Empire Of The Vampire: Book 1
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- Create Date：2021-09-05 04:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jay Kristoff
- ISBN：0008350442
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Summary
Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise， and for almost three decades， the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear。 Once， humanity fought bravely against the coldblood legions， but now， we exist only in a few scattered settlements—tiny sparks of light in a growing sea of darkness。
Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints， a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church， now utterly destroyed。 Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king， Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life。
His tale spans years， from his youth in the monastery of San Michel， to the forbidden love that spelled his undoing， and the betrayal that saw his order annihilated。 Most importantly， Gabriel will tell of his discovery of the Grail—the legendary cup prophesied to bring an end to the eternal night。
But the Grail was no simple chalice; it was a smart-mouthed teenage urchin named Dior。 Their journey with a band of unlikely allies would see Dior and Gabriel forge an unbreakable bond， and set the broken paragon on a road to redemption。
But now， the Grail is shattered。 And with the cup of the Savior destroyed and the last Silversaint awaiting execution， what can bring an end to this unholy empire？
Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints， a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church， now utterly destroyed。 Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king， Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life。
His tale spans years， from his youth in the monastery of San Michel， to the forbidden love that spelled his undoing， and the betrayal that saw his order annihilated。 Most importantly， Gabriel will tell of his discovery of the Grail—the legendary cup prophesied to bring an end to the eternal night。
But the Grail was no simple chalice; it was a smart-mouthed teenage urchin named Dior。 Their journey with a band of unlikely allies would see Dior and Gabriel forge an unbreakable bond， and set the broken paragon on a road to redemption。
But now， the Grail is shattered。 And with the cup of the Savior destroyed and the last Silversaint awaiting execution， what can bring an end to this unholy empire？
Reviews
Lex
，
I’m not sure what I was expecting for my first Kristoff read – but it delivered lol I received an arc for EOTV but it’s more of a sampler – that is freaking 400 + pages long I believe。 It took me a while to get through it and I will still need to pick it back up to finish the last chunk。 Here’s what I found while reading EOTV though: •tIt is just a dark and atmospheric as one would expect （or should） for a vampire read•tI thought the idea of a dialogue between two characters speaking about the p I’m not sure what I was expecting for my first Kristoff read – but it delivered lol I received an arc for EOTV but it’s more of a sampler – that is freaking 400 + pages long I believe。 It took me a while to get through it and I will still need to pick it back up to finish the last chunk。 Here’s what I found while reading EOTV though: •tIt is just a dark and atmospheric as one would expect （or should） for a vampire read•tI thought the idea of a dialogue between two characters speaking about the past would be boring。 It wasn’t。 It’s like an interview/recording of a biography， but the events that Gabriel （the mc） has to tell us are not boring in the slightest。 Or at least not to me。 •tThere was not a lot of smut in this first half of the book。 There are perhaps two scenes that were…interesting。 There’s some very unique kissing going on。 Make of that what you will lmao•tThe found family trope is one of my favorites and I loved seeing it included in the story。 My heart is broken because of the same trope as well。 •tGabriel De Leon is a hard man to pin down。 He’s definitely a morally grey character – I just couldn’t really tell just how morally grey he truly is。 His character is very unpredictable; he is careful about what he reveals and when and also what he does and why。 There is one character that Gabriel speaks very vaguely about and we don’t really get much more information in the sampler about this person and the nature of the relationship between them。 And I need to know about it！！！！•tThe ending of the sampler ends with a few revelations and reveals that I didn’t see。 Plot Twist actually worked on me。I don’t think the conclusion of EOTV is going to disappoint with anything beyond making me highly upset at Mr。 Kristoff for his actions。 I’m lowkey already a little salty。 。。。more
Sophie Snow
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I unfortunately just haven't clicked with the writing style in this sampler。 I don't generally love books where it's just one character telling another their life story and I found it really hard to get immersed and was pretty bored。 I really haven't connected with Gabriel at all。I may still finish the book when my physical copies arrive （must stop preordering multiple copies of books I don't know I'll like！） but I'm not sure this one is for me。 It's totally a taste thing， though， and I would st I unfortunately just haven't clicked with the writing style in this sampler。 I don't generally love books where it's just one character telling another their life story and I found it really hard to get immersed and was pretty bored。 I really haven't connected with Gabriel at all。I may still finish the book when my physical copies arrive （must stop preordering multiple copies of books I don't know I'll like！） but I'm not sure this one is for me。 It's totally a taste thing， though， and I would still recommend picking it up to try。Thank you Harper Collins for the sampler of this book via NetGalley！ All reviews are 100% honest。 。。。more
Kelly Furniss
，
