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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Vampires are not my thing, even reluctant ones. Having said that, I must admit that I do read some books where they play a part. And in this case, they are the central part.
Allie is a vampire, having seized the option offered to her after having been savagely attacked and left to die. Where her existence previously consisted of scavenging a life from the dregs of society, now she is taken under the wing of a "sire." He teaches her how to defend herself, about the way vampire society works, and how to eat like a proper lady . . . vampire. There comes a point when they have to separate, and Allie finds a ragtag group of survivors in the wilds. They are trying to get to what may be a mythical place while trying to avoid "rabids," vampire-like zombies responsible for Allie's near-death. There has been a plague which decimated the human population and scientists tried to find a cure; the rabids are the result of trying to use vampires to do it. These rabids inhabit the areas around and between vampire cities. Additionally, Allie's sire Kanin struggles to find a cure for the plague while avoiding vampire hierarchy.
This sounds like a complicated plot, but it's really pretty straightforward: vampire girl tries to find her way in dystopia. That about sums it up.
The book is written well, which is what kept me reading. The action and dialogue are cohesive; nothing seems stilted or to come out nowhere. There's really no lag in the movement of the plot either. There is action, battle, running from danger, facing impossible odds. This would make both a wonderful graphic novel and a movie. Our reluctant hero never seems to sit and whine about her situation. Rather, she tends toward self-loathing with a realistic view that things are what they are, and that being a vampire was indeed her choice. She is decidedly not a whiner. Basically, she just gets over herself.
The turning point, of course, is when she decides that she is not the monster she might otherwise be. Then things get a bit dicier along the adventure. Allie's character didn't really change as much at that point as simply expand - part of the appeal of the story is to see Allie grow into herself, accepting her choices and finding her way amidst those who would certainly reject her if they knew what she was. This plays out in a good way and a bad way; good in that she gains maturity and self-acceptance. It is bad in that her ability and choice to communicate are somewhat lacking. I found myself many times wondering why she wouldn't just be honest with those around her and simply take the adventure from there. I realise that it creates a tension in the story that keeps us interested, but I find I am increasingly weary of heroines who refuse to be honest because they are afraid of being rejected.
The other characters - Kanin (Allie's vampire "dad"), Zeke and Jeb, are well-defined. There is a love story between Zeke and Allie, but it is largely incidental within the scope of the story. It provides the basis for some of their choices but is really a minor plot element. Jeb was an interesting guy, a nice contrast to Zeke which is interesting because he is a father figure for Zeke. Kanin is probably my favourite of the characters. He's dark, brooding, wise, and most definitely a big bad vampire.
Also regarding characters, I have to say that I was easily able to see them in my mind. They were real images of people rather than just ideas or vague images. To Kagawa's credit, she is a very good writer on that front. She was unafraid of killing many of the characters off, which I found to be a brave choice.
The book struck me as basically a YA version of [b:The Passage|6690798|The Passage (The Passage, #1)|Justin Cronin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327874267s/6690798.jpg|2802546] by [a:Justin Cronin|45315|Justin Cronin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1291156119p2/45315.jpg]. The action is more PG here, which I preferred. The book is relatively dark and gritty, but more in a wild west sort of way. Good people are better able to survive really, really bad stuff. This seemed to lighten the story enough to where the world didn't seem quite so bleak. That said, some of the plot turns were typical and predictable. I was led along a storyline that I have been down enough times to easily navigate and expect.
Regardless of its problems, Kagawa has written a very good story that deserves the acclaim it has received. Although I have not read the [b:The Twilight Collection|690926|The Twilight Collection (Twilight, #1-3)|Stephenie Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1266618000s/690926.jpg|3187048] by [a:Stephenie Meyer|941441|Stephenie Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1269985304p2/941441.jpg], I understand from lovers of this sub-genre that Kagawa's story stands head and shoulders above Meyer's series.
I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Therese Plummer. Although she kept the story riveting, I didn't care for many of her characterizations. Like Justine Eyre, she tends to pause the dialogue in odd places in order to define the characters. This isn't the way I would imagine the characters actually speaking, and it threw it off for me. Perhaps this is one better read in print.
All things considered, this was a good book. To its credit, this Blood of Eden series promises to be outstanding - even for vampire-avoiders like me.
Allie is a vampire, having seized the option offered to her after having been savagely attacked and left to die. Where her existence previously consisted of scavenging a life from the dregs of society, now she is taken under the wing of a "sire." He teaches her how to defend herself, about the way vampire society works, and how to eat like a proper lady . . . vampire. There comes a point when they have to separate, and Allie finds a ragtag group of survivors in the wilds. They are trying to get to what may be a mythical place while trying to avoid "rabids," vampire-like zombies responsible for Allie's near-death. There has been a plague which decimated the human population and scientists tried to find a cure; the rabids are the result of trying to use vampires to do it. These rabids inhabit the areas around and between vampire cities. Additionally, Allie's sire Kanin struggles to find a cure for the plague while avoiding vampire hierarchy.
