Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire 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 is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
I was wary of reading another vampire book, but there were so many positive reviews of THE IMMORTAL RULES, and I've enjoyed Julie Kagawa's other writing, so I decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed!
Here is a character who just refuses to give up on life--or afterlife, for that matter. Her heart and inner strength are something to admire. She's been told she has no choice but to embrace the monster she has become, that caring for humans is pointless. They are nothing but prey to her now, and whether she wants to or not, she will always have to give in to the Hunger.
But Allie refuses to believe that. She winds up traveling with a group of humans, people she grows to like and care for, people she calls friends. She keeps her secret, fighting like hell against the monster within her, believing she can retain some part of her humanity. But the Hunger is always there, growing more powerful every day, and her friends are starting to look like food...
As for the ending, THE IMMORTAL RULES has the kind of cliffhanger I like. Not the type that draws you to the edge of the cliff and suddenly drops away, leaving you dangling in the middle of some major revelation, achingly desperate to know what happens next. No, it was the kind where you feel that most of the story has been wrapped up nicely for now, even though you know there's more coming and you're keen to find out what it is.
(ebook received from NetGalley)
