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sabrinz's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It has been years since I've read this book. But now that I finally also have book 2 and 3 it was time to re-read this one so I could get started on the rest of the story.
Reading the book now, I got the faint association with The Walking Dead; especially once Allie leaves New Covington.
But from the start: After a deadly virus (Red Lung) somehow spread around the world, vampires came forward an offered humans their protection from rabids (some sort of bloodhungry zombie vampires that turn more or less everyone they bite into one of them). This protection however looks more like slavery and so Allie, unregistered human, ekes out her live scavanging, begging and stealing in the Fringes (the suburbs of the vampire city New Covington).
However, one day, she and her crew are caught by a strom that draws the rabids close and they are attacked. Allie fights them off as best as she can, but she is fatally wounded and would have died if not for a vampire close by who offers her a choice. Die for sure or die and become a vampire to see another night.
And thus the real story begins. Kanin, Allie's maker, teaches her everything she needs to know about being a vampire and how to defend herself.
We get to know some more information about the virus (and how humanity and vampires ended up with rabids) and which vampire helped the humans back then (it's not that hard to guess^^).
But when Kanin's past catches up with him, he and Allie are forced to flee. They are separated and Allie wanders the nights, getting further away from New Covington until she stumbled upon a small group of humans who are on their way too Eden, a city only run by humans, save from rabids and in an unknown location to vampires.
Allie joins the group as much for company as she does for blood. While she struggles with her humanity and about what type of monster she will inevitalbe be (she has to drink human blood to survive after all), Allie learns that she can still decide to be human even if she has to drink blood (and that maybe, just maybe there is a cure).
Reading the book now, I got the faint association with The Walking Dead; especially once Allie leaves New Covington.
But from the start: After a deadly virus (Red Lung) somehow spread around the world, vampires came forward an offered humans their protection from rabids (some sort of bloodhungry zombie vampires that turn more or less everyone they bite into one of them). This protection however looks more like slavery and so Allie, unregistered human, ekes out her live scavanging, begging and stealing in the Fringes (the suburbs of the vampire city New Covington).
However, one day, she and her crew are caught by a strom that draws the rabids close and they are attacked. Allie fights them off as best as she can, but she is fatally wounded and would have died if not for a vampire close by who offers her a choice. Die for sure or die and become a vampire to see another night.
And thus the real story begins. Kanin, Allie's maker, teaches her everything she needs to know about being a vampire and how to defend herself.
We get to know some more information about the virus (and how humanity and vampires ended up with rabids) and which vampire helped the humans back then (it's not that hard to guess^^).
But when Kanin's past catches up with him, he and Allie are forced to flee. They are separated and Allie wanders the nights, getting further away from New Covington until she stumbled upon a small group of humans who are on their way too Eden, a city only run by humans, save from rabids and in an unknown location to vampires.
Allie joins the group as much for company as she does for blood. While she struggles with her humanity and about what type of monster she will inevitalbe be (she has to drink human blood to survive after all), Allie learns that she can still decide to be human even if she has to drink blood (and that maybe, just maybe there is a cure).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Death of parent and Racial slurs
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