Blood Eternal: An Awakened by Blood Novel

In the midst of Saloman's tumultuous, forbidden romance with the wickedly smart and vulnerably human Elizabeth Silk, there is one thing on the powerful Ancient's mind: to see the world change, to see the vampires be brought out to the open and live in the human world. His strategy is carefully calculated and involves the gradual education of humans in order to achieve tolerance and cooperation, but his Ancient cousin, Luk's unexpected awakening, may veer him off his path. I absolutely devoured this third and final installment of Marie Treanor's Awakened by Blood series... I am definitely pining for more, and am distressed by the fact that there IS no more. I would recommend readers of the first two books to pick this one up, just because Blood Eternal picks off and concludes where Blood Sin left off. Recent vampire revolts risk Elizabeth and Saloman losing each other, which makes Saloman all the more determined to maintain order within the dynamic of vampires slowly cohabiting with humans in the real world. In the end, however, his mission uncovers one startling, anticipated truth: that as much as both he and Elizabeth want and need eternal love, she is thoroughly human, and it is her humanity that makes her so valuable to both him and to the world. She indeed, is his weakness; her loving, frail humanity, compassion, intelligence, wit, vulnerability, sweetness, bravery, and overthought are what make him falter. She is simultaneously his strength, his stamina, his moral guidance; he needs her to survive. As much as he wants to love her forever, he knows she belongs in the light, and he, in the shadows. Through her and through opening up to her, he painfully learns and relearns both his identity and the sheer, melancholy truism that in love, nothing can ever, ever be perfect. The emotional anguish and unfeasibility of the romance is so well-conveyed. Blood Eternal tugged at my heartstrings and left me aching inside. Elizabeth is Saloman's lifeline, but when the deranged and furious Luk realizes she is also his demise, he'll do anything to fulfill his early prophecies and use her as the missing piece to Saloman's complete destruction. It's possible their love may be strong enough to change Luk's predictions and in turn, change Luk's insanity itself, but it's also possible their love could ultimately lead to the sacrifice of one of them... or both of them, in time. The entire novel surrounds the internal battle for Elizabeth's trust, from both the perspectives of Saloman and the single-minded vampire hunters who lover her as much as he does. Saloman's adverse effects surface clearly, not only to Elizabeth's friends, but also to Elizabeth herself; it is obvious that he is whittling away her human life—she has no sense of normal anymore—which is causing her to lose her principles. It's interesting how Treanor adds Elizabeth's confusion with her identity in this last novel, because readers previously thought she had such a good grip on it before. The importance of loving herself first—the self that Saloman fell in love with and the self that could temper his inhumanity and make his domination more like cooperation—is brought to light. She is not the only one who needs her humanity—the world needs it too. If she lost who she was, there would be more lives at risk than she could ever imagine. One of my favorite aspects of Blood Eternal was the slow, painful unraveling of Saloman—what made him a vampire, and what made the weaknesses he has today. Luk's mentally insane and dangerous resurrection reveals another one of Saloman's vulnerabilities; his agonizing past is explored and his weaknesses tested. I loved how he was finally able to bare himself to Elizabeth, as well as bare a part of her she never knew existed. The unearthing of secrets and deep desires makes it difficult to distinguish the vampire and human races by much. Saloman's compassion is heart-wrenching; that a being so evil could feel emotions so loving, is tragic, and is what makes him so damn perfect for Elizabeth. I'm devastated there's no more of Saloman to read about—am experiencing severe Saloman withdrawal symptoms. Bloody fictional characters! The return of old vampires we've grown to love and new one's we'll come to hate ushers a violent, willful ultimate battle will determine their fate... that is, if they make it out alive. Victory in the raging vampire war will spark a new millenium of Ancients for the greater good of both humans and vampires, while defeat will end the world as they know it.  Pros: More thrilling romantically, action-wise, and emotionally // Mystery shrouding Saloman is finally cleared // Entire cast of vampires and hunters alike unite // Witty, deliberate writing style // Saloman and Elizabeth are both perfectly lovable // Fast-paced and action-packed // Sizzling, sensual, as always // The impossibility of a vampire-human relationship is heartbreaking // Quirky, amusing dialogue // Ending that leaves me wanting more!!!! Cons: Drags on at times // Glamorization of vampires gets out of hand: medical prowess? Spell-casting? Protectional powers? Foresight of natural disasters?? I found it to be way too much. Love: The stake [Elizabeth] always carried lay on the bedside table. "What's this?" Saloman had said, apparently amused. "In case I get too rough?" "In case you stop." Verdict: Gripping, full of blood and kickassery and action, and emotionally doleful, Blood Eternal is a thrilling continuation of Elizabeth and Saloman's struggle to stay in the light together... even at the risk of losing themselves completely within their love. The tradeoff in their relationship—her impairment of his judgment that renders him sensitive and his disarming of her grounded values—accurately portray the pain of their love that is impossible to either bear or to forsake. He could die with her, ending his existence and all the good he could do for the world, or she could die for him, and go on forever; either way, one of them will lose what they most need. Somehow though, readers will maintain hope that their decision will, in the end, be for the better—whether Elizabeth and Saloman stay together, or not. Blood Sin is a riveting, satisfying, and completely addicting conclusion to a beloved vampire tale that will stay in readers' hearts for a long time to come. 8 out of 10 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended. Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via Bewitching Book Tours, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!)

