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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
This book was suspenseful, romantic, exhilarating, and everything at the same time! The Immortal Rules is definitely one of everyone's favorite books!
This was definitely a great book and I'm mad at myself for not reading it before! It felt a little long at times, but despite that, I finished the audiobook in just a couple days and I'm interested to see how the series plays out!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Ich hab wirklich einen laaaaaangen Einstieg gehabt. Lang = ca. 3 Monate, in denen ich eher keine Lust auf Vampir-Stuff hatte. Und als ich dann mir wirklich Zeit nahm für das Buch, hatte ich es rasant durch. Julie Kagawas Ideenreichtum scheint absolut keine Grenzen zu kennen, wie kommt sie nur auf so brillante Geschichten und Charaktere? Allison war so ne richtig geile Sau, das muss gesagt sein. Sie sieht die Dinge wie sie sind und es wird nix romantisiert im Buch, das finde ich sehr gut gemacht. Vor allem weil das so ein Unterschied ist, zu dem, was wir sonst von der Autorin kennen. Vampire sind ja schon nicht mehr meine Sparte, aber wie das in Unsterblich aufgezogen wird, mag ich die Existenz von Vampiren und die Probleme mit den Menschen und Vampire sind mal nicht glitzernd und süß, sondern richtig garstige Biester. Deshalb finde ich auch, dass englische Cover passt viel mehr als das deutsche, das mir zu harmlos daherkommt. Auf die Liebesgeschichte wird schon eingegangen, das aber nicht zu sehr und Zeke mocht ich so richtig gerne. Allerdings tendier ich wohl eher in Richtung Kanin, selbst wenn das nur ne Meister-Schülerin-Freunde-Beziehung bleiben sollte. Ich mag Allie und ihn als Team zusammen. Allies Reise innerhalb des ersten Bandes geht ja schon richtig weit, ich hätte weniger erwartet vom Plot. Und genau deswegen, bin ich so positiv überrascht gewesen von der restlichen Hälfte und wie verdammt spannend es war! Das Buch sollte man sich wirklich nicht entgehen lassen, SELBST WENN ihr die Plötzlich Fee Bücher nicht so dolle fandet - das hier ist ne ganz andere Liga!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is what I would define as a vampire, post-apocalyptic, survival-horror. Set in a world where the human population has been decimated by a plague and the attempts of a cure. Human beings have been reduced to becoming bottom links on a food chain that leads up to soulless vampires and the devolved rapids. There is no democracy, no human Government, and no civil society; what once was has now become a country filled with ghost towns and walled up cities where vampires rule the streets and rapids roam the outer wilderness.
Allison Sekemoto is an unregistered inhabitant of the vampire city New Covington. She, like almost every one of her generation, is an orphan and the only family she has are the boys in her group of invisibles who survive by stealing and foraging for anything that aids in their survival. And however hard life was for Allison and her group before it’s getting harder as food becomes scarcer, winter approaches, and rumors spread of the vampires locking down the city. A problem Allison had miraculously found a solution to, but one that quickly leads to tragedy and Allison dead.
The Immortal Rules is a story starkly different from Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Fey series in both plot and format. Where the protagonist of The Iron King (the first novel in the Iron Fey series) had a clear set objective from the very beginning – save her kidnapped brother, Allison’s story does not have a clear narrative path for the reader to follow, at least not until midway through the book. I had no problem with this for the majority of the novel because I prefer character-centric stories and the story of The Immortal Rules was mainly about Allison – her struggles of balancing what she is with who she was.
Julie Kagawa’s writing style, constantly filled with vivid descriptions, always did a great job with unfolding the mood for a scene or setting, especially when it came to tense moments or action scenes and trust me this is a book brimming with action.
Unfortunately, in spite of all of these highlights I can’t give The Immortal Rules a perfect rating because despite me loving Allison’s character and being intrigued by her vampire mentor Kanin I couldn’t connect or care about the other characters in the story. To me they were all mainly just there to fill a role so when it came to moments that should have gained reactions out of me I was just reading quickly to move onto the next scene despite how engrossing the current one should be.
So overall, if you want an action-packed novel about a strong, kick-ass heroine then pick up The Immortal Rules but don’t except to fall in love with ensemble of characters or to shed a tear over them.
