Sunday, February 17, 2013

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


Publisher: April 24, 2012 Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary
To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in 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 dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins. 


What happens when you become the monster?

I like reading about vampires in all their forms. Especially the kind that are to be feared. There are two different types of vampires in The Immortal Rules and believe me when I say you wouldn't want to meet either in a dark alley (or a dank sewer).

The Good

This book is all about change and the fact that no matter who you are, change happens. It is separated into four parts to prove this point and each part represents a significant change in Allison's life. In the first part, I was proud to see that the weakest player in this book is actually a male. Is that sexist? Probably...but even with all the female heroines in the books I read, I don't usually see 'You are the weakest link...Goodbye!' being a guy character. Stick takes the title in this one. I was often yelling at him to man up. I loved how Allison dealt with him though, telling him that he he has to stand up for himself so others will leave him alone. This is an important message that I hope resonates with readers.

The second part shows Allison having to deal with becoming what she has always hated. This would be incredibly hard to deal with, right? Since she made the choice though, she has to live with the consequences. I enjoyed watching her deal with it and eventually accept her actions. She is a character that admits her mistakes and this is a very redeemable quality.

Kanin is an interesting and mysterious character that I hope to learn more about. While I got bits and pieces about him and his character (I did figure out his background before he told us), it wasn't really enough. There is a lot more going on with him, and I can't wait to find it out.

Part 3 goes through what happens when Allison does not heed the warnings of others. She crosses paths with a new group and I'm introduced to a great band of characters. Some children, some fanatical adults, and some that garnered the attention of Allison. Zeke or Ezekiel is strong, sweet, and loyal so it is no surprise that she grew pretty close to him.

The part with the majority of the action was Part 4 which of course was the climax of this book. I feel like Part 1 and Part 4 really had the most going on. Kagawa doesn't hold much back, and there is a lot of 'Huh?', 'What?', and 'Oh My Goodness!' happening.


The Bad


There were slow parts in the novel. In these parts, I felt like I was learning important new lessons and it didn't bother me as much, but the pacing wasn't one where I couldn't put the book down. I did...pretty often.


The Romance

The romance that blooms between Allison and Zeke is hard to root for really because as a reader I knew that they were pretty doomed even though both of them didn't. However, the ending was a sad realization that I hope things work out between these two.


Conclusion

This was an excellent vampire tale that had great life lessons as well as plenty of action. Allison is such a strong character already that I have a hard time imagining where she can grow from here. The characters that she met along her path were all great in their own ways. I cannot wait to read the second one in this series!



Excerpts

"So kick him in the shin and tell him to back off," I said, tossing the rag on the shelf and carefully picking up the abused book. Its cover had been ripped off, and the front page was torn, but it seemed otherwise intact. "Rat picks on you 'cause you take it. If you fight back, he'll leave you alone."
Stick didn't say anything, lapsing into sullen silence, and I bit down my irritation. He wouldn't fight back. He would do what he always did - run to me and expect me to help him.

People will tell you that it's impossible to leave New Covington, that the Outer Wall is impenetrable  that no one can get in or out of the city even if they want to. People are wrong.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you let the cattle starve," I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

"Good. Because the next time you throw a tantrum like that, I will leave. It is no one's fault that your friends are dead. And if you keep holding on to that guilt, it will destroy you, and my work here will be for nothing. Do you understand?"

"When you are finished, leave this where your prey will find it."
I frowned, lifting a corner of the paper, finding a pair of shoes inside, fairly new and sturdy. "What's this?"
"An exchange," Kanin replied and turned away as I continued to stare at him. "For the harm our actions will bring them tonight."

18 comments:

  1. I need to read this series! I keep hearing great things about it!

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  2. It was really good :D I had been seeing it around a lot too. Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  3. I really enjoyed reading Allison in this one. Watching her struggle with who she becomes and deal with it was so emotional and powerful.

    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  4. Call me sexist too because I loved that the girl was strong and the guy was weak. And I agree, a lot of life lessons to be learned in this one. I am really interested to read the next book. Awesome review.

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  5. I thought this was slow in places as well. I liked it overall though. Hoping that the next one will be even better! :)

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  6. I didn't read your review, because I am SO afraid to be spoiled in any way... I just saw that you've posted this, and I wanted to let you know I'm really excited about this book. I love JK, and I have really liked all of her other books :)

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  7. I agree. She is a very strong character and there is a lot to be learned in this book. Thank you so much for stopping by :)

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  8. Sounds like an amazing start to the series! :) I have it here to read, need more time. *sigh* :)

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  9. So glad that I'm not alone. Thank you :)

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  10. Me too! I am excited for The Eternity Cure. Thank you so much for stopping by :)

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  11. I understand completely! I hope you enjoy it :)

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  12. Oh my! You need to read it. NEED to I say :) LOL

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  13. I am glad to see you liked this one, because I have been thinking about buying this one. I love the way your reviews are set-up. I am a new follower and look forward to reading more. Please follow me back at sychofaeriesbookobsession.blogspot.com Thanks!

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  14. Danielle @ Consuming WorldsFebruary 19, 2013 at 12:17 AM

    Nice review! I too can't wait to see where this series goes. I really love how strong Allison is. She is definitely not your typical damsel in distress!!

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  15. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed this! I thought Allie was a fantastic heroine; I liked her a lot more than The Iron Fey's Meghan. I was also very intrigued by Kanin, and I definitely agree that we need more of his back story in the next book!

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  16. Thank you! I really appreciate that :)

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  17. No she really isn't. She is very strong and sufficient. Thank you so much for stopping by :)

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  18. Me too! She is a great heroine. Thank you so much for stopping by :)

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