BOOK REVIEW - THE IMMORTAL RULES by JULIE KAGAWA - BLOOD OF EDEN # 1

By: Julie Kagawa
Published By : Harlequin Teen
Released : May 2012
Details : Paperback , 451 Pages

Thankyou to Harlequin Teen for review copy.
RATING: 5 HOPE FILLED STARS!

Book Blurb : Taken 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.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

The Iron Fey series is a favourite faerie series of mine, by Julie Kagawa. I adore Ash, and Puck is this great bff fun type character. Visually her writing is spectacular, her imagination colourful. Kagawa has travelled a different path with her new series, full of vampires, rabids, gangs, death, raiders, and somewhere amongst the hunger and pain, there is hope. It is a crumb on a map, but even a crumb is better than nothing. Humanity is still fighting for existence.

Allison Sekemoto ( love her name) is a survivor. She has no surviving family. Like all unregistereds, she must fend for herself daily. Daytime is her friend.  She is a scavenger, trying to survive amongst a world that has gone to the vampires and not get caught or die. The night is filled with vampires and rabids, who will attack, tear you to pieces before you can save yourself. If caught out at night, your chance of survival is greatly lowered.

Allison chose to be unregistered. She chose not to be ruled. Wise choice?

To care, is hard. To trust is feared.

Allison and her group look out for each other, they survive together, but survival is hard earned. Sometimes payment is high.

Allison found out the hard way.

I love how this book is split into the different parts of Allison. Kagawa is tough on Allison and her feelings. She makes Allison work to survive. Allison grits her teeth and bears the brunt of a life that she chose, with little choice to begin with.

“You will always be a monster - there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.”

Sometimes words are more powerful than actions.

Kanin . Love this guy, a quiet strength, with a closet full of skeletons. The rules he teaches swiftly, with a clear understanding, very black or white, no shades of grey.

Kanin’s  words of wisdom ...... will haunt Allison.

A light moment in the book, I thought of Harry Potter when he was choosing his wand , Allison too chose her weapon. I loved this scene, what we covet now, so we don’t forget the past, so we have proof of a life, an existence before our time, is lost to be rediscovered again..... one day.

Ezekiel aka Zeke, is an angel to some, a survivor who learnt no matter how painful the consequences, to listen to his heart, and what it is telling him. All that has been preached to him and his group, is questioned. He is brave beyond his years, a big brother figure, a provider and a fighter.

He is also falling for what he fears.

I loved the scenes with Zeke and Allison. You know as the reader their friendship is a ticking time bomb. I love Ruth, she is a walking countdown widget to the time bomb, always jealous, suspicious, threatening to expose what she does not understand.

The reader is on an ever evolving storyline. It doesn’t lag. We meet groups of people that cross Allison’s path, survival for some, means death for others.

Visually, the writing is running through your mind very clearly. You see it, feel the desperation to survive. You can almost touch the blood, the dirt you are surviving in.

We get pulled into this dark, tough, vampire, dystopian, action, emotional world that has been written for these characters.  The reader becomes a part of it.

Every man for himself.  Power is within the grasp of some who are so desperate for it, they will not hesitate to achieve their ultimate goal.

Kagawa is powerful with her words, grabbing hold of the reader’s emotions.  She gets us to like and loathe characters in the setting of a cruel world she has built for us. She hunts, attacks and slaughters her characters, filling the reader with fear as they turn the pages.

The world building is awesome, fascinating, terrifying. Kagawa drops seeds of story throughout the book that will grow in further sequels.

The villains at every turn get more frightening and creepier. I was gripping the pages in the latter part of the book holding my breath, grabbing onto my ‘oh shit bar’.

Kagawa writes bad ass villains but an even more kickass girl.

Her heart may not beat but just remember......

“You will always be a monster - there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.”

Michelle