Tagged: allie
Spotlight: Other Side of Forever by Shannon Eckrich
Spotlight is my weekly feature in which I highlight a book I’m looking forward to or really enjoyed. This week I want to do the latter and talk to you about an amazing book: Other Side of Forever by Shannon Eckrich.
Seventeen-year-old Allie Anderson’s telekinetic powers are anything but useful–she can’t bring her father back, can’t stop her mother’s downward spiral into alcohol, and can’t keep her from falling in love with Ethan Bradley. Loving Ethan is easy, but it comes with a hefty price: Ethan is prohibited by his people from interacting with mortals–because he isn’t mortal himself. When Allie and Ethan’s love is discovered, there’s someone who will do anything to keep them apart. If Allie can’t learn to control her powers and fight to save Ethan, this dark entity will make every attempt to stop her beating heart. And if that happens, not even the energy of an immortal can bring her back.
I know, I was just gushing over this on Wednesday, but it warrants repeating: Other Side of Forever is that extremely rare YA book that avoids clichés like love triangles and completely happy endings. The heroine, Allie, was smart and resourceful but also had a vulnerable side when it came to Ethan. Ethan himself was a complete gentleman, not the total ‘hot jerk’ stereotype you see so often in YA. We need to see more male leads like him, that’s for sure!
Not only is the plot fast-paced, but unpredictable. Honestly, just when you think you know what’s going to happen, Shannon Eckrich sends another plot twist your way. Sometimes authors sacrifice character development in the name of pacing, but not in Other Side of Forever. Both Allie and Ethan were fully developed and had believable character arcs as well as a sweet, completely genuine romance. It didn’t feel forced at all, another rarity.
Seriously guys, you need to read this book right now.
Other Side of Forever by Shannon Eckrich
(Cover picture courtesy of Avery Olive.)
Seventeen-year-old Allie Anderson’s telekinetic powers are anything but useful–she can’t bring her father back, can’t stop her mother’s downward spiral into alcohol, and can’t keep her from falling in love with Ethan Bradley. Loving Ethan is easy, but it comes with a hefty price: Ethan is prohibited by his people from interacting with mortals–because he isn’t mortal himself. When Allie and Ethan’s love is discovered, there’s someone who will do anything to keep them apart. If Allie can’t learn to control her powers and fight to save Ethan, this dark entity will make every attempt to stop her beating heart. And if that happens, not even the energy of an immortal can bring her back.
[Full disclosure: Shannon Eckrich sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
Well, that wasn’t at all what I expected. And considering I was expecting a typical YA book with a love triangle and a helpless heroine, that’s a good thing!
There was no love triangle. I’m still trying to process this amazing fact. I haven’t encountered a YA book without a love triangle in years, ever since the Twilight craze began. Other Side of Forever also doesn’t end in the way you expect it to either. Shannon Eckrich didn’t go for the stereotypical ending I would expect from a book with immortals. Heck, even her characters didn’t fit into the archetypes they appeared to.
If I’m not being very articulate right now it’s because I’m still trying to process this new development. Avoidance of clichés and stock characters? I’m having a tough time with this.
The plot was fast-paced and took some pretty unpredictable twists, both Allie and Ethan were believable characters, there was no Insta-Love and the immortals in this book are unique. If it had been my choice, I would not have stopped reading Other Side of Forever for anything: food, drink, etc. It quite literally kept me on the edge of my computer chair, reading frantically to find out how thing would turn out. Shannon Eckrich’s premise was also unique and Allie’s discovery of the secret world of immortals helped move the plot along as external forces tried to wrench her and Ethan apart.
The characters, oh the characters! Allie was not a poor, helpless damsel in distress. She was resourceful and strong, but not your stereotypical kick-butt heroine either. She’s just an average girl who has some emotional scars from a pretty awful childhood. Ethan was not your stereotypical bad-boy immortal jerk. No, he was sweet and kind and never pressured Allie into anything or treated her badly at any point in the story. Both characters were obviously well developed and their relationship didn’t go in the typical Insta-Love arc you find in YA. There were roadblocks along the way and the characters overcame them instead of acting like immature idiots. As you guys know, I’m not a big fan of romances. But I absolutely loved this one.
I don’t care what type of books you normally read. You need to read Other Side of Forever right now. You’ll love it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
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.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ARC ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Well, I must say that I enjoyed The Eternity Cure even more than the first book in the Blood of Eden trilogy, The Immortal Rules. And considering how much I liked the first book, that’s really saying something.
The Eternity Cure includes betrayals, new revelations, old friends (and enemies) and one of those villains that is just unable to die. Julie Kagawa never was one for sparing her characters any pain, but wow, poor Allie really does go through a lot in this second installment. This is definitely not a case of Book 2 Syndrome. Allison has matured quite a bit and become more accepting of her life as a vampire when the story starts out and she has changed even more by the time it ends. Her search for Kanin certainly isn’t an easy one and it brings her into contact with an old friend and more than a few old enemies.
As for the plot, all I can say is that it takes more than a few twists and turns. There were even some I didn’t see coming, especially that heart-wrenching cliffhanger ending. It was incredibly difficult for me to tear my eyes away from my computer screen the whole time, even for nourishment or sleep. If you loved The Immortal Rules, I guarantee that you’ll like The Eternity Cure even more. So go ahead and pre-order your copy! It releases on April 30 of this year.
I give this book 5/5 stars.