The Immortal Rules

3.5/5 stars Review originally featured on Bookluvrs Haven I started reading 'The Iron Fey' series by Julie Kagawa last year, and completely fell in love with the series. I have not gone through all the books YET, but I am on a mission to pick up the series where I left off. So I simply could not pass on reading her new vampire series to see what it was all about. In 'The Immortal Rules' I met Allie, a heroine to be envious of. She is compassionate, loyal, strong and maybe a little too trusting when she shouldn't be, but a fierce warrior when needed. None of these qualities are more prominent and evident than when she becomes the one thing that she hates most. A Vampire. Kanin, her maker, takes Allie under his wing and teaches her how to hunt, fight, and survive. As he gave her a choice to live as a vampire, or die as a human, he now gives her the choice to survive as the being she is now. Tries to convince her to harden her heart, learn to let go of her past, and to forgo her human tendencies. But Allie refuses to let go of what makes her 'good'. She ventures out into unknown territory, beyond the gates that surround a city that is the only home she has known. She encounters a group of humans that will test her to the very limits of her will power. Facing a zealous leader, and feeling forbidden feelings for his son, this story has every element that you would be looking for in a great book. There are elements I loved in this book: 1. A catastrophic virus that wipes out large numbers of the human population. Awesome. 2. Arrogant, cold, unfeeling vampires take over as leaders, treating humans like slaves and cattle. 3. Virus and vampires don't mix all that well sometimes. Introducing the rabids. They act and appear to look like zombie vampires. That's a double awesome right there. 4. Allie kicks butt. And carries a samurai sword. Another double awesome. There was a lot of walking in this novel. It sometimes slowed the plot right down and made this novel seem a little longer than it probably was. But when there was action, the adrenaline rush was great! I especially loved the last 20% of this novel when the excitement was really non-stop. The plot had a lot of original elements and ideas that I really enjoyed. Though this is very different from Kagawa's 'The Iron Fey', it is no less worthy of praise. I am glad that the author took the plunge and published something so different from her other series. I am very curious to see what this journey holds, and will definitely continue this series.show more

Julie Kagawa is famous for her best-selling THE IRON FEY series and she has already shown us that she has a vivid imagination and a fantastic sense for world building and story-telling. With THE IMMORTAL RULES, the first book in another series, she attempted something darker and different than her fey series. Immortality is a major hint at the main characters in her new book. You might have guessed it, they're vampires! THE IMMORTAL RULES is set in a future world ruled by vampires. And the vampires' independence is the strength of this story. This time, they aren't the ones who have to hide from humans and try their best to exist without being recognized. Julie Kagawa gave them the power, to rule over humans. A terrific scenario, allowing a gloomy and nightmarish atmosphere to underlay the story. Allison Sekemoto is a teenager and human. But not for long. She's living in one of these vamp cities, not afraid, but always hungry and desperate to survive. Inside the city, there are vampires to worry about. Outside the wall, that's surrounding the city, there are far worse creatures. Rabids. Highly infecting and...deadly. It only takes one unfortunate moment to end Allison's life as a human. An attack. A choice. And a new life as a vampire. Julie gave us the chance to meet Allison as a human and accompany her on her journey to a strong and blood-thirsty vampire. So THE IMMORTAL RULES mainly focuses on this important transformation and its impact on Allison's beliefs and further actions. Sadly that human/vampire confrontation results in a big part of the story feeling like a prologue, set at a rather leisurely pace, before the actual action sets in. Most of the characters originally belong in a horror movie cast, so it seems. The ruling vampires are cruel masters without any trace of sympathy in their bodies. The rabids are mindless and dangerous creatures that tear you apart in a matter of seconds. Beside these indicators of doom, there is still hope represented by a bunch of nomads. Allison joins up with them on their journey to find a cure to save humanity. The ironic thing is that she leaves a place, in that she would have been recognized for her new vampire self, only to side with the humans who would want to see her dead if they knew what she is. An inner battle ensues and it will be difficult to supress her thirst for blood. The group spends wide spans of time on the run, always fearing to be attacked by the dangers that lurk in the darkness and desert. That wandering can be understood as a way to find meaning, even though it gave the story a certain monotony that slowed things down a lot. Among the desolateness, a bright appearance promises to make life and the travels bearable for Allison and the reader. His name is Ezekiel, also Zeke or Zee. He is brave and selfless and exactly what we need. You see the danger in Allison developing romantic feelings for him. A vampire and a human in love. Not a conflict I haven't encountered before, but yet one I wanted to be solved so badly. Allison and Zeke definitely belong together! Due to its extend, there are many many details that can't easily be discussed in a few sentences only. THE IMMORTAL RULES is a must-read for readers devoted to vampire stories. You've got some action, surprises of the better and worse kind and a really good plot to look forward to. THE VERDICT THE IMMORTAL RULES - Existential and scary! A whole new stage of doom and thirst for blood are awaiting readers of this dark vampire saga. I slowly fell in love with the new vampire world Julie Kagawa invented.The story is divided into four parts, equaling particular chapters in Allison's life. Reading THE IMMORTAL RULES felt like following the script for a video game. A lone hero on a conquest, against abominations of nature and fighting her way to freedom and victory.show more

