The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)

Jan 14, 2011 Lora marked it as to-read

Shelves: lib-to-read

Julie Kagawa has already mastered faeries, now she's doing vamps too? This is awesome!

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Apr 05, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-or-pa-favourites, fantasy-or-paranormal, fantasy-or-pn-favourites, dystopia-or-post-apocalyptic, ultimate-favourites, favourite-boys, romance, paranormal, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, 2012-favourites

4.5 stars

"Just know that, whatever you choose, you will die today. The manner of your death, however, is up to you."

Just when you might be thinking the vampire genre cannot possibly have any more to give, Julie Kagawa unleashes her unfathomable talent onto us readers and proves that vampires aren’t quite past their sell-by date. Honestly, I have no idea how she does it. It seems everyone is ready to move on from the endless tales of blood-sucking and fangs, yet she effortlessly reins us back in...more 4.5 stars

"Just know that, whatever you choose, you will die today. The manner of your death, however, is up to you."

Just when you might be thinking the vampire genre cannot possibly have any more to give, Julie Kagawa unleashes her unfathomable talent onto us readers and proves that vampires aren’t quite past their sell-by date. Honestly, I have no idea how she does it. It seems everyone is ready to move on from the endless tales of blood-sucking and fangs, yet she effortlessly reins us back in with her powerful imagination. In Julie Kagawa’s world, vampires aren’t creatures to be admired under the sunlight, or even creatures you want to put your ‘bite me’ shirts on for. In new Covington, vampires are to be feared and avoided. Trust me, these vampires? They aren’t the sexy kind.

It’s hardly a secret that I worship Kagawa’s Iron Fey series. I adore her writing style and I love how easily she makes me fall in love with her characters. I am happy to say that the same applies here with The Immortal Rules. Once again, Julie Kagawa effortlessly manages to grab my attention with her beautiful descriptions and wonderful characterisation skills. There is very little I didn’t like (love!) about this story.

The world-building was perfect. The book opens with a scene at the gallows and it couldn’t have commenced with anything better. Instantly, the reader gets an understanding of the system in New Covington – the vampires are in charge and the humans are nothing but cattle. Allie, our heroine, is an Unregistered, one of the humans living in the Fringe, one of the humans who the vampires ‘ignore’. This also means Allie and her crew aren’t allowed any food or resources from the Inner City, because technically, the Unregistered don’t actually ‘exist’. There is a distinct dystopian feel in the air from the first chapter and I loved it. After a brilliantly strong start to one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I was giddy with excitement to read on at full speed. I knew I was going to adore this book.

And adore it, I did. There was action, excitement, suspense – everything I love in a gripping book. The story is structured impeccably well, flowing at a comfortable and natural pace. Once again, I am envious of people who can actually write, because Julie Kagawa certainly can. She doesn’t hold back with this story, giving us a thrilling and engaging plot.

I think it’s best to mention the romance now. After all, what is a Julie Kagawa book if not a brilliant recipe for creating the perfect boy? (I am trying hard – and failing - not to think about Ash and Puck at this moment). Zeke – also known as Ezekiel Crosse (Hey, don’t laugh!) – was the character I had been most looking forward to meeting in this book. The fact that we didn’t actually get to run into him until halfway through made it even better. That might sound strange, but I was glad Julie took the time to create the world and slowly unravel the plot before the romance took to the stage. When Allie and Zeke did finally meet, it was done beautifully. Not a smidgen of insta-love or love-triangle doom in sight. To watch as they grew to trust each other and then to care about each other was unbelievably sweet and perfectly handled.

I imagine the majority of people who won’t like this book will have had trouble warming to Julie Kagawa’s work in the past. But if that’s not you and, if like me, you are a self-proclaimed official fan of Julie Kagawa, it is very likely you will LOVE this book. In which case, I couldn’t recommend this more.

(This review also appears on my blog)(less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Vampire fanatics looking for something new

Recommended to Steph by: Me, 'cause I'm cool like that

Shelves: vamps, ebook, netgalley, post-apocalyptic, young-adult, 2012-release, e-arc, harlequin, 2012-reads, ass-kickin-heroine, could-have-been-better, i-liked-it, it-wasn-t-all-that-but-enjoyable, original-and-creative

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

When I first found out Kagawa was journeying down the vampire path, I was nervous. I mean, vampires have been written about over and over in the YA world and I wasn't sure what could be added. I had imaginary conversations, pleading with her, "Julie, are you sure you wanna do this?" And in all her awesomeness she pretty much told me, "Steph, chill. I got this." Do you know what I love about Julie Kagawa? I love how she can take a completely overused paranormal creature li...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Erica (daydreamer) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: release-in-2012, netgalley, vampires, strong-heroines, dystopian, 2012-reads, could-have-been-better, really-liked, love-the-title, cringe-worthy

In a land ruled by Vampires, and overrun with rabids (creatures and humans bitten by vampires and turned into rabid beasts with absolute no control or reason), a young girl fights against the odds to preserve her humanity, and to accept what she has become. Allison lives in a Vampire City. She has a fierce hatred for these soulless creatures who put humans on registers and feed off them at the humans designated time. But in a moment of desperation, when Allison is facing the inevitability of dea...more In a land ruled by Vampires, and overrun with rabids (creatures and humans bitten by vampires and turned into rabid beasts with absolute no control or reason), a young girl fights against the odds to preserve her humanity, and to accept what she has become. Allison lives in a Vampire City. She has a fierce hatred for these soulless creatures who put humans on registers and feed off them at the humans designated time. But in a moment of desperation, when Allison is facing the inevitability of death after a brutal attack from rabids, Allison chooses life over death, to become a vampire, the very creature she despises. But her will to live, even a life as a dead creature, overrides her hatred. And so begins her new life.

