Shadow Falls After Dark (2) - Eternal by C.C. Hunter
The second part of the thrilling sopinoff: Eternal (Unter dem Nachthimmel, Alliance)! I read it in English where it contained 384 pages. Originally published 2014.
Della's life was a mess before, but now it is simply hell. Not only is she bonded for eternity to the sexy but remarkably annoying Chase, without any idea about what that entitles, no, her Dad happens to be the only suspected murderer for the death of her aunt. Steve can't take it that she likes Chase – and she has another ghost… who wants her to find two vampires, locked up with no food. But who are they? And who is the ghost? Why doesn't Chase answer her questions about the Vampire Council? Della has a package of questions. But will she ever find the answers?
I liked this book better than the prequel. I don't know why, probably because I like Chase. He turns out to be even more funny, sensible and... well, kinder in a way. But he's still a kick-ass and the only adjective that would best describe his character is “sexy”. I know this sounds really stupid, sorry. But it’s true!
Spoiler:
I was sorry for Della at first, but now, I’m more annoyed. First sorry, because I was thinking “oh, poor girl, she has this relationship with Chase which she didn't really want, can't control and then her boyfriend leaves her without notice? That sucks.” And because, I fully understand she has all these fears, why she mistrusts Chase. I wouldn't trust people around me either, if I had that history: Her parents don't seem to want her as she is, her boyfriend doesn't either, than she discovers her father could be the person who killed her aunt? That's a lot to stomach. But then, I kept thinking (daaaaangerous, I know, and probably doesn’t serve anyone). Della can’t really be angry with Steve for putting his career before her. She freaking never even let him in in the first place! How could she possibly expect him to let his dreams turn to dust for her? Plus, it absolutely makes sense he didn’t tell her: he never actually thought he’d be chosen… what was he supposed to do, say “hey, please trust me, because I love you. But you should know there’s a one-in-a-million-chance I might be chosen for a scholarship”? I’d usually say: Yep, she deserved to know. But in Della’s case, nope. She never really got him a chance in the first place. He did everything he could to win her favour, and she pretty much shrugged him off. While expecting him to be absolutely faithful and perfect – while hating him for being faithful and perfect. This is a) the kind of thinking I hate and b) a pretty good reason to keep the academy to himself. He wants to be with her, to love her and be loved, to trust and be trusted, to accept and be accepted. But she never even really tried it. He couldn’t trust her to actually see him for who he was, for a potential boyfriend, if he told her one thing that would make the relationship a bit difficult. But since he couldn’t give up, he simply didn’t tell her about a one-in-a-million chance. Sure, if he can’t trust her to accept him, he should move on instead of keeping secrets. Most definitely. But Della’s in no position to judge him, she’s the reason why the relationship doesn’t work, after all. Besides, she can’t expect him to be honest with thing that would ruin it like that. And he’s entitled to have his own life, next to his relationship. No partner should seriously ask the other to not try to reach for the stars because that’s inconvenient. And definitely not one who is actually attracted to another like Della is to Chase. No, Della had no room to judge.
But I'm sorry for Miranda. The number Perry pulled was really hard. I understand that he wants her to move on, that he thinks she deserved someone better than him. I don’t agree, but I understand the feeling and the course of action. But this was... cruel. Too cruel, even worse than what Edward did to Bella in New Moon (Bis(s) zur Mittagsstunde)! Because Edward made sure it didn't get further than kissing, and falling in love. Which is worse enough as it is already. But Perry? He took everything: Her trust, her body, her heart! She was absolutely crazy for him, basically already decided they’d marry. And then, he does that? And completely out of nowhere?! I'd never thought Perry was that kind of person. I hope his actions are further explained later on.
Apart from this, the plot with Natasha and Liam was very, very well done. I like the two, as a matter of fact I like Della’s family, period. They aren’t easy, but they are her family, and they love her. They just misunderstand. I could have hit the father, but her aunt is actually quite nice – as is Della’s Mom and sister, though they could do a lot more to make her feel comfortable.
As for being reborn and what that means – for Della, her abilities and such? Nicely done. Nicely done indeed.
But seriously, can Della be possibly more stupid or stubborn then that? Really, it was obvious what that bond was and how far it went. No magic in the world can make people so close like Della and Chase. I know why she doesn’t want to admit it, but letting it out on Chase isn’t anywhere near fair, either.
Apart from that, there are two content mistakes in it: Della broke into a house before and Socks is a he, not a she. That's all. No, it’s not. There’s a reeeeeaaal big mistake in there I didn’t address yet: The third part wasn’t published already when I read it. And the wait was torture… :D
In brief:
Stars for style, ideas, and characters. Because as much as Della got on my nerves from time to time, she was realistic. Plus SoGH.
Prequel:
Sequel: