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fromlindenmere's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Gore, Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death
no1willnot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, War, Addiction, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse
It’s a book about vampire wars that centres around a religious order of vampire hunters based heavily in Christianity, so there is a LOT of blood, violence and institutional abuseprincessxnicole's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Cursing, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Addiction, Sexual content, and Homophobia
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, War, Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence
readwithanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Torture, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
sabrinz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
______
700 pages never felt so short (and so full of beautiful art! Those art pieces alone should receive 5 stars). However, I have to give a minor dedication because of the sheer amount of cultures that are thrown around in the book (and for most of them you recognize the actual culture/country they were based on) - sometimes it just felt like a little too much.
Having said that, the story is nothing to frown upon. This book is a fest of vampire stories and movies from the past (the scarily good ones, the brutally ugly ones, and the bloody ones). It tells the story of a vampire slayer and his journey from a once devoted member of the Silver Order to a man, jaded and stooped by his years and fallen from his believes. Locked up in a cell with a vampire chronicles, Gabriel de León tells the story of how exactly he came to be in that cell. And that story ain't all kicks and giggles. There are kicks (and punches, and cuts and sword fights) aplenty, some giggles but also bleak and brutal story telling (very reminiscent of Nevernight).
If you pick up this book, you better buckle up for a ride, mes amis!
I don't really want to say much more about the story, apart from that it jumps between three times (the now with Gabriel being imprisoned, the beginning of how he came to be a vampire slayer and the bit in between).
I honestly have to say I did not like him at first, but the more I read the more he grew on me ... like moss. It seems annoying at first, but it's soft and nice - and by the end of this book, my heart was breaking for him (and many other people).
This story has evil vampires a plenty, gore, slaying, cursing and really, really good lines and sentiments, but above all the thing that hit me most was the damn tragedy of it all.
I have answer for a few questions I picked up along the way, some are still unanswered and by the last 100 pages I had more new questions on my list of things that need to be talked about. So now all I can do is patiently wait for book 2.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Torture, Death of parent, Animal death, Drug use, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Child abuse, and Outing
sennaje's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Rep: Achillean Black male side character, achillean male side character, two sapphic female side characters, various BIPOC side characters.
CWs: Alcohol consumption/alcoholism, animal death, blood, body shaming, child abuse, cursing, death, death of parent, fire/fire injury, gore, homophobia, injury/injury detail, misogyny, murder, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual content, torture, violence, war.
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
rebthack's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Reminiscent of Kristoff’s Godsgrave series, empire of the vampire tells the story of a fallen hero - lots of snark, drink, and anger. But under it all, Gabriel has a strong moral compass, compassion, and is raw with pain. Definitely not for the feint of heart, this book is bloody, dark, complicated, and has a lot to say about religion.
If you have a twisted sense of humor, love a good adventure, and embrace the ambiguous path that life throws at you, this book should be right up your alley.
Just remember, Jay Kristoff doesn’t believe in happy endings…
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, War, Alcohol, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, and Child death
freya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Sexual content