This is a great book. Its a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. I can only hope we get to meet these characters again soon. I have been hooked since I read the first book. They are well-written and fast paced with great characters that you really get to know and enjoy. Elizabeth and Saloman have an unusual relationship. Both have the power to really hurt or kill the other, even know Elizabeth is human. By this point we have watched their relationship evolve over the course of the first 2 books. But even here neither really feels like they deserve the other or can keep them for as long as they have together. And this combined with the fact that Elizabeth's hunter friends dont trust him not to hurt her are the background story revolving around the bigger story of the vampire war and Saloman's cousin Luk. This war could really be the turning point both Saloman and Elizabeth are hoping for in the ongoing relationship between vampires and humans. Saloman wants to initiate change in vampire behavior so that the two can learn to live together and help each other. And he spends a lot of time trying to prove how this could happen. But he is up against his cousin, Luk, and a group of vampires that dont want to change. If the hunters can not learn to work with him to get this matter under control, what chance does the rest of the world who is still in the dark have. Both stories intertwine themselves perfectly throughout the book. Leading to stunning conclusion and hope for all. I am really looking forward to reading more from the author soon and I am extremely glad I started this series.

Blood Eternal (Awakened by Blood, Book #3) by Marie Treanor Genre: Paranormal Romance | Fantasy | Historic Secrets don't disappear after seduction ... Elizabeth Silk is struggling to reconcile her passion for the vampire overlord Saloman and her allegiance to the vampire hunters. When a shocking vampire revolt calls Saloman away from her, she refuses to follow him. To make matters worse, Saloman's beloved cousin Luk has been found and awakened by one of his greatest enemies. Frenzied with blood-lust, Luk embarks on a killing spree and prepares to expose Saloman's biggest vulnerability: Elizabeth. But under Saloman's regime, vampires have become less concerned with secrecy, no longer will to hid their power. Rumors are swirling about attacked on humans. After Saloman joins forces with the vampire hunters to consolidate his power, Elizabeth begins to understand her role in the inevitable collision of the two worlds. She could bring resolution between vampires and humans -- if she can manage to say alive long enough to play both sides... Eye-opening revelations about Saloman becomes unearthed when video of him saving a village from an earthquake goes viral online. Now, Elizabeth must fave some unlikely truths about him while deciding her future allegiances to the under-ground Hunter society and her university teaching obligations after gaining her PhD. however, when a former enemy creates and even more sinister chaos for the vampire civilization by unexpectedly awakening an ancient older than Saloman, all hell is let loose and Elizabeth struggles to get both long-standing enemies (i.e. hunters and vampires) to work together in taking down this powerful creature before he can create his fatal empire. As bittersweet as it is to release/destroy his vampire cousin (again!) from insanity, Saloman must also face some emotional truths about Elizabeth, such as where their future together lies and if there is any room in his heart for true love after his turbulent history. Thus, can Saloman and Elizabeth compromise with their feelings/goals for a better future or will someone from their past finally succeed in destroying them both? This was a satisfying conclusion (with an ending twist that was surprising and/or some-what inane!?!) to the Awakened by Blood series (trilogy?) Both Saloman and Elizabeth dug deep into their emotions throughout