So. Vampires. I really have no love for them. There are too many vampire books, rip offs of Twilight, trying too hard to be the next Twilight. If I’m to read a vampire book, I want it to be more like, say, Dracula *evil grin*. I mean, what’s a vampire story without bloodthirsty, vengeful, distasteful monsters? Give me no charming, swooning vamps that can control their desire for human blood, and sparkle and shine like they’re Prince Charming themselves. Well, Kagawa created the perfect bloodthirsty vampires, and boy did she deliver! This story gives no apologies. It makes you cringe, it makes you hate vampires. And Kagawa is not shy with the violence and deaths. She brings you into the intense fights and scrambles for life, and it’s like you’re right there witnessing the atrocity. So, for this, for Julie’s willingness to describe the horror in detail, I thank her.

Allison was a pretty strong character. She’s dependent and fierce, and knows that to survive in a world of monsters, she must look out for herself, and not become attached to other people. But all this changes when she leaves the city as a vampire herself, and finds a group of people who are looking for a “promised land.” She finds something worth living for with these people, and though not all of them accept her, she understands them, because she used to be just like them. Haters of vampires, and understanding that sometimes to survive, you need to leave people behind you. But now Allison is that monster, and may very well kill these people if she lets her Hunger overcome her. Allison has to fight this wild desire in order to preserve some semblance of her humanity.

Now, I can’t say that I loved this book. While it was original and interesting, it didn’t enrapture me like Kagawa’s fey series did. Those, were fantastic. This, was just good. So I can’t say that fans of the fey series will love this new vampire series. Because I am one of the biggest fans of the fey series, but I didn’t love this book nearly as much. But most of the fey series fans who have read this book love it, so it may just be me. I think one thing that was a factor of my not loving it, was the amount of time it took for me to really become involved in the book. The first half of the book was kind of slow going for me. Sure, there was stuff happening, but there just was something that was holding me back. It wasn’t until about 60%, (view spoiler), that I finally perked up, and thought that finally! things were happening.

Another thing I did not like, sadly, was the romance. Oh, Zeke. Well, I did like him. He was a good character, with good qualities. He looked out for everyone and cared for them. He accepted Allison when others treated her with unkindness. As a character, he was alright, as the love interest, he fell flat. I felt no spark between the two, and, one thing that really annoyed me was that one part (view spoiler). It was at an inappropriate time, and all I was thinking was “Guys, really? Shouldn’t you be doing something that is more important? *rolls eyes*

Alright, enough with the bad. Immortal Rules was a pretty good novel. I would recommend it to fans of Kagawa’s fey series, and other people who are tired of vampire books. Because I think this is a vampire book that we readers have been looking for. It’s different and is unforgiving with its dark tone. And Kagawa’s writing is still amazing. That’s part of what kept me going, her flowing writing style that can paint vivid scenes and draw the reader in. So, while this may not have been what I was expecting, (both good and bad), I still enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to Harlequin Teen and Netgalley for the arc.
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May 06, 2013 Kristalia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kristalia by: Ariana

Shelves: reviewed, series-i-must-own, favorites, best-series-award, be-my-hero-plz, recommended-to-me-mwahaha, mature-young-adult, they-are-so-awesome-hot-and-stuff, they-are-so-cute-its-unbearable

Final rating: ★★★★★/★★★★★

edit: rewritten whole review :D

I love love love this book. It gripped me from the start and i just had to finish it - that's how good it was. I was sooooo absorbed when i was reading that i didn't even notice the time. Strong heroine, strong characters, destroyed world and vampires and zombies. Could you possibly ask for more? It's creepy, it's crazy, it's fantastic and it's fabulous story.
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STORY :
__________________________...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Soumi(in love with Puck) Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-e-galley, young-adult, books-i-reviewed, vampires, zombies, mira-ink

“Hunger flickered, always there, but I pushed it down. I was a vampire. Nothing would change that. But I didn't have to be a monster.”

A vampire has no heart beat, no matter how hard they try to cling on their humanity, in the end they will remain same, some bloodsucking monsters.

description

Days of Darkness and Blood

After her blockbuster epic fantasy The Iron Fey series, Julie Kagawa introduces to a vampire infested futuristic world where everything is on ruin and dominated by those bloodsucking creatures....more

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Apr 16, 2012 Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Pretty much anyone looking for a good book

Shelves: horror, kindle, post-apocalyptic, young-adult, dark-fantasy, fantasy, urban-fantasy

Alrighty-roo gang, he we go again.

When I first started this book I am going to be honest. I didn’t think that I would like it. I have not had very many pleasant experiences with YA as a genre and the first line of the book made my already low expectations sink even lower with the misuse of the word “hung” in the given context.

