Book Review: The Iron Warrior (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #3) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
384 Pages

The Iron Prince—my nephew—betrayed us all.

He killed me.

Then, I woke up.

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the world of the fey will be changed forevermore. 

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It's no secret now that I absolutely LOVE Julie Kagawa and will read anything that this woman writes. Add that to the fact that I have been waiting for what feels like forever for this book and I think it's safe to say that I was super excited to finally have it in my hands.

The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten series focuses on the relationship between Ethan Chase and his nephew, Prince Keirran and centers around a prophecy that was revealed at the end of the Iron Fey series. Here we find Ethan frantically navigating the in Between on a quest to get Keirran back his soul and stop the impending war between the Courts of Nevernever and the Forgotten Queen.

 

Blinded by what he thinks is right, Keirran is leading the Forgotten Army straight into battle against the courts, including his mother. He's brash, but driven. He has all of the elements of a leader but it's his direction that's a little skewed. Ethan knows his nephew and he refuses to believe that this is what has become of Keirran. It isn't until Keirran attempts to kill Ethan again that Ethan finally realizes that Keirran must be stopped. Unwilling to kill his own nephew, Ethan sets out on a quest to find the only thing that can return Keirran to his former self - an amulet containing the essence of his soul.

 

I've loved Keirran since the first time he appeared in print. So I was right there along side Ethan the entire way as he fought to restore Keirrans soul. This doesn't mean that I didn't want to drop kick his fairy ass all the way through Nevernever. I could not believe how he was acting and it made it hard to love him. But I do love my damaged boys.

What I love about reading work from Kagawa is how alive her writing is. I'm normally not a huge fan of books relating to the fey but this has hands down become one of my favorite series. And that's all due in part to this world and these characters that just demand attention. These magical places feel so real that I want to travel there myself. I want to see through the glamour of the fey and feel the sun in the Summer court and the snow in the Winter court. I want my own Razor sitting on my shoulder. Truthfully, I just want more of this world and am sad that it came to a close. However, if Kagawa ever decides that she wants to reopen this world, I will be there in a heartbeat!

 

ARC Review: The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
416 Pages

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, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

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When I started this book, I knew that first off, it wouldn’t end happy. This comes from the author who pretty much feeds on our tears. So I was expecting heartbreak. How bad? Now that I was unsure of. So I came up with 3 versions of how it was going to end:

Scenario 1. There is no life anymore and there never will be again.

Scenario 2. I feel only pain and happiness doesn’t exist.

Scenario 3. I understand, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it or be ok with it.

While I admit, I thought Kagawa would go for 1 or 2, I ended up getting Scenario 3 – which, not going to lie, still killed me.

Forever Song picks up where the second book ended with our three “musketeers” on the hunt for Sarren. Kanin, Allie and Jackal: one quiet, one angry, and one just flat out amusing. Allie is still dealing with the loss of Zeke at Sarren’s hands and her mind is only on revenge. With every step she takes, she becomes closer to accepting the monster inside her and Jackal is all too happy to help her along. Along their way, they find all of the surprises that Sarren has left for them, including one especially for Allison. 

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What I love about Kagawa’s work is how true she stays to her characters. Throughout all three books, there is a constant growth of every character. While you may not always agree with their actions, they always make sense. We see Allison’s struggle to maintain her humanity for Zeke, and when he’s gone, we see her struggle to accept the monster. She is constantly at war with herself over doing what she thinks people expect of her and what she actually wants to do. Kanin tries to guide her, but there’s only so much he can do. Especially when there’s someone counteracting his every move.

Enter Jackal, who has quickly become one of my favorite characters. I don’t know how Kagawa did it, but she took a character who was egotistical, conceited, sarcastic, and basically an all-around ass and…well, actually he kind of stayed the same, but oh how I loved him. In a book that was so burdened with heartache and horrors, we needed his comic relief. So thank you, Jackal.

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Parts were predictable, but not so much that it ruined the journey for me. The whole series was a giant build-up to the inevitable showdown between Kanin and Sarren, and Kagawa did not disappoint. There were losses and tears and anger but I truly loved this series…and I totally feel like I’ve made my payment in tears to feed Kagawa’s muse. 

Source

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

ARC Review: The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
304 Pages

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all.

