Top Ten YA Novels 2014 #4: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The last installment of one of my absolute favorite trilogies!

The fourth place belongs to:

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis:

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

***

Date Read: March 16, 2014

My review:

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-forever-song-review_17.html

My rating: 10/10 (Seriously can I give this book a hundred million stars PLEASE?) 

(Yes I copy the whole rating in it)

***

(Okay first, I really need to get this out of my system. It's been a long time since I read The Forever Song even though I remember a lot of details. And even longer since I actually read the synopsis. I know how The Forever Song ends, but reading the synopsis still makes we want to cry. That's how awesome and messed-up it is.)

This will make up for my original review that is a bunch of gifs combined with nonsense words, now that I'm more emotionally, um, stable.

Top 3 reasons why I like it: 

1. This book is just bat-shit crazy.

Oh yeah, its craziness rivals Light by Michael Grant. Seriously. Light is probably the craziest novel I've ever read (and bloodiest). The Forever Song is a close runner-up. While Light is more of a bloody mess and glorious ending, this book just mess you head up really bad. Let me tell you, this book is probably one of the few books that I consider as "emotionally draining". Because it just sucks my sanity right out of my mind, and I can't even concentrate at school after reading it. 

2. The big reverse

The place is reversed between Allie and Zeke. In the previous two books, Zeke was the anchor of Allie's life and her inner monster. But in The Forever Song, their place has changed. Allie is the one helping Zeke to adjust his new and bloody vampire life. I like it because it's a full display of just how mentally strong and human Allie is. She has faith in Zeke even in the direst situation, even when Zeke has no faith in himself. It's also because it solidifies their relationship further. I can't live if they are not together.

3. Julie's writing

I always love Julie's writing style. But this is definitely one of her best besides The Iron Knight. As insane as Sarren is, he surely comes up with the best lines. It's almost poetic. I'm not familiar with poems and stuff, but as beautiful as it sounds, it just makes Sarren more of a creepy psychotic vampire. The twist of his personality is very impressive. If this is going to be a movie, Julie's words just deliver the best villain of all time.

***

Why I recommend this book or series:

It's the same reason as before, when The Eternity Cure was my top ten favorite books in 2013. I like how the vampires aren't glittery and angelic. They are dark and bloody creatures and exist at night. I also think it's a great lesson of humanity. It shows just how people can be twisted into something unrecognizable on the verge of disaster and apocalypse. And how people can be strong even in the bleakest situation. It's left a great mark in my life. And I hope it will to others.

***

Do I like the cover?

It's okay. But it's not exactly hard to guess the ending when there's an infinity sign on the cover. 

***

Top 3 favorite scenes:

1. The very last scene

It's hopeful and it brings tears to my eyes. I love endings like that.

2. The part where Zeke finally comes out of his self-pity (sort-of) and reunites with Allie emotionally

It's one of the most iconic scene in the book according to me. You can't deny it's not a powerful scene.

3. The parts when Allie try to bring Zeke to sanity

As much as it messes with my emotion and my head, I have to admit this is one of the most finely written scene. It literally makes me shiver.

***

OTP: Allie/Zeke! 

Series Recap: Blood of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Reading Order:

'Til The World Ends - Dawn of Eden (Book 0.5, Published on January 29, 2013)
The Immortal Rules (Book 1, Published on April 24, 2012)
The Eternity Cure (Book 2, Published on April 30, 2013)
The Forever Song (Book 3, Published on April 15, 2014)

Click the titles to check out my reviews.

***

Synopsis Recap:

The world we know is gone. Destroyed by the Red Lung Virus. Vampires are ruling over humans. Either they comply and get a relatively safe life, or they do not and have to scavenge and risk their lives every single day. Allison Sekemoto is one of the latter. In The Immortal Rules, she turns from the hunted to the hunter. The very monster that she herself hated so much. She encountered a group of humans, searching for a rumored place - Eden, a city ruled completely by humans and no vampire population whatsoever. Someone in the group also sees something in her that is more than a monster. So the journey begins here.

The Eternity Cure is a dark turning point of the story. Allie has to find her sire, the one who turned her. Somehow she finds herself working with the vampire she despises most. But that's not the only problem she's facing. A new streak of Red Lung Virus emerges. Allie has to do anything to stop the pandemic. The journey will be far more twisted and dangerous at this point. It also gives hints about what will happen next in the sequel.

