Monday, January 21, 2013

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
By Julie Kagawa
Publisher:
Harlequin Teen

To Sum It Up:

In a world where vampires rule over humans, Allison Sekemoto struggles daily to survive. Humans are nothing more than food sources to the vampires, and Allie holds out hope that someday, her kind will rise up and reclaim their freedom from the soulless creatures. But a choice between life and death changes everything for Allie. Now that she has turned into the very thing she hates, Allie begins a new battle, one in which she fights to retain a shred of her humanity. This becomes vitally important when she encounters a group of humans who think she is one of them. As Allie finds herself growing more and more attached to these people, and one person in particular, so does her determination to keep the monster side of her true nature at bay.

Review:

The Immortal Rules was my first YA vampire read of 2013, and I couldn’t have started off the year with a better vampire novel. I feel really, really guilty for allowing this book to collect dust on my shelf since last summer, when I first bought it. Apparently, I didn’t even get around to reading the jacket blurb because I was surprised to discover that The Immortal Rules is also a dystopian novel, and it is an excellent one at that.

I like the dystopian genre a lot, but it takes just the right combination of elements to make a dystopian novel work for me. I need to know the ins and outs of how the world I’m reading about came to exist. If the explanation is sketchy, I’m probably not going to enjoy the book. On the other hand, if the details are laden with scientific jargon, I’m lost there, too. At first I was a bit nervous when I began reading The Immortal Rules because I wasn’t quite grasping the world. There was a virus and these creatures called rabids which did not sound pleasant at all, but I felt like the how and the why behind these things hadn’t been explained. I’m happy to say that all is revealed eventually, and I ended up appreciating the manner in which Julie Kagawa drew me into this world piece by piece. Her descriptions of dilapidated skyscrapers in the vampire-controlled cities and the surrounding woodlands taking over any former traces of human habitation really give you the sense of a broken, desolate civilization. Toss in the aforementioned rabids rising out of the ground at night to devour anything in their path, and this book is absolutely terrifying in places. The rabids are vampires born of scientific experimentation gone afoul, and they follow a single instinct—to satisfy their hunger. In that sense, they reminded me of zombies. The tone of The Immortal Rules is dark, bleak, and sometimes flat-out scary, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I loved how richly drawn the characters were, with Allison and her vampire creator, Kanin, being the standouts. Allison is a fantastic heroine; from the opening pages, you get the impression that she’s a fighter. It’s her tenacity that makes her choose life, albeit the life of a vampire, over death after a rabid attacks her. As a human, Allie despises vampires and what they’ve done to humanity, but I can’t fault her for her decision to become one of them. She’s facing imminent demise, and she’s not ready to lie down and give up. I have to admire her resolve. Allie’s transition to her new immortal life isn’t easy, but she doesn’t become bogged down in self-pity. And any heroine who can take down rabids with a katana as fiercely as Allie does is all right in my book.

I was really intrigued by Kanin, the vampire who turned Allie. He acts as a mentor of sorts to her, teaching her what she needs to know to adapt to her new life. I love how unreadable this guy is; most of the time, he maintains a cool demeanor, yet there’s a part of him that seems to genuinely care about Allie’s well-being. Kanin also has quite the interesting past, which looks as though it will continue to play a major role throughout the series.

For me, the most riveting aspect of this novel was Allie’s constant struggle to retain a connection to her former human self and not turn into a savage killer. Kanin warns her that taking human lives is an inevitable part of her nature now, but Allie battles to keep her predatory instincts from consuming her. She’s tested again and again, and there are low moments when she can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just give in. It’s heartbreaking to watch her scorned because of what she is first by Stick, a member of the group of humans she used to scavenge with, and then by Zeke, who is part of a human traveling party in search of a city rumored to be run by humans. Zeke’s revulsion is particularly hurtful to Allie because if there was anyone who she hoped would be able to see the good in her, it was Zeke. Allie’s trials are punishing, both physically and emotionally, and I won’t forget about them any time soon.

Simply put, this book blew me away. It’s a winning combination of vampires and a dystopian world, with a kick-ass heroine whose inner conflict is one of the most haunting ones I’ve read about in a long while. When the sequel, The Eternity Cure, is released, I will definitely buy a copy. I will not, however, leave it sitting on my bookshelf for months like I foolishly did with The Immortal Rules!

All in All:

The Immortal Rules has certainly earned a place among my favorite vampire books. Dystopian enthusiasts should also take note of this one because, vampires aside, it’s an absorbing dystopian read.

15 comments:

  1. :> I'm now eager to get my hands on a copy! Allie sounds like a fighter, which is a good thing because frankly I'm kind of getting tired of the insipid damsel-in-distress types. Glad to know you enjoyed this!

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    1. Lately I have a very low tolerance for wimpy heroines, too. Fortunately, Allie is not like that at all!

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  2. My ARC copy is still sitting unread. I was so excited to read some Kagawa but after the first few reviews, the not so good ones were pointing out stuff that I don't like in novels.

    I heard they're optioning this for a movie, maybe I should try and read it and hopefully I'll like it as much as you did. Fab review, Lee!

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    1. I hope you give this a shot, Braine. When I realized that it had a dystopian setting, I was a little wary because dystopians and I don't always get along, but I worried over nothing. I think the book would make a great movie, although I'd have to cover my eyes every time I saw a rabid!

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  3. Allie's stuggle was heartbreaking. I loved this book too and can't wait for the next one.
    Happy reading,
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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    1. I'm excited for the sequel, too. I really liked how The Immortal Rules ended- with enough unresolved plotlines to make sure you check out the next book, but with enough closure to not make you go insane until then.

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  4. I have heard so many good things about this series, I need to finally check it out!

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    1. I love vampire books, and this one was just stellar. I hope you get the chance to read it!

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  5. Sounds about as guilty as I felt for not starting Vampire Academy sooner! I was mislead by the title, it sounded very school based and instead had Dimitri and Adrian, sigh...forget Rose :) I've just finished the second Bloodlines book and can't wait for the next.

    Great review of The Immortal Rules, I thought it was above and beyond the genre too. When I first heard of it I wondered if it would be as interesting as The Iron Fey book, and to be honest I think this blows that series out the water. Julie Kagawa's vampires are beautifully dark. Can't wait for the sequel, even though I'm reading viewer dystopia titles this year than in the past.

    The bit where you say "For me, the most riveting aspect of this novel was Allie’s constant struggle to retain a connection to her former human self and not turn into a savage killer. Kanin warns her that taking human lives is an inevitable part of her nature now, but Allie battles to keep her predatory instincts from consuming her. She’s tested again and again..." that bit is exactly how I felt. Her struggle was put across so well!

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    1. For me, it was the covers that put me off from reading the VA books for so long. They didn't do anything to convey how excellent that series is. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it and Bloodlines, too!

      I've read the first 3 Iron Fey books (just started the 4th), and I'm pretty sure that Blood of Eden is going to be my favorite series of Kagawa's. She really pushed the vampire novel to a higher level with this. I just loved how she focused on how becoming a vampire affected Allie psychologically and emotionally.

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    2. If you haven't already read it, I'd like to recommend Sanctum by Sarah Fine. It's not got vampires but the author is a psychologist and I think it shows with the character building, think you'd enjoy it.

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    3. I just added it on Goodreads; I really like the sound of the synopsis. Thanks, Katja! :)

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  6. I loved Allie! Definitely one of the most badass characters I've read about. The style of The Immortal Rules is so different from The Iron Fey books, but equally addictive to read.

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    1. I loved how Allie kept soldiering on, despite everything that she'd been through. I was also greatly impressed with Julie Kagawa's writing in this one, especially with the dysotpian world-building. I'm so happy that she decided to delve into the world of vampires!

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  7. I can't read this review yet because I am reading this book right now too, but I will come back afterwards when I have my thoughts down and see what you have to say. I am curious :) Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven

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