epic novel with an epic conclusion that I will not soon forget, I am anxious for book four and how Kagawa will wrap this all up. I am a jumbled ball of nerves…but it’s the best feeling in the world.

He stopped and looked down, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “And I’m afraid. I’m afraid I’ll fail you like I did Ariella, that the crimes of my past will ruin any chance we have at a future. That you’ll realize who I really am, what I really am, and when I turn around you’ll be gone.”

Ugh, and AGAIN I have ran out of room to put my special quotes I had highlighted for this review and have to stop….but here are two quotes that I HAD TO SHARE…but can’t. They are spoilered-look at them at your own risk.

View Spoiler »
annnnndddd the one that tore my heart out as I relentlessly sobbed-

View Spoiler »

Gaaaaaah! And that concludes a little of why I was a mess. lol.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Iron King #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Winter's Passage #1.5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Daughter #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna
The Iron Queen #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Summer's Crossing #3.5	The Iron Knight #4 Reviews: Chelsea
Iron's Prophecy #4.5 Reviews: Chelsea	The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

BOOK REVIEW – The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

I could choose what kind of people I preyed on, but in the end, I had to prey on someone. The lesser of two evils was still evil.

He smiled. A cold, dangerous smile, his eyes glittering with dark promise. It sent a chill through me as I realized I didn’t know him anymore.

Zeke cupped my chin and gently tilted my face up. I resisted a moment, then gazed at him defiantly, feeling the blood trickle from my eye, expecting him to recoil. But he smiled and lightly touched my face, wiping the tear away. “Both eyes open,” he whispered, and brought his lips down on mine.

Nothing lasted in this world. The harder you held on to something, the more it would kill you when it was gone, so it was best not to get attached to anything.

“There are no good choices, Allison,” Kanin offered in a quiet voice. “There are only those you can live with, and those you can work to change.”

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BOOK REVIEW – The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa

“No.” Kanin’s voice was suddenly hard, terrifying. “You are simply using your demon to hide from what you really feel. Because you are afraid of what that means, that it might be painful. It is far easier to be a monster than to confront the truth.”

“Say you love me, vampire girl,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. “Tell me…that this is forever.” “I love you,” I said immediately. “And if we have forever, there’s no one else I want to spend it with.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, little bird. I expect you only to sing. Sing for me, sing for Kanin, and make it a glorious song.” -Sarren

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BOOK REVIEW – The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

“No one touches her,” Ash said, his voice coated with frost. “Touch her, and I’ll freeze your testicles and put them in a jar. Understand?”

It was like a color given emotion: orange passion, vermillion lust, crimson anger, blue sorrow, a swirling, hypnotic play of sensations in my mind.

I licked my lips and whispered, “Is this where you say you’ll kill me?” One corner of his lip curled. “If you like,” he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. “Though it’s gotten far too interesting for that.”

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BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

I’d sacrificed everything-family, home, a normal life-for the stupid greater good. I had worked so hard; I was trying to be brave and mature about everything, but now I had to watch while the thing I loved most was killed in front of me?

When you can’t breathe, each second feels like an eternity.

What would I do now? Ash despised me. Everything he’d said and done was to bring me to his queen. He was a cheat. He’d used me, to further his own ends. And the saddest part was, I still loved him.

I didn’t want to face him now. I didn’t want to think that he could be gone from my life forever, vanishing into a world where I couldn’t follow.

“Forgive me,” Ash murmured, and I heard the faintest of tremors beneath his voice. “But I can’t…I won’t…give her up. Not now, when I’ve just found her.”

“…Make your choice.” Ash looked at me. I saw pain in his eyes, and a little regret, but they shone with such emotion I felt breathless. “I already have.”

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BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

“You tell the false king he doesn’t have to send anyone to get me,” I said in the firmest voice I could manage. “I’m coming for him. I’m coming for him, and when I find him, I’m going to kill him.”

His lips touched my hair, very lightly. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmured. “You are my heart, my life, my entire existence.”

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**He smiled. A cold, dangerous smile, his eyes glittering with dark promise. It sent a chill through me as I realized I didn’t know him anymore.**

Zeke cupped my chin and gently tilted my face up. I resisted a moment, then gazed at him defiantly, feeling the blood trickle from my eye, expecting him to recoil. But he smiled and lightly touched my face, wiping the tear away.
“Both eyes open,” he whispered, and brought his lips down on mine.

“Say you love me, vampire girl,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. “Tell me…that this is forever.”
“I love you,” I said immediately. “And if we have forever, there’s no one else I want to spend it with.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, little bird. I expect
you only to sing. Sing for me, sing for Kanin, and make
it a glorious song.”
-Sarren

I licked my lips and whispered, “Is this where you say you’ll kill me?”
One corner of his lip curled. “If you like,” he murmured, a flicker of amusement finally crossing his face. “Though it’s gotten far too interesting for that.”

“…Make your choice.”
Ash looked at me. I saw pain in his eyes, and a little regret, but they shone with such emotion I felt breathless. “I already have.”