Review: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2) by Julie Kagawa

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Review

The follow up to the fabulous The Immortal Rules, this is a dark and gritty story. And I loved it!

Our badass little vampire heroine, Allie, is on the hunt to rescue her sire, Kanin from being brutally tortured by a sadistically evil vampire. And along the way, she gains a sarcastic, arrogant, slightly evil and very unexpected side-kick. Never sure just how trustworthy he is, his true motives are always in question, but he is funny as all hell and brings a great dynamic to some very intense situations.

For example… this is a brief encounter with a cannibalistic, human tunnel-dweller / aka “mole man”:

“Where is he now?”
The mole man gagged. “You…can’t talk to him now, vampire. His bones…rotting in a sewer drain.”
Horror and disgust curled my stomach. “You ate him.”
“Oh, well, that’s disgusting,” *** said conversationally, and gave his hand a sharp jerk. There was a sickening crack, and the human slumped down the wall, collapsing face-first into the mud at our feet.
Horror and rage flared, and I spun on ***. “You killed him! 
Whydid you do that? He wasn’t even able to defend himself! There was no point in killing him!”
“He annoyed me.”

*** And yes, I’m intentionally not mentioning his name in order to avoid spoilers.

While on her journey, Allie is dragged into a life-and-death search for a cure for the red-lung virus that originally wiped out most of humanity, and which has resurged, and is now threatening the existence of humans and vampires alike.

This book drops you straight into the action, and it is non-stop all the way as Allie and her crew encounter rabids, bleeders, mole men and psychotic vampires. And with surprise reappearances from the past, double-crosses, and twists and turns taking the story in some very interesting directions, it’s an intense ride.

Those who have read the first book are probably all wondering the same thing – is Zeke in this book? Well…

Spoiler

YES, YES, YES he is, and he is AWESOME! His return is a big part of the story, and I absolutely loved the progression of his and Allie’s story together. Zeke has become a bit of a badass himself, and has travelled from Eden to find Allie – just so that they can be together *sigh*.

“Why didn’t you stay in Eden?” I asked roughly, glaring at him. “You were home, Zeke. It was what you were looking for, what you always wanted. Why did you leave?”
He met my gaze, unwavering. “It wasn’t home without you.”

His impact on her, and her efforts to maintain her humanity are beautiful, and the romance that continues to develop between them is absolutely gorgeous, especially against the brutality of all that they are facing.

“Only death will take me away from you, vampire girl,” he whispered. “And even then, I’ll watch over you from wherever I end up.”

Swooooooon!!! You’ve gotta love him! 

Visually descriptive, the setting is bleak and the violence is, at times, horrifying. But it’s the nature of Allie’s reality, and it’s all combined brilliantly to create a brutal and sinister world. And in the middle of it all stands Allie, trying her best to hold on to her humanity and not become the monster that her vampiric nature pulls her to be. She and her friends still fight for what they hope will be a better future, all while being somewhat hilarious and totally kickass!

The ending is pretty freaking brutal – violently and emotionally – but it leaves you with a sense of hope for the next book, which cannot come soon enough.

“I don’t believe in fate … but… I do believe everything happens for a reason. That there is some plan, some meaning to this darkness we live in … Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s gotten me this far. It’s the reason I fight, the reason I can keep going, despite everything. And it…it led me to you.”

I loved it – 4.5 stars.

 

Blood of Eden Series

    

The Immortal Rules (#1)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback | Audible

The Eternity Cure (#2)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback | Audible

The Forever Song (#3)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback | Audible

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