The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa, UK edition cover.
Title: The Eternity Cure (A Blood of Eden Novel, #2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: MIRA INK (3rd May 2013)
Blurb:
ALLISON SEKEMOTO DIED SO THAT SHE MIGHT LIVE.
AS A VAMPIRE, SHE FACES THE RISE OF A DEADLY NEW PLAGUE TO HER KIND.
ALLISON THOUGHT THAT IMMORTALITY WAS FOREVER.
NOW ETERNITY ITSELF HANGS IN THE BALANCE . . .
THE VIRUS MUST BE STOPPED
No matter what the cost
No matter what the sacrifice
Mankinds survival depends on us
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:
THE ETERNITY CURE is the second book in Julie Kagawa’s magnificent vampire series BLOOD OF EDEN. The series follows the story of Allison Sekemoto a human resident of a vampire town who through a series of events ends up being turned into a vampire. In THE ETERNITY CURE Allison finds herself pursuing the vampire who changed her, while doing so she discovers that the virus that is destroying her world has mutated with terrible consequences.
Julie Kagawa throws you straight into the story in THE ETERNITY CURE, which I struggled a little with to begin with as it has been a while since I read THE IMMORTAL RULES (review). However, once I had adjusted and remembered the rules of the world I really enjoyed it. Kagawa told the story at a rip-roaring pace, and I thought that really worked. As a reader I felt just as off-balance as the characters in the story. I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed watching (well, reading really) as the story unfolded before me. Kagawa built upon the world and the characters of the first novel, and created a truly compelling story.
One of the things I most enjoyed about this book was the complicated, tangled plot. Kagawa did an excellent job of pulling the story together despite this – at no time did the story feel disjointed. There is a LOT going on in THE ETERNITY CURE. There are quite a few revelations as the narrative unfolds, and I have to admit that they all surprised me and they added to the plot. The plot is definitely an important aspect of this book – and series – which I really enjoy. Too often books in this genre focuses on the romance to the detriment of all else.
You can really see the development of Allison from the scared street child in THE IMMORTAL RULES, to the confident young vampire in this book. I really enjoyed watching her continued development through this book. The secondary characters are also really well fleshed out in this book – even the bad guy. Characterisation is definitely one of the areas that Kagawa excels at, particularly in this series. Only a couple of the characters felt flat for me, but I think that was mainly because the story is told from Allison’s point of view.
THE ETERNITY CURE is a brilliant addition to the BLOOD OF EDEN series. If you are a fan of vampire fiction and you haven’t read this series yet, then you really should. It’s an interesting twist on the typical vampire fiction.
