Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Released Date: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.
*Goodreads Blurb*

MY REVIEW

There is a saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But I don’t always agree with it. I mean, I judge books (some of them) by their covers. And that’s what attracted me to this wonderful book, even more than its enticing blurb.

Did I say this book is wonderful? 

Sure, it is.

Sixty years ago, civilization was hit by a plague – Red Lung. This plague reduced the human population, thereby causing chaos everywhere. A good opportunity for the vampires, who came out from their hiding and began their rule over the humans left. As a human in this new dark world, you’re either a Registered or an Unregistered. Being a Registered has its privileges. You get to eat good food, you live in good conditions. But then every two weeks you have to submit a portion of your blood to the vampires. You fail to do that and you’ll be dead. As an Unregistered, you have no privileges. You don’t exist in the society, you’re on your own, and if you’re ever caught stealing from the vampires or a Registered, you would be hanged.

What a harsh world!

It isn’t harsh yet. Hear this: outside the vampire cities is a deserted world overrun by the rabids. These guys aren’t your regular zombies; these guys are faster and are more vicious. You’d definitely prefer becoming a vampire's dinner than running into them.

Allison Sekemoto is one of the Unregistereds. She survives in the fringe by scavenging with her crew of three scrawny boys. One night she and her friends leave the city of New Covington to scavenge in the ruins, and on their way back, they’re attacked by the rabids. The attack is brutal; it leaves her friends dead and her on the brink of death. Then a lone vampire appears and gives her a choice to either let him transform her or let the wounds of the rabids kill her off. Allie hates the vamps, everything about them, but when faced with such a grim choice, she decides on the transforming. It’s always been in her nature to survive, even if it meant becoming “something she loathed.”

And thus begins the story of Allison’s new life as a blood sucker, a demon, a monster, a VAMPIRE.

The Immortal Rules is quite voluminous and is divided into four parts, narrated by Allison:

1. Human: This part tells the story of Allison’s life in the fringe and stops where she is turned into a vampire.
2. Vampire: Allison’s new life begins. She learns more about her new self and trains with her master, Kanin, who teaches her how to survive.
3. Monster: An “incident” makes Allison to leave New Convington and she begins to find her way in the forests, the ruins, discovering a world she never knew existed. Here she must learn to control the demon inside her or it would overcome her, thereby causing havoc to her new friends.
4. Wanderer: An “incident” makes Allison to part with her friends.

The Immortal Rules is my first Julie Kagawa read, and I loved it. The vampire plus post-apocalyptic elements in the book made me enjoy it even more. I liked Ms. Kagawa’s writing style, and I liked Allison’s narrative voice, sometimes tough, sometimes soft, and wholly realistic. The book feels like a journey, and you can’t help but think along with Allison when she makes certain choices. Sometimes you feel pity for her, sometimes you’re mad at her, other times you just understand her. And then like all good books, sometimes you ask yourself, “What would I do if I was in that situation?”

The world building is awesome. I loved the ruins, the abandoned cities, the fallen skyscrapers, the waterlogged cities, the yards crawling with weed, the rooms overrun by rats, the cracked streets filled with abandoned vehicles. Imagine a head of deer running about in a city. Sometimes reading the book felt like watching a movie. You feel as if you’re right there beside Allison, taking in the view of a post-apocalyptic world.

On characters, The Immortal Rules has a wide, memorable cast. There’s Zeke aka Ezekiel Crosse, the kind-hearted boy, who sticks up for everyone, though I felt he was too good, and I hated that he always tried to impress Jeb aka Jebbadiah Crosse, Zeke’s father. Jeb felt more real than his adopted son, Zeke. He’s a tough, fanatical, no-nonsense character. Sometimes I hated him, sometimes I liked him. And if there’s one character I wish I could enter the book and yell at, it must be Ruth. Ruth is so annoying; she pries on people’s affair, and she’s jealous and sometimes pessimistic. But she felt very real to me. I think she’s even more memorable than Zeke. And then there’s Kanin, Allison’s master or “sire,” a mysterious character. I liked him because his mysteriousness, although you don’t get to see him again after the first half of the book.

Overall, I’d say The Immortal Rules is a good book. It doesn’t only entertain but also draws you in and makes you ask questions. The pacing is quite slow in some places, but it has plenty action. I mean a lot of action. Did I mention that Allison is a kick-ass protagonist, the girl with a katana, who slashes the rabids like she’s cutting vegetables? And the ending! Oh, man I loved the ending. I wish I could talk about it without leaving any spoilers. That ending left me feeling like I’d just seen a good movie.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a vampire/apocalyptic/dystopian YA novel. I’ve seen good reviews on the second book, The Eternity Cure, and I hope I’ll read it soon.

