Friday Reads

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

“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.”

Eternity cure picks up a few weeks after the events of the last book with Allie following the call of her sire Kanin who has been taken hostage and is being tortured by a seriously deranged vampire known as Sarren. On her long journey to find Kanin, Allie finds herself partnering with her 'brother' Jackel who is also trying to find Kanin and together they try to free Kanin albeit with different motivations. This is an action packed sequel that definitely doesn't suffer from second book syndrome, full of twists and turns that we leave you wanting more. Kagawa isn't afraid to push the boundaries and she will have you screaming in frustration by the end of this book.

Once again Allie was the tough girl, sometimes she comes across as heartless but with everything that she has had to suffer through I can forgive her for this. She hasn't had an easy life and it doesn't get any easier in this book. She is struggling to hold on to the small piece of humanity left inside of her but life as a Vampire for Allie seems awfully a lot like life as a Fringer, trust no-one and look out for number one. The only times Allies human side comes out is when she is with Zeke, he is the only light left in the dark world she now lives in. Their relationship is sweet and tender and faced with so many obstacles its hard to see them overcoming them all. Kagawa also explored Allies relationship with Kanin a lot more thoroughly  in the first book he was her sire and I understood that she felt some loyalty towards him and so that's why she went searching for him but throughout the Eternity Cure I felt like he was more like a father-figure to Allie she looks to him for guidance and understanding. In the end both these relationships are tested with heartbreaking conclusions.

One of the more surprising aspects of this book was Jackals character, we saw him in the first book as the King of the Raiders trying to find a cure for the rabids. Jackal teams up with Allie in order to help him find Kanin who he believes knows the secrets for the cure. What's surprising about Jackal is that like Allie I found myself warming to him, he was comical and teasing and would often make me laugh during very dark moments in this book. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't supposed to like him but I suppose its a testament to Kagawas wiring that she can turn the villain of one book into the comical bad boy of another. The real villain of this book and I suppose the entire story arc is Sarren, an extremely psychotic vampire hell bent on riding the world of all humans and vampires so that civilisation can start again. Kagawa has created a wonderful villain and because he has a few screws loose you know he is capable of anything which makes these books even more thrilling and compelling.

This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, the story moves along at a great pace and never lets up on the action. Its a dark and deadly world and such an original concept, Kagawa is able to mix vampire and dystopian fiction together seamlessly. This book will leave you breathless, its bloody, violent with just a sprinkling of romance. The jaw dropping ending will have you wishing the next book was already out. 

My Rating: 4

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

“You are a monster.” Kanin’s deep voice droned in my head again, as I forced myself to move, to walk away. “You will always be a monster, there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.” 

Allie is an orphaned teenager, living in a world where vampires rule and the human race is enslaved, forced to give blood to their masters in order to survive. She lives on the fringes of her society as an unregistered, scavenging food to stay alive, until one day when she is attacked by rabids and turned into a vampire. Thrown into this new life, Allie struggles to hold on to her humanity and deal with the monster inside.

This is a unique take on the vampire genre, I've never read anything quite like it. Once again I was sucked into the world Julie created, she has an amazing talent of transporting you to new places. I felt I really knew what it was like to face down a group of rabid vampires. 

This is a dark and disturbing world, where vampires rule and humans are just walking blood bags. At the begging Allie is a loner, unable to trust anyone, fighting to survive each day, that is until she is turned into a vampire, she struggles to come to terms with being the monster she hates, and has to fight to save her humanity. I loved Allie, she was fierce and totally bad ass, a young girl struggling to find her way in the world. Once again Julie's characters are well rounded and believable, Kanin, Allie's mentor is dark and mysterious, whose knows the price of letting people in, Zeke the loveable human, who only sees the good in people and wants to help everyone and finally Caleb, the little boy, lost in a world full of monsters.

I loved this book, its a whole new take on both vampires and dystopian fiction. Its dark and disturbing with plenty of kick-ass action, you'll not be disappointed. 

Iron King by Julie Kagawa

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

At first glance Iron King seems to be your typical fairy book with a Shakespearean esq sub-plot but alas not all is at it seems. It's a mixture of traditional fairy tale, steam punk and a whole lot of action. The story is narrated from Meghans perspective, her voice was refreshing and believable. I found this book such a joy to read, Julie really manages to transport you to the 'nevernever' without overloading you with information. Her descriptive technique was beautiful and the characters were all engaging and funny.

Of course there was a love interest but this wasn't the main plot line which again I thought was such as change to typical YA, you can feel the chemistry building between the Meghan and Ash but it never overwhelms what's going on around them.

Overall I would say this is such a beautiful story, with quirky characters and wicked fey. 

I've been recommending this to everyone, so go and pick up a copy.