Originally published at <a href="http://wingedreviews.com/2012/06/the-immortal-rules-julie-kagawa/">Winged Reviews</a>. I have to start this off by saying that Julie Kagawa blew my expectations away. In this saturated genre, I never expected such a refreshing take on the vampire story, and I truly enjoyed this book. The Immortal Rules takes place in a dystopian future where vampires rule over cities and humankind have been all but wiped out by the Red Lung disease. Humans have little choice-either become a marked as a registered 'pet' used for feeding, or choose to be free but have to fend for yourself. Allie Sekemoto is one of these unregistered humans, constantly living in hunger and facing the harsh realities of life in New Covington. She's tough, she's street smart and she would rather starve than take a vampire's mark. One night when Allie wanders out of the city walls to find food, she is attacked by Rabids (zombie-like vampires who cannot control their hunger) and left for dead. A mysterious vampire comes and offers her a choice-either die or become like him. I really admire Allie's self-preservation instinct here, even though she knew she would struggle living as something she hates. It's refreshingly different from so many other heroines that want to throw themselves into danger, not appreciating the value of their lives or thinking about the consequences. The entire turning scene was so grim it made me feel ill and I attribute that to great writing. This book does not shy away from the unpleasant. Kagawa excels as always at world-building, this time by adding her own twists to vampire and zombie lore. There is nothing romanticised in this book in the slightest. The environment is extremely harsh and it's survival of the fittest where it matters most-in the real world. Despite a few slow-moving sections in the middle, the majority of the book was paced well. There were so many plots and reveals throughout the story that I couldn't put the book down. I just had to find out more about the intriguing future they all lived in. The book follows Allie's journey of discovery as she learns more about why things are the way they are in her world. She is an extremely well-developed heroine. We see her dealing with her internal struggles, such as coming to grips with her morality versus her need to survive and learning cruel lessons about leaving her past behind. She's flawed, brave and you can't help but root for her all the way through the book. The supporting cast is equally great. Kanin, Allie's vampire sire, acts as a 'sexy Yoda' (never thought I would use those two words together), mentoring the newly turned Allie. He clues Allie in about the state of the world, and teaches her about how to sate her blood lust and how to defend herself (katanas, baby). He also has a deep backstory himself, and I'm looking forward to more of him in the books to come. And of course the world isn't complete without a love interest-good, kind, human Zeke, a God-fearing natural leader with not a trace of arrogance about him. It's so rare to find a male character in young adult fiction that isn't afflicted with 'I'm too emo for my shirt' syndrome. Sure he had his own struggles and doubts to contend with, but it was mainly about the welfare of others, not just himself. It was a pleasure to see his relationship with Allie develop slowly, convincingly and a little bittersweetly as both of them had very realistic notions about where their attraction could go. So refreshing. I was also extremely satisfied with the ending. To me, there was a nice balance of wrapping up the current story and leaving other things in the air to keep you wanting more from the sequels. Which I definitely do. Overall, a fantastic read!show more

I was rather torn when I saw this book - the cover is rather stunning, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for another vampire book - what else was there to say or do? Thankfully though, it turns out there was plenty to be added to this genre, and the key to this particular book is the character of Allie. The Immortal Rules is set in a future where most of the population have been wiped out, and the rest live in cities under the control of vampires. Some live in the Fringe, where they refuse to be registered, instead scavenging for food. Allie has lived here, in a small gang, ever since her mother died. One day, whilst leading her gang to a food supply, she is attacked and is about to die. A lone vampire offers her a choice - to die, or to be turned. Choosing the latter, she becomes what she has always hated, a vampire. Over time, Allie has to come to terms with her decision, learning more about the vampires, and just what it means to be one. It's a difficult journey, and as a reader you take every step with her. Books become extra special to me when the characters do too, and Allie was written in such a way that I believed in her, and the decisions she made. The vampires themselves are pretty much traditional, with most being powerful, violent and controlling. There is a hint of a potential romance, but that's the limit. It's published as a YA book, but it will appeal to all ages. It's the first book in a trilogy, which means there's plenty more to come.. but there's no frustrating cliff-hanger. In short, I loved this book, and would recommend it to nearly everyone!show more

This book is set in the future, a future where vampires are rulers and humans are just their cattle. Some humans choose to comply and register themselves, in exchange for their blood they are given food to survive. The rest, the unregistered, are treated like the rats, they have to forage and steal their food to survive. We meet Allie an unregistered human; she hates vampires with a passion. When a food scavenge goes horribly wrong in the ruins outside the walled city, Allie is left on the brink of death after being savaged by the rabids, (these are a cross between zombies and vampires,) Allie has the choice to accept death or be turned into a vampire and live. Bearing in mind the hatred Allie has for vampires this is a pretty big deal! If she does decide to go down the vampire route then her life as she knows it will be no more. I have to say that at first I did struggle to settle into this book, but after settling into a couple of chapters it was whoosh. I think there is such a huge amount of detail to absorb that the mind just boggles. The story is exciting and at times had me on the edge of my seat. After the first hurdle was over, I have to say that it more than made up for it. This book is a WOW book. This is not a light and easy read, at times it did get dark and gritty. From start to finish I was rooting for Allie, wow she had some seriously gritty times to deal with. Allie is such a fiercely strong person; she is a fantastic and complex character. I really connected with her. The details in the story made it so real and my imagination could certainly put me there. Such rich detail! Powerful and compelling, I really struggled to put this book down. Again as I've said before once I got past the first hurdle there was no stopping me. This is the first book I have ever read by this author; I have heard good things about the Iron Fey series. Which if they are as good as this book I will definitely be reading them sometime soon. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for supplying a review copy.show more

My rating: 4/5 stars *May contain some spoilers* Can you believe this is the first book I've ever read from Julie Kagawa? I know I can't, I've meant to read Iron Fey series for ages, but as many readers know, there just isn't enough time! Well, I wasn't disappointed! Even though I was expecting lots and lots of romance, there actually wasn't that much. But thanks to good plot, it didn't bother me :) In the beginning, Allie is just a scavenger, trying to survive in a world ruled by vampires. But after one unfortunate incident, she becomes a vampire herself. This obviously isn't easy for her, since she's hated vampires all her life and considers them monsters. And it doesn't get easier when she's forced to flee her city. But even though she considers herself a monster, she's doing everything she can to hold on to her humanity. I really liked Allie as a character. She's stubborn and cute and she's a born leader. I just love how she doubts herself, but still does everything she can to live. She's a fighter, and I just love that! Though it was heartbreaking to see how she trusts people who aren't worth it. I also liked Zeke and Kanin. Zeke is suppose to become a leader, but he's still not too tough or rude or anything like that. A little too nice, so nice that he'll just gets himself hurt. Like Allie often tells him. Kanin is a stoic mentor with awful past. A past he's tormented by, and can't move on. We'll probably see more of him in the next book (which will be next year, OMG, poor guy will be tortured for a whole year! *sob*), or let's just say hopefully. Can you guess my least favorite character? If you guessed Stick, you're right! I just can't stand that kind of characters (or people!), who doesn't have any kind of backbone and who are willing to stab their best friend (who sacrificed themselves for that a$$!) in the back. That kind of people just suck so bad. I wish he'll face the most horrible kind of death. Nice, aren't I? :) BTW, a fair warning: prepare yourself to some serious walking! I'm not kidding, this whole book is filled with walking. And I don't know what's my problem with walking, I just don't really like that kind of books. Maybe I'm just so freaking lazy, that I prefer reading books where MC just sits on her/his ass and thinks. How lazy can a person be?? Even though there was lots of walking, I didn't end up hating this book. Hooray for that! :) Because I just loved Allie, the katana swinging cutie, she just made my day! I can definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some serious ass kicking with some sweet romance! :) My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing a review copy! :) Love, Monaliz @ Mind Reading?(less)show more