The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Published by: Harlequin Teen on April 24, 2012
Genre: Dystopian, Paranormal, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires
Pages: 485
Source: Purchased
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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.

What I love most about The Immortal Rules is that it’s the kind of book that makes you think. The story is about Allison (Allie), who lives in a future dystopian world where vampires rule. Allie grows up hating vampires and everything they represent. But then, circumstances lead her to a difficult decision: she can either die or become a vampire and live. This kind of difficult decision is what I love. I was constantly putting myself in Allie’s shoes and asking myself what I would do. Even though it’s a situation we’ll probably never be in, it’s designed in such a way that I can relate to Allie.

Allie is the kind of strong character that I absolutely love. From page one, it’s so clear that she’s a fighter and a surviver. She lives in horrible poverty but she puts up with it. Rather than sit around and feel sorry for herself, she has learned how to work the system — how to dodge the guards, when it’s safe to scavenge for food, and so on. She’s not the kind of person to just give up. She’ll step up to the challenge and won’t go down without a fight — I love that!!

As much as The Immortal Rules is about vampires, it’s also about viruses. I love everything to do with viruses! I’m obsessed with movies like Outbreak, I Am Legend, etc. In The Immortal Rules, we learn about different kinds of viruses. First, humans were infected with The Red Lung virus. Then, in an attempt to create a cure, the virus mutated and infected billions of people, basically turning them into monsters. This was so fascinating to read about! Julie Kagawa only fed us bits and pieces so I was constantly desperate for more, turning page after page to get more information!

I loved every single character in this book. Of course there’s Allie, who I already talked about. There’s also Kanin, Allie’s vampire creator. At first he’s quite a mysterious character. We don’t know much about him and Kagawa only feeds us bits and pieces. Then we meet Zeke, a human that Allie travels with. He’s incredibly kind-hearted, strong, and determined — a real leader. I love the dialogue between him and Allie. It often reminded me of how I talk to my own friends. It just felt so real!

In summary, The Immortal Rules is an amazing story that sheds new light on vampires and combines their story with a civilization-destroying plague. Allie has to struggle with becoming something that she hates. This choice haunts her for the entire book, and it’s something she has to learn to live with. She’s also faced with betrayal and cruelty. It’s so saddening to see her friends turn on her the moment she becomes a vampire, despite the fact that nothing has changed about her except her label. She’s still just as friendly, determined, and loyal, but people now shy away from her in fear. This book deals with a lot of general themes like stereotyping, faith, betrayal, loyalty, and hardships. It’s an amazing story that gripped me from start to finish! I can’t wait to find out what happens next. 🙂

The Verdict