Early Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa/Reading Romances April Challenge

Reading Romances April Challenge

TOPICS: 

Alternate Realities Month!

1) Read a contemporary book where something is different in the world than what reality reflects. (vampires, magic etc)

2) Read a book set in the future or a historical with an alternative reality (i.e. steampunk).

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
by Julie Kagawa

Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

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.

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: April 24th 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Format: eARC, 485 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

Allison Sekemoto is a nonregistered human. That is, in her Vampire ruled world, she technically doesn't exist. And, as a nonexistent citizen, she has no right to food or shelter, which means she has to find other -illegal- ways to get what she needs to survive. That, or get registered and receive a supply of food tickets and protection. But registration means obligatory blood donations, and a physical mark of a Master. To Allie, registration means being marked as cattle, as a slave.

Allie doesn't own much in her life, but what she does, she treasures. Like the book her mother used to read for her, when she was still alive. A book that is now considered illegal, along any other publication, because humans should be mindless, passive, stupid creatures, needing only a good Master to take care of them.

When finding foods start to get even harder than usual, Allie decides to venture outside the walls of the city, in rabid territory. She manages to scavenge a great treasure of food and water, so she brings back her 'gang friends' to help carry it all to their hiding place. But, unfortunately, they are all attacked by rabids. Crazy, bloodthirsty animals that can kill in mere seconds. Allie is about to die when a dark-eyed stranger appears and offers her a choice. A choice between dying forever and being forever dead.

Now Allie is one of the monsters she has abhorred her whole life. And she needs to learn how to control her thirst and not lose her remaining humanity.

I have to admit that I didn't really love Julie Kagawa's other books so much, they being about faeries and all that (not my favorite subject), but I did read them and enjoyed the writing very much. Ash is a total hottie. LOL. The thing is, I just wanted to see what she could do with other subjects, especially the dystopian genre. Well... let's just say I expected more of Immortal Rules. More than was delivered.

I've been reading tons of dystopians, so, in my opinion, this one didn't manage to be a very good dystopian book. But it sure made a nice enough vampire one.

To me, the book dragged quite a bit. The fighting scenes were nice and intense and I liked that the heroine was a strong one, that she didn't just whine and kept getting in the way all the time, but took care of herself and fought back when needed. Most importantly, I loved that she didn't automatically just become a super vampire, that she had to learn many things first and struggle with the training. Oh, and that she was asian. I'm so tired of perfectly blond and blue-eyed Mary Sues! O.o

But, still... the story was getting kind of boring to me. After the first 40% of it, I was just about to give it up, when, finally, something caught my attention. A possible love interest appeared. And a promise of heartbreak and suffering, too. LOL. That spiced things up to me. But not much. I kept expecting Kanin to come after her... or for other vampires to meet her. (Maybe in the next books?)

The Red Lung virus thing is still not very clear, which bothers me a lot. Why do authors even try to explain things if they don't really want to make things clear? (Maybe in the next books? 2). Anyway, the whole thing was just very 'bleh' to me. The kind of book that you forget everything about as soon as you end it. 

The thing is, a lot of people loved it, so there must be something wrong with me. LOL. Maybe I'm just not Kagawa fan material. :P 


So... guys, please don't kill me, it was just my honest opinion. :(

If you enjoyed Kagawa's other books and you like your vampires, katanas and survival situations, then you'll probably love The Immortal Rules.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*