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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very strong dark fantasy book with a compelling main character and overarching story.
Narrated like The Name of the Wind, we are told the story from the main character's point of view. The prose is solid, neither too purple or too plain, the characters are believable and relatable, and there's clearly a lot of effort gone into the world building, especially around the vampire abilities and history.
I found this to be a "vampire version" of the Witcher, just better written and with a better story. All in all, a very good book.
Narrated like The Name of the Wind, we are told the story from the main character's point of view. The prose is solid, neither too purple or too plain, the characters are believable and relatable, and there's clearly a lot of effort gone into the world building, especially around the vampire abilities and history.
I found this to be a "vampire version" of the Witcher, just better written and with a better story. All in all, a very good book.
I will say that for starters, I bought this book for the hype. I wanted something to read for the spooky season and my shelves are not exactly brimming with scary books, so I thought I would give this a go. As with many other teenagers I grew up in the fanatical vampire surge spawned by Twilight, Vampire Diaries and True Blood. And whatever regard I might have had for the vampire was overrun by brooding and overly romanticised characters. So I decided to go into this completely blind and see how I got on. And luckily for me, this book contained all of my favourite fantasy tropes.
- High/epic fantasy with incredible world building including history, culture, folklore etc
- Slow paced character development
- Comic moments and sassy characters
- Good balance of action/non-action scenes
- Incredibly dark and gritty – not for the faint hearted
- Plenty of twists and turns
This might be a bit of a spoiler but my pitch for this book would be ‘Shadow of the Wind + Da Vinci Code + Vampires’ – the book is told from a central character who is telling his story to a chronicler while in prison. The story that he tells moves back and forth between his younger years and training, and then the events of a specific quest. What perhaps differentiated this book from other vampire novels is the fact that it is based in a completely new vampire world, whereas almost all of the vampire novels that I have read in the past have been set alongside our own world. The creature does share some of the same characteristics as its contemporaries, but the book is far darker and grittier than most that I have read, which I loved.
In terms of ratings, this is probable closer to a 4.5 rounded, up,, as there were some predictable ‘fantasy plot points/tropes’ that came into place which were a bit too obvious at times, but overall the story was told very very well, and had me gripped from start to finish. Now I just need to wait for the next one to be released.
- High/epic fantasy with incredible world building including history, culture, folklore etc
- Slow paced character development
- Comic moments and sassy characters
- Good balance of action/non-action scenes
- Incredibly dark and gritty – not for the faint hearted
- Plenty of twists and turns
This might be a bit of a spoiler but my pitch for this book would be ‘Shadow of the Wind + Da Vinci Code + Vampires’ – the book is told from a central character who is telling his story to a chronicler while in prison. The story that he tells moves back and forth between his younger years and training, and then the events of a specific quest. What perhaps differentiated this book from other vampire novels is the fact that it is based in a completely new vampire world, whereas almost all of the vampire novels that I have read in the past have been set alongside our own world. The creature does share some of the same characteristics as its contemporaries, but the book is far darker and grittier than most that I have read, which I loved.
In terms of ratings, this is probable closer to a 4.5 rounded, up,, as there were some predictable ‘fantasy plot points/tropes’ that came into place which were a bit too obvious at times, but overall the story was told very very well, and had me gripped from start to finish. Now I just need to wait for the next one to be released.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
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
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Empire of the Vampire reminded me why I love sinking into a huge, blood-soaked fantasy…even if it took a while to get there. For the first half, I kept waiting to feel fully invested; I was entertained, sure, but not yet hooked. Somewhere around the midway point the story finally sank its fangs in, and from that moment I couldn’t look away.
Kristoff’s world is gorgeously grim: a twilight realm where faith, vengeance, and the last scraps of hope are always at war. His framing device—Gabriel de León recounting his life to a chronicler—creates a sweeping, almost mythic atmosphere, and once the parallel timelines found their rhythm I loved how the past and present refracted off each other.
Gabriel himself is equal parts scoundrel and reluctant hero. Early on his swagger and over-the-top bravado tested my patience, but as his backstory unfolded, the cracks in his armor—and the grief that forged them—came into focus. By the end I was invested not just in his survival, but in the complicated, messy heart beating beneath all the bravado. I don’t want to say a ton about the characters because I enjoyed going in blind but I will say that all the characters - main and supporting were well developed and interesting (Astrid is my favorite).
"I’d tear the wings off an angel to fly this cage. I’d claw down the sky to carve my name into this earth."
For all the gore and grit, what lingers is the scope: brotherhood and betrayal, the ache of lost faith, the stubborn flicker of love in a world gone dark. And despite the page count, it’s remarkably easy to read—one of the most compulsively readable fantasies I’ve picked up in years.
“And I wondered then: Could goodness come of sin? And if so, how could it be sin at all? What care I, the life these two lived? The Dead cared not for who we loved, nor creed nor kin nor any other measure”
The book itself is a work of art: the black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout are dramatic and perfectly matched to the story’s gothic mood. And the audiobook? Next-level. It’s the kind of immersive, cinematic production that feels less like listening to a recording and more like watching a film unfold in your mind.
“‘How does a man pray?” “‘I don’t know. I don—” “‘He prays on his knees, Gabriel."
Why not a full five? Simply because it took half the book for me to feel truly pulled under. But once it hit its stride, this tale of darkness and defiance delivered everything I want from epic fantasy—can’t wait to pick up book 2.