The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)by Julie Kagawa
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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 #) |
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 The Immortal Rules #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea |  The Eternity Cure #2 Reviews: Jen Chelsea |  The Forever Song #3 Reviews: Jen Chelsea |
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