This sounds like a complicated plot, but it's really pretty straightforward: vampire girl tries to find her way in dystopia. That about sums it up.
The book is written well, which is what kept me reading. The action and dialogue are cohesive; nothing seems stilted or to come out nowhere. There's really no lag in the movement of the plot either. There is action, battle, running from danger, facing impossible odds. This would make both a wonderful graphic novel and a movie. Our reluctant hero never seems to sit and whine about her situation. Rather, she tends toward self-loathing with a realistic view that things are what they are, and that being a vampire was indeed her choice. She is decidedly not a whiner. Basically, she just gets over herself.
The turning point, of course, is when she decides that she is not the monster she might otherwise be. Then things get a bit dicier along the adventure. Allie's character didn't really change as much at that point as simply expand - part of the appeal of the story is to see Allie grow into herself, accepting her choices and finding her way amidst those who would certainly reject her if they knew what she was. This plays out in a good way and a bad way; good in that she gains maturity and self-acceptance. It is bad in that her ability and choice to communicate are somewhat lacking. I found myself many times wondering why she wouldn't just be honest with those around her and simply take the adventure from there. I realise that it creates a tension in the story that keeps us interested, but I find I am increasingly weary of heroines who refuse to be honest because they are afraid of being rejected.
The other characters - Kanin (Allie's vampire "dad"), Zeke and Jeb, are well-defined. There is a love story between Zeke and Allie, but it is largely incidental within the scope of the story. It provides the basis for some of their choices but is really a minor plot element. Jeb was an interesting guy, a nice contrast to Zeke which is interesting because he is a father figure for Zeke. Kanin is probably my favourite of the characters. He's dark, brooding, wise, and most definitely a big bad vampire.
Also regarding characters, I have to say that I was easily able to see them in my mind. They were real images of people rather than just ideas or vague images. To Kagawa's credit, she is a very good writer on that front. She was unafraid of killing many of the characters off, which I found to be a brave choice.
The book struck me as basically a YA version of [b:The Passage|6690798|The Passage (The Passage, #1)|Justin Cronin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327874267s/6690798.jpg|2802546] by [a:Justin Cronin|45315|Justin Cronin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1291156119p2/45315.jpg]. The action is more PG here, which I preferred. The book is relatively dark and gritty, but more in a wild west sort of way. Good people are better able to survive really, really bad stuff. This seemed to lighten the story enough to where the world didn't seem quite so bleak. That said, some of the plot turns were typical and predictable. I was led along a storyline that I have been down enough times to easily navigate and expect.
Regardless of its problems, Kagawa has written a very good story that deserves the acclaim it has received. Although I have not read the [b:The Twilight Collection|690926|The Twilight Collection (Twilight, #1-3)|Stephenie Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1266618000s/690926.jpg|3187048] by [a:Stephenie Meyer|941441|Stephenie Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1269985304p2/941441.jpg], I understand from lovers of this sub-genre that Kagawa's story stands head and shoulders above Meyer's series.
I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Therese Plummer. Although she kept the story riveting, I didn't care for many of her characterizations. Like Justine Eyre, she tends to pause the dialogue in odd places in order to define the characters. This isn't the way I would imagine the characters actually speaking, and it threw it off for me. Perhaps this is one better read in print.
All things considered, this was a good book. To its credit, this Blood of Eden series promises to be outstanding - even for vampire-avoiders like me.
I had very mixed feelings about this book and that made it hard to decide on the rating. It was very love/meh for me. I thought the beginning was amazing! The world is awesome, the vampires are scary and there is plenty of action. The middle really dragged for me...and it being a long book, there was a lot of middle. Then the end gears back up and is also awesome and amazing.
As far as the characters go, I really liked Allie. She's a decisive fighter type girl when she is first introduced. As her character evolves she is less sure of her path, but still holds to her core values. And she's still very . . . fighter-y :) Her mentor, Kanin, was one of the more interesting characters to me. He's not in the book a whole lot, but he makes an impact. Then there's Zeke. I liked Zeke. Zeke's a good guy. BUT, especially compared to Allie, he came off kind of wimpy to me.
I think this is a book a lot of people will love. It's a very cool vampire book with a unique story. For me there were just a lot of slow parts. Of course like I mentioned before, the last 50 pages of the book made sure I'll be reading the next one.
As far as the characters go, I really liked Allie. She's a decisive fighter type girl when she is first introduced. As her character evolves she is less sure of her path, but still holds to her core values. And she's still very . . . fighter-y :) Her mentor, Kanin, was one of the more interesting characters to me. He's not in the book a whole lot, but he makes an impact. Then there's Zeke. I liked Zeke. Zeke's a good guy. BUT, especially compared to Allie, he came off kind of wimpy to me.
I think this is a book a lot of people will love. It's a very cool vampire book with a unique story. For me there were just a lot of slow parts. Of course like I mentioned before, the last 50 pages of the book made sure I'll be reading the next one.
the plot - fuelled by my sickly brain (it’s literally just spoilers and me being frustrated - look away if you must):
man singing vampires killed my grandma.
i hate vampires.
grr im so edgy but at least i can read.
oh no, this beastly thing is gonna kill me.
dang, i guess imma die.
huh? if i turn into a vampire i won’t die?
but i hate vampires i can’t become one. sike.
oh no i became the very thing ive sworn to hate my whole existence. welp.
acquires katana for seemingly no reason except that it is badass.
abandons mentor/vampire daddy because big bad guys are after him and mc is incompetent.
buries self in hole.
finds child and doesn’t eat it (very tempted though).
simps for human boy who hates vampires and wants to drink his blood.
follows simp and child back to camp and joins his rag tag human bandwagon.
gosh i hope they don’t find out im a vampire.
simp can read too?? am i in love?? he’s so special and quirky.
humans are trying to find Eden- a vampire free city that is the only safe place left in the world.
beastly creatures chase bandwagon.
beastly creatures chase bandwagon through river.
find dying person attacked by beastly creature.
return dying person to factory manufacturer.
woah! you returned our family member! have a hot shower and food for your good deed!
oh no, i haven’t had human blood. what am i going to do :O
remember the dying person she saved? yeah he’s her juice box now.
juice box is turned into savage beast.
bandwagon runs away.
oh no i feel so bad about drinking my delicious juice box.
accidentally (read surely intentionally) confesses to being a vampire in front of the whole bandwagon.
bandwagon shoots vampire.
vampire runs away.
bandwagon gets kidnapped by big vampire boss.
vampire feels bad and tries to save bandwagon.
bunch of bandwagon people die - but it’s ok because everyone is ridiculously unlikable.
simp is dead.
simp is actually not dead.
vampire kisses simp.
vampire drinks blood of simp.
escapes big bad vampire boss fight.
bandwagon escapes with the few remaining members.
beastly creatures attack.
most unlikable character dies (yay?).
more running away.
wait? is that the place we’ve been looking for the whole book? :O
yep, but oh no, there are more beastly creatures.
simp sacrifices himself to save bandwagon from sickly creatures.
simp almost dies.
simp is not dead (again).
abandons said simp because she’s a vampire and can’t stay with him in vampire free city.
the end.
p.s. i hate ruth and stick sm. they both suck.
i hate vampires.
grr im so edgy but at least i can read.
oh no, this beastly thing is gonna kill me.
dang, i guess imma die.
huh? if i turn into a vampire i won’t die?
but i hate vampires i can’t become one. sike.
oh no i became the very thing ive sworn to hate my whole existence. welp.
acquires katana for seemingly no reason except that it is badass.
abandons mentor/vampire daddy because big bad guys are after him and mc is incompetent.
buries self in hole.
finds child and doesn’t eat it (very tempted though).
simps for human boy who hates vampires and wants to drink his blood.
follows simp and child back to camp and joins his rag tag human bandwagon.
gosh i hope they don’t find out im a vampire.
simp can read too?? am i in love?? he’s so special and quirky.
humans are trying to find Eden- a vampire free city that is the only safe place left in the world.
beastly creatures chase bandwagon.
beastly creatures chase bandwagon through river.
find dying person attacked by beastly creature.
return dying person to factory manufacturer.
woah! you returned our family member! have a hot shower and food for your good deed!
oh no, i haven’t had human blood. what am i going to do :O
remember the dying person she saved? yeah he’s her juice box now.
juice box is turned into savage beast.
bandwagon runs away.
oh no i feel so bad about drinking my delicious juice box.
accidentally (read surely intentionally) confesses to being a vampire in front of the whole bandwagon.
bandwagon shoots vampire.
vampire runs away.
bandwagon gets kidnapped by big vampire boss.
vampire feels bad and tries to save bandwagon.
bunch of bandwagon people die - but it’s ok because everyone is ridiculously unlikable.
simp is dead.
simp is actually not dead.
vampire kisses simp.
vampire drinks blood of simp.
escapes big bad vampire boss fight.
bandwagon escapes with the few remaining members.
beastly creatures attack.
most unlikable character dies (yay?).
more running away.
wait? is that the place we’ve been looking for the whole book? :O
yep, but oh no, there are more beastly creatures.
simp sacrifices himself to save bandwagon from sickly creatures.
simp almost dies.
simp is not dead (again).
abandons said simp because she’s a vampire and can’t stay with him in vampire free city.
the end.
p.s. i hate ruth and stick sm. they both suck.