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Poor Ethan Chase. All he wanted was to be rid of the Sight and the Fey world, but once again, he finds himself sucked back into the Nevernever, surrounded by those that he hates all in the name of family. At the end of the Lost Prince, we learned about the Forgotten – the fey who time has forgotten and have since started to fade from existence. However, instead of fading, this group of Forgotten have taken to draining Fey of their glamour in order to survive. Ethan and his half-fey/half-human cousin, Keirran, put a stop to this, but at what cost?

In the Iron Traitor, Keirran, is missing. Ethan journeys back into fairyland with Kenzie to look for his cousin. Along the way, he gets help from our good ole friend, Grimalkin (who I absolutely love). Turns out Keirran is on a mission – a mission to save the Summer Fey that he is in love with. Ethan and Kenzie join Keirran on his quest and this is where everything goes wrong.

For those of you who have read Iron Prophecy understand why Keirran and Ethan should have never met in the first place. It is in this book that we finally realize why. 

I just adore Kagawa’s writing. This world is so full of life, so unbelievably real that you cannot help but feel the emotions along with Ethan as he struggles with himself and with his family. Kagawa has creted characters that jump off the page at you and refuse to be ignored, and I am glad that we’re still seeing the old favorites from the Iron Fey series. Puck and Ash have one of my favorite bromances of all time and I just squeal with delight when they make appearances in this series. And I have a newfound love for Razor – that damned little gremlin has weaseled his way into my heart.

But I’m not going to lie, I think my heart belongs with Keirran. I know there is something so broken and wrong with him (especially after that ending!!), but I can’t help it. There is something about him that draws me in. But that boy is pure trouble. His mind is so far twisted that I do not know how he can come back from the ending.

And speaking of ending… umm, excuse me, Julie, but what was that?? How can you just leave it there?? Nothing about that is okay. And I don’t wait very well…

Source

I received an e-copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review from the publisher via Netgalley.

Teaser Tuesday: Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) & The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate, all you have to do is:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can ad the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

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"I can't believe I'm not going back to school, I just never thought it would come to that. I'm blaming you for that one, too."
Chapter Six-and-a-half, Page 58
Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) by Colleen Hoover

"Her dress, made of leaves, petals and wispy cloth, left her shoulders and arms bare, and her skin gave off a faint glow as if sunlit, even though it was the middle of the night. Light and warmth seemed to pulse around her, and my room smelled of cut grass and leaves."

Chapter Five: The Vanished Prince, 15% e-ARC

The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)
by Julie Kagawa

What are you reading this week?

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ARC Review: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
446 Pages

Out here in the Fringes, there is only one rule: Blood calls to blood. She has done the unthinkable: died so she might continue to live. Now Allie, the reluctant teenage vampire who was cast out of Eden, and Zeke, the human boy who loves her, must attempt to save the world from a deadly new strain of plague. In order to do so, they must first hunt down the monster who holds the promise of the cure—and Allie’s beloved mentor—in his sadistic grip…. Joined by Allie’s blood brother, Jackal, this unlikely posse of companions will brave a landscape stalked by raiders, rabids, and rogue vampires. But even if they survive, they’re bound for the Inner city, and a vicious showdown that will test their bonds in ways they never expected. It may just be that becoming undead was the easy part. Confronting the horrors of Allie’s awakening hunger, her growing feelings for Zeke, and the uncertainties of their future is going to be the ultimate challenge.

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The Eternity Cure… Oh what to say about you. You are everything a person could want in a young adult horror novel. Gore? Check. Violence? Check. A badass chick wielding a katana? Check. Major twists that will leave readers agape? Check. Check. Check.

Julie Kagawa has a real talent, there is no doubt about it. If it wasn't obvious before, it is now. In The Eternity Cure, she brilliantly weaves a hellish tale of vampirism and deadly plagues, all while adding a dash romance. It works very well for the author's prose and the characters that she has developed. This series has brought back the terrifying vampires we grew up with back with a vengeance and it's one that readers won't soon forget!

I read this with my reading buddy, Jen and we both found it difficult to finish without a bottle glass of wine. I'd had a warning beforehand about the way the book ends, but no one really explained how big of a cliffie it really is! Though I could kind of see it coming, it still left me shell-shocked and desperate for the next book! 

Julie Kagawa is brilliant. Not only is the book extremely entertaining, but I found very little faults. I loved the movement of the story, the characters, the writing style and how even though we (thankfully) don't live in this world, Ms. Kagawa makes us understand the anguish of this world. 

