The Forever Song

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa (2014)

the forever song

YA Fiction | Paranormal | Dystopia
Blurb:

“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.”
–Goodreads

Book One: THE IMMORTAL RULES

pooled ink Review:

Okay I have finished the Blood of Eden trilogy at last!! Woo! And now I have some thoughts…

First of all I am still excited about this series popping up in my life and completely proving me wrong by creating a vampire/apocalyptic story that completely blew me away. So many twists and turns and heartaches but wow it was worth it.

Book two left off with one insane ending that had me utterly lost for words. I was shocked and very upset haha but I knew the only thing to do was to power onwards and so I grabbed the trilogy finale from the library and here I am.

*If you have not read The Eternity Cure then hit pause because this review will spoil it…Actually there are a couple teeny spoilers for this book as well so BEWARE*

A good third of the book is simply a race against time with the vampire trio we’ve long gotten to know: Kanin, Allison, and Jackal. It’s very much like a long family road trip. Allie and Jackal bicker nonstop while poor Kanin endures with immeasurable patience. After Zeke’s death at the end of The Eternity Cure Allie has withdrawn from herself. From the very beginning she has fought to maintain her humanity but Zeke’s death was the one thing her heart couldn’t take and at last she gives in to the monster. Cold, unfeeling, she’s a volcano about to erupt at the first person to cross her path. She’s completely consumed by bloodlust and revenge. She’s full of pain and will do anything to hide from it.

Allie is upset and while I understand it, it did get a tad annoying (as did the endless bickering between her and Jackal)…But I loved the scene where she finally realizes how lost she’s become and awakens at last.

THEN for a giant plot twist (that was also somehow predictable?) they end up back in Old Chicago and face Sarren’s new progeny…Zeke. Turned into a vampire Zeke is now a cold merciless killer compelled to destroy Allie. On one hand this was a major twist but honestly it didn’t surprise me…it was clear that Sarren had set up a major trap of some sort in Old Chicago and my brain sort of just jumped to hey what if Zeke is there and has turned against them?

Once the compulsion is severed Zeke is, uh, not back to “normal” but instead he spends the next third of the book as a mute emotionless addition to their group. They’re still on a race against time to stop Sarren from destroying Eden but Zeke has withdrawn into himself, Allie is begging Zeke to snap out of it, Kanin is stoic as usual, and Jackal is the smartass who is not only in charge of annoying everyone but oddly enough he’s also the main person constantly reminding them about reaching Eden as quickly as possible.

So on one hand this book was great. We get to see Eden at last, meet new and old characters, get to accompany Allie and Zeke on their journeys through grief, and there’s plenty of action throughout. But I don’t think it was quite as good as the other books in the trilogy. Although I completely understand how big a struggle it was for Allie to grieve Zeke when she thought he was dead and for Zeke when he was forced to become the one thing he hated most, it felt like it sort of dragged a bit. I don’t know…for whatever reason I just wasn’t as engrossed in this book as I was with the others.

But overall this was a fantastic YA paranormal dystopian trilogy. If you’ve given up on vampire books or dystopian books then think again. Grab a copy of The Immortal Rules and see if it’s for you. It surprised me and I hope more people discover these books and enjoy them as much as I did 😊

The Forever Song is a startling conclusion to the Blood of Eden trilogy. Intense, full of action and heart, it explores the depths of humanity through the eyes of monsters. When the world is on the brink of destruction it just may be those you least expect who’ll pull it through.

Cheers.

Purchase here: The Forever Song