Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

77 reviews

taliara's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Murder

ketreads'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Empire of the Vampire was a pick by a friend of mine for our book-buddy-duo.
I had not heard of this book, nor read any of Jay Kristoff's other works before starting on this one.

Simply: I loved it.
Kristoff's use of age old vampire lore + grim-dark & French Gothic setting is something that just fits together effortlessly. The world he has created is full of darkness, danger and years of history that has created the feeling of a well-realised and lived in world.

This book follows our main character of Gabriel de Leon throughout two time-lines in his life:
Naive boy becoming a legend, and the broken legend trying to survive in a world that failed him.
It is a tale about love, loss, faith, humanity, and found family. The book starts with our character already defeated and alone, being forced to tell his story to another. He's immediately a dick, unlikeable and arrogant, even at his lowest. Throughout the story you come to understand him better (often better than even he seems to understand himself), feel for him, his family, and his friends. The story is one of adventure, mystery but most importantly it's a human story.
In a world full of vampires, the story is about humans and the lengths they would go to protect those in-which they love.
I liked it a lot.

Though do be warned this is a foul mouthed and often gory tale, I never found it without reason to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death

An animal close to the main character dies at one section and is slightly graphic but not gratuitous

tatiannaskye's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

This book took me practically a whole month to read and at first part of me hated that it was taking me so long but the other part now actually doesn’t mind. This book tore my heart in half and left me to stitch it back together. I felt as if I was watching the most complex movie I have ever watched in my life while reading this book. The Worldbuilding was phenomenal and unimaginable. Just the way that this story, Gabriel’s story was laid out was unalike anything I’ve ever read. This by far is now a new favorite series of mine, hope the next book comes out soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Violence, Death, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Slavery, Sexual content, and Homophobia

Minor: Abandonment

Really just like Murder, death, blood, and religious bigotry.

constellation_library's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was my most highly anticipated read of 2021, and I can say with my whole chest that it did not disappoint. Gabriel De Leon is one of the most unlikeable MCs, but he has his reasons, and his story is told through interview, which reads very Interview with a Vampire or Name of the Wind. This story will destroy you in the best way possible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

lunaruprising's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual content

rabidpookie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, War, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content

princessxnicole's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Cursing, and Blood

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Addiction, Sexual content, and Homophobia

jnl00700's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, War, Torture, and Murder

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

michelles_book_nook's review

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense slow-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

⚠️ TW: violence, alcoholism, gore, graphic content, animal death, murder, homophobia, torture ⚠️ Wow I don't even know where to start with this review because this book left me speechless, it is an absolute masterpiece of epic dark vampire literature and I loved every second!! This book follows Gabriel De León, a half man, half vampire creature known as a paleblood who is a sworn brother of the holy silver order, the Silversaints, dedicated to protecting humanity from the war waged by vampires since daysdeath happened 27 years ago when the realm was plunged into a constant state of night. But as the vampire royalty known as highbloods continue to build their eternal empire Gabriel, the last remaining Silversaint, is all that stands between the world and its end. Now as he finds himself imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy he is forced to tell his epic tale filled with legendary battles, forbidden love, family and friends, lost faith, wars of blood and the forever king and the almighty quest for humanity's last hope, the holy grail. Firstly this book will have you feeling every emotion possible as it takes you on an immense dark, high fantasy journey. You will swoon, get hot under collar, laugh, cry and more importantly be absolutely enthralled from the very beginning. The world building and character development in this book is just utter perfection and I genuinely believe this book will be known as a vampire classic in the future because it is impeccable. Also, it has given me so many new one liners and insults too and I love it 😂 Overall, if high fantasy, vampires and epic journeys sound like your thing then you need to read this book and I cannot recommend it highly enough and I need book two ASAP 🦇

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, Animal death, Murder, Alcoholism, Torture, and Homophobia