much of this story and were very open about their desires/dreams with each other and that left the reader on the edge in regards to just where their future relationship together would lead. For me, it felt like this book became a lot more serious about exclusively concentrating on Saloman and Elizabeth, which was refreshing since the last two books in the series really had them circling each other with no finial ending to their on-again/off-again liaison. We still get a lot of side-character interactions going on and different POVs thrown in, especially with the new baddie, Luk, being brought into the story. Expect impressive battle scenes, poignant surprises, and lots of witty telepathic conversations, but overall, expect an enjoyable read that leaves an opening for Saloman and Elizabeth's future story to pop-up within Marie Reanor's NEW Blood Hunter's series - Book # 1, Blood Guilt, coming early June 2012.

Blood Eternal is the third book in Marie Treanor's Awakened by Blood series. In this book, Saloman's cousin Luk has been awakened. Saloman is the one who killed him so needless to say, Luk is out for revenge. Elizabeth still struggles between her love for Saloman and her duty as a vampire hunter. First I have to say how bothered I am about the appearance of the book. It's a different size from the rest, and the cover doesn't look like it belongs in the same series at all. I do understand that the author probably had no say in this issue though. I thought this book seemed rather slow, which is the main reason for me giving it 3 stars instead of 4. I was a little bored with the plot, and I just don't really have much interest in the secondary characters. I love Elizabeth and Saloman though, and I love reading the parts where they are together. Saloman comes to realize just how much Elizabeth means to him, and it was sweet to see this softer side of him. If you liked Saloman in the other books, you will love him in this one. I don't think this would be a good stand-alone book. I think the two previous books would need to be read in order to fully enjoy this one. I'm not positive, but it appears that this is the last book in the series. That saddens me because the ending of Blood Eternal is great and there is so much potential for more.

Dr. Elizabeth "The Awakener" Silk is hesitant as to what she should do. She has a job offer that she wants to accept in Budapest; but at the same time she lacks confidence in her relationship with Saloman, the king of the vampires and a resident of the Hungarian capital. Much of her doubts come from her beloved's machinations in the human and vampire worlds as he works on strengthening his powerful position. As Saloman tries to forge an alliance with hunters, the awakening of his vampire blood relative Luk and a related rebellion has him rushing to prevent a calamity while Elizabeth realizes the inevitable is coming with vampires coming out of the coffins. The third Awakened by Blood urban fantasy (see Blood Sin and Blood on Silk) moves forward the overarching political and social theme and the relationship between the lead couple. Although the changing points of view slow down the pace, sub-genre fans will enjoy entering the bloody realm of Marie Treanor as Saloman tries to consolidate his power in two worlds but also hoping not at the cost of the woman he cherishes. Harriet Klausner

Despite the growing passion that unites them, all is not well between Elizabeth and Saloman. She refuses to follow him as he builds his influence among the human population and consolidates his rule over the vampire world. A shocking revolt is just the latest crisis that's called him away. But under Saloman's regime, vampires have become less concerned with secrecy. And after he joins forces with vampire hunters, Elizabeth begins to understand the inevitable collision of the two worlds. She could be a conduit between humanity and the undead - if she can manage to play both sides and stay alive...