Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on
Our protagonist is Allie Sekemoto and she lives on the outer fringe of a vampire city. Her home is an abandon school. She resides there, with a couple of other orphans, and together they scavenge for food. Their world is not safe; they are cold, hungry and live in fear of things that move quietly in the night. When food becomes scarce, Allie leaves the safety of the city to hunt for food. During an attempt to bring food back into the city, Allie is attacked by rapids. She is offered the chance to live…by becoming the one thing she despises the most; a Vampire. Unable to return to her old life, she sets out into the unknown. The tale that unfolds is dark and beautifully written. It has elements of romance and horror. It is both captivating and terrifying. When you open up the pages and step into this world Kagawa has created, be prepared to let the rest of the world slip away. The climactic ending was exciting and heartbreaking. I am anxious to continue this series.
The characters rocked and had depth; even the secondary characters caught my attention. Allie is brave, intelligent and caring despite all that has happen to her. Her opinions of herself waiver and at times I wanted to shake her. I felt that if she could see how others perceive her, she’d hold her head up high. Yet, that is exactly what she does in the face of fear, she reacts and protects. With every challenge, every defeat, she gets up brushes herself off, and marches on. I am anxious to watch this young protagonist grow into the kick-ass warrior that Kagawa so brilliantly shows us glimmers of. Kannin is the vampire who saved Allie and the minute I met him I was smitten. He is tall, dark, handsome, powerful and mysterious. The seeds Kagawa plants regarding his story intrigued me, and left me wanting more. Ezekiel Crosse, referred to as Zeke is the son of a preacher man who travels with a group seeking an all human city. I liked Zeke and he exhibits all the qualities of a swoon worthy love interest. He is handsome, strong, brave, sensitive, caring and respectful. He takes Allie under his wing and befriends her as they travel. His acts of kindness without expectations shocked Allie. The romance that developed was perfect, sad, sweet and genuine. There was no insta-love here and it progressed at a refreshingly normal pace. I became emotionally invested in Allie and Zeke. I love a good tale with a side of romance and Immortal Rules delivered.
The world-building and writing style of Kagawa was impressive. The world she has created gave me shivers and the back story left me satisfied, and yet left me craving more. The world outside of the vampire cities reminded me of Manhattan in Partials and the wilds of Pandemonium. I found her take on vampires to be refreshing and unique. This is a dark tale and you will find no Edwards here. The vampires do not hide and are to be feared. Kagawa's words flowed from pen to page and not a single word was wasted. Her imagery placed me right in the tale, and I experienced everything with the characters. I could see and smell the tunnels and the creatures that dwell there. My heart raced as we were pursued by the rapids. The picture she paints of the towns overrun with weeds, the cracked and raised streets, the tossed homes, the dead. It all felt surreal. The action-packed twists and turns had me on edge. The way in which she ended this first novel sent my emotions on a tilt-a-whirl from elation to sorrow. It wasn’t a cliff-hanger BUT it was a cliff-hanger and that's all I am saying.
I want to thank Harlequin Teen and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 5 April, 2012: Finished reading
- 5 April, 2012: Reviewed
- Started reading
- 5 April, 2012: Finished reading
- 5 April, 2012: Reviewed