Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Immortal Rules (from Goodreads):

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

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite Authors
Series: The Blood of Eden Trilogy, The Immortal Rules Trilogy
Author: Julie Kagawa
# of Books: 3 (The Immortal Rules, The Eternity Cure, The Forever Song)

There are some novellas and short stories. See here.

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires, Science Fiction, Adventure, Action, Romance
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: April 2012 – April 2014
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook & Hardcover

I absolutely LOVED the Iron Fey Series (not sure why I haven’t reviewed it yet! The HORROR!) so when that series ended and this series was announced, I made sure my name was on the waiting list for the Immortal Rules.

This series is completely different from the Iron Fey Series–which has its pros and cons. Pro: because it shows off Ms. Kagawa’s great writing skills and her ability to create two drastically different worlds. Con: it isn’t light-hearted like the Iron Fey Series so it can get a little depressing to read.

The “depressing” feeling is important to highlight I think because not everyone enjoys reading about Post-Apocalyptic worlds. I also want to stress that not all Post-Apocalyptic novels are dystopian–there is a difference: so don’t assume that this is a dystopian novel  because it really isn’t (there are some “dystopian” elements but they play a very minor role in the novels).

I know that a lot of people are going to read the synopsis and go, “ugh, vampires” but I want to assure people that these vampires aren’t “anti-vampires” — meaning they kill people and drink human blood. There’s lots of action and bad guys so don’t think this is some light-hearted romantic read because the story is very, very dark.

What I love about Ms. Kagawa’s writing is that she is able to blend multiple genres together in her writing. You’ll see in the stats above that I listed a crap-load of genres that these books touch upon. Basically, these books have a little bit of everything in them and that makes the reading experience unique. I wish the romance was built up a little more (so don’t read this is you want a book solely focused on romance) but when we do get those snippets, I enjoy them immensely.

However, I did struggle to get through these books at times, especially the Eternity Cure. One reason is Allison. She isn’t my favourite character ever and I just don’t like her as much as I could. I’m not sure what it is, I think I just find her depressing at times because of all the stuff she has gone through. Though to be fair, Meagan Chase (Iron Fey) is a hard act to follow so that might be why.

Another reason I struggled through these books is all the detail–HOLY SHIT is it descriptive! I understand why because the science fiction elements require explanation and details but I will admit to skimming most of the Eternity Cure at times because there was just so much detail!

Both The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure start slow but they slowly build as you read and have great plot twists near the end that make things more interesting. I’m excited to see what happens in the Forever Song.

–September 29, 2016– Book #3: The Forever Song

DNF’d at 40% — Start of Chapter 9

It’s been two years since I read The Eternity Cure and all I can remember is not enjoying it all that much. I think it’s safe to say that I was kinda dreading picking this book up. I was apprehensive and worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it but I did want to see how this series wrapped up and so I took a chance.

Alas, my fears were realized. I ended up DNFing this book because of sheer boredom.

The exorbitant amount of detail really turned me off. I felt like I was reading 10 pages for one scene of tiny movement. It was exhausting. I was at the point I was skimming the pages just to get the gist of what is happening. And that was my plan to finish the book; but even watching the World Cup of Hockey at the same time couldn’t keep me motivated to skim this. I peeked at the ending and can happily call this series finished.

Series Rating: 3.5/5

The Immortal Rules 4/5 | The Eternity Cure 3.5/5 | The Forever Song DNF

While this is not my favourite series ever, I give props to Ms. Kagawa for creating such an awesome world. The world itself is what captures my attention the most when I read these books. Fans of the Iron Fey Series will probably be disappointed because there really isn’t much in common between these books besides the author. However, readers who like darker Science Fiction reads with vampires will enjoy this series.

Read if You Like: slow stories, vampires, post-apocalypse
Avoid if You: want more romance, dislike violence

• Black City by Elizabeth Richards (Black City Series #1)
• Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy #1)
• Poison Princess by Kresley Cole (Arcana Chronicles #1)