Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules

(Blood of Eden # 1)

By: Julie Kagawa

Pub. Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 485

Source: Netgalley

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.

When I saw The Immortal Rules on Netgalley, I'm not going to lie, I did a little dance. I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed in the slightest! Julie Kagawa has created a world that is so terrifying, that while I was reading, I would have to take breaks just to breathe again.

In her post-apocalyptic, dystopian world, vampires rule. A Plague spread, killing off most of the population leading the vampires to come to power. Many humans are registered and twice a month must go into the city to give blood. The humans who are unregistered, live on the street and everyday is a struggle to find food and survive. What is worse is that the vampires aren't the scariest thing in this world. The disease caused the spread of rabids, terrifying creatures that eat humans and vampires alike.

Allison is an unregistered human who after being attacked by a rabid is given a choice, die and become a rabid or die and become a vampire. Choosing vampire, her sire, Kanin teaches her what it means to be a vampire. He tells her she must forget that she was once human because she is now a monster with no soul. She is a hunter, and she must not forget that. Kanin was a very secretive, old vampire. I loved the parts of him that we did get to know, and I really hope we get to see him again!

Allison was terrifically written. We really get to see her struggles with becoming a vampire, but still wanting to keep her human side. She is strong and determined and I liked that about her. One night she comes across a little boy, and after helping him find his family she meets a group of people trying to find Eden, a heavenly place where they would be free and safe. It is here that she meets Ezekiel Crosse, the adopted son of Jeb, the leader of this group.

Zeke was a very interesting character. He puts everyone in the group first, risking his own life to keep the others safe. He sees the good in everyone and trusts Allison completely, even though he knows nothing about her. For someone who has seen so much pain, suffering and death, he was so caring and level headed. There were many times that I felt so bad for him, I just wanted to give him a hug!

As in the Iron Fey series, Kagawa's world building is amazing. Her writing is so descriptive, it's hard not to feel that you are right in the middle of the action.

The Immortal Rules is an extremely well written book. It was a little hard at first to get into, and a little slow in the beginning, but once Allison meets Zeke and the others, the book just flew by. I think this book would appeal to the vampire lovers and even the people who are sick of vampires. There is so much action and darkness and it is completely different then other vampire books out there!