THE IMMORTAL RULES

Coming May 2012

You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to the fringe, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

More About the Book :

Allison arrives at a crossroads when she discovers the group is being chased by human raiders led by a powerful vampire named Jackal. Her vampire instincts tell her to prey on her new associates while her old survival instincts tell her to abandon them. But there is another part of Allison that still believes a new world is possible and wants to protect them and see them fulfill their dream of finding Eden. But what’s the point when Eden will be denied to her? Nevertheless, Allison can’t help but ponder Kanin’s final and most important rule—she might be a monster, but she’s free to decide what kind of monster she wants to be.

My Review :

She’s done it again! Another amazing story from Julie Kagawa.  The female main character, Allie, is a  heroine with heart and an attitude to kick-butt.   She grew up in some “you have to live it to believe it” circumstances, and has learned to survive in spite of everything.  She protects and fights for those she considers “family” even when they don’t deserve it.  I really love her character.  She really made this story live for me.

Alli finds herself alone and about to die a horrible death, and is given a choice no one should ever have to make. . . Die painfully, or live. . . but become monster she hates.  There we meet another dynamic character. . . Kanin.  He proves to Alli that not all vampires are soulless, blood-thirsty monsters.  He shows her that she can be more, if she chooses.  And of course, she chooses with stubborn determination to keep her monster leashed.  She refuses to be the kind of vampire that humans fear and hate.

The story plot is not one I would usually read.  Post-apocalyptic type books are not my usual read, but the setting. . . a virus, Red Lung, that has wiped out most of the human population and turned a great number of the rest of them into flesh-eating, rabid creatures. . . yuck!  But at least some are searching for the cure!  There is hope!  Not much, but a little hope is better than nothing!

As the story progresses, more characters are introduced.  Some I liked more than others, but that was also the point.  There are those on the side of “good” and those obviously on the side of “bad/evil.”  Then Julie throws in some annoying characters just to make you want to slap them silly!  Great idea!  Added to the drama and made the story more likeable and realistic (if rabids, vampires, and gross animals can be realistic that is – lol) 

What I liked most about this story is that there are so many vampire novels available right now, and this one is different from the norm.  Vampirism is not romanticized in any way, and the main character is more a victim who is taking a stand.  I loved this book!  Can’t wait for the next book in the series!  Hurry Julie Kagawa, write. . . write. . . write!  

I would recommend this book for ages 15 and up.  There are some pretty gross parts, not good for younger readers.  This is my personal opinion.

I was already a fan of Julie’s Iron Fey series, and now she has me hooked on her newest work:   the Blood of Eden novels.  It was a fast read for me, and I just couldn’t put it down!   Although I received a print ARC for this review, I thought I should let you know that there’s also a fun sneak-peek of the next Iron Fey novel, The Lost Prince, at the back of the the ebook version!

As demonstrated with her bestselling Iron Fey series, award-winning author Julie Kagawa possesses the ability to create a fictional world that is entirely fantastic in plot and setting while still possessing enticing characters relatable to her readers. Julie continues to display this remarkable talent with THE IMMORTAL RULES (Harlequin Teen, April 2012, $18.99 U.S./$20.99 CAN.), book one in her eagerly anticipated Blood of Eden series, set in a dystopian realm wherein an enslaved humanity has fallen under the dominating rule of vampires.

 

About the Author:  Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine, she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks is at an all-time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyperactive papillon. She is the bestselling author of the Iron Fey series.

*I received a free ARC copy of this book for this review through Harlequin Teen.  All my reviews are my personal opinion.  See my Policy & Disclosure Page for more info.