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garrettcz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, Grief, Addiction, Child death, Gore, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Slavery
mauillustrations's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Oh god… this book…
Alright, let me start this review by stating that, unlike many other readers who gave this book a low rating, I was able to somewhat enjoy the read. To a certain extent at least. Edgy, gothic, vampire stories are my guilty pleasure and I have a certain fondness for the cringy emo vibes the writing style gives. I’ve also read this book in a big vampire binge. I’m playing a Curse of Strahd game, which I am impossibly obsessed with, and I had just finished watching Castlevania (the animated tv show). So when I stumbled upon Empire of the Vampire, I was in the perfect mood for the kind of story I thought it would tell and I might’ve tunnel visioned my experience of it to satisfy my cravings.
I had fun with the general aesthetics and world building, and took interest in how the author explore the vampire mythos. I especially enjoy when vampire stories link the creature to nobility like EotV does. The different Vampire houses were an interest premise and I thought some of the quotes landed well when you don’t mind Kristoff’s emo writing style.
Alright, let me start this review by stating that, unlike many other readers who gave this book a low rating, I was able to somewhat enjoy the read. To a certain extent at least. Edgy, gothic, vampire stories are my guilty pleasure and I have a certain fondness for the cringy emo vibes the writing style gives. I’ve also read this book in a big vampire binge. I’m playing a Curse of Strahd game, which I am impossibly obsessed with, and I had just finished watching Castlevania (the animated tv show). So when I stumbled upon Empire of the Vampire, I was in the perfect mood for the kind of story I thought it would tell and I might’ve tunnel visioned my experience of it to satisfy my cravings.
I had fun with the general aesthetics and world building, and took interest in how the author explore the vampire mythos. I especially enjoy when vampire stories link the creature to nobility like EotV does. The different Vampire houses were an interest premise and I thought some of the quotes landed well when you don’t mind Kristoff’s emo writing style.
“There’s no misery so deep as one you face by yourself. No nights darker than the ones you spend alone. But you can learn to live with any weight. Your scars grow thick enough, they become armor.”
“But more, and truer still, there’s just no one with more to prove than the boy at the bottom of the pile. You feed a man your table scraps, he grows hungry long before he grows thin."
That being said, there’s still A LOT to criticize about this book…
SPOILER WARNING for both Empire of the Vampire and the Nevernight trilogy ahead.
First off, Empire of the Vampire isn’t very original. Now, that’s not always a bad thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that reading it is boring or unpleasant, but it sure as hell feels like a lot of the overall plot was recycled from other works. The author himself said that it’s heavily inspired by Interview with a Vampire and The Name of the Wind, and it shows. There’s also a plot twist at the end that’s basically copy pasted from The Last of Us and when you think about it, the whole concept is also pretty similar to his Nevernight trilogy:
An edgy main character with unique abilities who’s of a rare species/kind with dark hair and pale skin and loves to smoke and swear goes into some kind of cult like organisation situated in a weird church to be trained as killers. The MC has a quirky companion who most people can’t hear and who often comments or advise the MC on their quest in a world where the day and night cycle is fucked up. There’s at some point in the book a sapphic relationship with somewhat explicit sexual content between teenage girls, one being a viking inspired character and the other being a very skinny, spiteful young woman. And finally, the storytelling is told as if from a book or memoir and there’s often comments from the narrator(s).
So yeah… that’s that for the originality…
Second, EotV is the book that was most clearly written by a middle aged man I have ever read. Without even addressing the blatant misogyny, the general way women characters are written is clearly to cater to the male gaze. All woman are hot, they're usually describe in way more details than man characters and this goes not only when they are introduced. When they speak, when they move, when they enter a scene, there’s almost always a comment on how they’re dressed, how their limbs move sensually, how their lips are blood red, their skin milk white, their figure curvy, etc… The violence - because this book is very violent and gory - feels likes it’s described differently when women are the victim. The narration focuses way more on the description of their wounds, their screams and/or their bodies than it does with men (though there is exceptions, just talking generally here). There’s one of the antagonists who’s whole gimmick is slaving young virgin girls, using them like animals and shields. There’s at least 4 named female characters who are raped (and many more general mentions of different degrees of sexual assault). Not to mention the fridging of the main character’s mother, sisters, wife and daughter, the overall misogynistic setting, and the countless “your mom” and prostitutes jokes.
