How do you react when events in your life go against all that you have come to believe? Is it possible to have hope and happiness in the midst of a world full of despair and gloom? Can a person fight against their essential nature in order to find peace and live in a society with others? In a take-what-you-can-get sort of world, is there any value in helping others, or as a matter of survival is it necessary to only think of ourselves? Is the joy of love and companionship in this life worth the potential heartache that can occur in a dangerous world where death is prevalent and betrayal the norm?
These are some of the questions that come up through the action of The Immortal Rules, the first book in Julie Kagawa's newest series, The Blood of Eden series. As a reader I love to be entertained. I love to hear an excellent story that is moving and interesting. What causes a book to rise above the pack, however, is when I find a book that really makes me THINK about themes and issues in my own life. And this book was one of those books that has risen to that level. I found myself thinking about some of the dilemmas faced by the characters in this novel long after I finished the last page.
The Immortal Rules tells the story of Allison, a girl who is growing up in a dangerous, scary world years after a disease has nearly wiped out all the humans on the planet. Now the leaders of the world are vampires, and these are not the warm, fuzzy, and kind vampires that populate so many paranormal stories in this day and age. No. These vampires are predators who treat the humans as livestock, forcing them to register and donate their blood regularly to the vampire collective. Allison has not registered, so she lives a life of danger that involves stealing and scavenging for the food and shelter she needs, as well as hiding from the dangerous vampires and even more dangerous rabids who are basically vampires without higher functioning intelligences -- think rabid dogs, but with vampire abilities. So it is a dangerous world. Allison hates vampires with all that she has, but finds herself agreeing to be turned into the thing she hates most when she is attacked and almost killed one night by a pack of rabids. Suddenly life is not quite so simple. Allison is trained in the ways of vampires by Kanin, a master vampire who is on the outs with the vampire world in general. Because of this Allison is still living a life of danger as they try to stay under the vampire radar. Circumstances occur which tear the two of them apart, and Allison ends up heading out on her own, soon to join up with a group of humans trying to find their way to Eden, a place where humans can live without threat from vampires.
That's the basic plot of the story. Now for my specific reactions: First of all, this is definitely a set-up book for a series. There is a good deal of world building that takes place and characters to be introduced. It definitely takes a bit of time to get into the story. I will admit that for the first 40% of the book I thought that it was a nice enough story, but I hadn't found the emotional punch yet. My advice to you as you read is this: KEEP READING. Some of my very favorite books ever are books that start a bit slow. We live in a world where we expect instant gratification so often. We want for the action or the love story to begin right off the bat and get impatient when it doesn't. But keep reading. The information in the beginning chapters is essential to truly understanding the horror of the world in which Allison lives, but also to understand just how difficult the decisions are that the main characters have to make. By understanding this new world you can understand the things that motivate Allison in her actions as a vampire. Keep reading. You will not be disappointed. I promise. And while the first 40% is a bit slow, the last 60% more than makes up for it. It was absolutely incredible, heart-pounding, suspenseful, and amazing!
I absolutely LOVE Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. I thought that the imagery and the detail of the world and the characters of these stories were magnificent. The imagery and the amazing detail is still in this story, but it is a very different type of story. This is definitely much darker and potentially more depressing. Good people die. Bad things happen. There is plenty of injustice and wrongdoing to go around. With such a dark tale there is a danger of writing the story so dark that it turns me off as a reader, but Kagawa is able to weave a story that shows the desperate reality in which the characters live without creating a horrible sense of hopelessness. In fact, I would say that this is one of the themes of this story that I truly loved. In such a horrible existence is it possible to find joy and keep hope alive? When a person chooses to have faith and joy in a world such as this, does that make them delusional or borderline insane? Interesting to ponder, and ultimately I felt as if Kagawa was able to write the story to show that hope can exist in such a place, and beauty can be found as well, so instead of being a depressing story, this turned into a story of the potential of good to overcome bad (we're not quite there yet -- this should be worked out in the next books of the series).
I was able to see some definite religious undertones within the storyline. The humans are working day to day to find Eden, a place where they can be free of the oppression and danger of the vampires. The humans are following an ultra radical religious man who uses religion as a motivating agent as he deals with the people. Zeke is a man who is choosing to rely on his faith to guide him in his decisions, even though his faith may seem ridiculous to others who are coping with the same problems. Zeke has a discussion with Allison where he expresses his lack of fear about what happens after death, giving him the strength to make the decisions that he makes. There are religious themes, but I never felt as if these were pounded over my head. Instead they just gave me more to ponder as I read. Very well written.
And the love interest. Zeke is an interesting hero for this story. He is not really swoon-worthy in the same way that male leads are in many paranormal romances. He is a strong and caring leader who has a compelling back story, but his relationship with Allison at this point in the story is still very subtle. There is still more to learn about him as a character. He isn't someone who naturally inspires a tummy flutter every time he walks on the scene, but the more I read, the more I am drawn to him. He has a quiet strength and a faith that is amazing. Even Allison, who has taken care to not open up verbally or emotionally to anyone, is unable to stay away from him. The emotions that come into play with this relationship were fascinating. Zeke likes Allison. Zeke hates vampires. Allison is a vampire. How will he handle that? All I can say is, the progression of this relationship was beautiful to read. They still have a ways to go, but so far I am loving this couple.
Allison is a wonderful main character as well. She can definitely kick some major tail, but she has weakness as well because of her relative inexperience as a vampire. She is told that her vampire nature makes her unable to form any attachments to humans, and yet she constantly puts that nature aside to remain involved with them. She has a lifetime of experience that has proven the folly of forming any attachments to anyone, and yet, when the time comes where she is forced to leave those she has been traveling with, Allison cannot stay away. She continues to help them, even though they have rejected her. She has never allowed herself to love, and yet she finds herself drawn to Zeke romantically. Don't get me wrong. She is a girl/vampire who still has a lot to work through before she can find a smooth, normal (sort of) life. But her character is one that I will love joining on the journey. She is a great heroine for this story -- full of contradictions and nuance that make her interesting to read and to root for.
This book does not have a cliffhanger ending, thank goodness, but it does not have a neat and tidy happily-ever-after ending either. There is still a lot that needs to be discovered. It isn't clear at all how Allison and Zeke could be together. The world is still a big, gigantic mess. But even with all the things that have yet to be resolved, I can say that I finished this book feeling so on fire. The last several chapters were so exciting. How exciting? Edge of my seat cursing my slow reading ability kind of exciting! The fight scenes were exciting. The love pull between Zeke and Allison was exciting. The new crisis involving Kanin and the Jackal was exciting. I cannot wait to find out what happens next!
I highly recommend this series by Julie Kagawa. It'll make you think, and it'll make you feel, and ultimately isn't that what makes reading so rewarding?
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Very bad quality
Looks like the pages were just ripped apart. Book is falling apart. Just got it today and very disappointed.
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alix
Mal estado
Reviewed in Mexico on August 26, 2019
alix
Reviewed in Mexico on August 26, 2019
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Lisa_Rose
Eine vampirische Dystopie?! Klasse Mischung!
Reviewed in Germany on January 10, 2013