The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules – Julie Kagawa

Pages: 512

Publisher: MIRA Ink

Release Date: 4th May 2012

Other Titles by this Author: The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight

In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. She must decide what – and who – are worth dying for.

My vampire creator told me this:

‘Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?’

I didn't then. Not really.

I do now.

I’ve been a fan of Julie Kagawa since the ever-awesome The Iron King so after Megan’s story came to a close, I was anxious to see what she’d write next. Then I heard: a dystopia, with vampires and I got very excited...

Julie Kagawa got the blend of the vampire fantasy and epic dystopian novel perfectly balanced. She used the idea of a Plague and a mutated virus to explain both elements and combined them seamlessly so that it felt as if the existence of the rabids and the control the vampires had over the humans in the vampire cities was inevitable. The system by which the vampires ruled New Covington had stirrings of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires, but not strongly enough for it to have a negative impact on it for me.

Ones of the things that set The Immortal Rules apart from other vampire YA for me was that we saw a vampire-hating human to a vampire and then a vampire girl falling for a human boy. I loved the role reversal and I really felt Allie’s struggles against what she became and the never-ending Hunger she faced much more than in others. I really do love a kickass heroine who saves the boy. And Allison certainly is kickass: she’s fierce, strong and hell-bent on surviving. I have to admit that I didn’t really champion the love story until very near the end of the novel for some reason even though I thought Zeke was adorable. Admittedly, I had a soft spot for stern, mysterious Kanin – I kind of shipped them.

As ever, Julie Kagawa excels when it comes to world-building. Her imagery is vibrant and involving and she really knows how to make her fantasy worlds come to life. The city of New Covington was dark and desolate with a smothering atmosphere of danger and dread hanging over it and Old Chicago was bustling and new, and I could feel how just different it was to New Covington through Allie.

I did expect to be blown away by The Immortal Rules, and I sadly wasn’t, but I still really loved it and I’m looking forward to the next instalment of the Blood of Eden series.

For my 2012 Dystopian YA Challenge

Sophie