Allison Sekemoto is an unregistered inhabitant of the vampire city New Covington. She, like almost every one of her generation, is an orphan and the only family she has are the boys in her group of invisibles who survive by stealing and foraging for anything that aids in their survival. And however hard life was for Allison and her group before it’s getting harder as food becomes scarcer, winter approaches, and rumors spread of the vampires locking down the city. A problem Allison had miraculously found a solution to, but one that quickly leads to tragedy and Allison dead.
The Immortal Rules is a story starkly different from Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Fey series in both plot and format. Where the protagonist of The Iron King (the first novel in the Iron Fey series) had a clear set objective from the very beginning – save her kidnapped brother, Allison’s story does not have a clear narrative path for the reader to follow, at least not until midway through the book. I had no problem with this for the majority of the novel because I prefer character-centric stories and the story of The Immortal Rules was mainly about Allison – her struggles of balancing what she is with who she was.
“The shadows lengthened like grasping fingers, sliding over the ground.”
Julie Kagawa’s writing style, constantly filled with vivid descriptions, always did a great job with unfolding the mood for a scene or setting, especially when it came to tense moments or action scenes and trust me this is a book brimming with action.
Unfortunately, in spite of all of these highlights I can’t give The Immortal Rules a perfect rating because despite me loving Allison’s character and being intrigued by her vampire mentor Kanin I couldn’t connect or care about the other characters in the story. To me they were all mainly just there to fill a role so when it came to moments that should have gained reactions out of me I was just reading quickly to move onto the next scene despite how engrossing the current one should be.
So overall, if you want an action-packed novel about a strong, kick-ass heroine then pick up The Immortal Rules but don’t except to fall in love with ensemble of characters or to shed a tear over them.
Honestly, I did like this book! There were some parts of it that I thought weren't necessary plus I wasn't too much of a fan of the main character screaming out her crushs/lovers name almost every time (to me it felt like we were being reminded about who she was talking about when we knew who it was to begin with.) Still, I liked it. I won't deny that. Would I read the second one? ... Maybe. Kinda wanna see what happens now.
By kinda, I mean I'm going to.
By kinda, I mean I'm going to.
*Sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language*
When I first read the synopsis of Immortal Rules, I thought the book would be a mess. How could she manage to mix dystopia and vampires like that? It would definetly not work. I was decided I wasn't going to read it, until I began to see lots of positive reviews and it showed up on NetGalley for reading.
Really, if you are having the kind of prejudice I had, don't be afraid. Immortal Rules manages to mix dystopia, vampires and zombies in a awesome way, with enchanting characters and an amazing plot.
In the beginning, I thought Allie to be a mixture of Katniss Everdeen and Rose Hathaway, but after few chapters, she gained her own voice and won my heart. After that, it become easy to read the book until the end. The characters that showed up were all really loveable and they made the story even more interesting.
The world that Kagawa built is amazing and well done, with lots of details that add up to the main plot. The reason why there are vampire cities in this world is one of the best things of the book, just as all the things related to the vampiric existence. (By the way, my favourite character is Kanin, Allie's vampire master. He is so awesome and badass and amazing and-)
Another thing that I loved was the way Julie depicted the dillema between being human and being a monster. What makes a monster? Nature? Choices? Actions? Is Allie a monster just because she is not human anymore?
Immortal Rules is also full of action. You are never safe, you never know what is going to happen next. The world is hostile and Julie is not afraid to show it to the readers. Along with that, there is a romance that runs miles away from the clichè for vampire books and is so heart-warming and bittersweet that I got really attached. I am usually annoyed w/ YA romance and how they seem to love each other from first sight and the fact that this one wasn't like that was a relief.
In the end, I would give Immortal rules five stars without a doubt, but I found the beginning to be a little bit slow for my taste. But it is an amazing book - and you all should give it a try!
When I first read the synopsis of Immortal Rules, I thought the book would be a mess. How could she manage to mix dystopia and vampires like that? It would definetly not work. I was decided I wasn't going to read it, until I began to see lots of positive reviews and it showed up on NetGalley for reading.
Really, if you are having the kind of prejudice I had, don't be afraid. Immortal Rules manages to mix dystopia, vampires and zombies in a awesome way, with enchanting characters and an amazing plot.
In the beginning, I thought Allie to be a mixture of Katniss Everdeen and Rose Hathaway, but after few chapters, she gained her own voice and won my heart. After that, it become easy to read the book until the end. The characters that showed up were all really loveable and they made the story even more interesting.