And then here's the "arguably the craziest book ever". The Forever Song. After a tragic incident, Allie has to embrace her dark side in order to take revenge on the psycho vampire who is planning to destroy the whole world. But it's easy to lose oneself when one is taking such a long, bloody and brutal journey. Allie has to be strong and ready to take whatever the final journey throws at her. Even the heartbreak it brings.

Dawn of Eden is set decades before the events in The Immortal Rules. It takes us back to the period of the first pandemic of Red Lung Virus. A whole new different batch of characters, and a whole new story line. In this story we'll know about the rise of the rabids, and how the world in The Immortal Rules is made.

***

Thoughts Recap:

Damn. How am I supposed to put it right.

Blood of Eden is by far one of the craziest series I've ever read. It rivals Gone series, and sometimes Gone  series scares the hell out of me (which is very rare, because I'm a girl with a pretty strong heart). It takes dystopian world and vampires to a whole new level. Merging pandemic, vampire and danger all in a series. It's the ultimate combination of YA dystopian and YA paranormal.

People always go "meh" when it comes to vampires these days. Sure, I would think that too. But Blood of Eden is very different. Julie doesn't bother to hide the monster in vampires. Because they are monsters. And she amplifies that part. It's one of the reasons why I always call this series dark and brutal. Don't let the word vampire fool you. It's more dangerous and bloody than you can imagine.

And of course, vampires in a dystopian world destroyed by the Red Lung Disease can only mean one thing: chaos rising. They're capable of civility, sure. But deep down they're still predators. The cold edge of the dystopian world, combining with the bloodiness of vamps? Damn, sign me in for that. It has apocalypse and danger and thrill written all over it.

Needless to say, the series has a lot of really cool characters, and the plot is very awesome because you'll never see what's coming until it goes bam in you face. Just... read this series, guys. You'll never regret it. Oh, maybe you will when you read it right after you have dinner because the excitement will have your stomach churn like crazy.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Do I recommend this series: Absolutely!

The Forever Song: Review

Synopsis:

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

***

"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."

You don't know anything about craziness if you haven't read The Forever Song.

I will try not to include any spoilers here (even though it's hard to do so) and I will try to be as reasonable as I can be in this review it's hard to do so, so I will not try to be reasonable because personally I want to get crazy in this review.

This book... I don't know what word can cover it. Overwhelming doesn't cover it. Insane doesn't cover it. Brutal doesn't cover it. Hell breaks loose doesn't cover it. Hell, even a combination of these words doesn't even cover it. This book had me from the very start of the book (probably because of the ending of The Eternity Cure, but that doesn't really matter). When the first psychotic words from Sarren appeared, I lost it. And then for the next... I don't know, four hours or so?, emotions -- about a hundred million emotions come in huge waves, crashing me continuously for four freaking hours. I don't know how I manage to get out from this without dying a million times. I don't know how I manage not to fall over from exhausting after reading this book. I just... it's just mind crashing. I mean mind freaking CRASHING. You think you know craziness when you read The Hunger Games? You think you know insanity when you read Gone series (which, I still think it's pretty insane, but...)? Well, you don't know anything until you read The Forever Song.

And... I just need to express my emotions with GIFs. Because words can't even express what I feel anymore (but I won't give out any spoilers in the process, trust me).

So basically, before I read it, I was like,

And then when something really creepy and psychotic first appears,

But then something more disturbing makes its appearance in a certain character that I really love,

And then there's a twist, (and yeah, I'm super happy about it)

But wait...

And then for about ten or so chapters, I was basically like this,

and this,

and this,

But yeah, things gradually gets better. And then the ending is

.

.

.

Nah, I'm not gonna show you that gif, because that will totally reveal everything, and that will be no fun.

And throughout the book I was always like this,

God my lungs can't take anymore excitement I think it's going to burst.

Basically I'm talking about my feels while reading this book. But I'm also showing you why this is one of the best books and worst books I've ever read. One of the best, because it's been ages since something tip my emotions off balance for longer than a day. And trust me, I'm sure this book will continue to have my emotions in an unstable situation for at least three or four more days. I'm sure I will also have withdrawals with this book. So, yeah, I'm pretty impressed by it. And why one of the worst? Well, 1) I read it after having dinner and there are times where I feel like my stomach can't take it anymore and have to throw up because everything is just so freaking intense! How am I supposed to keep any food down with this book sticking into my head? 2) I can't concentrate at school and I just suck at everything I did suddenly. Because I can't keep this book out of mind for enough time to give me the sanity I need. 