And so, here goes my five stars (*****) to The Immortal Rules.

Feature and Follow #11 - I Broke up with that Series

Happy Friday, everyone!

Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me. The general the rules are:

•  Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}

•  Follow the Featured Bloggers

•  Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

•  Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.

•  Follow Follow Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"

•  If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers. Thanks!!

Here’s this week's question: Have you broken up with a series? If so which one and why

Honestly, I haven’t read so many series. I usually read single books, so I can’t think of any series I’ve broken up with. Currently, I’m in the middle of these series: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Legend by Marie Lu, and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. They’re awesome, and I don’t think I’m going to break up with them. Besides, I’m caught in a love triangle between Beatrice Prior and Allison Sekemoto. *winks*

So, that’s it. How about you? Which series have you broken up with? And why?

With GFC going away please follow via BlogLovin, RSS, or Email.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by. And don't forget to leave your link in the comments section below so I can follow back!

Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend (Legend #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Released Date: November 29th 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
*Goodreads Blurb*

MY REVIEW

Legend is set in futuristic Los Angeles, now a Republic at war with its neighbors. Did I enjoy this book?

Yes, I did.

I was captivated from the beginning, and the opening sentence is one of the best I’ve ever read: My mother thinks I’m dead.

I was hooked.

And the second sentence makes you even want to read more: Obviously I’m not dead, but it’s safer for her to think so.

Why is it safer for her to think so? You have to read this amazing book to find out for yourself.

Legend is action-packed, has lots of suspense, the plot is fast-paced, the writing is good, and it has a little touch of romance. Well, I was happy I wasn’t reading another Romance novel categorized as YA. The book is written from the point of view of two characters: Day, the most wanted criminal in The Republic; June, prodigy of The Republic, only citizen with perfect scores (1500) in the Trials. Even though I thought the world building lacked in some aspects, I still loved the book, still had mental pictures of the settings in my head. I loved being taken to the streets of the Lake sector, a place I can as well call ‘The Ghetto’.  The street life kept reminding me of Dickens’ Oliver Twist and James Colliers’ Chipper, except that characters in this one were older.

I loved the POV switch between June and Day. It lets you know what’s going on in their heads. If the book were written from the POV of Day only, I think I’d hate June. I didn’t have any problem with recognizing each character, although Day’s narrative was printed in bold letters.

Day’s voice is that of a tough, bad-boy, street-hardened guy, while June’s is softer, contemplative, and strong-willed. Both characters are resilient, but if I have to choose who I liked best, then I guess it’s Day. I admire his sacrificial spirit, always been there to help his family. And that’s another thing I loved about this book – the close family ties. I cared so much about it.

Legend has other lovable characters. There’s Tess, Day’s sidekick. She’s younger, vulnerable, and near-sighted. But she’s strong. She knows how well to fix an injury with bandages. I cared for her just like I cared for the main characters. Then there’s Kaide, another tough girl, who gets into skiz fights. And I liked John, Day’s older brother, who supports and is very protective of his family.

If there’s something I didn’t like about Legend, then it’s the world-building. I wish I had more mental images in my head like I do when reading other good YA Dystopia books. I also thought the word-count was too low, compared to other YA Dystopia novels.

I can’t wait to read Prodigy. But I hope it’s more enjoyable than Legend. That being said, I present my five Stars (*****) to Legend, and I commend Marie Lu for this wonderful debut. I’m also looking forward to the movie.

Movie?

Yeah, I think it’s typical of good YA Dystopian books.

Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2)
Author: Veronica Roth
Released Date: March 1st 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
*Goodreads Blurb*


                                                                     MY REVIEW
Honestly, I didn’t enjoy INSURGENT as much as I enjoyed DIVERGENT. It would have been a perfect read, but I had some issues with it. I won’t talk about those issues now; first I’ll talk about what I liked in the book.

INSURGENT is one book filled with surprises and a lot of revelations about the dystopian world and characters the author created. After imagining what some of the other factions might look like and how the people live inside them, I get to experience it myself here. I was transported to the Amity, then the Factionless, then the Candor, and finally to the Erudite. I was also brought back to the Abnegation. Thus it feels like I’ve lived in all of these factions. The author describes each scene so well I could picture everything in my head. The writing is good, the sentences and paragraphs flows so well, and the pace is fast – I kept turning pages after pages even after deciding I would stop, do something else and then continue reading again.