The world that Kagawa built is amazing and well done, with lots of details that add up to the main plot. The reason why there are vampire cities in this world is one of the best things of the book, just as all the things related to the vampiric existence. (By the way, my favourite character is Kanin, Allie's vampire master. He is so awesome and badass and amazing and-)
Another thing that I loved was the way Julie depicted the dillema between being human and being a monster. What makes a monster? Nature? Choices? Actions? Is Allie a monster just because she is not human anymore?
Immortal Rules is also full of action. You are never safe, you never know what is going to happen next. The world is hostile and Julie is not afraid to show it to the readers. Along with that, there is a romance that runs miles away from the clichè for vampire books and is so heart-warming and bittersweet that I got really attached. I am usually annoyed w/ YA romance and how they seem to love each other from first sight and the fact that this one wasn't like that was a relief.
In the end, I would give Immortal rules five stars without a doubt, but I found the beginning to be a little bit slow for my taste. But it is an amazing book - and you all should give it a try!
I enjoyed this, but I just didn't highly enjoy it. I liked it enough that I will be continuing the series, but it just didn't blow me away or anything, and I wasn't super invested in the story.
Plot- I thought this plot took an interesting take on dystopian and paranormal. I liked how it took the dark side of vampires, and didn't sugarcoat anything. This plot was pretty dark, and I liked how the author wasn't afraid to kill off some characters. My main issue with this was that I just found it boring a lot of the times. I wasn't super invested at all throughout the book, and I wasn't really motivated to keep reading. I think this book was a nice set up, but there was just too much set up for my liking. I think the second book seems really promising, and it seems like it will hold more interest for me. It wasn't that the plot was bad, it just was very slow for me.
Writing- I honestly have almost nothing to say about this writing, it was just your average run of the mill writing. It wasn't bad or anything, but it just didn't stand out what-so-ever. The one thing that I can say is she didn't shy away from describing gruesome scenes which was cool.
Characters- I liked these characters. Again, I liked them, but didn't love them. Except Allison, she was super badass and amazing. I totally could see myself in her, with how she thought, and how she perceived the world. I like how she prioritizes, and I'm really excited to see what she does in the next books. Otherwise, the characters were good, but I didn't really have a special attachment to any of them. Zeke, our main guy, was nice, and loyal, and objectively I could tell that he was a really good guy, but I just didn't have any real feeling towards him, or him and Allie's relationship. As to the side characters, I again just didn't really feel for any of them. I had an issue with Ruth though, I thought she was a cliche "other girl" who was unnecessarily mean, and wanted the love interest. I just really hate this trope, so I thought I should mention it. Jeb was infuriating, but interesting, because I'm sure if this situation really happened, there would be people like him out there. Oh, Jackal, I did like him. We only got to meet him around the end of the book, but I can already tell I'm really going to love to hate him. I thought he was unique, and I like where his character is going. None of the characters, save maybe Ruth, was particularly done bad, I just wish I felt a little more for them.
Overall- I liked this book, like I'm glad I read it, but as I said before, I just didn't love it. I think it's just because this was the first book, and I'm actually really excited for the next books, because I like all the set up we got and I think it's going to go really cool places. I know a lot of people really love this series, and I can see why, because I did like it. I think if you like dark dystopian paranormal, you'd like it, it just doesn't really stand out for me. This review was kind of all over the place, and I didn't go in as depth as I would have liked, but hey it was finals week, forgive me (-; Maybe later I'll come back and clean it up, but for now I'll leave this as my final thoughts.
Plot- I thought this plot took an interesting take on dystopian and paranormal. I liked how it took the dark side of vampires, and didn't sugarcoat anything. This plot was pretty dark, and I liked how the author wasn't afraid to kill off some characters. My main issue with this was that I just found it boring a lot of the times. I wasn't super invested at all throughout the book, and I wasn't really motivated to keep reading. I think this book was a nice set up, but there was just too much set up for my liking. I think the second book seems really promising, and it seems like it will hold more interest for me. It wasn't that the plot was bad, it just was very slow for me.
Writing- I honestly have almost nothing to say about this writing, it was just your average run of the mill writing. It wasn't bad or anything, but it just didn't stand out what-so-ever. The one thing that I can say is she didn't shy away from describing gruesome scenes which was cool.
