Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 485
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal

GOODREADS

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.

Okay, wow. This book. This book.

If you've read the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, then you already know what a wonderfully talented writer she is. But, you might look at The Immortal Rules and say to yourself, "Vampires? Oh, they're so over done. I'll just still to the fey."

I'm here to tell you that vampires are not overdone. At least not Kagawa's vampires.

I really don't know how I'm going to explain the love I bear this novel to you guys, but I'll try. From the moment I started reading The Immortal Rules, I wasn't in my world anymore. I swear I was transported to a post apocalyptic world, where a virus has run rampant through the human population, and now the vampires are in control. People live in crumbling cities, and even though the world as we know it has ended, there are still two things that you can't avoid--death, and taxes. Except instead of money, you pay your taxes in blood. If you miss a payment, they'll come and collect.

Okay, is that freaky, or what? I really wasn't expecting a book this powerful, or dark, from Julie! There's no sugar coating anything-- people are dying, being ripped apart by vicious rabid vampires that are basically a science experiment gone wrong. I loved the grittiness of it. There was this layer of darkness spanning the whole novel, because as I was reading, I knew that this wasn't going to be a happily ever after fairy tale ending. And even though I was biting my nails in anticipation and anxiety, I loved that aspect of it.

There was a part in the middle that lagged. It was rapid fire, all action, BAM BAM BAM! And then Allie just fell into a sort of routine for a while. The story was still interesting, because there was this tension building that obviously has to snap at some point. Allie has to blend in with these humans, some that she comes to care for deeply, but she's faced with the dilemma of where to get her next blood fix from. Could she feed from these people that have taken her in so quickly?

I really liked Allie as a main character. She was logical, and made some really difficult decisions. When faced with certain death and given an option, she chose what most everyone would have chosen, which was to rise again as a vampire. But she had grown up hating the vampires her whole life, so it was really interesting to see her grow as a person, dealing with the fact that she was what she hated so much. The concept of drinking blood disgusted her, but what choice did she have? And even though she tried to remain as human as possible, the simple fact of the matter was that she wasn't human anymore, and pretending to be only got her into more trouble.

There are some other really fantastic characters in this novel that I really want to read more about, such as Allie's vampire sire, Kanin. I actually developed a bit of a crush on him! I'm sad that we didn't have much time with him, but I'm certain that he'll make a bigger appearance in the future books. And, how can I possibly forget Zeke? Oh, I loooooved Zeke! Even living in a world where hope is a foolish notion, he holds onto it. When others are thinking only of survival, he's making sure that everyone in his group is taken care of to the best of his ability. I immediately fell for him, and I want him and Allie to be together somehow. The romance wasn't overpowering, and it definitely took a back seat to the story, which I liked because Zeke and Allie didn't let their feelings for each other get in the way of their responsibilities to the others who depended on them.

Another thing I really loved were the vampires. They're really not anything different than your typical Dracula-esque vampire. They have many of the same weaknesses--sunlight, wooden stakes, and fire--but Julie Kagawa did put her own original touch to her vamps. I don't really even know how to describe it, it's something that you'll have to read for yourself.

Overall, I give The Immortal Rules 5 out of 5 stars. This book is awesome! You need to read it!!

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