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 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. They’re being led 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.

 

Olivia with YAMag: Julie, welcome back to the Young Adult Magazine!  We’re talking today about your latest novel, the finale to your vampire dystopian series, THE FOREVER SONG!

JK: Thank you so much for having me!

YA: So let’s talk about Allison Sekemoto!  How did you two first meet?  What made Allison the perfect protagonist for this journey?

Julie Kagawa: Well, the setting of Blood of Eden actually evolved first.  I had the idea for this very dark, very bleak post-apocalyptic world where humans were an endangered species and no one was safe.  And to survive such a world, I needed someone who was smart, tough, no-nonsense, and willing to do whatever it took to survive.  Allie started out hard and cynical because she had to be, and her stubbornness actually helped her a great deal after she became a vampire.  She refused to become a monster even though it was easier to let go of her humanity, and that’s what made her the perfect heroine for this series.

YA: What do you miss most about writing for her now that the series is over?

JK:  I’m really going to miss Allie’s fight scenes.  Of all my protagonists, she is by far the most fierce, the most lethal, and the most capable of kicking butt.  It was also amusing to pit her against her obnoxious older brother, Jackal, and watch them snark off each other.  I’ll miss their banter; it was a lot of fun to write.  

YA:  What non-book influences helped spark THE FOREVER SONG and the rest of the trilogy?  Any specific songs or shows?

JK:  Movies like The Book of Eli, The Road, and I am Legend helped inspire some of the scenes from Blood of Eden.  There was also a Discovery Channel series called Life After People that was instrumental in researching the world.  The premise was: what would happen to the world if all humans suddenly disappeared?  What would become of the roads, the wildlife, the buildings?  How long would it take for everything to corrode and collapse?  It was eye-opening as well as very eerie, and a huge help in developing the bleak, desolate feel of Allison’s world.

YA:If you could choose between having a comic and having an animated series for the BLOOD OF EDEN trilogy, which would you want and why?  What art style would you want if you would prefer comic; any voice actors you’d love in an animated series?

JK:  Oh, definitely an animated series!  I love manga and anime, and an anime series about Blood of Eden (or the Iron Fey for that matter) would put me over the moon.  The Iron Fey, especially, was strongly influenced by manga and anime, and I always pictured Ash and Puck as big eyed, spiky haired bishounen, lol.  Plus Allie wields a katana, and Jackal would make a perfect anime baddie, so that’s an easy choice.  

YA: Last one!  If you could spend one day with Allison, what would you do together?  What words of wisdom would you want to share with her, about her past or future, while you visited?

JK:  After I convinced her not to kill me?  Hm, that’s a toughie; Allie’s not really the kind of girl who would just hang out with someone.  OR listen to words of wisdom.  I think I would encourage her to keep fighting her inner monster, that her humanity is worth hanging onto, and that love, hope, and selflessness is still valid even in a world as dark as hers.  And then I would ask her where Kanin was so that I could stalk… er… talk to him for the rest of the evening.  

YA: Thank you very much, Julie! And once more from all of us at YA Mag, congratulations on THE FOREVER SONG, the finale in The Blood of Eden series!

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Readers, be sure to check out Julie Kagawa at www.JulieKagawa.com. Or follow her on Twitter @JKagawa.

THE FOREVER SONG, published by Harlequin TEEN, is now available at your favorite retailers and local independent bookstores!

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Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey.  For more info, follow her on Twitter@OliviaHennis.

 

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