Characters- I liked these characters. Again, I liked them, but didn't love them. Except Allison, she was super badass and amazing. I totally could see myself in her, with how she thought, and how she perceived the world. I like how she prioritizes, and I'm really excited to see what she does in the next books. Otherwise, the characters were good, but I didn't really have a special attachment to any of them. Zeke, our main guy, was nice, and loyal, and objectively I could tell that he was a really good guy, but I just didn't have any real feeling towards him, or him and Allie's relationship. As to the side characters, I again just didn't really feel for any of them. I had an issue with Ruth though, I thought she was a cliche "other girl" who was unnecessarily mean, and wanted the love interest. I just really hate this trope, so I thought I should mention it. Jeb was infuriating, but interesting, because I'm sure if this situation really happened, there would be people like him out there. Oh, Jackal, I did like him. We only got to meet him around the end of the book, but I can already tell I'm really going to love to hate him. I thought he was unique, and I like where his character is going. None of the characters, save maybe Ruth, was particularly done bad, I just wish I felt a little more for them.
Overall- I liked this book, like I'm glad I read it, but as I said before, I just didn't love it. I think it's just because this was the first book, and I'm actually really excited for the next books, because I like all the set up we got and I think it's going to go really cool places. I know a lot of people really love this series, and I can see why, because I did like it. I think if you like dark dystopian paranormal, you'd like it, it just doesn't really stand out for me. This review was kind of all over the place, and I didn't go in as depth as I would have liked, but hey it was finals week, forgive me (-; Maybe later I'll come back and clean it up, but for now I'll leave this as my final thoughts.
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
The Immortal Rules was my first YA vampire read of 2013, and I couldn’t have started off the year with a better vampire novel. I feel really, really guilty for allowing this book to collect dust on my shelf since last summer, when I first bought it. Apparently, I didn’t even get around to reading the jacket blurb because I was surprised to discover that The Immortal Rules is also a dystopian novel, and it is an excellent one at that.
I like the dystopian genre a lot, but it takes just the right combination of elements to make a dystopian novel work for me. I need to know the ins and outs of how the world I’m reading about came to exist. If the explanation is sketchy, I’m probably not going to enjoy the book. On the other hand, if the details are laden with scientific jargon, I’m lost there, too. At first I was a bit nervous when I began reading The Immortal Rules because I wasn’t quite grasping the world. There was a virus and these creatures called rabids which did not sound pleasant at all, but I felt like the how and the why behind these things hadn’t been explained. I’m happy to say that all is revealed eventually, and I ended up appreciating the manner in which Julie Kagawa drew me into this world piece by piece. Her descriptions of dilapidated skyscrapers in the vampire-controlled cities and the surrounding woodlands taking over any former traces of human habitation really give you the sense of a broken, desolate civilization. Toss in the aforementioned rabids rising out of the ground at night to devour anything in their path, and this book is absolutely terrifying in places. The rabids are vampires born of scientific experimentation gone afoul, and they follow a single instinct—to satisfy their hunger. In that sense, they reminded me of zombies. The tone of The Immortal Rules is dark, bleak, and sometimes flat-out scary, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved how richly drawn the characters were, with Allison and her vampire creator, Kanin, being the standouts. Allison is a fantastic heroine; from the opening pages, you get the impression that she’s a fighter. It’s her tenacity that makes her choose life, albeit the life of a vampire, over death after a rabid attacks her. As a human, Allie despises vampires and what they’ve done to humanity, but I can’t fault her for her decision to become one of them. She’s facing imminent demise, and she’s not ready to lie down and give up. I have to admire her resolve. Allie’s transition to her new immortal life isn’t easy, but she doesn’t become bogged down in self-pity. And any heroine who can take down rabids with a katana as fiercely as Allie does is all right in my book.
I was really intrigued by Kanin, the vampire who turned Allie. He acts as a mentor of sorts to her, teaching her what she needs to know to adapt to her new life. I love how unreadable this guy is; most of the time, he maintains a cool demeanor, yet there’s a part of him that seems to genuinely care about Allie’s well-being. Kanin also has quite the interesting past, which looks as though it will continue to play a major role throughout the series.
For me, the most riveting aspect of this novel was Allie’s constant struggle to retain a connection to her former human self and not turn into a savage killer. Kanin warns her that taking human lives is an inevitable part of her nature now, but Allie battles to keep her predatory instincts from consuming her. She’s tested again and again, and there are low moments when she can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just give in. It’s heartbreaking to watch her scorned because of what she is first by Stick, a member of the group of humans she used to scavenge with, and then by Zeke, who is part of a human traveling party in search of a city rumored to be run by humans. Zeke’s revulsion is particularly hurtful to Allie because if there was anyone who she hoped would be able to see the good in her, it was Zeke. Allie’s trials are punishing, both physically and emotionally, and I won’t forget about them any time soon.
