Reviews with content warning for War - Empire of the Vampire

Reviews tagging 'War'

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

83 reviews

justanothergirl_23's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I finished it? Or it finished me? Up for debate.

First of all can we take a moment to appreciate that cover? Because damn!

Now let's get to the actual book;
Jay Kristoff has never been known as a kind writer or even a writer who's anything less than brutal but holy shit for all of my mental preparation, I couldn't have possibly been prepared for THIS!
I now understand why Mr. Kristoff was hyping this book as much as he did; the man did not hold back! This was brutal and gory and graphic, and although I am not a queasy reader there were parts where I had to pause the audiobook and get some fresh air before I could continue!

There was one scene in particular that I can't think of without gagging, hell I feel like throwing up as I'm writing this and it there scene where

Gabriel drinks that girl's period blood

, that was the point where I fully understood what kind of book this was and what to expect going forward.

Don't get me wrong, yes it's gory as all hell but it's not a bad book in the slightest, nor is it gory just for the heck of it. The brutality is there because the story requires it and it's woven in very well.

Empire of The Vampire is told in a very interesting way, where it starts with our MC; Gabriel in a cell and he's asked to tell the story of how he killed the Forever King. But unlike I expected, that exchange wasn't a one-off thing, as a matter of fact the dialogue between Gabe and the vampire prompting him for the story are core parts of our tales and they give a lot of insight. We also jump from one point to another so the story isn't told chronologically but rather in a very "My ADHD-self telling a story I'm excited about" way; which may not be for everyone but I for one, loved it!

I ended this book with more questions than I started so I hope the next book will come out soon!

Overall this was an incredible albeit brutal read and if you find the idea interesting then I highly recommend it!

Content Warnings

gardenofroses's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a journey… I started reading this book in February and only just finished this month but it was such an amazing story. I had been searching for a fantasy book with great world-building and a morally grey MC and this delivered that and so much more.

His writing definitely brought life to the world and the characters. The world-building was done so beautifully I could imagine everything Kristoff was describing and every time I sat down to read I felt immersed in the world; It felt alive and I think that also came down to having art within the pages to go along with the story as you’re reading. It felt like a reward.

The platonic relationships depicted in the story were everything to me. Reading Gabriel’s friendship with Baptiste, and especially Aaron, grow throughout the story was so heartwarming. You could just feel the brotherhood spilling from the pages. And Gabriel’s relationship with Dior omg. It’s heartbreaking but so warm and full of love and I want to protect them both from everything that they’ll probably experience as the series goes on. Their relationship definitely gives off Ellie and Joel vibes from The Last of Us if you’ve ever played that game!

There were, however, some areas of the book that could be considered problematic. There is an age gap relationship represented which did make me slightly uncomfortable at the beginning of the story. And I also found it hard to feel the all-consuming love that Gabriel and Astrid were supposed to have for each other. I’m not sure if Kristoff intended to write very little of their interactions in the first book because he’s planning on expanding on it in the sequel but it made it hard for me to believe that they loved each other as much as Gabriel said he did. I did feel the love Gabriel has for his brothers, his daughter, and Dior but I couldn’t connect that love with Astrid which made it seems sort of dry at times.

Overall, it was a really great story with amazing writing and characters I want to protect and make sure nothing bad ever happens to them ever again. I’ll definitely be checking out more of his other books and I can’t wait for the sequel. If you've been wanting to read it I highly suggest you do! DON'T LET THE SIZE INTIMIDATE YOU!

Content Warnings

leonormsousa's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Although I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy, it’s been a while since I read such an epic adventure book as Empire of the Vampire, and what an amazing experience it was! I came in with great expectations and despite being surprised with some aspects of the book, I was absolutely not let down!

󠁰󠁰󠁰󠁰First of all, a warning: this is definitely a very adult and a very violent book! Some scenes are very descriptive and can be quite appalling if you’re not expecting them. On the other end, it’s also a much more emotional book than it lets on. I shed some tears on more than one moment and there’s one particular chapter that it’s just completely heartbreaking. I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warnings if you are more sensitive to some kinds of topics.

Now, for the book itself, it was amazing! Although it’s quite a big one (700+ pages), the pace is just right, keeping you completely hooked to the story. The book contains three main timelines: in the present, the MC, Gabriel, is telling his story to his captors and he does so alternating between his younger self story (15-16 yo) and his quest adventure in his 32. Sometimes with the intercalation of different timelines (or POVs), I sometimes find myself wanting to skip the “less interesting” one(s), but in this case, there was a perfect balance. I was always super invested in all of the timelines, and the way in which you uncovered the secrets in each one was just so well matched!

I also thought that the “present timeline”, although “not necessary”, gave something very special and unique to the book. At the same time, the comparison between the 3 Gabriels allows this book to be so much more than just an adventure story: it becomes a story about humans and how we deal with war, faith, grief, glory, treason and love, not just on the short term but also throughout the years.

