Friday, May 18, 2012

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules {Blood of Eden 1}
Author: Julie Kagawa
Pages: 480
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
My rating: 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.24 stars
Published: April 24, 2012

Description:

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.


First off, this does a really good job at kind of summing up the story, so I'm not even really going to bother with that.

Oh. My. Bleep.  Guys, this book is awesome.  Julie Kagawa has amazing writing skills, and when she uses them in book format, she has the power to transport you to another world!  {Is that nerdy enough for you?}  My only disappointment was I was so sick for almost two weeks, right in the middle of reading The Immortal Rules, that I could hardly even look at a book, much less pick it up to read.  It was torture.  Pure, teeth clenching torture.  I now can see why everyone was/is obsessed with her Iron Fey series {which I still need to read... don't judge me}.

Her characters are pretty amazing.  Allie doesn't become some superhero once she's Turned.  She works for it.  She learns, fights and bleeds for it.  And she's still tormented with the Hunger.  Oh, that's inescapable.  You know how that Other Vampire Book/Series {which I honestly adore} has vegetarian vampires?  Not an option for Julie Kagawa's vampires.  They have to have human blood, no matter what.  Which can be pretty difficult if you're a vampire, wandering around outside "civilization" {I use that term loosely, because its really not very civilized}.

From the get-go, Julie had me admiring almost every character.  Allie for her drive and desire to live and retain her humanity.  Zeke for his need to see everyone as good {even though a couple times I wanted to pull those shutters up and let him see a character for who they truly were}.  Kanin for his unerring desire to be truthful {even if that means he just won't speak of something so as not to lie about it}.

Speaking of Kanin... I so wish there would have been more of him in this book!  I'm looking forward to the possibility of more in the second.  Plus, since I participated in the Immortal Rules Party on Twitter forever ago, I had the pleasure of the mental picture of Henry Cavill for Kanin {although, it just wasn't quite right, if you know what I mean.  Honestly, I know I tweeted about Paul Bettany playing a great Sarren, but I think he would be an even better Kanin}.

Guys, the world building, the characters, the writing... everything about this book was awesome.  It was worth the wait and torture of seeing it next to me while I was sick and unable to read.  Julie, I cannot wait for the second book to come out!  In the meantime, I will have to placate my need to read with The Iron Fey series...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

great review! :)