My disappointment, however, were the two main characters, those two people who made me fall in love with the first book, that kick-ass heroine and the mysterious, quiet guy: Tris and Four (He’s referred to Tobias almost throughout the whole book, but I prefer the name Four) I felt like Tris and Four were replaced by completely different people. Yes, I know that characters in a book, especially in a series, ought to go through some changes. But they seemed to develop into characters I wouldn’t care to read about. Four changes from the cool guy he was in the first book to some annoying guy here. He keeps secrets from the girl he loves, he’s always angry with her, he always screams at her, even though he knows all what she has passed through. He just wasn’t the supportive and cool guy I liked in the first book. Also, he was more like a secondary character in this one.

Tris is worse. I was put off by her too much whining. She is quite different from the tough, resilient character I got to know in the first book. Yeah, I know it’s hard to get over the death of your loved ones, and it’s harder to put guilt behind you’ve killed a friend, but at some point you just have to put everything behind you and move on, considering the kind of dangerous society you live in, and considering the fact that a lot of people want you dead. Tris was so full of indecision in this one, and I wondered whether she’d borrowed the traits of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. At some point I felt like screaming at her, “Come on, Tris. Pick up that gun and shoot at your enemies!” I hope she’d have gotten over the guilt trip in the next book, if not I’m never, ever going to forgive her.

Also, I didn’t like Tris' over-recklessness in this one. She keeps putting herself in danger even when she doesn’t need to. Four says it better here: “I love Tris the Divergent, who makes decisions apart from faction loyalty, who isn’t some faction archetype. But the Tris who’s trying as hard as she can to destroy herself … I can’t love her.”

Yes, Tris, I can’t like you when you keep reminding me that you’re just a character in a book. I liked you better in the first book, where you felt so real to me. Concentrate on the external conflict, instead of allowing the conflict inside you to consume you.

Somehow I think the tension between Tris and Four was overdone. She lies so much to him, and Four in turn keeps secrets from her. For much of this book, apart from the exciting action scenes, and the beautiful writing, Tris does nothing more than feel sorry for herself, or get into romantic quarrels with Four.

Despite my disappointment with the main characters, I’d say it’s a good read, and the action kept me going. The book ends in a cliffhanger, leaving me wanting more. But I can do nothing but wait for the third book, which has no title yet. I can only call it DETERGENT in the meantime.

Four Stars **** to INSURGENT.

Check out my review of DIVERGENT here.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent #1
Author: Veronica Roth
Released Date: May 3rd 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
*Goodreads Blurb*

Traditionally, I tend to give my rating after my review, but I'll go against conventions on this one. Divergent is a 5-Star read.

Why 5-stars?

Okay...

Firstly, the book is awesome. Why? Because when I read a book and I picture myself inside the world the author created, then I think the book awesome. The author did a good job in the world creating process. ONE STAR *

Secondly, the characters are captivating. Yeah, when I read a book and I begin to imagine myself chilling or chatting with any of the characters, it means that I really like those characters too well, and they feel so real to me, like real people, instead of like characters in a book. I don’t know what to say yet about having a dream where I saw myself amongst the Dauntless initiates. TWO STARS **

Thirdly, when I read a book and I begin to marvel at the story concept, then I say it’s a good book. Divergent is similar to The Hunger Games. Yeah, it’s true. But I think the similarities only ends in the first-person present tense narrative, young, independent, resilient female protagonist, and genre too. Divergent is unique on its own. Instead of the people being divided into districts like in The Hunger Games, the people in the book are divided into five factions, based on five virtues that each faction possesses: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). And there's another faction called the FACTIONLESS. I just loved the concept. Far different from being put in an arena where you fight and kill each other until one person is remaining. THREE STARS ***

Overall I’d say the story is captivating, the action and pace fast. There are good action scenes in this one, and I think the author excels there. The book is too visual; I could picture the whole world inside my head, and I like the way the author describes things. The dialogue is interesting, and the author sure knows how to weave in suspense, dropping necessary information when you least expect it. FOUR STARS ****

Yeah, I loved the book. FIVE STARS *****

Four is my favorite character in this one. I like him because he’s unpredictable, strong, and he’s even more intriguing and humane than Beatrice. Sometimes I imagined him being the protagonist. I thought the author also did a good job in creating convincing villains.

I recommend this book to anybody who wants to read about strong-willed protagonists and doesn't want to read about weak, dependent protagonists. Beatrice is one of the strongest female protagonists I've read, and she’s the perfect book girlfriend, even though she’s short, skinny, and not as pretty as other female protagonists I've read. But you don’t want to mess with her; she’s a kick-ass.

Happy Reading!