Gabriel, although a bit of a bastard and despite me not liking him very much in the beginning, revealed himself to be a great companion but Astrid was the character I fell in love with the most, closely followed by Dior. But even when the characters were not that likeable, they were all super well constructed and developed and right in that grey area where I love them to be (well, maybe the vampires were just really on the black side 😝). It was that kind of “I love to hate you!”

Now, to my one little critique (that is really just one small point): there were some plot twists that weren't that surprising for me personally. I wasn’t necessarily expecting them but at the same time when they did happen, I felt like I had read them somewhere else (and I had, I checked later 😝). But it was really just a minor point!

And apparently, we’re doing sandwich feedback cause we’re coming back to the good 😝 First of all: loved the queer representation! Second: absolutely freaking loved the illustrations! They made so much sense in the context of the story and they were so helpful to visualize some scenes. I think I’ve never seen illustrations make so much sense in a book. Big shout out to Bon Orthwick (also known as @monolimeart)! Third: loved the french vibes! Especially since I’m currently living in France, it just added to my whole experience. Fourth: loved the reference to the important part that women play in wars. No, wars are not and never were just fought by men! For me personally, it was so important! Even if it’s not something huge (not all books need to focus on these topics), I think is super relevant when authors make their MCs act, say or just even think about the kind of inequalities they see. It raises awareness and that’s always the starting point to something more.

Finally (and before I run out of space), I must say I was not expecting at all a book with so much religion in it (I identified a lot of Christianity but that is the one religion I had the most contact with by far so it could also be based on others). It didn’t particularly bother me, I was just surprised. But I gotta say: I thought it was done in the most tasteful and graceful way! There was never any attempt to defend either the existence or inexistence of God, or anything similar, so, in my opinion, it’s a book that doesn’t intend to criticize or support either believers or non-believers of any religion. It mainly focuses on faith and how it affects our actions, even our thoughts. It also addresses a bit the clash of religions and intolerance. But once again, all done in a way that is not to discredit anyone or anything, but more to maybe display the effects of religion in our lives and the ones of others.

Ok, now that I’ve clearly written too much (this is always the problem: never know what to write and then I start and I write way too much), a quick conclusion: if you’re the kind of person that enjoys a good old dark and epic fantasy adventure, read this! I honestly can’t wait to read book 2 in this series. There’s so much more to uncover, I loved how the first one ended and I heard we’re getting a second POV 🤭 Officially a fan of Jay Kristoff and I’m super curious to read some of his older books as well!

Content Warnings

bookworm9867's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Much longer than it needed to be.

Content Warnings

kylahspages's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

booksarefriends_notfood's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

sarah837's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

writingcaia's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

It’s been twenty seven years of darkness, twenty seven years since the sun barely shines in the world, and now the black lion, the last of the Silversaints, the hero of the people, Gabriel de Leon has been captured by the new ruling vampire house.
There Gabe is forced to relay his life’s story which he fast forwards to when he turns fifteen just before being sent to the Ordo Argent, the Silver Order, to become a Silversaint. Half-human half-vampire it seems to his mother that the order will be his best option, and it is. It is there he will find a family, love, power, and recognition all he has ever dreamed and more, but at a cost. That price we see in another period of his life’s journey that he also relays to the vampire historian writing his story down, which is when he is thirty two, just two years before the present time.
In sum we will have a pretty clear idea of who Gabe was until he was seventeen and at thirty two, the rest we get only scraps that tease our appetite for more. One thing is clear Gabriel de Leon is now jaded and crushed, but the light of his hatred for the vampires is unbroken and mighty, and there seems to be hope for his current status as a prisoner or so we hope.
It is hard to review a book I’ve waited for for more than a year, the expectations were enormous, first because it’s Jay and second because I freaking love vampires.
So, what did I think?
I loved it, it was awesome. It’s medium-fast paced, has a great world building, the characters are amazing, well fleshed, and just overall super interesting. It is dark, bloody and the narration has the snarky-ness, which I adore, we are used to since Nevernight, and I mean Gabriel is mega hot, those illustrations wow, and another favourite is Dior. The only minus for me was the back and forth between timelines, I got so invested in one and then had to go back to the other, and vice-versa, plus on those almost seventeen years between them so much happens that we just know from small references dropped here and there, that specially annoyed me. I do prefer a more regular timeline particularly if we almost know what happen between the two timelines but not enough to quench the curiosity. But, honestly it didn’t take much from my love of the story.
And, now the suffering begins, the wait for the next two books in the series.
If you love adult fantasy, vampires and dark moody books, this is for you.

Content Warnings

emesfiz_28's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

the_midwest_library's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

First book of 2022 and a really solid start. This grim, sarcastic, raw vampire epic was really fantastic. I enjoyed the story, the world was cleaned out, the main characters likeable in the worst ways. My only complaint was the pacing felt a little funky at the halfway point but it found its footing by the end. Really enjoyable, super fun and dark.

Halfway through the year I'm bumping my review from 4.5 to 5 because I can't stop thinking about this book which was fantastic!

Content Warnings

More...