2.5/5
Reseña completa: http://laestanteriadeithil.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-immortal-rules-julie-kagawa.html
Opinión personal: The Immortal Rules es un libro con el que no he salido nada contenta. Aunque por el trasfondo pintaba muy bien, y es que el mundo en que se desarrolla el libro tiene muy buena pinta, no he sido capaz de disfrutarlo por la protagonista Allison. Me ha parecido una chica que, aunque en un principio decía ser de una forma y estar firmemente convencida de ello, luego cambia, pero no he conseguido creerme ese cambio con las razones que nos dan. Me ha parecido un personaje algo voluble y típico. No obstante, es un libro muy sencillo de leer, aunque para mi gusto sobran páginas. Se puede leer de forma relativamente rápida ya que, a pesar de algunos bajones, el estilo es bastante ameno. Sencillamente, no era la historia que estaba esperando.
Reseña completa: http://laestanteriadeithil.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-immortal-rules-julie-kagawa.html
Opinión personal: The Immortal Rules es un libro con el que no he salido nada contenta. Aunque por el trasfondo pintaba muy bien, y es que el mundo en que se desarrolla el libro tiene muy buena pinta, no he sido capaz de disfrutarlo por la protagonista Allison. Me ha parecido una chica que, aunque en un principio decía ser de una forma y estar firmemente convencida de ello, luego cambia, pero no he conseguido creerme ese cambio con las razones que nos dan. Me ha parecido un personaje algo voluble y típico. No obstante, es un libro muy sencillo de leer, aunque para mi gusto sobran páginas. Se puede leer de forma relativamente rápida ya que, a pesar de algunos bajones, el estilo es bastante ameno. Sencillamente, no era la historia que estaba esperando.
I thought I had lost interest in vampire books. The Immortal Rules has renewed my love for them again.
In The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa has created a world in which vampires rule, humans are food cattle and rabids roam the lands. It might interest you, excite you, scare you or haunt you but it will most certainly leave its mark on you and you won't ever be able to forget this story. In a good way of course!
We are introduced to Allie, a girl who was born into a vampire city. After losing her mother, she has to learn to fend for herself with the other Unregistered's - human's who refuse to be branded as blood bags for the vampires. After finding a basement of food, this leads to a series of events which land her choosing immortality over death.
Disgusted by herself, her choice and her fellow vampires she has no choice but to learn to live as one of them or die on her own. This leads to another series of events which take her out of the city and fending for herself. She catches up to a group of humans and pretends to be human all the while fighting The Hunger. What results is an amazing tale of what it really means to be a human and have humanity.
At first I thought the love interest in this story was going to be her sire (the vampire who created her) Kanin. But then it occured to me that he was more of a father figure - and of course it had to be a human love interest! Enter Zeke, the handsome and kind human boy in the group she finds. This was nothing like the Twilight vampire/human relationship and I am so very glad it wasn't. It was created in such a way that you want them to be together, even though you know it is dangerous! Fantastic :D
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath in the best possible way. I absolutely loved and I can't wait to see what happens next!
In The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa has created a world in which vampires rule, humans are food cattle and rabids roam the lands. It might interest you, excite you, scare you or haunt you but it will most certainly leave its mark on you and you won't ever be able to forget this story. In a good way of course!
We are introduced to Allie, a girl who was born into a vampire city. After losing her mother, she has to learn to fend for herself with the other Unregistered's - human's who refuse to be branded as blood bags for the vampires. After finding a basement of food, this leads to a series of events which land her choosing immortality over death.
Disgusted by herself, her choice and her fellow vampires she has no choice but to learn to live as one of them or die on her own. This leads to another series of events which take her out of the city and fending for herself. She catches up to a group of humans and pretends to be human all the while fighting The Hunger. What results is an amazing tale of what it really means to be a human and have humanity.
At first I thought the love interest in this story was going to be her sire (the vampire who created her) Kanin. But then it occured to me that he was more of a father figure - and of course it had to be a human love interest! Enter Zeke, the handsome and kind human boy in the group she finds. This was nothing like the Twilight vampire/human relationship and I am so very glad it wasn't. It was created in such a way that you want them to be together, even though you know it is dangerous! Fantastic :D
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath in the best possible way. I absolutely loved and I can't wait to see what happens next!