Published April 15, 2014
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Format: e-book, borrowed
Genre: young adult paranormal
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 STARS
(From Goodreads) 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.
Wow. Just... WOW. I mean, this book was... wow. As you can see, I'm still having a bit of trouble finding accurate words to describe how much I loved the final book in the Blood of Eden series. It had absolutely everything I needed, including some things I didn't even know I needed, to make for the most stunning conclusion to a series that I've read in a long time.
Ali is struggling with maintaining her humanity after the events of the first two books. I mean, hey - who wouldn't? Sarren has tormented her in the absolute worst way - or so she thought. In actuality, the worst is still to come, and when his master plan comes to light, it leaves Ali and those she cares about racing to beat the clock in order to save everyone on the Earth.
Ali is the most amazing heroine ever. She is incredibly strong - and I'm not just talking about physically. She has been through some truly awful stuff, and despite struggling, she never, ever gives up. She sets a goal, and she goes after it until she's done. Ali is a vampire, so she's pretty rough around the edges. She's hardened and jaded and, especially in the beginning of The Forever Song, downright scary.
It was hard to read those beginning few chapters. We've seen Ali struggle to keep a firm grasp on her humanity despite Jackal's constant poking at her to embrace her inner monster, and the Hunger that is always, always there, reminding her that she's not the human she used to be. When she believes she's lost the one person who loved her anyway - and that she loved back - she doesn't think there's any reason to try so hard anymore. To read about Ali giving up and becoming the monster absolutely broke my heart.
The event to finally bring her back to her former self was so poignant, it brought tears to my eyes. It also brought home the fact that Kanin is there when she needs him the most, like a father-figure. And, his council is needed so many times over the course of the book. The differences between Kanin and Jackal are stark. Where Kanin is supportive, Jackal is combative. Kanin builds up and Jackal delights in wearing down. Kanin is nice. Jackal is... not.
But, the one thing that Jackal IS is hysterical. Thank goodness for his presence in The Forever Song, because this was a dark and heavy book. His snark and antagonistic personality added some much needed lightness. And, as it turns out, Jackal also added some good insight and a bitch slap to the head when it was needed. He's surprisingly insightful when he wants to be.
The biggest question when I started the book was, what happened to Zeke? His fate was somewhat ambiguous at the end of The Eternity Cure, and we do have to wait a few chapters to find out what he's doing now. And, although I had guessed it to some degree, there was still SO MUCH that I didn't see coming. Zeke's situation was so far beyond frustrating and it had me torn up in knots for a long while.
The four of them chase Sarren across the terrain as he heads toward Eden with a crazy deadly virus. He is constantly one step ahead of them with barricades and psychological mind screws. I have never wanted to see a bad guy bite it more. The final showdown is suspenseful and impressive and scary and completely awesome. I loved every second.
The ending - of both the series and the book - was absolutely perfect. There was heartbreak and destruction and death and hope - it was epic. I highly recommend this series to anyone who is in the mood for a darker vampire tale with a romance that you can write home about. And, for a change, the ending of this series was satisfying to the enth degree.
1 comment:
So glad you liked it! I can't wait to read it I loved the other books in the series and was so excited when this final one came out. Of course, I haven't gotten around to reading it yet but plan to maybe start this weekend. I'm glad it was everything you wanted at the end of the series. I am always sad when the last book is a let down! Happy Reading Great review!
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