The world-building is absolutely phenomenal. The prose is haunting. And the characters? These characters are fantastic. Allie, of course, is an awesome female lead. She's smart, she's strong-willed and she's ruthless when she needs to be. Reading from her perspective is utterly thrilling. Kanin is probably my favorite character though. I am dying to get a glimpse inside his head. He's a real mystery because he is so closed-off! Now… Don't tell Jen, but I actually really liked Jackal in this book as well. That may be the biggest surprise of them all! His not exactly a good guy, but his wit and humor provided the perfect amount of comedic relief, so the reader wouldn't overdose on all of the angst (and boy is there a lot of angst). Zeke… I like Zeke, really I do, but I'm still not in love. He feels a bit too much like a cardboard cutout to me.

Readers who enjoyed the first installment of the Blood of Eden series will love The Eternity Cure even more. I know that was the case for me and I am not usually one for horror--unless it involves zombies. If you haven't read this series yet, I sincerely recommend you do so! It's addictive and fast-paced. I just can't rave enough about it. The Eternity Cure is a thrilling ride that leave reader chomping at the bit for the third novel!

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Netgalley.

Teaser Tuesday: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate, all you have to do is:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can ad the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

--------------------

"The smell of blood hit me soon after, soaking the air and making my stomach turn with Hunger. As we drew closer to the underground camp, voices began to echo out of the tunnels: cries, shouts, angry hisses and snarls."
Chapter 17,  74% e-ARC
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

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ARC Review: The Eternity Cure (Blood Of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

446 Pages

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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Review:

The Eternity Cure – basically Kagawa takes your heart, rips it out of your body, stomps on it a few times for good measure, and then proceeds to try to shove it back into you. And I loved every minute of it.

Source

The Eternity Cure picks up a few months after the Immortal Rules ends. Allison has left Zeke and his band of wayward travelers at the gates of Eden while she heads out on a mission to find Kanin, her sire. Alone, just following the internal pull she feels toward those of her blood line. Along the way, she finds a very unlikely ally in her blood brother Jackal. Together they set out searching for Kanin. But Jackal is not the only person from her past she encounters. Her journey plus finding Kanin and the events after leave you not only wanting more, but gasping for breath as you sort out what just happened.

While the Immortal Rules felt a little slow moving at times, Eternity Cure was just the opposite. Never once was there a dull moment, and just when you thought you safe…nope. The writing style was flawless. Kagawa has a way of describing everything in just the right amount of detail, and I loved that she never shied away from the violence of vampires.  

Now, let me take a moment to discuss the characters:

Allison

“I was a monster who killed and prayed on human life. I could never escape that, but at least I could choose what kind of lives I took.”

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It goes without saying that she is badass. She’s an amazing fighter, says what she’s thinking, and always tries to do the right thing. She tries so hard to hold onto that little ounce of humanity left inside of her. And she stands by what she wants and what she believes in. The only person ever to give her reason to pause is Zeke.

Oh Zeke.

“No one who fights so hard to do the right thing is evil.”

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I just want to hold him. Wrap him up in a blanket and protect him from this cruel world because no matter how much horror he sees, he still holds on to that eternal optimism that everything will work out. 

Kanin and Jackal

Allison’s blood family. We got to learn and see a different side of Kanin here and it was interesting how he went from mentor/teacher to Allison, to more like her comrade in arms. He taught her all he knows and now has left it up to her to decide what she does with it. And Jackal- here was a character I never expected to like, especially after the first book. But holy crap if I wasn’t cracking up at all of his one-liners. And the thing about Jackal, he doesn’t beat around the bush. He tells you straight up where his loyalties lie, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t surprise you at times.

Sarren

“Hello, little bird. The camera on this computer is shot to hell, I’m afraid, so we’ll just have to be content with audio. Pity. I really wanted to show you what I’ve been doing. But, perhaps a song is worth a thousand pictures, hmm?”

Shudders. So so creepy. There aren’t words to describe this monster. His calm demeanor while playing with his prey creeps me out to no end.

And I will not name the one person who we meet up with in New Covington, as I don’t want to give everything away. Just know, there’s a certain place in hell carved out especially for you, remember that. 

And that ending...

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I laughed, I gasped, I almost threw my kindle, and I cried. So many different emotions. So many feelings. I need the next one…like now. Not even joking. You listening, Julie?

JENN

 So much thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read this ARC.