THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules
Julie Kagawa

Rating: C-
Release Date: 04/24/12
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
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.


My thoughts on the book:
I really wanted to love The Immortal Rules, and since it was by Kagawa, I thought I would. However, I was wrong. This book didn't blow me away at all. Kagawa's writing is near perfect, and the world building is fantastic. I didn't like the characters, though, and the plot was a bit scattered (which is something I notice a lot in dystopian novels). Also, the pacing kind of dragged for me. I just was not into this story at all. It took me awhile to read it. I'm glad I did, if nothing else, just to satisfy my curiosity. I have to admit that I like the Iron Fey series better. One thing I did like, other than the writing and world building, is the fact that vampires aren't good sparkly characters in this novel. They are controlling murderers. That was refreshing. 


Allie is one of the most detestable characters I've ever read. She alternates between being a snarky, whiny, self-centered brat, and a doormat. It's kind of annoying. The people who she lives with on the Fringe are also horrible, as are the humans she meets after she's changed. The only person I liked was Kanin, and he disappears mid-novel never to be seen again. I really couldn't stand Zeke, and I kind of wanted to impale him with something. 


The plot was confusing and a bit scattered. There were times that I had a hard time following what was going on, and sometimes I had no idea why something occurred. After reading the entire book, I still have no real idea why some things occurred. The pacing was also slow-as-molasses. I thought I was going to gouge my eyes out during the first half of the book because it moved so slowly. It did pick up around the 250 page mark, though, and it got much better. At least there was action and adventure going on then. Nothing about this novel actually kept me guessing or on the edge of my seat, though. It took me a few days to read this one because I kept getting bored. I'd go read something else then come back to it. 


Overall, I'd recommend this to dystopian, Kagawa, and *real* vampire fans. When I say *real* vampire fans, I mean people who are disturbed by the fact that Edward Cullen sparkles. If you want to read about *real* vampires, as they were meant to be perceived by the great Stoker, then this is an excellent choice for you. The book isn't bad. It just wasn't for me. I know a lot of people have loved this novel, and I'm sure many more will love it than hate it. Try a sample or skim over the first chapter or two at the book store before you buy it, but I know for a fact that dystopian fans will love this one. 


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