Simply put, this book blew me away. It’s a winning combination of vampires and a dystopian world, with a kick-ass heroine whose inner conflict is one of the most haunting ones I’ve read about in a long while. When the sequel, [b:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355512342s/13581990.jpg|19167673], is released, I will definitely buy a copy. I will not, however, leave it sitting on my bookshelf for months like I foolishly did with The Immortal Rules!
The Immortal Rules was my first YA vampire read of 2013, and I couldn’t have started off the year with a better vampire novel. I feel really, really guilty for allowing this book to collect dust on my shelf since last summer, when I first bought it. Apparently, I didn’t even get around to reading the jacket blurb because I was surprised to discover that The Immortal Rules is also a dystopian novel, and it is an excellent one at that.
I like the dystopian genre a lot, but it takes just the right combination of elements to make a dystopian novel work for me. I need to know the ins and outs of how the world I’m reading about came to exist. If the explanation is sketchy, I’m probably not going to enjoy the book. On the other hand, if the details are laden with scientific jargon, I’m lost there, too. At first I was a bit nervous when I began reading The Immortal Rules because I wasn’t quite grasping the world. There was a virus and these creatures called rabids which did not sound pleasant at all, but I felt like the how and the why behind these things hadn’t been explained. I’m happy to say that all is revealed eventually, and I ended up appreciating the manner in which Julie Kagawa drew me into this world piece by piece. Her descriptions of dilapidated skyscrapers in the vampire-controlled cities and the surrounding woodlands taking over any former traces of human habitation really give you the sense of a broken, desolate civilization. Toss in the aforementioned rabids rising out of the ground at night to devour anything in their path, and this book is absolutely terrifying in places. The rabids are vampires born of scientific experimentation gone afoul, and they follow a single instinct—to satisfy their hunger. In that sense, they reminded me of zombies. The tone of The Immortal Rules is dark, bleak, and sometimes flat-out scary, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved how richly drawn the characters were, with Allison and her vampire creator, Kanin, being the standouts. Allison is a fantastic heroine; from the opening pages, you get the impression that she’s a fighter. It’s her tenacity that makes her choose life, albeit the life of a vampire, over death after a rabid attacks her. As a human, Allie despises vampires and what they’ve done to humanity, but I can’t fault her for her decision to become one of them. She’s facing imminent demise, and she’s not ready to lie down and give up. I have to admire her resolve. Allie’s transition to her new immortal life isn’t easy, but she doesn’t become bogged down in self-pity. And any heroine who can take down rabids with a katana as fiercely as Allie does is all right in my book.
I was really intrigued by Kanin, the vampire who turned Allie. He acts as a mentor of sorts to her, teaching her what she needs to know to adapt to her new life. I love how unreadable this guy is; most of the time, he maintains a cool demeanor, yet there’s a part of him that seems to genuinely care about Allie’s well-being. Kanin also has quite the interesting past, which looks as though it will continue to play a major role throughout the series.
For me, the most riveting aspect of this novel was Allie’s constant struggle to retain a connection to her former human self and not turn into a savage killer. Kanin warns her that taking human lives is an inevitable part of her nature now, but Allie battles to keep her predatory instincts from consuming her. She’s tested again and again, and there are low moments when she can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just give in. It’s heartbreaking to watch her scorned because of what she is first by Stick, a member of the group of humans she used to scavenge with, and then by Zeke, who is part of a human traveling party in search of a city rumored to be run by humans. Zeke’s revulsion is particularly hurtful to Allie because if there was anyone who she hoped would be able to see the good in her, it was Zeke. Allie’s trials are punishing, both physically and emotionally, and I won’t forget about them any time soon.
Simply put, this book blew me away. It’s a winning combination of vampires and a dystopian world, with a kick-ass heroine whose inner conflict is one of the most haunting ones I’ve read about in a long while. When the sequel, [b:The Eternity Cure|13581990|The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden, #2)|Julie Kagawa|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355512342s/13581990.jpg|19167673], is released, I will definitely buy a copy. I will not, however, leave it sitting on my bookshelf for months like I foolishly did with The Immortal Rules!