Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Allison Sekemoto lives in a world ruled by vampires. The vampires take care of those who donate blood, but hunt the unregistered humans who refuse. Allison and her unregistered crew scrounge for food during the day and avoid the vampires by night. A scavenging accident leaves Allie with a choice. "Just know whatever you choose, you will die today. The manner of your death however, is up to you." Ever the fighter, Allie chooses to become a vampire. Her sire, Kanin, teaches her the rules of the vampire world before being captured by an old vampire enemy. Allie flees the City, fighting rabids and raiders employed by the vampires. She stumbles upon a "family" seeking Eden, a mythical place free of vampires.Allie reluctantly joins the group, acutely aware of the predator/prey relationship, but longing for companionship.But, Allie is still a monster and must decide what type of monster to be.

The first book in the Blood of Eden series introduces us to a dystopian world ruled by vampires. A girl emerges in the sea of monsters, but refuses to give up her humanity. The plucky katana wielding Allie leaves the reader awed by her power, but sympathetic to her self loathing plight. The characters that she meets along her journey range from the deadly Jackal to the caring Zeke. All fit nicely into the story and up the ante just a bit.

Though this book is YA, but is not too light for an older reader. Nor is it too heavy for a younger but mature reader. Kagawa shows us all the faces of humans, giving monsters humanity and humans monster like reactions. Her writing is reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, using lyrical prose that entrances the reader. Her dystopian view is reminiscent of The Road or I Am Legend. The book's themes of redemption, life, love and humanity breathes fresh life into the vampire genre.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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