The Immortal Rules ~ Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say? I loved this book. I was a little nervous at first. I feel like vampires have been done to death, pardon the pun, in YA but this one was fantastic! Julie Kagawa has managed to take the age old Vampire myth and blend it amazingly with the fractured future of mankind.


Summary from Goodreads: 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.


My Take: 
Allie lives in a world lost to illness and desperation. This isn't your typical YA vampire novel which has the heroine running into danger to follow her heart. Instead this is a story of survival. Allie is focused on one thing, living. When the unthinkable happens and she is faced with death, or becoming the monster she has always feared Allie chooses to become a Vampire.
This choice leads her down an uncertain path as she tries to learn what it is to be Vampire, but still hold onto her humanity. We follow Allie through her struggles with bloodlust, pain and confusion in dealing with humans.
Kagawa takes the reader on an amazing journey and shows us the raw and gritty edge of humanity. Her characters have depth and strength. Allies character is spectacular crafted. Her actions and reactions seem to flow effortlessly, as if the character had written it herself. You feel the anguish Allie feels as she is betrayed but her closest friend. You are also able to watch her grow as the story progresses, till she seems to have a handle on what it means to be a Vampire.
I do also want to take a moment to mention Kagawa's future world. This is the first time I have ever read anything that combined the classic Vampire with the future world zombie. Now I know Rabids aren't totally zombies but come on, they are as close to a zombie as you can get. Scary undead humanoid creatures that thirst for human blood. Not to mention the fact that if you survive a Rabid attack you may still turn into one, and if you don't survive well you better hope your friends had the forsight to burn your body. Definetly the kind of creature thats sure to give you nightmares!
Overall this is a fantastic read. It is the type that will keep you up all night and leave you thinking when you are all done. The horrors of what humanity can become is almost as scary as the creatures Kagawa has masterfully crafted. I can't wait till book 2!