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A review by fulltimefiction
The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
4.0
This is a spoiler-free review for the whole trilogy. It'll be short since I can't say much without revealing the plot of the sequels.
I loved Blood of Eden. I have been dropping far too many YA trilogies and series (even if I liked them) but this one kept me interested to finish it in less than a year (again something unusual but I did learn not to wait a year to read a released sequel...).
If you're looking for a YA combining fantasy in a dystopian real world setting and has the good old memorable YA feels... this is for you.
To me, the new YA releases, after 2016, are fun.. but mostly forgettable. I enjoy a book, move on to another, forget about it the next day. Meanwhile, I can still vividly remember YAs released before that if they 4-5 stars read.
On the other hand, several old YA pales in front of the new more exciting ones. They have so many cliches that new authors learned to avoid.
I'm glad to report this is a hella good trilogy that made me feel nostalgic and cozy -it's something I am familiar with all while being new in its own ways.
If you're looking for a fun YA trilogy but unsure what to read since this genre isn't your thing anymore... this is for you.
You know this phase when someone feels too old for YA and that's why they made NA, the age difference is not big but at the same time enough to severely scrutinize the characters?
Anyway, for a while, I wasn't liking YA one bit. They all were the same color to me. The Folk of the Air was A HIT. Yet, I read the book, sure it's fun, carried on with my life. I tried several books but I just couldn't connect with the characters anymore. Until I read [b:The Immortal Rules|10215349|The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349._SY75_.jpg|15114912]. No, it wasn't a perfect book (and even in my review of it I wasn't sold yet) but I liked the characters. A lot. And I wanted to read the sequel ASAP. The next thing I knew, I was looking for more old YA I missed, [b:Unwind|764347|Unwind (Unwind, #1)|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297677706l/764347._SX50_.jpg|750423], [b:The Demon King|6342491|The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1)|Cinda Williams Chima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379482652l/6342491._SY75_.jpg|6528619], etc. and guess what? I was enjoying this genre again.
If you're an avid YA reader and looking for a fun read with three-dimensional characters and a fast-paced plot... this is for you.
I smiled, I laughed, I cried, and I felt many emotions reading this trilogy. I know it'll always have a special place in my heart. I wouldn't go as far as saying one of my favorites but I truly loved it. It's those kinds of books that I have been struggling to find. I read over dozens of novels this year and yet how many can I truly say I remember and I still feel fond of? Not even 10.
So why this trilogy?
- kickass east Asian heroine
- the most adorable love interest, I felt like he wasn't necessary in the first book but in the second? I fell in love with him. He'so damn cute and good-hearted. My heart simply twists now that I think about him. He truly cared about Allie and always supported her and held her back.
- awesome and cool secondary characters, Jackal, anyone? I also liked Kanin and how he was portrayed as a mentor to Allie.
- reading about a plague in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic? and a cure that made zombie-like creatures... *shudders* good thing we don't have vampires to make that kind of cure...
- fast-paced plot, the first chapter is usually a bit slow but IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OKAY? And then the book kicks off.
I wouldn't say this book is perfect, I won't go into details about the first two but the second was great enough for me to ignore those shortcomings and give it 5 shining stars.
I found this book is the weakest in this trilogy. While The Forever Song was very enjoyable, it wasn't perfect sadly. The conclusion was satisfying and it made sense. Not completely predictable yet not shocking either (some parts you're probably going to see coming). It seems suitable however so you won't be disappointed. We had some cliche dialogues, which I dsliked, (or maybe this is just old me?). The writing was sometimes odd as in Allie using too formal language to address some characters in her head? I won't say any more about to not spoil anything. While it’s more of a 3 stars read, I love the character so giving it an extra star.
After reading the second book which had a lot going on, this one solely focused on one mission. Which is understandable but I also wanted more. Not for the mission to prolong any longer, God no. But maybe it would've been more of a zig-zag mission instead of a straight line?
Overall, I recommend this series for its characters, where secondary ones sometimes outshone Allie, the addicting plot, and the memorable story. It might not be perfect not the best out there but it's definitely worth reading.
I loved Blood of Eden. I have been dropping far too many YA trilogies and series (even if I liked them) but this one kept me interested to finish it in less than a year (again something unusual but I did learn not to wait a year to read a released sequel...).
If you're looking for a YA combining fantasy in a dystopian real world setting and has the good old memorable YA feels... this is for you.
To me, the new YA releases, after 2016, are fun.. but mostly forgettable. I enjoy a book, move on to another, forget about it the next day. Meanwhile, I can still vividly remember YAs released before that if they 4-5 stars read.
On the other hand, several old YA pales in front of the new more exciting ones. They have so many cliches that new authors learned to avoid.
I'm glad to report this is a hella good trilogy that made me feel nostalgic and cozy -it's something I am familiar with all while being new in its own ways.
If you're looking for a fun YA trilogy but unsure what to read since this genre isn't your thing anymore... this is for you.
You know this phase when someone feels too old for YA and that's why they made NA, the age difference is not big but at the same time enough to severely scrutinize the characters?
Anyway, for a while, I wasn't liking YA one bit. They all were the same color to me. The Folk of the Air was A HIT. Yet, I read the book, sure it's fun, carried on with my life. I tried several books but I just couldn't connect with the characters anymore. Until I read [b:The Immortal Rules|10215349|The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)|Julie Kagawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349._SY75_.jpg|15114912]. No, it wasn't a perfect book (and even in my review of it I wasn't sold yet) but I liked the characters. A lot. And I wanted to read the sequel ASAP. The next thing I knew, I was looking for more old YA I missed, [b:Unwind|764347|Unwind (Unwind, #1)|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297677706l/764347._SX50_.jpg|750423], [b:The Demon King|6342491|The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1)|Cinda Williams Chima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379482652l/6342491._SY75_.jpg|6528619], etc. and guess what? I was enjoying this genre again.
If you're an avid YA reader and looking for a fun read with three-dimensional characters and a fast-paced plot... this is for you.
I smiled, I laughed, I cried, and I felt many emotions reading this trilogy. I know it'll always have a special place in my heart. I wouldn't go as far as saying one of my favorites but I truly loved it. It's those kinds of books that I have been struggling to find. I read over dozens of novels this year and yet how many can I truly say I remember and I still feel fond of? Not even 10.
So why this trilogy?
- kickass east Asian heroine
- the most adorable love interest, I felt like he wasn't necessary in the first book but in the second? I fell in love with him. He'so damn cute and good-hearted. My heart simply twists now that I think about him. He truly cared about Allie and always supported her and held her back.
- awesome and cool secondary characters, Jackal, anyone? I also liked Kanin and how he was portrayed as a mentor to Allie.
- reading about a plague in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic? and a cure that made zombie-like creatures... *shudders* good thing we don't have vampires to make that kind of cure...
- fast-paced plot, the first chapter is usually a bit slow but IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OKAY? And then the book kicks off.
I wouldn't say this book is perfect, I won't go into details about the first two but the second was great enough for me to ignore those shortcomings and give it 5 shining stars.
I found this book is the weakest in this trilogy. While The Forever Song was very enjoyable, it wasn't perfect sadly. The conclusion was satisfying and it made sense. Not completely predictable yet not shocking either (some parts you're probably going to see coming). It seems suitable however so you won't be disappointed. We had some cliche dialogues, which I dsliked, (or maybe this is just old me?). The writing was sometimes odd as in Allie using too formal language to address some characters in her head? I won't say any more about to not spoil anything. While it’s more of a 3 stars read, I love the character so giving it an extra star.
After reading the second book which had a lot going on, this one solely focused on one mission. Which is understandable but I also wanted more. Not for the mission to prolong any longer, God no. But maybe it would've been more of a zig-zag mission instead of a straight line?
Overall, I recommend this series for its characters, where secondary ones sometimes outshone Allie, the addicting plot, and the memorable story. It might not be perfect not the best out there but it's definitely worth reading.