The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (review)

Title:             The Immortal Rules
Series:           Blood of Eden
#:                   1
Author:         Julie Kagawa
Publisher:      HarlequinTeen
Date:             24 April 2012


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.

Vampires!!

Have you got those books that you look forward to reading just because you liked the authors other books?
Well this is that series for me, I really liked the Iron Fey series and was eagerly awaiting this series, and with The Forever Song out next month I thought I should finally start reading it.

And I have not been disappointed.

I was very interested in this book and where it was going after reading only one chapter. Straight away I liked the main character - Allie - and the world that was being created around her.
A city with giant walls around them to keep out the rabids (feral vampires), and to keep the humans safe inside. Safe so that they were able to 'donate' blood twice a month to the vampires that ruled the city. But of course Allie found a way out of that city, and ended up 'dead', a monster, a bloodsucker, the very thing she despised. The vampire that turned her taught her how to survive until one day they were forced to leave and separate. Now with strange new human friends Allie was learning about the world outside the city, how to survive and the difference between humanity and being human.

I found that it was easy to grow attachments to all the characters in this book, from likeable Zeke and Darren even to annoying Stick and Ruth. They were just so normal and human I couldn't help it.

It was also easy to understand the world in which Kagawa created, the vampire and rabid laws, the way the cities worked, the difference between registered and unregistered. I found the writing easy to read and understand. There was no need for big fancy words/sentences because everything just flowed, I forgot I was reading I just kept seeing it all play out in my head, which makes it a very good book in my eyes.

Although this book did remind me of other books. With the walled city, and vampires in control it reminds me of the Darkness Before Dawn trilogy that was released about the same time. And for some reason Eragon was also in my thoughts, it may have been from the blood call dreams. These are all minor, the rest of the story is still very different.

I really enjoyed this book and if you're a fan of vampires then you should read this one.

Still to come