Book Review: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: April 24^th 2012

Length: 485 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, vampires, dystopian, romance

Source: Publisher

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."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.

Summary by Goodreads  

Julie Kagawa is famous for her best-selling THE IRON FEY series and she has already shown us that she has a vivid imagination and a fantastic sense for world building and story-telling. With THE IMMORTAL RULES, the first book in another series, she attempted something darker and different than her fey series. Immortality is a major hint at the main characters in her new book. You might have guessed it, they’re vampires!

THE IMMORTAL RULES is set in a future world ruled by vampires. And the vampires’ independence is the strength of this story. This time, they aren’t the ones who have to hide from humans and try their best to exist without being recognized. Julie Kagawa gave them the power, to rule over humans. A terrific scenario, allowing a gloomy and nightmarish atmosphere to underlay the story.

Allison Sekemoto is a teenager and human. But not for long. She’s living in one of these  vamp cities, not afraid, but always hungry and desperate to survive. Inside the city, there are vampires to worry about. Outside the wall, that’s surrounding the city, there are far worse creatures. Rabids. Highly infecting and…deadly. It only takes one unfortunate moment to end Allison’s life as a human. An attack. A choice. And a new life as a vampire.

Julie gave us the chance to meet Allison as a human and accompany her on her journey to a strong and blood-thirsty vampire. So THE IMMORTAL RULES mainly focuses on this important transformation and its impact on Allison's beliefs and further actions. Sadly that human/vampire confrontation results in a big part of the story feeling like a prologue, set at a rather leisurely pace, before the actual action sets in.

Most of the characters originally belong in a horror movie cast, so it seems. The ruling vampires are cruel masters without any trace of sympathy in their bodies. The rabids are mindless and dangerous creatures that tear you apart in a matter of seconds.

Beside these indicators of doom, there is still hope represented by a bunch of nomads. Allison joins up with them on their journey to find a cure to save humanity.

The ironic thing is that she leaves a place, in that she would have been recognized for her new vampire self, only to side with the humans who would want to see her dead if they knew what she is. An inner battle ensues and it will be difficult to supress her thirst for blood.

The group spends wide spans of time on the run, always fearing to be attacked by the dangers that lurk in the darkness and desert. That wandering can be understood as a way to find meaning, even though it gave the story a certain monotony that slowed things down a lot.  

Among the desolateness, a bright appearance promises to make life and the travels bearable for Allison and the reader. His name is Ezekiel, also Zeke or Zee. He is brave and selfless and exactly what we need. You see the danger in Allison developing romantic feelings for him. A vampire and a human in love. Not a conflict I haven’t encountered before, but yet one I wanted to be solved so badly. Allison and Zeke definitely belong together! 

Due to its extend, there are many many details that can't easily be discussed in a few sentences only. THE IMMORTAL RULES is a must-read for readers devoted to vampire stories. You've got some action, surprises of the better and worse kind and a really good plot to look forward to.

 

1) we cherish challenging romances without instant love

2) we can always hope for Eden

3) of its scary end time feel

4) of one of the best mentors

5) it's a new take on the vampire world 

4/5 **** THE IMMORTAL RULES – Existential and scary! A whole new stage of doom and thirst for blood are awaiting readers of this dark vampire saga.

I slowly fell in love with the  new vampire world Julie Kagawa invented.The story is divided into four parts, equaling particular chapters in Allison’s life. Reading THE IMMORTAL RULES felt like following the script for a video game. A lone hero on a conquest, against abominations of nature and fighting her way to freedom and victory.

* Enjoyed THE IMMORTAL RULES? Don’t miss the second book in the series, THE ETERNITY CURE, coming April 2013! 

* Read an excerpt of THE IMMORTAL RULES! 

* Click here to watch the book trailer. 

* For further information about Julie and her books, visit www.juliekagawa.com

* Thanks to Harlequin Teen for sending me a copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES for review!

Book Review: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1)

Author: Kasie West

Publisher: Haper Teen

Publishing Date: February 12^th 2013

Length: 352 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, romance, paranormal, crime, alternate future

Source: Edelweiss

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Summary by Goodreads 

PIVOT POINT is the first YA debut I’ve read in 2013 and I got something even better than I’d expected. I hadn’t heard much about Kasie West’s debut before, but that didn’t keep me from rushing through the book once I’d gotten my hands on a copy. Now I’m overly exalted that PIVOT POINT is finally out in the wild and that everyone gets a chance to read it!

The story is set in a city, a compound, which is home to a number of specially gifted humans. Its inhabitants possess certain abilities and are highly intelligent. They own advanced technologies and knowlegde in various fields which guarantee an enhanced way of living that needs to stay hidden from all the other people living outside the compound walls. 

The setting is fantastic, because it felt so seclusive, exclusive and like the perfect place to invent all the great new devices of tomorrow . It feels special, because it is contained and yet there is always a note of longing for the rest of the world.

Among other things,the term pivot point is used to analyse stock market fluctuations. In Kasie's novel, the pivot point describes the point at which Addie's story starts to take a different turn. It's about two alternate futures that could lay ahead of her. The only thing left for her to do, is choose the path she wants to live. And at exactly that point Addie finds herself after her parents annouce their divorce.Which way should she take? Stay with her mother or leave with her dad?

Giving Addie the talent to search her future is a brilliant way to draw the reader into the story. What is better than having two futures to choose from? I adored that play between many different possibilities. The concept of Addie's talent is impressing and the whole story very intriguing.

