Title: The Forever Song
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373211128
No. of Pages: 416
Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult
Origins: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 15 April 2014
Bottom Line: Absolutely outstanding ending to this thrilling series
Synopsis:
“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.”
Thoughts: In The Immortal Rules, Allie Sekemoto must adjust to her new life as a vampire and balance the blood lust with her desire to stay as human as possible. In The Eternity Cure, Allie is not quite the optimistic young vampire she used to be. In her short eternal life, she has seen and done too much to ever be completely human again. Yet, her love for Zeke keeps her grounded and prevents her from crossing over to the dark side. So, when The Forever Song opens up, it is with no surprise that Allie has all but given up on everything Kanin taught her. She lives for revenge and for trying to stop Sarren, and that is it. Allie’s world is dark, and her mind is even bleaker. It is a natural character progression that mirrors a future that seems dimmer with each step towards Eden.
While the action, in all its gruesome glory, is fantastic and intense, the heart of the series, and especially this last book, revolves around Allie’s development. From the moment a reader first meets Allie, her focus has been maintaining her humanity in a world of monsters. Kanin teaches her how to do so when she is first turned, but ultimately, the battle is hers to fight. She might be utterly ruthless and lethal, especially in the final book, but she still fights or at least tries to fight her internal monster. For that reason, she is one of the most admirable characters one will find if only for her absolute refusal to succumb completely to the darkness when it would be so easy to do so.
While Ms. Kagawa is a master at balancing that fine line between dark and light, good and bad, she is ultimately a purveyor of fairy tales, and all fairy tales have happy endings. This is true of her Iron Fey series, and it remains true for The Blood of Eden series. The trick lies in choosing the happy ending that best suits the main characters and maintains the integrity of the story. Again, this is something at which Ms. Kagawa excels. Allie’s fate and future are perfect for her, for her evolution from human girl to powerful vampire, for the loss of everything she holds dear, and for her experiences in the hands of humans, rabids, and vampires. It is the best type of ending for someone who has lost so much and come so far.
The Forever Song is an outstanding ending to a thrilling series. Ms. Kagawa’s vampires continue to be the vicious killing machines the original myth espouses them to be, and the fight scenes are amazing. It is a little scary how easily Ms. Kagawa can channel Sarren’s insanity and cruelty. However, it is about finding the human within the monster that touches a reader’s heart and makes the series truly special.
