Monday, July 9, 2012

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa


The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: April 24th, 2012
Pages: 485 (Hardcover)

Allison Sekemoto only had purpose in life: to survive. She lived in the city of New Covington, in a time where vampires have seized and ravaged the world. That is, until one day her whole life turns upside down. She has two choices- to die, or become the thing she hates the most. When dire circumstances occur, she has to abandon her vampire master and make a break for it.


Despite reason, she joins a group of travelers. They're in search of Eden, a city rumored to be ruled by humans. But keeping appearances is hard, and it's only a matter of time until they discover the monster she really is. Tangled up in the whole mess, she just might help find the key to saving humanity.


I dived into The Immortal Rules without any expectations. I've heard the buzz about how fantastic it is, so I figured might as well give it a shot. In turn I got a kick-butt novel that had my heart pounding and mind freaking out.


Before you roll your eyes and groan "vampires again," let me try to persuade you that this book is something novel and intriguing. It stays away from the vampires stereotypes that a lot of us have grown to loathe. (No offense to Twilighters; i've been there too.) In Julie Kagawa's dystopian world, the vast majority of vampires are cold blooded killers without any mercy. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except a bit harder to kill and way more successful.  They rule the world, and humans are pretty much just their blood cattle. 


The Immortal Rules has quite a fair bit of gore. This book may not work well with younger readers, the faint of heart, and cowardly lions. The author doesn't give us grueling details of slaughters, but doesn't leave a great amount to the imagination. Like The Hunger Games, The Immortal Rules wasn't afraid to be cringe-worthy. In fact, my hand went out instinctively to my neck quite a few times.


Allie is a determined heroine who isn't afraid to become who she wants to be. After being Turned, she has to decide what she's going to become. Does she wants to become a demon with a human face, or not succumb to the Hunger? Her struggle to stay true to her character really portrayed her strength. Even though I couldn't connect with her, I thought she was easily just the kind of person that people would look up to.


Dystopian books generally revolve around some rampant disease or the evilness of humankind. Albeit a rampant disease was involved, I've never read about vampires being the cause of future problems. Kudos, Julie Kagawa! The Immortal Rules came to me as a pleasant surprise, ergo, I highly recommend this book!

Cover: 2/5
Plot: 4.5/5
-Palak

No comments:

Post a Comment