Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Synopsis:

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

~My Thoughts~

*Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Immortal Rules. If you have not yet read it, please read at your own risk*

The Eternity Cure picks up pretty close to where The Immortal Rules left off. Allison has just left Zeke and the others behind in Eden in order to find her sire, Kanin. He is in pain and his subconscious is calling out for help. Unfortunately, Allison knows that he is being held by Sarren, one sadistic vampire with a vendetta against her. So what is Allison to do? Join forces with her hated blood brother Jackal. Of course, he isn't exactly the nicest vampire either.

While teaming up with Jackal should be the least of her worries, it most definitely isn't. Allison is about to run into a blast from her past, the last person she expects to see. Now she not only fears for Kanin's life but for their's as well. There's a new virus in town, one that affects humans and vampires alike, and the clock is ticking. Can they find a cure before it is too late?

A few months ago I received a request to read and review The Eternity Cure. While I still hadn't read the first book in the series, The Immortal Rules, I figured now would be a great time to do so. I could read them both back to back, which I always prefer when it comes to a series. The only thing I didn't count on was that I was going to be so completely sucked into this world that when it did finally spit me back out, I would be beyond desperate to get my hands on the third book. And of course, I now have to wait another year to do so.

What can I say? I'm in love with this series. It's no secret that I have not been a vampire fan in a long time. But recently I've found myself falling in love with the bloodsuckers, especially this series. Allison is what you might call badass. Hell, that is exactly how I describe her. Even though she is a vampire herself, she hates them. She struggles with her demon daily, not wanting to become a monster who hunts humans for sport. She understands that she needs their blood to survive, but that doesn't mean that she is going to do horrible things to get it. She still has her humanity, which she is holding onto as best she can.

This brings me to the relationship between Allison and Zeke (ahh Zeke, swoon!). Can love work out between a human and a vampire? Time can only tell. I found their relationship to a realistic one. Well. as realistic as it can be in a paranormal book. Allison has been completely honest with Zeke, he knows exactly what he is getting himself into, but he doesn't run. Is he scared? Hell yes, but he still loves her enough to stay around. That's my kind of guy. But even though their relationship is definitely an important aspect of this story, it is not the main focus. Finding Kanin and a cure for the new outbreak of Red Lung has Allison working and fighting harder than ever. 

I admit that I didn't think I could love this book as much as The Immortal Rules, but I did. And you know why? One word: Jackal. Yup, that evil murdering vampire is back and we finally get to hear his side of the story. Now I know we are supposed to hate him for what horrible acts he committed in the first book, but I just couldn't. Jackal is one of the best villains I have read in a very long time. I couldn't get enough of him. Even though he is such an arrogant jerk, he has one of the absolute best senses of humor I have ever come across. The guy is hilarious. He knows just what buttons to push and how to get under your skin all while making you like him at the same time. You can always count on Jackal to throw in a sarcastic line or two in the middle of an intense moment, catching you off guard and making you laugh out loud. 

While there is far more violence in The Eternity Cure than there was in The Immortal Rules, it doesn't distract from the story, it only adds to it and helps you understand just how much danger Allison is willing to put herself in. Honestly, I was a little shocked that I didn't have a few nightmares after reading this because some parts are very graphic and I don't do well with zombies, or rabids in this case.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was a few inconsistencies I noticed. In one part of the story, Allison is talking to another vampire about where to find an old lab and she mentions how she has never seen a map before and has no idea how to read one. However, at the end of The Immortal Rules, Allison and Zeke use one of Jackal's maps to get to Eden and she is the one who gives the directions. I know it isn't that big of a deal, but it stuck out to me and I couldn't forget it. I may not have noticed it if I hadn't just finished Immortal Rules hours before. Since I read an ARC copy, I'm hoping this was fixed before the final version is released. 

Overall though, I absolutely loved this book. The characters are well developed and they all have their own unique traits and voices. You can't help but fall in love with them all over again. The story progresses at an expert pace, never allowing for even a moment of down time. I inhaled this book as fast as I could, stopping only because I'm a mom and duty calls. All my free time was spent with Allison on her desperate search. I wish I could have my memory wiped clean so I could go back and read if for the first time all over again. 

I can't recommend this book, this series, enough. If you haven't started it yet, what the heck are you waiting for? I urge you to run out and pick up both The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure as soon as possible. Trust me, you will thank me later. 

For more about Julie Kagawa and The Eternity Cure, visit her website here.

~Purchase~

Amazon

B&N

The Book Depository

*I received this book for free in exchange of my honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.