Now, I’m not saying misogyny can’t or shouldn’t be portrayed in a story, a setting or a character. But EotV uses misogyny as an aesthetic. It’s there to make the world edgy, to portray the characters as assholes (sometimes in a quirky kind of way). It’s not necessarily portrayed as a good thing, there’s clearly an underlying implication that it’s a bad aspect of the culture and setting, but it’s never adressed more deeply than once or twice by a #girlboss character who throws a line like “girls aren’t just tits on legs”. Wow. Feminism at its finest…
There’s also a constant presence of oversexualization of any female character, especially, and uncomfortably so, underaged ones. I’ve already mentioned the focused descriptions and the sexual jokes, but it goes way further than this. There’s plenty of explicit sex scenes between minor characters, the book even starts with one. In the two timelines where the book takes place, first one following teenage main character and second one following the MC in his thirties, most of the explicit sex scenes take place in the underaged timeline.
There also random sexual descriptions or instances that happen in moments where I really feel is tonally inapropriate. For exemple, there’s a scene at one point where a vampire just starts to touch herself mid-combat, for no reason at all except that I guess there’s blood that has been shed? It didn’t bring the scene further, didn’t provide anything for the story or to the characterization of said vampire (who I believe we never see again).
“She ran her tongue along her teeth, bloody fingertips across the gaping wound at her throat, roaming down the hourglass of her body and pressing hard between her legs.”
To top it all, the main character is constantly struggling to keep it in his pants. Him being a pale blood supposedly makes him super horny and his inner dialogue is often reminiscing on how he’s hot and hard for whoever’s in front of him, on how his blood is boiling from the desire and so on - which becomes really weird when you remember he’s actually saying all of this out loud to some vampire who’s writing it all down on paper.
So yeah… as much as I felt enjoyment while reading it, the more I think about it, the more the experience sours. I read this book in 2021, before I started to put conscious efforts into analysing my reads and diversifying what I consume. 3 years later, I’ve very much developped (or so I hope) my critical thinking and I’ve now consumed more diverse stories. I know now that to enjoy a good story, I don’t have to turn a blind eye to what feels wrong. You want a good gothic vampire story? Read A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson or Silver Under Nightfall|60321513|Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco or even Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda. These are stories who succeed in being gothic and macabre, epic and/or edgy, without forcing misogyny or bigotry on the reader. They might explore these themes, but they never use it as an aesthetic to make the setting dirtier.
Anyway! If you read until this point, props to you! That’s all I have for EotV. I’m still debating whether I’ll read the sequel or not. I’m still curious about the plot, but I dread having to go through another 700 or so pages of this r/menwritingwomen script…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Torture, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Slavery
novel_obscurity's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Main character is challenging, and the book ends on a cliff hanger that was a bit predictable. Overall, not bad - writer does a good job with creating tension and fear!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Drug use, Death, Blood, Addiction, Outing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Confinement, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, and Animal death
avialaeleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Spoilers ahead read at your own risk.
I can see why a lot of people have issues with this book but I quite enjoyed the read. I do think that it dragged on for a long time and could have possibly been more than one book, but otherwise I like the story and the characters. I wished sometimes that Jean-François would shut up and let Gabriel tell his story in his own time, but I also understand why he does interrupt and ask questions and sort of guides Gabriels storytelling.
I like that instead of us readers finding out everything as it is happening we are being told a story of Gabriels life until that point from the man himself. More like someone reminiscing on the past and sharing "war stories" of their youth to their friends and families years after the fact.
I love how you love, hate, fight and grow as Gabriel does during his story telling. You see the man that he currently is but you also see how he came to be that man. You see the friendships made and the friends lost, whether that be to their own missguidance or to the perials of their world. You learn everything that he has gone through from his own perspective not as he might have see it at the time it happened but as someone who is looking back and maybe just a bit wiser because of it.
I cried and yelled and laughed throughout his story. And I can't wait until the next boon come out and we can learn more of his story and how he came to be locked in a tower forced to tell his story to Jean-François.
Also the banter between Dior and Gabriel is *chef kiss*. I can't wait for more of that and also to figure out why Gabriel yalks as if though she is dead or no longer around. I am not sure if my heart can handle learning that she is dead. Much like I died learning the Celene is not dead but Dead and somehow and Anchien Vampire. Not sure how that happened in only 15ish years, from my understanding Anchien vampires are much older but maybe I'm wrong *shrugs*.
I am giving this a 4.25 mostly because I was annoyed that when we would finally be picking up pace in the story Jean-François would interrupt and change the direction of the story telling. Resetting it back to a slow/medium pace. Otherwise it would be a 5 star read. Love the characters, setting, plot, development and between the beautifully crafted and made up phrases all of the characters used I was always entertained whilst reading.
I like that instead of us readers finding out everything as it is happening we are being told a story of Gabriels life until that point from the man himself. More like someone reminiscing on the past and sharing "war stories" of their youth to their friends and families years after the fact.
