The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 485
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (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.

My Thoughts:
‘The Immortal Rules’ fascinated me right away because it was vampires but it was also post-apocalyptic. The post-apocalyptic element was very present with run down cities, vampires taking over in the absence of human leadership, and the plague that had been present among the humans. I also loved how the vampires were real predators. The transition isn’t easy and the hunger is present and debilitating for the vampire. I also really liked how Julie Kagawa didn’t shy away from bad things happening and that actions had real consequences.

It was interesting how we got to know Allie as both a human and a vampire character. I’m not sure I would make the same choices as Allie did, but I still really admired her for how strong and brave she was. There was also good character building among the side characters, which I always appreciate.

The book covers a very interesting journey that Allie has to take, as her being a vampire is a huge obstacle with the people she meets and gets to know. Allie questions whether, as a vampire, she can care about people, and even if she can whether it’s the smart thing to do. I enjoyed her getting to know these people and grappling with her feelings.

‘The Immortal Rules’ features both action and internal character development. It covers a good, full story, yet still leaves you intrigued as to where the series is going. I’m really not a vampire fan in general (The Morganville Vampires and Vampire Academy being two strong exceptions), but Julie writes so well and made vampires interesting for me. This is a common theme for her writing, because I haven’t really liked any faerie books either except her Iron Fey series. Overall this was a very interesting start to a new series.

The Cover:
It's pretty evocative, and I really like it!

Rating:
[4/5]

Find The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.