The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Published: April 24, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Rating:

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 Review

The Immortal Rules reminded me so much of the movie Daybreakers. The book focuses on Allie, an unregistered human who is risking everything to stay both alive and independent of the reigning vampires. She refuses to offer up her blood to the 'monsters' and therefore lives on the fringe of civilization, desperately trying to stay alive until she is attacked by 'rabids' and forced to make the decision- die or become what she hates most. 

The grittiness of this book is what really drew me in. I loved the post-apocalyptic feel of the settings and the desperation you feel coming off each and every character trying to survive. There is always an underlying fear in every scene that the next monster is going to attack and that will constantly keep you on your toes while reading. The horrors that Kagawa has created are definitely scary, especially the rabids, and will be sure to make your heart race!

Allie as the main character was so badass. She's not afraid to say what everyone is thinking and keeps everything in such a real perspective. I loved her bluntness and hard demeanor. Kagawa does an excellent job showing Allie's progression from human to vampire and her inner turmoils of becoming the monster she hates. She didn't skimp on the story line and spent a good amount of time showing Allie's 'training' period as a new vampire. I like that she didn't just jump right into the role, but instead we got to experience the newness of the experience right along with Allie. 

Along with the always prevalent fear and desperation, there are some really sweet moments in this book. The relationship between Vampire Allie and Human Zeke was really well crafted. The complexity of their relationship, due to secrets and revelations, is portrayed immediately and it is really heart wrenching watching Allie hide her vampirism from Zeke and the rest of the group. 

Even more is the hurt you feel when Allie has to make some incredibly difficult choices for these people she unknowingly falls in love with. The characters are all perfectly written to have individual voices and personalities throughout. Kagawa excelled at juggling these secondary characters and making you remember them just as much as the primary ones. 

This story has just started what is to be an addicting and dark series, one that I am sure to stick with. I recommend this book to any who can still appreciate a good vampire story with strong romance and amazing writing.