I love how you love, hate, fight and grow as Gabriel does during his story telling. You see the man that he currently is but you also see how he came to be that man. You see the friendships made and the friends lost, whether that be to their own missguidance or to the perials of their world. You learn everything that he has gone through from his own perspective not as he might have see it at the time it happened but as someone who is looking back and maybe just a bit wiser because of it.
I cried and yelled and laughed throughout his story. And I can't wait until the next boon come out and we can learn more of his story and how he came to be locked in a tower forced to tell his story to Jean-François.
Also the banter between Dior and Gabriel is *chef kiss*. I can't wait for more of that and also to figure out why Gabriel yalks as if though she is dead or no longer around. I am not sure if my heart can handle learning that she is dead. Much like I died learning the Celene is not dead but Dead and somehow and Anchien Vampire. Not sure how that happened in only 15ish years, from my understanding Anchien vampires are much older but maybe I'm wrong *shrugs*.
I am giving this a 4.25 mostly because I was annoyed that when we would finally be picking up pace in the story Jean-François would interrupt and change the direction of the story telling. Resetting it back to a slow/medium pace. Otherwise it would be a 5 star read. Love the characters, setting, plot, development and between the beautifully crafted and made up phrases all of the characters used I was always entertained whilst reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Animal death, Grief, Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, War, Drug abuse, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Death
amy_reading_23's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book broke me. It is the best vampire book I've read in ages. I really didn't expect it to be this good.
It's about Gabriel De Lion, a dhampir recounting his life to a vampire who has him imprisoned. He focuses on two tales, the one of his upbringing and the one of the adventure leading him here. Just when one tale comes to a cliffhanger he switches to the other.
I really enjoyed Gabriel's character. He is a destructive mixture of cynical, sad, fearless and hopeful, a man having lived an incredibly hard life. But although the book has dark and sad moments, he tells his story with humour and I couldn't get enough of it.
There were some bits I was unsure of, that made me a bit uncomfortable. E.g. I don't know why Kristoff felt the need to write such explicit sex scenes between teenagers in an adult fantasy book. That felt unessecary and having heard some criticisms of his other books I do have to wonder why he chose to do that. But other than that, the book was great and I'll be thinking about it for a while.
It's about Gabriel De Lion, a dhampir recounting his life to a vampire who has him imprisoned. He focuses on two tales, the one of his upbringing and the one of the adventure leading him here. Just when one tale comes to a cliffhanger he switches to the other.
I really enjoyed Gabriel's character. He is a destructive mixture of cynical, sad, fearless and hopeful, a man having lived an incredibly hard life. But although the book has dark and sad moments, he tells his story with humour and I couldn't get enough of it.
There were some bits I was unsure of, that made me a bit uncomfortable. E.g. I don't know why Kristoff felt the need to write such explicit sex scenes between teenagers in an adult fantasy book. That felt unessecary and having heard some criticisms of his other books I do have to wonder why he chose to do that. But other than that, the book was great and I'll be thinking about it for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Death, War, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
simmich429's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
starts off very slow but SOOOO worth it. can’t wait for the book 2 to come out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Body horror, Violence, War, Drug use, Torture, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Child abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Sexual content, War, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Murder, Grief, and Gore
Minor: Slavery, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Animal death
shadesofdivine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, War, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Violence
wrensreadingroom's review
I made it to book 2 chapter 4 and the main character is is incredibly unlikeable and honestly kinda whiny that i had to just give up. Also there is hardly any action as well. Like 3 cool parts up till this point. The rest is like lore and politics
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, War, Emotional abuse, Gore, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Classism, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, Misogyny, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
raedet's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Baby! This book felt LONG. Not really the book for me, I can’t believe I didn’t DNF it, but I really didn’t feel like searching for a new book to try.
Some of the things I liked were, the world felt believable. I liked the method of storytelling, how the MC was recounting his life story to someone else. The religion of the Silver Saints felt familiar and believable. I liked the smattering of French words throughout. I liked the words the writer used to describe battle.
I didn’t like how slow it felt sometimes. It starts at the end of the story, so I didn’t really like that. It made me not care as much about his early beginnings like before joining the silver saints and his early battles as a silver saint.
I can’t believe after all of that storytelling, there is still more story to tell.
Some of the things I liked were, the world felt believable. I liked the method of storytelling, how the MC was recounting his life story to someone else. The religion of the Silver Saints felt familiar and believable. I liked the smattering of French words throughout. I liked the words the writer used to describe battle.
I didn’t like how slow it felt sometimes. It starts at the end of the story, so I didn’t really like that. It made me not care as much about his early beginnings like before joining the silver saints and his early battles as a silver saint.
I can’t believe after all of that storytelling, there is still more story to tell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse