Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis:
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.

Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Vampire
Source: Thanks very much to Harlequin Teen for making this title available on Netgalley.


Review:

I had very mixed feelings about this book and that made it hard to decide on the rating. It was very love/meh for me. I thought the beginning was amazing! The world is awesome, the vampires are scary and there is plenty of action. The middle really dragged for me...and it being a long book, there was a lot of middle. Then the end gears back up and is also awesome and amazing. As far as the characters go, I really liked Allie. She's a decisive fighter type girl when she is first introduced. As her...moreI had very mixed feelings about this book. It was very love/meh for me. I thought the beginning was amazing! The world is awesome, the vampires are scary and there is plenty of action. The middle really dragged for me...and it being a long book, there was a lot of middle. Then the end gears back up and is also awesome and amazing. As far as the characters go, I really liked Allie. She's a decisive fighter type girl when she is first introduced. As her character evolves she is less sure of her path, but still holds to her core values. And she's still very . . . fighter-y :) Her mentor, Kanin, was one of the more interesting characters to me. He's not in the book a whole lot, but he makes an impact. Then there's Zeke. I liked Zeke. Zeke's a good guy. BUT, especially compared to Allie, he came off kind of wimpy to me. I think this is a book a lot of people will love. It's a very cool vampire book with a unique story. For me there were just a lot of slow parts. Of course like I mentioned before, the last 50 pages of the book made sure I'll be reading the next one.

Netgalley Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Synopsis:
Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Genre: Vampire, Paranormal, Dystopian, Young Adult
Source: Thanks so much to St. Martin's Griffin for making this title available on Netgalley!

Review:

The Hunt got off to a semi-slow start for me, and I was worried I just wouldn't like it. I do have to write some of that off to what I call 'book transitioning' which can make the first 20 or so pages difficult to get into. And from about that 20-ish page point in the story I was hooked. The story starts with Gene explaining how he has managed to stay alive as a 'heper' or human in a world filled with vampires. His whole life he was trained and he's pretty darned good at it...obviously,...moreThe Hunt got off to a semi-slow start for me, and I was worried I just wouldn't like it. I do have to write some of that off to what I call 'book transitioning' which can make the first 20 or so pages difficult to get into. And from about that 20-ish page point in the story I was hooked. The story starts with Gene explaining how he has managed to stay alive as a 'heper' or human in a world filled with vampires. His whole life he was trained and he's pretty darned good at it...obviously, or he'd be dead :) It builds a very cool image in your mind about how the world works and what it feels like to hide within it, danger at every turn. This is our world conquered and dominated by some ferocious vampires. On the flip side, Gene has lived side by side with them his whole life, going to school and doing other 'normal' things. It's a very cool mixture of danger and normalcy. The real tension begins once Gene is picked to participate in The Heper Hunt (oh, the irony!) and he is sent to The Institue to prepare. That was when I just flew through the pages, needing to find out how everything would play out. The imagery is fantastic and I'd love to see this as a movie at some point :D Also, I must say that when Gene was practically dying of thirst and couldn't find water I had to walk my butt to the kitchen and get a glass for myself! I was really impressed by this new take on vampires. I am very wary of vampire stories, not because I don't like them (I do!) but because they are widely written about and sometimes it just gets stale. This one is fresh and exciting. And the author's abilit to tell the story shouldn't be overlooked either. The tension is felt throughout and makes it hard to find a stopping point until you've finished.

Review: Blood by K. J. Wignall

Synopsis:
I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me. Back in the Thirteenth Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia, although he never lived to inherit his title. In the centuries that follow, Will has led a lonely life, learning to deal with whatever the present day throws at him, always searching for answers but never finding any. Until this time, when he awakens after a 20-year-slumber, hungry for the blood that sustains his undeath, when it appears that he is finally getting a glimpse at why he exists. He does indeed have a destiny, and an enemy, but revealing that fate will be a matter of trust...

Review:
Blood starts off with a first person narrative from the main character, Will. I think these snippets that are found throughout the novel are some of my favorite parts. It let me see what was going on with this character and helped me connect with him a bit more.

The relationship between Will and Eloise fell kind of flat for me. I felt like a lot of their conversations were vehicles to present the reader with information about the story that could have been shown in a more engaging way.

All this to say, I liked reading Blood, thought the story idea was a cool and interesting, but the pacing and character interactions kept it from being something I could really gush about.

I should add that the end of the book gives you a glimpse into what will be happening in the next installment, and it makes me think the next one might be a funner read. The setting alone makes me think it will be more enjoyable. I will be interested to read book two and see how things develop. If you are a fan of vampire fiction, which I am, I would say to definitely give it a try.

Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Vampires
Source: Thanks to Egmont Books and Netgalley.