Then as I start to get into the tale of Allison, our kick-ass MC, my expectations take yet another nosedive as the book starts to read like Blade with the tattooing people...more Alrighty-roo gang, he we go again.

When I first started this book I am going to be honest. I didn’t think that I would like it. I have not had very many pleasant experiences with YA as a genre and the first line of the book made my already low expectations sink even lower with the misuse of the word “hung” in the given context.

Then as I start to get into the tale of Allison, our kick-ass MC, my expectations take yet another nosedive as the book starts to read like Blade with the tattooing people as cattle, Interview with the Vampire with the mysterious Lestat type figure, Kanin, who turns Allison to save her and teach her AND THEN I am treated to the feral rabid vampires in the flavour of the comic and recent Paul Bettany film Priest… So to say I was not enjoying the first act was an understatement...

And then it got even more familiar. Allison started walking. A lot… It’s like I was reading the scenery from The Road. But I ended up being pleasantly surprised. As this turned out to be a damned good book in the end.

Now I know there are a few people who didn’t like the pacing of the beginning of the book saying it was too slow, and a little bit boring but I didn’t find that at all. True I mostly read High Fantasy so I have a different definition of the word ‘slow’ to that of other readers but I felt myself compelled to read on. Partly because I like the fact that there is an awesome female lead for once (Yeah I did it, take that generic YA novels with weak female leads who glorify the rape culture!) and partly because of the writing.

I’m going to be honest. I have not read any of Kagawa’s previous work. They didn’t interest me. But I wanted vampires to be made into killers again and they have been. These are the vampires of old. They are remorseless killing machines WHO DO NOT SPARKLE!.. Yeah I'm shocked too. I thought real vampires were extinct too... but anyway... We follow Allison from coming to terms with her un-death to setting foot on the road to becoming a master, and we meet a fair few different characters along the way, and not to spoil anything but the violence… oh the violence. I’ve not read a YA title with violence like it. People will no doubt liken it to The Hunger Games… these people are idiots and are wrong. It’s more visceral, more real. I felt I was shown every little bit of it rather than had it relayed to me. It was immensely absorbing.

I am truly overjoyed that real, honest to satans scrotum, vampires have returned, yet I feel unsatisfied. I enjoyed the book immensely, sure, it’s got blood, cussing, death, violence and the undead what’s not to love? But it was all immeasurably predictable… But maybe that’s just me. I will tell you one thing though. I look forward to the second instalment because of one thing about this book I am certain…

It’s going to fucking sell itself… and d’you know what… I’d read it again and recommend it to anyone looking for a GOOD post apocalyptic book rather than a romance with dirty set dressings.

A solid 4 stars

Archer out!

Thanks to Harlequin for the e-ARC, provided by NetGalley. This title has an expected release of April 24 2012 in the US and May 4 in the UK(less)

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Apr 02, 2012 Meg ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, arc, z-2012-reads, cover-lover, favs

Wow! This book is one of my new favorites for the year.

If you think you can't read another vampire book for a while because you are sick of the unoriginal plots and characters that have been around lately you are like me. Rest assured, this book is completely original and creative. For starters, vampires rule the world in this story. The Immortal Rules is set in the future, and it's humans who are going hungry and forced to find ways to get food. Vampires have the control and even reading is ill...more
Wow! This book is one of my new favorites for the year.

If you think you can't read another vampire book for a while because you are sick of the unoriginal plots and characters that have been around lately you are like me. Rest assured, this book is completely original and creative. For starters, vampires rule the world in this story. The Immortal Rules is set in the future, and it's humans who are going hungry and forced to find ways to get food. Vampires have the control and even reading is illegal! The vampires want the humans to stay as ignorant as possible about the past.

Our main character is a girl named Allie who is just trying to survive. She loves to read (okay so this trait is not very original), and she's the strong, brave girl in her group. She absolutely despises vampires and the control they have over humans. When she is attacked one night she has to decide if she will become a vampire herself.

This book surprised and impressed me. I was surprised that I was so impressed. I really went into this with mixed expectations. I first thought "bleh, vampires...boring" but then I thought "Julie Kagawa is an author that everyone seems to enjoy, she will bring it". The world building in this story is perfectly executed. As soon as you start reading you will be in this desperate world, and feel the hopelessness of this place ruled by vampires. The rabids are truly terrifying as well. They are I guess half zombie, half vampire, and 100% creeped me the F out! The romance was actually beautifully done, and this is from someone who doesn't usually care about romance much at all.

The story itself was often quite intense and engaging. When you get into this book you will need to keep reading, because this book does a fantastic job at sucking you in. As soon as one little issue is resolved she throws something else at you. Her writing is just fantastic, and she is the queen of suspense.

I am one of the rare people who loves YA yet has never read the Iron Fey series by Miss Kagawa. I'm not sure why, really, because it is highly praised my all of my friends, and has decent ratings and whatnot. Either way my point is just that I can't compare this to her other series, but I have been seeing other reviewers say that this series is much darker.

I can't think of any YA lover that I would NOT recommend this to. Part Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Dystopia, Vamp, Zombie, and much more, it has so much to offer.

