The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)

by Julie Kagawa

[inlibrisveritas]

To all of those who know me personally it's common knowledge that I am a huge vampire fan. As a toddler it was the plastic vampire teeth, and then as soon as I was old enough the vampire movies and then when I hit high school I practically absorbed anything remotely related to the fanged creatures. So by this point in my life I've become some what picky in the vampire books I deem to be favorites, I have standards that a good deal of the newer books just can't stand up to.If you look at my Goodreads shelf for vampire books, the 5 stars are usually reserved for books like Dracula or Anne Rice.

So when I saw that Kagawa had a vampire book coming out I was eager to get started. I've only been able to read one her books, The Iron King, and I fell in love with her rich story telling and how vivid everything was. So I had expectations.

She surpassed everything I expected and gave me so much more. This is probably one of the best young adult vampire books I've ever read. It's written in such a rich and detailed way that you have no trouble sinking right into the world presented. The world has been ravaged by a deadly virus that has turned a good deal of the population into terrifying, mindless and blood thirsty predators called Rabids and the remaining human population are now under the rule of the Vampires, who are just as blood thirsty and terrifying. These are not the soft hearted vampires that people have become so accustomed to, these are vampires that only see humans as blood cattle and will take whatever they want. These are the vampires I love, they are first and foremost predators by nature and they are something to be wary of. The world itself is pretty chilling when it comes down to it, there is little left and the cities are in ruins. The people don't remember who they were before the virus or how far they had advanced in technology. The story itself is really interesting and pretty original, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I started reading. I actually had to avoid reading it if I had anything to do because I'd end up reading for hours on end and then none of my work would get done.

The characters are detailed and have a great amount of depth to them, even the minor characters. Allison Sekemoto, or Allie, is a fantastic main character and one awesome kick butt female. Right from the being she's brave in her thoughts and actions, and very smart. She has her moments of self doubt and even faces those sheer sobering moments that really put things back into perspective, but she manages to hold it together and stand strong. Not to mention it's nice to see a main character who isn't afraid to get their hands (fangs and katanas) dirty. Then there is Kannin, who I may have developed a bit of a crush on. He's mysterious and there is clearly more to his story, so of course I'm dying to know more about him. Ezekiel Crosse, Zeke, is also a fantastic character and surprisingly I didn't get tired of him like I do with most human "side kicks". He's a genuinely good guy and his emotions are well thought out. He's not over protective, or reckless, and he's not completely head over heels in love that I can't see danger. I actually enjoyed his part in this story and none of it felt forced. Allie's relationship with him felt completely genuine.

At this point you should know I'm going to recommend it. If you love vampires with a bite then you should definitely pick up a copy of this when it hits shelves.

I received this from Harlequin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.