The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
8 May, 2012
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: April 24th 2012
Pages:
Format: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads: Add It
Summary:
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.
FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS ★★★★★
There have been so many raving reviews of The Immortal Rules as this book has grabbed readers and shown them something new and exciting. With all the different reviews out there, it is incredibly difficult to find new and interesting words to describe the brilliance of this book. I want to say something that hasn’t already been said, want to describe the book in a way that does it justice and yet, with my fingers poised above the keys, I simply can not think of the right words. There is so much I wish to say, so much I want to describe and gush over but I don’t want to ruin what has already been said, or ruin the book for others by using spoilers. So instead, this review will be full of my thoughts and feelings on the novel. Maybe these things have been described before, but hopefully this will just reiterate the point that this book is such a marvellous and inspiring creation.
To start off this review I simply have to talk about Allison Sekemoto. Talk about a strong, powerful female protagonist! I was in love with Ali from the very first moment we met her. She is struggling to survive in a world that is on the edge of everything, she could live a fairly settled life but instead she chooses to live a life of danger because she would rather fight for survival then be controlled by someone else. This was inspiring and it really attributed to her character, especially when everything changed for Allison. She learns how to live in the Fringe, she learns how to be strong and powerful and do what it takes to survive but it isn’t until Kanin arrives that she realises just what it means to be human. It is no longer about just her will to survive, but her will to keep others alive with her that really tugs at my heart strings. She is a strong character full of emotion and well-being and I just really, really connected with her and felt for her, and like I mentioned before, I just loved her.
Then there is Ezekiel, or Zeke, whom I also just couldn’t help but fall in love with. He was so kind, so sensitive and caring and it just made my heart ache for him. He was so alike Allison and yet so completely different at the same time. He always put others before him, gave people a hand when no one else offered their own. He was friendly and fun and yet at the same time he was powerful and strong and able to lead people extremely well. He was such a well-rounded character and I loved hearing his story and seeing how things happened for him. My heart broke for him in so many places and I just wanted to pick him up and help him but still he carried on, he fought passed the things that were weighing him down and just continued to care for those around him. He didn’t just want to survive, he wanted everyone he loved to survive as well and he would do everything in his power to do exactly that and i truly admired that in him.
Kanin and Jackal were both really unique and interesting characters as well and I’m really, really interested in seeing where the next story will take us in relation to these characters. I liked how they interacted with Allison, I liked seeing how she reacted with them and I just loved who they were and how they were and just everything. It was all so inspiring and brilliant to read and I simply couldn’t wait to get back to reading as soon as possible.
As well as having strong and admirable characters, Julie Kagawa has managed to bring alive such an impressive dystopian world that I am just in complete awe of her and her talented imagination. I knew that her description was inspiring from her Iron Feyseries (which I have only read two books of!) but in this novel, it was shown once again at just how creative Julie is. I could physically see everything that was described, I could imagine it in excruciating detail and I loved it. I loved the dark gritty feel that came from it, the looming dread that seemed to fill every description and really felt a feeling of loss across it all. This is all the world has become, this is what is left. It is just extremely powerful and moving and jaw-dropping. This isn’t the Fey world where things are lighter and bubblier, this is the nitty gritty dark world where Vampires are the inferior species who control all. I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait to read more about this world.
Just as I loved the action-packed plots of the Iron Fey, this novel is also full of adventure and action at every corner. There is always something going on, there is always something just waiting around the corner to happen that leaves you in suspense just wondering what it will be. I love the journey that Allison takes, I love that even though we get to know Zeke and the rest of the characters, even though there is romance, it’s not central and even though it’s about getting the humans to safety, that this is about Allison. It is her story; it is her life. What happens along the way, how she reacts to the events, to the people around her are all the things that shape who she becomes and this is especially noticeable at the end; it is the beginning of something new. So much is discovered about her through the others around her, she helps them just as much as they help her and I just love that Julie has managed to create a story with such an amazingly brilliant plot and protagonist, with the two falling hand-in-hand so easily.
The Immortal Rules is one of the best novels that I have read this year. It is full of action and suspense that really pulls the reader in. It has brilliant characters and amazingly inspired scenic views of a crumbling world that is still just fighting for survival, not willing to just roll over and die. She has created a masterpiece that deserves all of the raving reviews that it has recieved. It is a truly magical novel that will grip you for all its worth and will make you want to continue reading and reading, even when the novel has finished. I, for one, am incredibly excited for the next book in this series and hope that in the mean time, thousands of people will pick up this book and be pulled into this incredibly inspiring novel.
Faye
7 Comments
Vegan YA Nerds
Wow, I can tell that you really, really enjoyed this! I haven’t read anything by Julie but I am considering starting with this!
Daydreaming_Star
Thanks :-)
And yes, yes you should! In my opinion, this one is so much better than the Iron Fey series, and I am loving that series at the moment!! xD
Let me know if you/when you pick up her books, I wanna know what you thiink!
Faye
kimba88
This was my first Kagawa book ans it won’t be my last..awesome review!
Daydreaming_Star
Yay! I’m glad to hear this! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Iron Fey series ;) XD
Faye
Brodie
FAYE! *bounces on you* This review? LOVE! Your pure enjoyment and love and gushiness really shine through, I can FEEL how much this book affected you. Those are the most amazing founds, when a book digs itself into your heart (okay, I’m seriously imagining Allie digging into a heart the way she digs into the ground haha). She was such an awesome heroine and I did adore Zeke, even though he didn’t quite make my Boyfriend List!
AND YES YES YES. Julie excels at the action scenes! First in Iron Fey and now this, girl knows how to write. I love what you say about the world, “views of a crumbling world that is still just fighting for survival, not willing to just roll over and die.” <3
So glad you loved this so much! Amazing review!
Daydreaming_Star
Ugggh. You’ve been too full of compliments this morning you! <3 Haha. So glad that you liked the review though! Took me forever, I didn’t want to miss anything and now I’m sure I did miss something because I forgot to talk about her awesome vampire creations! Damn! lol. Haha, I’m imagining that too, nice one there.
I knoow, and I know what you mean about Kanin too, hot but kinda wrong on so many levels… haha. Even Jackall had his qualitiees… for y’know, the evil ass he is! lol.
Yeee, thanks sweetie. I am glad you liked it too! Yay!
Faye
Sarah (saz101)
Faaaaaaaaaye! You loved it! You loved it! And I don’t know what to say other than yes yes YES. Sometimes the simple fact that you’re kind of speechless says everything :D
But… Then you write this amazing review! Yesssssss!