Since I can't seem to keep my mouth shut, I'm just going to share a tiny spoiler again. We will see a certain character again that is probably expected and unexpected at the same time. But it's going to be painful. And it's going to be painful for quite a long time. Spoiler!

You wanna know how exactly insane this book is? Just go read it. Like read the whole freaking series. It just gets more and more intense and better. 

Rating: 10/10 (Seriously can I give this book a hundred million stars PLEASE?)

P.S. This is probably one of the hardest reviews I've ever written so far because I just don't know how to arrange my messed-up emotions in a more reasonable order. 

Cover Reveal: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Originally from Harlequin TEEN:

The cover of The Forever Song, the last book of Blood of Eden trilogy is here! And truth to be told, I'm kinda scared of reading this book because I can predict a lot of pain, fury, angst, and something that I really, really don't like. For a reason, I'm scared of the cover as well.

Here's it:

Synopsis:

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

***

Why does the cover scares me? Well in The Eternity Cure, there's something mentioned by Sarren (Sarren! The freaking psycho vamp!). About Allison being like a bird or something, and that the bird will sing a song of pain and stuff (I can't remember the exact words, but I think the outline is something like that). The infinity sign is pieced together with birds... Not to mention the synopsis, which scares the hell out of me. One final brutal shock? Yeah, I don't like the sound of it.

The Forever Song will be released on April 15, 2014.

I can't wait for it, although I'm sure I will spend days curling in my bed in either happiness or sadness. 

Top Ten YA Novels 2013 #5: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

For some reason it's hard to believe I'm announcing my top 5 choice of YA novels this year! This is one that has me gone to withdrawl for... about 2 months or so.

The fifth place belongs to:

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

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.

***

Date Read: March 17, 2013

My Review: 

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-eternity-cure-review.html

My Rating: 9/10

***

Top 5 Reasons Why I Like It:

1. Red Lung's Evolution

As if the original Red Lung Disease isn't bad enough, a certain crazy vampire modified it into a virus that attacks vampires and humans alike. It just takes dangerous to a whole new level.

2. Jackal

He's infuriating. But he's very funny and surprisingly noble, even though he will never admit it. So yeah, I'd love to see more Jackal in The Forever Song.

3. Zeke!!!

One of my favorite characters in all YA series of all time. He's stronger and more mature in The Eternity Cure. But he's still sweet, caring, and loyal. He's just too good. I hope... well, I have a theory about what happened to him at the end of The Eternity Cure. I just hope that one way or another, Zeke and Allie will be together.

4. Blood-soaked, brutal, heart-stopping

No exaggeration whatsoever. It's a little hard to catch a breath while reading this book because... well, I can't explain it without revealing too many spoilers. You'd have to read it yourself. I promise you will be awed.

5. Kanin

Yes, he's finally back. He's mysterious and brooding. Sometimes I really wonder if he has feelings for Allie (I will always ship Zeke/Allie. But it's an interesting guess). But no matter what, I'm very glad that he's back to action.

***

Why I recommend this book/series

The series is awesome. First, vampires are not pretty things who are loyal anymore. Their heart's ugly. They are monsters, predators who wants and needs blood. They are, FINALLY, vampires. And then there's the concept of Red Lung Disease leading to the rabids, which is both terrifying and fascinating. And then there are vampire cities, post-apocalyptic violence. And then there's a rumored place called Eden, where there are no vampires or rabids. It's bloody, terrifying and awesome at the same time. A perfect apocalypse for great stories.

***

Do I like the cover?

Not really. It doesn't show anything about the book itself. You wouldn't think this is a brutal book just by looking at the cover.

***

Top 3 Favorite Scenes:

1. When Kanin finally gains his sanity and returns to Allie (P. 230-237)

It's very touching. And it's one of the few scenes that actually brings tears to my eyes (Though they don't fall down)

2. Starting over scene (P. 260-267)

Another heartrending Allison/Zeke scene. I swear the two of them are going to make me cry.

3. The stopping-Allie-from-killing-Stick scene (P. 292-294)

It's not very pretty, but for some reason I really like to read that scene.

***

OTP:

Allison and Zeke!

Synopsis Reveal: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Yeah, the synopsis of the final installment of Blood of Eden trilogy, The Forever Song. I'll never be over that discovery until... well, until I get my hands on that book.