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May 09, 2013 ◕ ◡ ◕ Arooj rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, books-i-fell-hard-for, favorites, kickass-protagonists

Review after re-reading from May 6th-8th 2013:
Just as awesome the second time around! My heart hurts. But in a good way. If that makes any sense.

I love this book.
I love Allison.
And I freakin' love Julie Kagawa.

Onto The Eternity Cure! HUZZAH!

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Review after reading from May 7th-10th 2012:
I...
I feel so...exhilarated.
My heart is beating like crazy and I can't think straight. As if I just drank a whole liter of coke, 5 cups of coffee,...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-summer-12, favorites, 5-star-books, badass-ladies, vampires, addicting-as-crack, young-adult, adventure, romance, paranormal, fantasy

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Once upon a time, an author decided to combine the two most overused aspects of current YA literature––vampires and dystopia. And .... she actually wrote a book that was REALLY FREAKING AWESOME. The end.

I know, Patrick. I know. I wasn't expecting it either.

So, I admit that I know next to nothing about Julie Kagawa, except for that she wrote the Iron Fey series, which I have not read. I heard mixed things about them, and I'm not really into faerie books, so I'd decided ag...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of vampire and/or post-apocalyptic novels

Shelves: 2012-reads, disappointing-books, could-have-been-better, left-me-feeling-drained, reviewed

In a perfect world, Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules and I would have been best friends. Look what the story has to offer: A vampire-ruled post-apocalyptic world! The return of vampires who are blood-drinking monsters and not brooding lovers! A heroine who wields a katana and kills zombie-like vampires with it!

What could go wrong with any of this, you ask? Sadly, a lot could -- and did, at least for me.

In the vampire city of New Covington, Allison "Allie" Sekemoto (yes, she's of Asian descent -...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-2012, glistening-fangs, highly-anticipating-2012, incredibly-stupid-choices, just-another-book-crush, netgalley, so-many-vampires, totally-saw-that-coming, failed-to-impress, reviewed-in-2012

Sometimes you read a book, you moderately enjoy it, but when you finish it, you have very little to say about it. This is one of those times. The Immortal Rules was a pretty entertaining read, but it simply failed to impress me. I suppose I expected more originality, but instead I got the same old story hidden behind a few interesting details. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun reading it – I did, for the most part, and I’ll definitely pick up the sequel.

Allison Sekemoto grew up in the Fringe,...more Sometimes you read a book, you moderately enjoy it, but when you finish it, you have very little to say about it. This is one of those times. The Immortal Rules was a pretty entertaining read, but it simply failed to impress me. I suppose I expected more originality, but instead I got the same old story hidden behind a few interesting details. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun reading it – I did, for the most part, and I’ll definitely pick up the sequel.

Allison Sekemoto grew up in the Fringe, outside the walls of a big vampire city. She has never set foot inside those walls – as an unclaimed and unprotected human, she is easy prey for any vampire she might run into. One day, while hunting for food, Allison’s crew gets attacked by rabids. After seeing her friends die and being savagely beaten herself, she is saved by a Master vampire Kanin and offered a choice: she can either die or be turned into the very thing she hates the most.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding at the beginning. I was hoping Allison would somehow explore these vampire cities, spend some time discovering New Covington and the life inside the walls. I wanted to know more about how they function, about the vampires and the humans that chose to live among them. I was vastly disappointed when Kagawa decided to lead her heroine out of there and have her wander around through wilderness where nothing is even remotely interesting. I realize that she’ll probably go back in the second book, but I wanted to know more now, and that feeling of disappointment when Alison ran out of the city and when I realized she won’t be going back soon stayed with me throughout the book. The second she left the city and started walking on her own, my interest in the book dropped by about 25%. It didn’t help that the middle part bored me almost to death: the time Allison spent alone and all that wandering around when she joined Zeke’s group didn’t work for me at all. In fact, I think this entire book would have been much better if it were a hundred pages shorter.

Julie Kagawa is undoubtedly a talented writer and I could tell she put much thought into her worldbuilding (especially the first part), but it’s the little things that make a book and in my opinion, she failed in polishing those details, which ruined the story for me to some extent. It bothered me that certain things didn’t make sense, for example, when Allison joined Zeke’s group, they gave her an old tent to sleep in, but she still had to cut a hole in the bottom and bury herself in the ground every night to avoid being accidentally exposed to sunlight. I don’t know how dirty they all were, but it is impossible that no one would notice she was covered in dirt every evening. You sleep in the ground, you come out covered with it no matter what, and nothing short of a long bath and a complete change of clothes could possibly fix it.

Another thing that didn’t work well for me was the romance. I didn’t really understand where the attraction between Allison and Zeke was coming from at all, and to be honest, I didn’t really like Zeke all that much. I like my love interests with just a little bit more fire than he had to offer – he was too vanilla for my taste. I would have loved to see a relationship between Allison and Kanin, the vampire who turned her, instead. It’s the first time I’m actually hoping for a love triangle in the future.

Huh. I guess I had a lot to say after all. I realize that my opinion won’t be very popular in this case, but I had to share it anyway. The majority of my friends really enjoyed this book. After all the gushing reviews I’ve read in the last month, I’m pretty sure my lack of enthusiasm won’t do any damage at all.

For more of my reviews, please visit The Nocturnal Library
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Jun 14, 2012 Ta§chima Cullen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, 5-star-shelf

You can find more reviews @BloodyBookaholic

Click here for my dream cast of The Immortal Rules

You are a monster. You will always be a monster-there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.

Julie Kagawa made me believe in Faeries. Now she will make us believe in Vampires all over again.

How can I possibly describe how hugely talented Julie Kagawa is? She managed to take something old, and mold it into something completely unique and completely her own. T...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Cait marked it as to-read

AHHH! Julie! Are you freaking kidding me! You sly dog!
I love this so much if I knew where you live, I'd drive whatever amount of miles to give you a hug. A huge, gigantic, love-filled hug. Like this:

But I will just settle for an imaginary one for now; until I can find her address, of course ;)

If anyone can bring back vampires from slow, painful, death that Meyer inflicted on them; it's Kagawa. I cannot wait! :D

EDIT: So, I read Iron Knight and Kagawa had a couple pages of this book in there! *h...more

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Apr 04, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: covergasm, vamps, dystopian, netgalley-or-edelweiss, all-time-faves, 2012-faves, amazing-authors, creatively-original, faves, heroes-i-adore, heroines-i-adore, my-emotions-i-cannot, books-i-want-to-marry, badass-heroines, masterpiece, deserves-the-hype, owned-physical-copies, wish-i-could-write-like-that

Full review posted on my blog.

Julie Kagawa, I am in love with you.

And I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH ARGH.

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May 06, 2012 Elisandra Franzmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-really-really-want, netgalley, book-where-scary-things-happen, books-about-dystopia, books-about-the-supernatural, books-about-vampires, books-from-2012, books-that-brings-me-tears, books-with-a-kick-ass-lead-characte, dystopian-reading-chalenge-2012, reading-challenge-2012, the-awesomeness-of-the-author-made, books-hot, books-reviwed, books-with-five-stars-review, books-with-forbidden-love

Reviewed on 5/06/2012

The man crouches down in front of the little girl and look at her with concern in his eyes.
“Daddy.” Says the little girl. “Where’s Bob?”
“Baby,” The man says with a heavy sigh. “He is gone.”
“When he is coming back?” Asks the little girl with a confuse expression.
“He’ll never come back.” The man gently runs his fingers over her chick in a comforting gesture. “You killed him.”
The little girl gasps and shakes her head. “No.”
“Baby, you took him out of his home and he is not like...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Vinaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, books-i-loved, dystopian-fiction, favorites, hmm-that-was-interesting, i-ll-stalk-you-til-you-read-it, post-apocalyptic-fiction, speshul-snowflake, the-real-5-star-deal, wish-that-was-me, ya-fantasy

WARNING: INTENSE FANGIRLING TO FOLLOW (run away while you still can!)

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This book was SO. AWESOME. It was nothing at all like I expected it to be, but I think that actually made the reading experience more interesting.

First off, I promise I will not make any Twitard references, no matter how strong the temptation. And believe you me, it will be almost irresistible. As a lot of reviewers have mentioned before me, Kagawa takes vampires back to their original, scary, monstrous selves... or does she?

S...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, vampires, paranormal-uf, 2012, wtf-sexism

3.5
I've been reluctant to start a Julie Kagawa book ever since I heard the heroine of her Fey series described as "weak" and "constantly in need of saving", they're simply not the kind of heroines I like to read about. However, there was something in me that just couldn't ignore this whole dystopia + vampires thing she's got going on here. I guess it doesn't matter how many shitty paranormal books I read, or how much I hate Twilight, I think I'll always be that girl who grew up on Buffy - give...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Sandra Howard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-love, favorites, first-on-series, vampire-love, young-adult

What do you get when you mix dystopia and vampires together? You get THE IMMORTAL RULES!

The Immortal Rules has got to be one of the best vampire books out there. I mean it was unique yet it still managed to stay true to the original concept of vampires. I don’t hate sparkly vampires because they introduced my to the YA genre but the vamps here in Immortal Rules were bad, fierce and I love it. I seriously adore it.

The Immortal Rules was set in a world where vampires ruled over the humans.
They use...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Blythe rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who have lost faith in vampire books

Shelves: pal-challenges, netgalley-edelweiss-arc, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, readalong, gimme-the-next-book, read-reviewed, didn-t-see-that-coming, hand-me-some-tissues, 2012-reads

You are a monster. You will always be a monster—there is no turning back from it. But what type of monster you become is entirely up to you.

The Immortal Rules is not for everyone.

Luckily, it was so for me.

The Immortal Rules is a great book, and quite possibly my favorite vampire book (but keep in mind I haven't read many). It's pretty slow to start, and it really didn't have me engaged up until 30% or so, and from that point up until 75%, I thought I was in love. It seems I'm one of the few pe...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance-fiction, favorites, young-adult, e-books, cover-lust, four-stars, arcs, owned

ARC supplied by NetGalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

To be re-reviewed.

*sigh*

I love this book so badly.

I will admit I am a total obsessed fangirl and groupie of Julie's. But that doesn't mean that her starts get instant 5-stars ~~even though most of them should~~.

But THE IMMORTAL RULES is just... so... good... I knew Julie wouldn't fail us with a vampire story. She brought vampires back to favor from the abomination that is Twilight.

This novel is filled with: kick-ass vam...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Nessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review, fiction

I can already hear the groans. Some of which are escaping from my mouth.

'A vampire dystopia? Oh for the love of... You're kidding me, right? That's never going to work without being a huge rip-off of Daybreakers.'

Don't get me wrong, I love vampires, and I love dystopian novels. I just never thought that they would go together. And while I am not yet acquainted with Julie Kagawa's rather popular Iron Fey series (probably because the only copy in my local bookshop has a little 'IF YOU LOVED TWILIG...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Mimi Valentine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, 5-star, best-of-2012, boys-i-wish-were-real, pure-awesomeness, reviewed

Holy sweet goodness... There's a reason why the world loves Julie Kagawa and this is IT. Her writing is flawless; her creativity is out of this world. She could probably write about flying chickens and it would still be amazing!

The first thing you have to know is that this book can hardly be compared to The Iron Fey series because they're so DIFFERENT (in the best possible way!). The only things that remain constant are Julie's talents for writing, fantastic world-building, and creating a cast...more

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Apr 25, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc, netgalley-e-book

Allie is a seventeen-year old girl living in a world where vampires are the rulers and humans are like cattle, to be owned and used. In this world you can live as a registered human, where you are obligated to give twice monthly blood donations in exchange for “protection” and food rations or you can live as an unregistered in the Fringe and fend for yourself. Allie has chosen the latter. She’d rather scrap on her own than be the property of vampires. Allie lives with a rag-tag group of unregist...more Allie is a seventeen-year old girl living in a world where vampires are the rulers and humans are like cattle, to be owned and used. In this world you can live as a registered human, where you are obligated to give twice monthly blood donations in exchange for “protection” and food rations or you can live as an unregistered in the Fringe and fend for yourself. Allie has chosen the latter. She’d rather scrap on her own than be the property of vampires. Allie lives with a rag-tag group of unregistered, barely getting by, and most of the time starving. When supplies are low, Allie goes outside of the city gates to search for more food. You thought being in the city with the vamps was bad. Well, it’s the lesser of two evils because lurking beyond the gates is what they call rabids. Creatures turned mad by a plague that wiped out the world as we know it 60 yrs ago. Her decision to go beyond ends in some tragic consequences. She is faced with the choice of dying for good or dying and coming back as a vampire, that which she hates most. Allie chooses “life” and the vampire that turns her,takes it upon himself to teach her “The Immortal Rules.” What she needs to know to leave her human life behind and start surviving as a vampire.

This is not the normal vampire story we see today. The vampires in this story are the bad guys. It sort of reminded me of the relationships between humans and vampires in the Morganville Vampire series. Then we have the "rabids" which remind me of stronger, faster, crazier zombies. Super scary! A scene with these creatures had my blood pumping from the suspense! There were parts, in the beginning, of the story, that were nail-biting scary.

I liked Allie’s character, that she wouldn’t take crap, even from someone bigger and stronger than her, like Rat. She's sort of bad-ass even before being a vampire! In the beginning of this book, Allie is not very likable to me. I can't say that I blame her for her attitude. Caring for another person can get you killed. Ironically, it's when Allie dies, and becomes a vampire that she finds a heart, and a reluctant connection to the people around her. She uses the strength she gains as a vampire to benefit others more than herself. Some of the action scenes made me think of Underworld, which, yay! I loved that movie. The romance is this is not of the "insta-love" variety but I'm not sure I'm completely convinced yet. This is not a huge problem in this story because frankly, it plays a small part, which is okay. I think a lot of foundation is being laid in this, and we'll get more romance in the next installment. I would've liked to know more of Kanin's past, I found myself fascinated with his character. Hopefully, we'll get more answers in book two. And then onto the ending, wow, is all I can say.

I liked this story better than Kagawa's Fey Series. I'm not a huge fan of fey books to begin with, so that may play a role in my preference. I think this was a great action packed start and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read this. (less)

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Apr 03, 2012 Eunice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: out-2012, young-adult, vampires, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, dystopian-postapocalyptic

4.5 stars

If there is one thing I wanted in a book to remain traditional, it’s the concept about vampires. To be honest my impression about vampires where somewhat destroyed after the Twilight hype. So you see, I've only read very very few. But since this is Julie Kagawa we're talking here, I know I have to read this even though I was feeling some doubts since it's a vampire book. But after being devoured by her Iron Fey series, I trust she could give justice about our vampires and well, I was ab...more 4.5 stars

If there is one thing I wanted in a book to remain traditional, it’s the concept about vampires. To be honest my impression about vampires where somewhat destroyed after the Twilight hype. So you see, I've only read very very few. But since this is Julie Kagawa we're talking here, I know I have to read this even though I was feeling some doubts since it's a vampire book. But after being devoured by her Iron Fey series, I trust she could give justice about our vampires and well, I was absolutely glad she did! She even stuck on its original and traditional concept of vampires - no fancy, sparkly stuffs but also added a very original and modern plot about it. It was an awesome work and I was definitely astounded. Julie Kagawa never disappoints! Finally found a very good vampire series that I'd surely be looking forward for more.

