publisher: Harlequin Teen
date of publication: April 24, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 504
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository
From 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.
What I Thought
Julie Kagawa writing vampire novels: you just know that this combination is going to be a winner. When the news came out that The Immortal Rules was in the works, I felt very hopeful. As a teen, I read a lot of vampire novels by the likes of Anne Rice and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. These books provided hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Over the years, however, I haven't quite been able to find anything that appealed to me as much as those books did. That is, nothing really, truly appealed to me until I read the plot description for The Immortal Rules. I immediately knew that this was a book I could get behind, so prepared myself to wait for my opportunity to read it. That opportunity finally came and, now that I have read The Immortal Rules, I can officially say that this is what I expect out of a vampire novel.
To say that Allie is fierce is an understatement. From the very first page, you just know that this girl brooks no nonsense. Her independence and level of confidence is amazing and she made for such a great heroine. Underneath her flinty exterior, however, is a degree of compassion, as evidenced by her treatment of Stick, the odd man out in Allie's group of street rats. Though he is an extremely frustrating character, Allie manages to lend treat him with kindness. It is Allie's transition from human to vampire, however, that really gives you a sense of who she is. All of her strengths and weaknesses come to the forefront and make her an even more compelling character. Zeke, Allie's surprisingly human love interest, complements Allie very well. He, too, is strong of will, but has an added touch of kindness that aids Allie in figuring out what it is she wants out of her immortality. Together, they are a very dynamic couple that sparked off each other well and provided some sweet moments.
The storyline that makes up The Immortal Rules absolutely blew me away. The premise is every bit as dark and harrowing as one would expect and the pacing is phenomenal. The world-building is superb and has the perfect amount of horror and grit. It was very easy to sink into the story and picture the settings thanks to Julie Kagawa's considerable talent with description. All in all, this story is amazing and you'll be hard-pressed to find another quite like it.
Now that I've read The Immortal Rules, I just know that the rest of the series is going to be fantastic. The Immortal Rules is an amazing first book in series and I expect that this series is going to surpass all other vampire novels in my eyes. Fans of horror, postapocalyptic, and vampire fiction are going to enjoy this series. Julie Kagawa fans, hold onto your hats. You're in for a real treat. I recommend getting your hands on this title as soon as possible. You definitely do not want to miss out on this book for very long!
Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.
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