The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

JULIE KAGAWA + VAMPIRES + DYSTOPIA = OMG PERFECT!!!
 

First, let me tell you that I’m a huge Julie Kagawa fan so please bear with this a little bit biased review. lol ;)

In this new novel, Kagawa ventures into two worlds fans of YA novels are raving about. Imagine a dystopian world filled with bloodsucking vampires. What do you get? The Immortal Rules! Well, freakin’tastic!

Allison Sekemoto is a human. She hates and despises vampires for their sheer cruelty. They treat humans as nothing but bloodbags from whom they could feed on whenever they want. But what if something terrible happens and she’s left with no choice but to be one of them? To be like those ruthless monsters that everyone fears?
 

“Sometime in your life, Alison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. Accidentally or as a conscious, deliberate act. It is unavoidable. The question is not if it will happen, but when.”

The first time I read about the synopsis, I thought how would the author make this kind of story work? I mean I was having a post-Iron fey hangover so I didn’t want to read anything outside of the fey world. But actually, she pulled it off pretty well.

Yep, it was ominous and dark. But hey, Vampires and Dystopian, what are you expecting?? Despite that, I loved the engaging story. It’s new, refreshing and cool. The story is some kind of an “I am Legend” progeny with references to the bible. The concept is new and unique.

Moreover, I am truly fascinated by the characters, especially, Allison Sekemoto. I’ve never admired any vampire girl before her. She’s an incredible kick-ass heroine and I love that about her. She’s a vampire but her heart is definitely human through and through. And of course, Ezekiel. Zeke is a real gentleman. He sees the good in everyone. I just hope they’d be together in the end. When I reached the end, I am torn and my heart couldn’t accept their fate. Nevertheless, I liked it. I liked the concept, the plot, the characters,  and that there were still many unanswered questions. I’ve been anticipating this book for so long and I am just glad that it lived up to my expectations. Anyway, I'm lovin' that beautiful cover! The blood tear is really cool and suits the story so well.

 I recommend it to all Julie Kagawa fans like me. 

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I finally read Divergent after hearing quite a buzz about it. It was often compared to the Hunger games so I got even more excited. Although I would still consider HG as the best dytopian novel, Divergent missed by a few points.

The society Veronica Roth pictured as dystopia was strange at the same time genius. The atmosphere seem oppressed and dark. The five factions: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless,Erudite and Amity are great representations of what personalities of people in the real world are. I liked the heroine, Tris, because she is fearless and doesn't act like a damsel in distress like someone I know. Four or Tobias( Tobias sounds funny and weak for his personality btw) was cool though he's not even trying to be overly heroic. The other characters have great attributes as well, it's exciting to watch them interact. There are times when it gets too violent you'd think "Was that even necessary?" but Roth  was just probably doing something new that we don't normally read from a YA novel. 

The ending was okay but I wanted more action scenes because that's what I was expecting. I also liked the look of the society.  The way I imagined it is believable, how the dauntless rides their trains and how each person acts according to their chosen faction. Anyway, it's a great book and I can tell why so many people compared this to the Hunger Games. 

I give this 4/5 stars!