What this book has to offer: original concepts about vampires, original and engaging plot, Asian heroine, katana (yeah, this one absolutely), kick-ass fighting skills, gruesome scenes (that too!) and bad-ass heroes (Zeke and Kanin! Yay!). Wouldn't you just loved a book if it can offer you all those? Hell yeah! Although I would say that I wasn't instantly devoured, slowly and surely it did as it showed what awesome things it has to offer as the story progressed.

I'd be honest, I wasn't instantly attached to the book when I started reading it and I wasn't also to Allison. Until during the latter parts of the Part I, I wasn't that sure if I loved her character. Although I had enjoyed the turn of events, Allison grew just a bit slowly on me. But still I wouldn't deny that she was a kick-ass heroine! With that katana and awesome fighting skills to kill chiropterans - oh I mean, rabids and nasty vampires, of course, I still end up liking her.

I love how Kagawa showed Allison's struggles after becoming a vampire and what a vampire really is, monsters that will always crave for human blood - no alternatives. So one way or another Allison has to drink on someone. Which made it very conflicting though I was glad she did it that way, she showed that that just how vampire had always been and Allison even though has a lot of very good intentions and had still clung on some of her humanity after being turned was not a goody goody prefect sparkly vampire. She's a monster and eventually would kill someone but could choose what type of monster she could become. I love it that Kagawa didn't gloss the bads about vampires but still was able to gave us something that we could hold on, that there's something we could still really like about them despite what the really were. And for that Kagawa made a very admirable heroine and also a wonderful story.

It was pretty long though but everything went smoothly, gripping, exciting and thrilling. I definitely enjoyed the fighting scenes and yeah, those times with Kanin! As for the romance, well, what more can you expect from Julie Kagawa? Of course it was a really good one. I adore Zeke! He's an admirable character, he's a genuinely kind and takes very good care of everything. The romantic development was really good, not rush and definitely not an insta-love. I love how Allison and Zeke slowly learned and knew one another and saw the best and worst about them and eventually learning to care and trust each other. Although it was a bit sad it was really satisfying but of course I'd be expecting more in the next book. And yeah, more of Kanin too!

Julie Kagawa never really fail to impress me. And I am once again stunned by one of her awesome masterpiece. Yes, I can say there were some parts I din't like but I am willing to overlook those because the overall of the story was absolutely great and the character are well, fantastic especially Kanin. LOL! It seems like I'm squeezing Kanin's name in every paragraph of this review, but well, I love him! I love Zeke too but it was Kanin who had me! Haha! Oh well, anyway, I would definitely recommend this. A stunning and wonderful read, absolutely! XD

Thanks to Harlequin Teen and Netgalley for providing an advance copy! :))

This review is also posted at Book Overdose (less)

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Dec 11, 2012 Haleema rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those folks who would enjoy a good tale about how vampires don't sparkle

Shelves: vamps-in-the-house, damn-good-writing, das-deep, hello-handsome, ninja-paced, heart-wrenching, 50-50, wasn-t-as-cool-as-i-expected

Beware of spoilers!

3.5 stars

No, no! Worry not. This will certainly not be a depressing review just about me thinking how this book wasn't awesomesauce! Trust me... I'll get to that, though. I still have a lot of things I liked about it as well. Let's get started. *makes a Nutella sandwich for herself*

First off, I have to mention this. I think I just read a proper, nearly accurate young adult book about vampires. I'd also like to say that I'm glad she made the decision to write a vampire book in...more

10 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Michele (Reading Lark/CanadianTwiMom) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, vampires, arc, favourite-epic, reading-lark, own-it, net-galley, dark-gothic, double, hardcover, fictional-crush, fav-author, horror, futuristic-setting, mature-ya, read-more-than-once

You can also find my review on Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.ca/2012/0...

Note: Read it twice now and loved it even more the second time around! Onto The Eternity Cure!!

Originally read March 6-14, 2012

Ingenious and EPIC!

If you had any doubt that Julie Kagawa was capable of writing something just as spectacular as The Iron Fey, those doubts would be a waste of time. Once again, Julie has spun her magic and turned out something purely golden with this new dark and gritty tale about vamp...more

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: harlequin, 2012-publication, april, pn-vampires, ebook-egalley, poc, asian, action-packed, young-adult, read-2012

3.5 stars Liked, but didn't quite love, although I think a lot of readers will go crazy over this one. There's a preview chapter for the Iron Fey spinoff at the end too, Julie Kagawa fans!

Review to come.

17 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Bonnie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, ya, pn-vampires, arcs-read, netgalley

3.5 stars

Big thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this!

'There will come a time when the road before you splits, and you must decide your path. Will you choose to become a demon with a human face, or will you fight your demon until the end of time, knowing you will forever struggle alone?'

Allison Sekemoto was a survivor living in the Fringe struggling to survive on a daily basis. Now that she's been turned and is now learning how to live as a vampire she's stru...more 3.5 stars

Big thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this!

'There will come a time when the road before you splits, and you must decide your path. Will you choose to become a demon with a human face, or will you fight your demon until the end of time, knowing you will forever struggle alone?'

Allison Sekemoto was a survivor living in the Fringe struggling to survive on a daily basis. Now that she's been turned and is now learning how to live as a vampire she's struggling to maintain her fleeting humanity. Allison intrigued me in the first part of this novel with her strength and her constant persistence to stay as human as possible. The Immortal Rules compared to most vampire stories was vastly different as Allison was sympathetic towards the human race despite the fact that she relied on them in order to stay alive. In that same sense it reminded me a lot of Warm Bodies and how R cared for the human race, or Julie in particular. It's an interesting and original take on a consistently similar story but, I didn't fall completely head over heels for it. I think for me the main issue was that she was almost too humane to be a 'credible' vampire and I missed the typical bad-ass vampire.

I felt that after the interesting start, when Allison and Kanin part ways and she discovers a group of human survivors seeking a place they call 'Eden', what followed was easily the books lowest point as it was in desperate need of some excitement. The story really lost its hold on me during this time and it took me several days to get through it. After getting a small glimpse of Kanin in the beginning I kept waiting for him to make another appearance in order to spice things up. I just had a hard time understanding her attachment to this group of people and why she never decided to go back to Kanin. The group reminded me of some creepy religious cult-type group much like the one in Ashes. It was inevitable that she be discovered as a vampire and I didn't understand the insistence that she stick around in order to make sure that the group remained safe since the majority of them were incredibly unlikable people and were constantly rude to her. I suppose this was just another facet of her attempting to keep a hold on her humanity.

The ending was a bit lackluster but fortunately didn't leave off with an enormous cliffhanger. Will I continue this trilogy? More than likely. I went into this book naturally comparing it to the Iron Fey and was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like any of the books in that series (which was a good thing as I wasn't the hugest fan of that series) but I was still hoping for something more but more of what I'm not completely positive.

______________________________________________________________

Mine at last!!!!!!!!!

(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-5-stars, apocalyptic-or-dystopian, arc, horror, paranormal, vampires, young-adult, read-in-2012

Lackluster mash-up of vampires & post-apocalyptic elements, 2.5 stars

In Julie Kagawa’s new BLOOD OF EDEN series, the future is a place of loss and fear: most humans have died due to a world-wide plague and those who remain are controlled by vampire lords in guarded cities. Allie scrapes out a life on the edge of society as one of the humans beyond notice of the vampires. But after she is attacked, she must make a decision: die or become that which she despises? In her new form, Allie must ba...more
Lackluster mash-up of vampires & post-apocalyptic elements, 2.5 stars

In Julie Kagawa’s new BLOOD OF EDEN series, the future is a place of loss and fear: most humans have died due to a world-wide plague and those who remain are controlled by vampire lords in guarded cities. Allie scrapes out a life on the edge of society as one of the humans beyond notice of the vampires. But after she is attacked, she must make a decision: die or become that which she despises? In her new form, Allie must battle between blood lust and humanity, especially as her journey takes her outside the city walls and joins her with a ragtag group of humans searching for a promised land free from vampires.

Though I went into The Immortal Rules with high hopes, I was left disappointed. Kagawa’s writing or style wasn’t bad, but neither ever grabbed me. The book also seemed too long for the tale it tells, and the premise didn’t feel very inspired. The book simply felt like a mash-up of what’s “hot” right now (vampires + pseudo-zombies + post-apocalyptic/dystopian). When the vampire or post-apocalyptic elements did appear, they felt predicable. For example, Allie’s vampire sire seemed straight out of other vampire tales (the cool, collected one who is patrician and guarded), and Allie seemed too much like the generic “tough girl” character so often seen in dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels. Because she was supposed to be so strong and hardened, some of the characterization used to describe her also didn’t feel right, like Allie’s concern for a needy, demanding refugee and her soft, reticent feelings about being kissed. The action, when it did occur, was often brutal and harrowing, but it wasn’t enough to keep me reading quickly for nearly 500 pages. The main character and those she cared about (or those who moved the plot forward) escaped true damage too easily and too often for me to be able to suspend disbelief.

On the positive side, this book might be great for Kagawa fans who are looking for her to do something darker than her Iron Fey series. The story is gritty and dark, and it doesn’t flinch at depicting gruesomely violent or harsh circumstances. The plot also includes some interesting ideas about vampirism as a disease, and the mix of that with an element of religious fanaticism among the surviving humans drew me in more during the latter half of the book.

On the whole, though, The Immortal Rules didn’t have enough positive points to make me ignore the predictability or slow pace. Despite that, I hope this book finds a warmer reception with those who like her writing or are looking for a tale that combines elements from some of today’s most popular genres.

Note: Though I didn’t take this into account in my review, I have to mention the white-washing of the cover. The main character, Allison Sekemoto, is repeatedly described as Asian, but the cover model is not.

**This review refers to an advance review copy.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

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Crazy for Young A...: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa → Start Date: June 14th, 2013	21	17	May 18, 2013 07:36am
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YA Writers and Re...: Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa	3	6	May 10, 2013 02:07pm
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KANIN!!! <3	55	223	May 07, 2013 05:40pm
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The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

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