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A review by calton
Empire Of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
If there is one vampire book in this world, it's this one.
Truth be told, initially I bought this book simply because I love vampire stories and a look at the illustrations inside told me that there is a ravishing main character at play. And when I started reading it, I understood from the first fifty pages that this book was so much more. I've read a lot of books in my twenty-something years of life, and there are books that come to mind when I am asked to name a favourite, but I'm pretty sure that from now it, this will be the name that will be on my tongue. It's simply incredible. It's brutal, cruel, and cold like the word that it's set in, it's filled with hatred, contempt, pain, loss and grief like Gabriel is. But it's also full of hope and love, of faith that's so often the last thing a person clings to and that saves him.
I've lost count of the times I've audibly laughed at the jokes, gasped at the plot twist (I couldn't see ANY of them coming) and cried. Dear gods, I've cried rivers over this book, it seems. Jay Kristoff really does know how to slam a knife into your heart and twist it.
The world-building in this book is simply incredible. The last time I read something so richly imaginative and unique was probably "The Witcher" series and that is simply beyond all words. The concept of vampire hunters that are half-vampires themselves, the different ranks of vampires, the four bloodlines and a mysterious fifth one. The concept of daysdeath and the religion based on Christianity yet very different, with the Holy Grail that's not a chalice at all. Absolutely astonishing.
The mysteries that are drawn through the whole book and that only start really dawning on you by the end, before they're fully revealed, are done expertly. Figuring everything out yourself and then seeing the final confirmation is what really makes your heart race and your jaw drop. The way I broke into tears after "They're home because that is where you buried them" will probably never be forgotten by me.
Moreover, this book features one of my favourite tropes of all time: a tired, broken man and a troublesome teenage girl that he comes to love like a daughter despite himself and becomes ready to not only let the world burn to save her but to set it alight himself. This trope always gets to the very bottom of my heart (The Witcher, The Last of Us, Logan) and here, it's done perfectly.
There are a thousand things that I could say about this book and this review would be half as long as it is, but they would all sum up to simply perfection. I've heard some people say that this book is full of red flags but in that case, I'm fucking colourblind and I don't give a single shit. It's cruel and brutal, full of blood and gore and strong language and that is just how I like it. I truly don't know where I will find the patience to wait for the next two instalments of this.
Finally, I'd like to add that I listened to the audiobook as I was reading along, and Damian Lynch is an incredible narrator for this story. I hope with all my heart that he will also read the next two books because his Garbiel is the Gabriel I fell for.
P.S. If the raw tension between de Leon and Jean-Francois doesn't get resolved in the next two books, then gods help me.
Truth be told, initially I bought this book simply because I love vampire stories and a look at the illustrations inside told me that there is a ravishing main character at play. And when I started reading it, I understood from the first fifty pages that this book was so much more. I've read a lot of books in my twenty-something years of life, and there are books that come to mind when I am asked to name a favourite, but I'm pretty sure that from now it, this will be the name that will be on my tongue. It's simply incredible. It's brutal, cruel, and cold like the word that it's set in, it's filled with hatred, contempt, pain, loss and grief like Gabriel is. But it's also full of hope and love, of faith that's so often the last thing a person clings to and that saves him.
I've lost count of the times I've audibly laughed at the jokes, gasped at the plot twist (I couldn't see ANY of them coming) and cried. Dear gods, I've cried rivers over this book, it seems. Jay Kristoff really does know how to slam a knife into your heart and twist it.
The world-building in this book is simply incredible. The last time I read something so richly imaginative and unique was probably "The Witcher" series and that is simply beyond all words. The concept of vampire hunters that are half-vampires themselves, the different ranks of vampires, the four bloodlines and a mysterious fifth one. The concept of daysdeath and the religion based on Christianity yet very different, with the Holy Grail that's not a chalice at all. Absolutely astonishing.
The mysteries that are drawn through the whole book and that only start really dawning on you by the end, before they're fully revealed, are done expertly. Figuring everything out yourself and then seeing the final confirmation is what really makes your heart race and your jaw drop. The way I broke into tears after "They're home because that is where you buried them" will probably never be forgotten by me.
Moreover, this book features one of my favourite tropes of all time: a tired, broken man and a troublesome teenage girl that he comes to love like a daughter despite himself and becomes ready to not only let the world burn to save her but to set it alight himself. This trope always gets to the very bottom of my heart (The Witcher, The Last of Us, Logan) and here, it's done perfectly.
There are a thousand things that I could say about this book and this review would be half as long as it is, but they would all sum up to simply perfection. I've heard some people say that this book is full of red flags but in that case, I'm fucking colourblind and I don't give a single shit. It's cruel and brutal, full of blood and gore and strong language and that is just how I like it. I truly don't know where I will find the patience to wait for the next two instalments of this.
Finally, I'd like to add that I listened to the audiobook as I was reading along, and Damian Lynch is an incredible narrator for this story. I hope with all my heart that he will also read the next two books because his Garbiel is the Gabriel I fell for.
P.S. If the raw tension between de Leon and Jean-Francois doesn't get resolved in the next two books, then gods help me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Gore, Blood, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Torture