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sabrinz'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? 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: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Outing
sennaje'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
katerbugg13's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Torture, Violence, and Blood
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: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
izzy_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
rebthack's review against another edition
- 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, Blood, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Sexual content
sageleafpark'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Death
missindyrose'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Alcohol
Sexual content spoilerleahjanespeare's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual violence