Series: Blood of Eden #2
Published by Harlequin Teen (4.30.2013)
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 446 pages
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon
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.
My thoughts
I really don’t think Julie could write a bad book if she tried. I have yet to read anything of hers that I didn’t love, and this was no exception! As far as vampire books go, this one is definitely one of the best I’ve ever read. Even better than the first book! Fast pacing and high action combine for a gripping, edge of your seat read!
Something Julie is flippin’ amazing at is characterization. Each character has their own distinct personality, and they stand out from each other. No cardboard cut-outs here! Plus they’re not all perfect…some of them are pretty messed up, and they’re all convincingly real.
Allie is probably one of the most kick-ass female MCs in young adult fiction. Seriously. Sure, she’s strong because she’s a vampire, but it’s more than that. She tries so hard not to be a monster, even though it’s in her nature, which proves just how strong-willed she is. She holds on to her humanity against all odds, she’s fiercely protective of those she cares about…and did I mention she’s snarky? She and I could definitely be friends!
While I’m not in love with Zeke, he was a sweetheart for sure! He was able to calm Allie’s inner demon, and wasn’t afraid of her. He stood proudly beside her even when she expected him to cringe away. Even though the romance started in the first book, it still moved nice and slow (i.e. realistic). They weren’t all ‘Ohhh I love you so much’ or ‘Ohh I can’t keep my hands off you’ because whaddaya know, there were real problems. Like a deadly virus rampaging through the population of vamps and humans alike. So the romance took a backseat (many of you probably know by now that these are the best books for me). Which is awesome because to me it’s just not convincing when the world is blowing up and everyone around them is dying…and they’re off in some corner dry humping making googly eyes at each other.
JACKAL. Holy crap, I loved him. He was an arrogant, domineering, snide asshat. But I still freaking adored him! He made me laugh with his crudeness and sarcasm, and I wanted to see more of him. With rude characters, it’s hit or miss for me. I don’t know what it is that defines that line and pushes a character to one side or the other. But maybe the reason I didn’t hate Jackal was because he wasn’t pure evil. He still had a decent side, he just covered it up by being a buttface.
The best part of this book (besides Jackal) is the world building. The scene in Old D.C. was amazing! I could picture it perfectly in my head (this would make a great movie!), and I knew that Allie was at the Lincoln Memorial even without the book saying so. Because it was described perfectly! Same with the Washington Monument. Another great thing about this book: It’s not a happy vampire novel with sparkles and sunshine. It’s dark and gritty, and bad crap happens. The stakes are high and there’s so much to lose!
The ending. GAH. I almost had a heart attack. And I got a bit misty. Okay, I lied, I shed a tear or two. And there’s a pretty major cliffhanger that makes me want the next book very badly! *sigh* I hate waiting -__-
Favorite character: Jackal!
Favorite Quotes
Honestly, he was the loudest mortally wounded vampire I’d ever heard.
This cracks me up! Like I said, Jackal was awesome. And vocal, baha.
“Only death can take you away from me, vampire girl. And even then, I’d watch over you from wherever I end up.”
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
OMG THAT QUOTE! YESS JACKAL IS MY LIFE!
Also. I totall agree with the world building and the characters! Julie is totally such a literary genius that I’m like “WHOA BABY” all the time :D
Awesome review I’m glad you loooovvvveeeed this one!!
LOVE YOUR FACE!
YAY! *Jackal fan fist bump*
She really is! Everything I’ve read by her has been 5 stars, and she’s an auto-buy author and she pretty much gets 5 stars from me for everything by default. I love her!
Love YOUR face! :D
<3333
LOL this book must be GREAT if even the villain is loveable XDXD
I really enjoyed The Immortal Rules. It was such a great vampire book, nothing like Twilight and the like!! I’m really looking forward to read its sequel.
Great review!!
Sapir
@ Diary of a Wimpy
Teen Girl
It really is! And YES the best part is that it’s completely different from Twilight. You’re going to love it ;)
I’m really looking forward to reading this one! Great review! :)
i can’t wait to read this one!!!
i LOVED The Immortal Rules :D
“..and they’re off in some corner dry humping making googly eyes at each other.” :D :D :D :D this totally cracked me up :D
I agree with you that THERE IS NOT A BAD BOOK BY JULIE KAGAWA. Her talent is beyond realistic!
ONCE AGAIN, YOU DID IT. AWESOME REVIEW! <33
YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE IT! Seriously. I can’t wait for you to read it :)
Hehehe true that! She rocks my socks off!
<33
Oh, how I agree! I love the Blood of Eden series SO much! And Julie is awesome :) she’s one of my ‘auto-buy’ authors!
Great review, Jessi :)
Same here! Everything I’ve ever read of hers was 5 stars for me, so I’d buy anything she wrote :)
EEEP. I need to get on my ecopies of TIR and TEC Now! *shame on me for not having read and JK books* I owe you these and Leen Machine the Iron Fey. And I have the first two of each series…*hangs head in shame* Tehe. They sound amazing! I LOVE finding books like this that just blog the crap out of you. ACK!!! Okay. Maybe I should come back and comment once I’ve read it. Hehe. Either way, it sounds like I’d LURV Jackal.
I Am Your Nator Twin.
I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU INKY. I didn’t realize you hadn’t ever read ANY of her books! You definitely need to :D
Your Nator Twin luffs yewwww! <3333
I know i KNOW… Oh my and i just saw i had the lamest typo EVER. “blog the crap out of you?” what the heck?!?!
Your Nator twin is feeling scatterbrained.
OOOH, Jessi, you make this one sound so amazing. Would you believe I’ve yet to read any of Julie’s books? I have the first two Iron Fey books and am hoping like heck to start them this year. I’ve held off on diving into this series because I want to start with the IF ones, but dannnnng, these sound good. Diverse characters who all stand apart as unique? Awesome realistic romance? NEED.
MOLLI NOOOO. You definitely should! The Iron Fey series was awesome, especially Iron Knight! You don’t have to read the IF books before the Blood of Eden ones, so you should go for it :)
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK. Like you, I agree that anything that Kagawa spills out onto the page is golden. I LOOOVED The Immortal Rules and I’m super excited to see where she’ll take readers with this one. Also like you, I tend to enjoy the books where the romance takes a backseat. SO EXCITED!!! Fantastic review!
Cheers!
If you loved the first book, I’m sure you’ll love this one even more!!! <3
I recently finished The Immortal Rules and have just begun to read this book! I’m liking it so far :D To be honest, only a few days ago, I had never read a single Kagawa book… so.. *reads faster* After not being a fan of vamps for some time, this series really makes me love them more .<