Synopsis:

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

***

I'm starting to worry that Allie and Zeke will not have a happy ending. Just look at the last sentence. I know Julie likes to write HEA endings but still. And I think I know what that "final, brutal shock" is. I just hope Allie won't lose it when she discovers (though I think it's hardly possible if what I predict is true). Why can't April 29, 2014 be sooner?! I have a total breakdown when I see this synopsis!

Surreal Sunday (Monday Edition): Spin-off Series of Blood of Eden?

I'm sorry about the Monday Edition thing but my computer was busted and I just got my computer back. I really want to talk about this topic because I can't get Blood of Eden out of the surface of my mind.

Blood of Eden is written by Julie Kagawa, the author of The Iron Fey series. And anyone who reads Iron Fey will know that there's a spin-off series called Call of The Forgotten. And... as surreal as it sounds, I really hope there will be a spin-off series of Blood of Eden because I love this series more than The Iron Fey! Though I can think of a couple of reasons why Julie probably won't write this:

1) Actually there's a prequel of Blood of Eden and that's Dawn of Eden. Check out here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17732017-dawn-of-eden I mean, if there's a prequel,
there's practically little reason why a spin-off series should come in to existence (and let's face it, there's no prequel in The Iron Fey).

2) According to Harlequin Teen, there will be an untitled series written by Julie about mythical creatures cloaked as humans. Check out here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17331828-untitled I seriously doubt if Julie has time for another series (although she's writing Call of The Forgotten and Blood of Eden at the same time...)

Okay, anyway, let's forget those problems. If there would be a Blood of Eden spin-off, here's what I thought this is about:

1) Before: Yeah, Dawn of Eden is also about before, but that's set in the time where vampires are still mythical creatures and the first wave of Red Lung Disease plaguing everyone. And about Kylie finding out the rabids. There are two befores. One is the way before, which is how Red Lung Disease first discovered that kind of stuff. Another is not-so-far-before, which is the setting up of the first vampire cities... and Eden, possibly (Spoiler Alert!) Actually there aren't anything about the foundation of the first vampire cities and Eden in Dawn of Eden (End of Spoiler). That should be interesting. You know, more vampire dystopia :)

2) After: After, which is after the events in Blood of Eden. Okay, The Forever Song hasn't hit the stores so we have no way to know what will really happen (although I have some theories in mind...). But actually, I highly doubt those vampire cities will fall altogether in the last installment of Blood of Eden. So, maybe this is about the fall-down of those cities? Or something else?

Uh, sounds like this spin-off series will actually come into existence when this idea is damn nearly impossible.

Name Reveal: Blood of Eden #3 by Julie Kagawa

Have you guys read The Eternity Cure yet? I have and it is awesome!

Check my review here: http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-eternity-cure-review.html

And now here's the fun part: The name of the grand finale of Blood of Eden trilogy. Yep it's a trilogy. Call of The Forgotten (an Iron Fey spin-off) is also a trilogy. I think the reason why the original Iron Fey is a four-book series because The Iron Knight is not exactly a direct sequence of the events in The Iron Queen. It's about Ash's journey, not Meghan's.

Okay, back to the chase. You will love this name.

The Forever Song

See that? Told you will love this name! After the end of The Eternity Cure, I was so devastated and I am anxious for the third book. And now I finally have the name. I do believe this is a little spoilery. Either this can go so right... or it can go so wrong. (Spoiler) Forever can mean two things: 1) Allie and Zeke together... you know (EEEPPPPP!) 2) Forever alone (NO) (End of Spoiler)

Now, on the wait for the synopsis... UGH.

Cover Reveal: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The cover of the second book of The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten is here!

Here it is:

Jeez, Keirran's pretty, but a little creepy here. But no matter. I can't wait to see who's the Iron Traitor (although I think I know who he/she is already...)

The Iron Traitor will release on October 22, 2013 (Same day as the third book of Divergent trilogy! Mind blown)

And guess what?

The trailer of The Eternity Cure is on Entertainment Weekly! Check it out here:

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/04/04/julie-kagawa-the-eternity-cure-trailer/

See my review of The Eternity Cure here:

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-eternity-cure-review.html

Teaser Tuesday: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

April 2013 belongs to Jennifer L. Armentrout and Julie Kagawa! It's time for some... Eternity Cure.

 In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago-and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

***

"Welcome back, old friend."

Movement beyond the bars. He is here; I can feel his cold black eyes on me, sense his smile. I growl, the noise vibrating around us, low and threatening. I hear his hissing chuckle.

"Can you hear it?" His face floats between the bars, eyes closed, as if listening to music somewhere above us. "Can you here the screams? Smell the fear, the taint of despair? This is only the beginning, you know. Only the first test. And we are in the perfect place to watch everything unravel." He opens his eyes, smiling at me. "Oh but I can feel the Hunger in you, old friend. It's eating you alive, isn't it? Sadly, your fate is no longer in my hands."

See my review of The Eternity Cure here:  http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-eternity-cure-review.html

The Eternity Cure: Review

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

***

Writing this review is extremely hard for me. Because this book... there's hardly any way to describe how awesome it is! In the sequel of The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa never disappoints us. Not even a bit. She continues to surprise us with all kinds of stuff, both physical and emotional ones. This is one of those stunning sequel of the the first book (and you know that The Immortal Rules is one of my favorite books in 2012)

The book starts with Allison trying to follow her sire, Kanin's tie to save him from the Psycho Vamp Sarren. She meets tons of obstacles right from the start of the book. From having physical problems, to trying to get over her own blood lust. The book doesn't sugar coat how vicious and inhuman vampires actually are. Not like Twilight. At least, vampires don't spark in Blood of Eden. The Hunger is a thing that always exists in any vampire's minds, including our heroine, Allison. That's something she has to suppress and get over. Through this process, we see her grow more mature and more in control of herself. And I can't help but love her more, even though she's supposed to be soulless.

If you are like me, Team Zeke since you met him in The Immortal Rules, or you just like him, you will definitely love him in this book. I won't say he's the cute, innocent boy in The Immortal Rules, because he surely can't be. But he still carries the good heart of his and sees good in everyone even after all the stuff that has happened. How can we not love him to this stage?

And Sarren... oh, he's definitely the worst kind of villain I've encountered in my life! You have no idea how vicious and delirious he is until you actually read the book. Every time he does something really, really bad to our dear characters, it will definitely take your breath away. (Spolier!) The ending involves Sarren, and surely it's not good. You can't help but wondering what will happen next. And this is one of those extreme cases that waiting will kill you slowly, peel by peel. Ugh, more waiting! I love-hate cliffhangers! (Don't get me wrong, I love how Julie end this book. This one will definitely take your breath away and possibly ruin one hell of a good day to study for exams, because you can't help but thinking about all kinds of possibilities.)

Julie's words are always beautiful. I fall in love with the first book that she writes, and the ones that came after. Out of all the novels she's written (including Iron Fey books), this one is definitely the best. The beauty of the words is not like Lauren Oliver's words, almost poetic. They are more lively and energetic and sometimes, darkly impressive. She can surely read my heart and know what exactly I want to read about the characters. I can't wait for the final book of Blood of Eden trilogy (and The Iron Traitor, which there is an excerpt of it!)

Two last lines:

1) You can't help but like Jackal in this book. Yep, spoiler here.

2) I still have no idea how this Team Kanin stuff is even here. It's not like Kanin is in love with Allie, although there are emotional parts between the two of them. Yep, another spoiler. Hopefully I won't spoil you guys too much :D


Rating: 9/10

'Til The World Ends: Review

Reminder: This review is just for Dawn of Eden, the short story written by Julie Kagawa.

Synopsis:

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden-as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems....

Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre

After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside-in the Red Zone-is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good.

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall

Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms-in the cosmos and beyond. And she's not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She'll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends.

***

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa:

(It will be short 'cuz it's just a short story, and beware it might contain spoilers)

Honestly, this short story kind of disappoints me. Maybe because I had great expectation on this prequel of The Immortal Rules because I love The Immortal Rules so much. The story didn't disappoint me at first though. In fact it starts out really well, with Kylie trying to save a bunch of patients infected by the hideous Red Lung Disease.

There are plenty of good in this prequel. First is the seriousness of the Red Lung Disease. It gives a deeper and better illustration on how horrifying the disease actually is. Because, well, if you read The Immortal Rules, you kind of just know that having vampire blood in a patient will make him/her rabid. In this story you know how terrible it is on humans ALONE. Which is very good, actually. Because in The Eternity Cure there will be the Red Lung Disease spreading again and affect humans and vamps alike. This gives out important information.

Second is the emergency situation in the first five or six chapters. The rise of the rabids. The guy, Ben, bringing his friend infected by not just Red Lung Disease, but rabids. The breakout of all the stuff is always good. I mean, rabids are hideous. But seeing them through a pair of a doctor (Translation: normal person) 's eyes is very different from seeing them through a heroine's eyes. Because well, Allison already knows that there are rabids out there. But Kylie doesn't know it at all. Julie Kagawa can give out the horrified feeling from Kylie really well. Just what I love.

But there's one thing that makes the prequel not perfect. And that's the whole Ben and Kylie going back to Ben's family thing. I mean, not that their relationship is not nice. But this is a prequel story. And I expect more from this. Like... the start of all Vampire Cities and possibly Eden. It doesn't end as well as I thought. It's like... I don't know what it's like. But ending with Ben and Kylie getting together? Not the ending I want to see.

Even though the ending is kind of a failure, if you read Blood of Eden, you should definitely read the prequel story.

Rating: 6.5/10

Back Cover Reveal: The Eternity Cure

The second book most anticipated vampire-dystopian series by Julie Kagawa has a back cover now!

This is the cover, in case you didn't know it yet:

And this is the back cover, which is kinda awesome comparing to the cover:

Finally, Allison has some Asian look! But I think the original cover of The Immortal Rules is better. I think that girl can be an awesome Allison too.

You can find the last part of the synopsis in the cover. It's not included in the goodreads version of synopsis.


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.

***

The Eternity Cure will be released on April 23rd, 2013

Top Ten YA Novels 2012: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Time for another top ten YA novels I read in 2012!

No. 9: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Summary:

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

***

Why I love this book so much:

1. Dystopian Vampire World: vamps are no news among YA novels. However, it's rare to see vamps so bold in society and they ACTUALLY act as a higher level citizen. A dystopian world full of vampire rulers. How can this be not cool?

2. Allison Sekemoto: She is the combination of Alexandria Andros and Lena Haloway. It's hard not to like her because she is tough like a boy and don't need protection.

3. Zeke: A sweet human boy that Allison is desperate to protect. And he's got a good heart. It's extremely hard not to like him.

4. Eden and Vampire City: It's like the vampire version of Under The Never Sky. In UTNS there are all kinds of pods and there is the outside. They all face a threat: Aether storm. And then there is a mythical place called the Still Blue. In The Immortal Rules there are all kinds of vampire city and there is the outside (again), they share a common threat: rabids. Then there's Eden, where vamps are absent.


Why you guys should read this book:

1. It will change you point of view towards vamp YA novels: I happen to know that many guys out there loathe typical vampire novels because they are so plain. But this one will never disappoint you because there are not just vampires. 

2. The plot is different: Normally you'd think that Allison will follow Zeke into Eden and try to get those people accept her. But no. She went back and vow to rescue Kanin. That's a nice plot twist. Although I will be very sad if Zeke and Allison cannot meet again.

3. If you guys like the Iron Fey then you should read The Immortal Rules. The characters, the situation are so different from The Iron Fey. Yet in some ways they are oddly similar. Take Allison as an example. On the surface she is nothing like Meghan. But they share one very same quality: recklessness. Not that Allison is more reckless than Meghan. But they will do anything to protect the ones they love.

4. The dystopian world Julie created will never disappoint you: Dystopian world is becoming a trend around the world. It's time to put some old mythical creature into a world where humans are so very likely to die every minute. Julie's world is a combination of Under The Never Sky and Delirium, which is just plain awesome.


See my full review here: 

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.hk/2012/12/the-immortal-rules-review.html 


Special:

1. Blood of Eden is gonna be a movie!

Check out the full article here: 

http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.hk/2012/12/cover-reveal-immortal-rules-and.html


The Eternity Cure, sequel of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, will be released on April 23rd, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure

Maybe you read the title and like, "what? The Immortal Rules HAS a cover!"