There are two love stories, as I’d expected a few chapters into the story. One can be found in Addie's future in which she stays with her mother, and the other is waiting to be discovered outside the compound. And these two boys, Duke and Trevor, are as different as the outcomes of her alternative futures.
Falling in love with Trevor was the best thing that could happen to Addie. He’s exactly the right guy for her. I fell in love with him even before Addie did. He’s comical, talented and artsy. Most important, Trevor puts Addie before his needs and he understands her in a way no other person does.

PIVOT POINT has the quality of a YA contemporary novel, Addie and Trevor finding to each other and slowly falling in love. But there is also a definite paranormal feel to the story, thanks to the compound and its people's gifts. The intricate and clever plus of PIVOT POINT is, that Kasie West added a crime aspect to the story by including a kind of murder mystery. It adds an investigative touch and requires Addie to solve the secrets around hurt football players around the country and the deaths of two young girls, who allegedly killed themselves. There is nothing else I could've wished for. PIVOT POINT equals awesome sauce in its entirety!

1) two alternate futures mean twice the fun 

2) of a real chance to be a superhero

3) of a compelling crime thread

4) of its fascinating compound setting

5) of the varied palette of mental abilities it has to offer

5/5 ***** PIVOT POINT – Mind-blowing and truly divergent!

I’m still marvelling at the brilliant possibilities of two future stories Kasie West enabled with the pivot point! I couldn’t decide which possible future of Addie I wanted to continue reading after each chapter, because they both had me glued to the book! If you want to get a good start into the 2013 debuts, begin with PIVOT POINT, it won’t disappoint!

* Be on the look-out for Kasie’s next novel, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, coming summer 2013! 

* Read an excerpt of PIVOT POINT here. 

* Want to meet Kasie West? Check out her event schedule! 

* For further information about Kasie West and her books visit www.kasiewest.com

* Thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for giving me a chance to review PIVOT POINT! 

Giveaway: Signed copy of Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

Here's your chance to win a copy of a much anticipated 2013 debut. And it's even signed by the author! BEING HENRY DAVID by Cal Armistead will be pulished March 1st by Albert Whitman Teen and should definitely on your wishlist if you are into YA contemporary.

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

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* You enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Being Henry David by Cal Armistead
* US/Can only
* The giveaway starts on February 13th and will end on February 28th. 
* Enter the rafflecopter widget!
* Good luck :) 



Tweet #BeingHenryDavid  to exchange your thoughts about Cal Armistead's Being Henry David. For further information about the author and her books, visit www.calarmistead.com 
Thanks to Michelle and Albert Whitman for providing me with a copy to give away.

Book Review: Finding Sky (Benedicts #1) by Joss Stirling

Title: Finding Sky (Benedicts #1)
Author: Joss Stirling
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publishing Date: October 7th 2010
Length: 308 pages

Keywords: YA, paranormal, romance, special talents, new girl, small town setting
Source: Publisher

When Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together.

When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?

Summary by Goodreads 

Soulmates, a concept of love and intimacy many people want to believe in to explain a pretty amazing bond between two people.When I started FINDING SKY I hoped for exactly that idea of soulmates unfolding and a cute romance between our protagonists to develop. Unfortunately both, Zed and Sky didn’t really grow on me.

From the beginning Zed is unfriendly and everything but courteous to Sky. Call it bad boy behaviour, but I just didn’t like it. She still starts to develop a crush on him based on his looks and the magnetic pull he has on her. And then at some point into the story the instant love finally sets in. I didn’t believe in them like in other couples, because he is suddenly totally into Sky and then she’s the one to decide to keep away. A Tug o’ war of stupidity.

I didn’t feel the connection between both characters, but that could’ve been because I didn’t feel a connection to Sky either. It doesn’t happen often that I dislike main characters that fast and determinedly, but sometimes it just doesn’t click. You probably know that phenomenon all too well. Sky was too innocent and childish for my taste to come across as a touch and admirable heroine. Every single of her conversations with other people and her parents felt like that, too, like explaining a little kid what it has to do.

What I liked about FINDING SKY are the different paranormal talents Sky, Zed and his family have. I’m always a fan of weird powers to goof around and save the world with. Then there are the antagonists who have powers of their own and who make the story a bit more interesting and less dragging.

The intricate leafy design on the cover continues to decorate every new chapter of FINDING SKY. A graphical plus that unfortunately doesn't help to enhance the book's week content.

 


1) nothing’s better than self-made Halloween costumes

2) of the miracle connection between soulmates

3) music helps you to express your feelings

4) small towns seem to attract problems

5)  of cool supernatural powers to goof around with

2/5 ** FINDING SKY- Soulmates with superpowers and a bunch of evil people against them, nothing new.

Another instant love, unconvincing leading characters and very slow story flow. You might still be interested in Joss Stirling’s concept of soulmates though. And FINDING SKY could be something for people who like music inspired books, because music’s also a large part of  Sky and Zed’s story.

 

 

* Did you enjoy FINDING SKY? Don’t miss STEALING PHOENIX!

* Read an excerpt of FINDING SKY. 

* Watch the book trailer. 

* Have a look at Joss’ inspirations for FINDING SKY! 

* Visit www.jossstirling.com for more information about Joss Stirling and her books. 

* Thanks to Oxford University Press for sending me a copy of FINDING SKY for review! 

 

New Books On My Shelf #61

I'm done with my exams and am finally back to blogging. I purchased awesome books in the past two weeks and can't wait to get started on them. Tell me, which one should I start first?

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer