Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules
Blood of Eden #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal/Dystopian
Release Date: April 24th 2012
Review Source: Harlequin TEEN
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) 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 fringes, 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.

You know that feeling you used to get when you were young the morning of Christmas when you see all your gifts under the tree. Well that was exactly how I felt when I opened the packing and saw this huge book inside. Then after I finally calmed down and stopped doing cartwheels, I began to worry. Why worry you ask, well if you are familiar with Julie's Iron Fey series, then you know that series is stellar. So I began to worry about What ifs'. Will this book amount to the greatness that her Iron Fey series was written in. Will the new series "WOW" me. I worried for nothing. The Immortal Rules is FANTASTIC. 

Let's begin with what everyone sees first and that's the cover. Yes, yes and yes. The Title, the model and the color scheme is great. The bloody tear makes complete sense when you have read the book. The tiny detail they missed on the cover is the model should have been more Asian. The main character is Asian and I would have thought they would have stayed true to that. That being said its still a great cover. I can't wait to buy the hardcover and have it added to my library. 

The Immortal Rules is divided into 4 parts that all have a specific title to them. This was probably one of the best things I loved about this book. You literally felt like you had read four books by the time you finished. Its help keep the story flowing and didn't feel like it carried on for ever and ever. The 500 pages of The Immortal Rules are compactly filled with some of the best action, I've read in a while. The suspense and just pure adrenaline were super intense. So when you have the four part breaks, it was your chance to catch the breath you were holding inside. I truly hope the future of the series will be written just like The Immortal Rules was with the multiple parts. 

Vampires! Yes another book full of those played out paranormal creatures, right? Well I thought the same thing when I saw what the series was going to be about, but you have Julie writing it and well that alone deserves a chance. So how will another YA Vampire book fair in the market? Like I said it was Julie writing it, so its pretty unbelievable. Why, I will tell you. Yes it has Vampires but guess what its written in a dystopian setting. Those two combination worked pretty great in this book. Julie's story building was very original and her vampires are not to traditional and have been given certain new details about them mixed in with what we already know about them. So those readers that have put a ban on vampire books or paranormal, Trust me when I say this is one book you should make an exception for and read. 

Allison is a survivor, she lives in the Fringe. this is the outside part of Vampire City. Most humans that don't want to be cattle live out here. See in this world, Vampires are the alpha and humans are the cows to them. Humans must maintain them all with blood supply. Well everything changes one night for Allie when she is out trying to scavenge for food with her fringe family. That's when all hell breaks loose and they are attacked by the rabids. I don;t think rabids can even be considered vampires ever again. They are savage beast just looking to drain everyone. Well Allie must choose between life as a vampire or death by a rabid. How you wonder does she get that choice, well a vampire has appeared and is giving her this choice.  Even though Allie goes against her nature of what she has always hated, she chooses life even if its as a vampire. 

Now Allie must learn to become a vampire and survive. She also promises herself she will not loose her humanity. Events will take place that leave Allie fending for herself alone and on the run. She will come across humans and vampires and well its not going to be your typical day in paradise. Allie with her Katana will never give up!!  

This book I strongly suggest you ALL pre-order it now!!!!  Its just plain KICKS-ASS!!!!!  Julie Kagawa is genius, you shouldn't need anymore that that to convince you all!!  

Tonight kicks-off the YA Kick Butt Characters blog hop giveaway and this is one of the books I will be offering to win!!!  Allie is definitely worthy of that title of Kick-Butt character!!! So make sure you stop by the hop and enter for for chance at winning.