Well, hear me out:

(from http://www.teen.com/2012/12/14/entertainment/books-entertainment/julie-kagawa-immortal-rules-eternity-cure-book-covers/)

By now, your copies of all the books in The Twilight Saga are probably worn out. Fortunately, your next favorite vampire series is already in the works. In the first novel in author Julie Kagawa‘s Blood of Eden sequence, The Immortal Rules (which is already on shelves, FYI!), readers are transported into a future world — because, as we all know, dystopian societies are so on trend right now – where vamps reign and humans are blood cattle.
Just in case you’re not too familiar, one night, the book’s heroine, Allison Sekemoto, is attacked by vampires and left with the ultimate decision: die or become her biggest fear. She chooses the latter, but attempts to go without human blood and pass as a mortal. Oh, and there’s obviously a guy involved. Zeke. Sigh.
In celebration of the second installment to the franchise, scheduled for May 2013 release, we’re giving you the exclusive unveil of a brand-new Immortal Rules cover (first edition to the left), as well as the premiere of sequel The Eternity Cure‘s cover.
Julie Kagawa says of the addition, “In The Eternity Cure, new vampire Allison Sekemoto has come to terms with what she is and what she must do to survive: prey on humans. She knows she is a vampire, but she is determined not to become a monster. But then she meets someone who challenges that belief, telling her all vampires are killers, encouraging her to embrace her savage instincts. And as she gets closer to rescuing Kanin, the lines between human and monster blur even further, and Allison must decide to either cling to her rapidly fading humanity, or succumb to the darkness within.”
P.S. The Blood of Eden series is currently being optioned for a movie by Palomar Pictures, so hop on the bandwagon now!

***

Now you got the idea. Cuz there will be a movie of The Immortal Rules. And man, I LOVE the series.

So here's the new The Immortal Rules cover:

And that's where I start getting mad.

Because look at the original cover:

Come on, don't you think the original one is way better? I know there will be a movie, but please don't ruin the cover of this book, 'kay?

And here's The Eternity Cure:

Honestly, I'm not very happy with this cover either. I thought the cover would be somehow even better than the original cover of The Immortal Rules.

Hey, if you get a closer look of the cover you will see this:

It includes The Traitor Son's excerpt.

The Traitor Son.

THE TRAITOR SON.

THE TRAITOR SON.

got it?!!!

See the summary of The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure here:

The Immortal Rules:

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.


The Eternity Cure:

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.

***

The new version of The Immortal Rules will be released on March 26th, 2013 while The Eternity Cure will be released on April 23rd, 2013.

See my review of The Immortal Rules here:
 
http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.hk/2012/12/the-immortal-rules-review.html

The Immortal Rules: Review

Another Julie Kagawa's series! The Immortal Rules, book 1 of Blood of Eden.

Summary:

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

***
After Twilight, House of Night and Vampire Academy, I become so familiar with vampires as the main supernatural creatures in a series that I have given hope on it. But you what? This book is plain awesome. Vampires in a dystopian world. This is so new. Who could've imagine that vampires can be tainted to a futuristic DYSTOPIAN world!? I have to say this is the BEST of all vampire books. Better than Vampire Academy. Even better than Bloodlines.

So here's Allison. The first part of the book is like then in Pandemonium, Lena in the Wilds with the Invalids trying to survive. Speaking of part 1, no offense, but this is my least favorite part of the book. Maybe because I'm just so tempted to flip the book to part 2. Back to Allie. She is tough, which is good, because no tough girl can survive through a dystopian world like that, especially when rabids are running around you constantly. I really do like her.

And there's Zeke. My favorite character in the book. He's sweet and caring, just like other dystopian main male characters. I'm sad that he and Allie have to part ways in the end, because I picture them as my OTP in Blood of Eden! Come on, can't you see that they care for each other? And sadly, I have the feeling that I won't see Zeke appear very often. Man, I love this guy. I hope Zeke and Allie will be endgame.

And there's Kanin, the mysterious, tall, and cold vampire Master. There's not much about him in the book. So I can't tell if I like him or not. And honestly, I wonder if he's as cold inside as he is on the outside. And if he has any feelings for Allie, I won't be surprised. Let's face it, why would he give a choice to Allie when he had sworn that he will never turn others anymore? He could've just let Allie die. If that's the case, I would love to see what will happen in The Eternity Cure even though I often loathe love triangles.

The writing style of The Immortal Rules is very different from The Iron Fey. The obvious part is definitely the start of the book. Well, in The Iron Fey, the narrator always state that who he/she is. But in this book there's no such thing. The not-so-obvious part is that it's more like other novels. The words are very different from The Iron Fey and even Call of the Forgotten series. And yeah, I love this new style of Julie.

I can't wait for 'Til The World Ends and The Eternity Cure. Guess I need to wait... again. UGH.

Rating: 8.5/10