Review: The Eternity Cure

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Dystopian speculative fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: Fans of YA fiction, especially dystopian, romantic scenes, the series.
Book Available: April 30, 2013
Trigger Warnings: murder, torture, vivisection of humans and vampires
Animal Abuse: cat murder, dog-on-puppy attack (anecdote), people eating dogs and cats (implied)

My Thoughts: Kagawa has created quite a world in her Blood of Eden series. Since it's been almost a year since I read the first one, I don't remember it as clearly as I would like, but this book does a good job of providing enough information to allow the reader to enjoy it even if they haven't read the first one.

It is entertaining trying to figure out the places Allison goes. Washington, DC was fairly easy to figure out, but most of the places have long since been forgotten, and so many people have forgotten the information that used to be common knowledge that a lot of places are just a mystery. I rather liked Azura, the Prince of Washington, DC (Prince is a gender-neutral term). I hope we learn more about her and run into her again. I think she might be a good ally for Allison. And is it just me, or is Jackal starting to give off a bit of a Spike vibe? Think of the parallels: trying to keep his original name a secret, switching teams opportunistically, glib and sarcastic wisecracks, wanting to destroy his Sire... I can't be the only one who sees this.

One thing that I didn't consider when I was reading the first book, but that came into my head while I was reading this one, was: why don't the rabids kill each other all the time? There are a couple places where Allison finds dead rabids that have been killed by other rabids, but they don't seem to do this often or as a matter of course. Since they're insane and violent, that really surprises me. I would think they would always be fighting among themselves, rather than gathering into huge nests and groups. Yet they will attack vampires, so it can't be that they only go after “living” creatures for blood; they essentially are vampires themselves, so why not attack each other? I wonder if this will ever be explained. And along the same line: why don't the bleeders attack each other, either? There is no real sense to this.

In the end, I wasn't as enthralled by this book as I was by the first one. I wish I could have re-read the first one again before I started this one to refresh my memory; maybe then I would have enjoyed this more, because as far as I could tell there was no reduction in quality in this book. Or maybe I'm just in a different head-space at the moment, and if I'd read this at another time I would have enjoyed it more; I'm just not certain. All I know is that I kept being distracted by other things and couldn't focus on the story. While I read the first one in one sitting, this one I would read a bit, go do something else, read a little more, etc. I think part of the reason was that there was so much more romance in this, so much more angst and drama and people talking very earnestly about their feelings. That sort of thing just does not appeal to me. A little romance, realistically portrayed, I can deal with, but heaven save me from teens in love! I imagine this will actually be a ringing endorsement to many people; if you like romance, there is plenty in this one.

But there was enough action to occasionally catch my attention. The constantly running from the rabids and bleeders became a bit old after awhile, but since they are everywhere, I probably should have been surprised there wasn't more. So, sort of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the first book, and while this one wrapped up nicely, there is plenty left for the next book. I'm not certain if I'll read it or not. I believe this one is doing down as halfway between “it was okay” and “I didn't like it but wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.” Three stars.

Series Information: This is the second novel in the Blood of Eden series. The first book, The Immortal Rules, came out last year. I read and reviewed it in April 2012, and that review can be read by clicking this link if you are at a site that allows formatting. There is also a prequel novella called 'Til the World Ends, which was just recently released.

Disclosure: I received a galley of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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.



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