After reading the sampler novel of this book all I can say is wow！。 It's bloody， spooky， gothic， atmospheric and transports you with you the creative atmospheric writing。I could see the world building taking great shape and the characterisation was brilliant。 I am excited to read the rest。 My thanks go to the publisher， author and Netgalley in providing this sampler arc in return for a honest review。 After reading the sampler novel of this book all I can say is wow！。 It's bloody， spooky， gothic， atmospheric and transports you with you the creative atmospheric writing。I could see the world building taking great shape and the characterisation was brilliant。 I am excited to read the rest。 My thanks go to the publisher， author and Netgalley in providing this sampler arc in return for a honest review。 。。。more
Jaime Andrews
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Dude！！！ First， thank you Netgalley and Jay Kristoff for the arc。 I'm dying to know what happens next。 This was an insane read。 Steady heartbeat of battle， becoming and gore。 And the laugh out loud humor sprinkled in almost as often as the potatoes。 Iykyk This story was Greta。 Incredibly well written，a new world written so impeccably well， I feel like I've been there。 Love there。 Writing so deep， flawless。 Antihero you love to hate and hate to love but damn I wanna see him in all his silverclad g Dude！！！ First， thank you Netgalley and Jay Kristoff for the arc。 I'm dying to know what happens next。 This was an insane read。 Steady heartbeat of battle， becoming and gore。 And the laugh out loud humor sprinkled in almost as often as the potatoes。 Iykyk This story was Greta。 Incredibly well written，a new world written so impeccably well， I feel like I've been there。 Love there。 Writing so deep， flawless。 Antihero you love to hate and hate to love but damn I wanna see him in all his silverclad glory。 Trigger warnings: loss， abuse， drug use。 。。。more
jessica
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i got about 50% in before i realised my ARC was only an extended sampler and， because of that and personal reading preferences， i am going to hold off until i have a complete copy。 but what i did read。 oh my goodness。 release day cant come soon enough。 the narrative reminded me of one of my all time favourite books， ‘the name of the wind。’ as the main character is recounting his past and everything that has lead him to the present moment。 its dark and gritty and takes vampires， as well as the ta i got about 50% in before i realised my ARC was only an extended sampler and， because of that and personal reading preferences， i am going to hold off until i have a complete copy。 but what i did read。 oh my goodness。 release day cant come soon enough。 the narrative reminded me of one of my all time favourite books， ‘the name of the wind。’ as the main character is recounting his past and everything that has lead him to the present moment。 its dark and gritty and takes vampires， as well as the tale of the holy grail， in a completely unique and bloody direction。 it gives JKs ‘nevernight’ series a run for its money in terms of mature content。 to readers who thought they were over vampire stories， think again。thank you， st。 martins press， for 200 pages that blew me away。 。。。more
Claire
，
A really enjoyable read into old-school fan-favorite vampire lore （and apart from one scene where the main character earns his "Hells Angel's Red Wings Badge" in the first part of the book。。。 something that would seem pretty obvious in a book about vampires but as a trope seemed relegated to weird Twilight fanfiction） it's not so dark that it's out of the realms of readers in their late teens and over。A few readers have mentioned the structure - EotV wears its Interview With A Vampire / Name Of A really enjoyable read into old-school fan-favorite vampire lore （and apart from one scene where the main character earns his "Hells Angel's Red Wings Badge" in the first part of the book。。。 something that would seem pretty obvious in a book about vampires but as a trope seemed relegated to weird Twilight fanfiction） it's not so dark that it's out of the realms of readers in their late teens and over。A few readers have mentioned the structure - EotV wears its Interview With A Vampire / Name Of The Wind homage pretty proudly。 There is an A and B plot bookend-ed with a interview， and it works well， especially as this is a BIG book。 As usual when there are 2 plots people will prefer one over the other， and the "school" plot worked better for me - you could probably construct an entire book about training as a Vampire Hunter！If you like the clan/lore bits of Vampire The Masquerade but wanted it told from the perspective of Hunters， this would be right up your blood-soaked alley。4。5 stars （minus 0。5 during all the times I said "This Is So Scientifically Inaccurate" about potatoes） 。。。more
Rebecca Hulett
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I received this sampler from NetGalley for free to read and review。 This is my honest review。I loved this take on a vampire novel， mixed with lore of a Holy Grail。 It’s different than all the other vampire and vampire hunter novels I’ve read。 From a vampire historian， to a tattooed vampire hunter covered in silver， to the ragtag team hunting the Grail， I loved all of it。 Gabriel De Leon will forever be my silversaint。 He was such a good character and I loved his attitude and snarkiness。 I was gr I received this sampler from NetGalley for free to read and review。 This is my honest review。I loved this take on a vampire novel， mixed with lore of a Holy Grail。 It’s different than all the other vampire and vampire hunter novels I’ve read。 From a vampire historian， to a tattooed vampire hunter covered in silver， to the ragtag team hunting the Grail， I loved all of it。 Gabriel De Leon will forever be my silversaint。 He was such a good character and I loved his attitude and snarkiness。 I was gripped to the pages and I can’t wait for the rest！ 。。。more
Emily
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DNFed at page 141。 I really wanted to like this book since I’m still a sucker for vampire books。 But after reading almost 150 pages， I still had no idea what the plot of this book was。 At this point， Gabriel was basically telling Jean-François his life story。 Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review。
Sheree
，
The opening pages were like diving back into the dark gritty pool that is Jay Kristoff's mind。 We enter the story with Gabriel having been captured by the enemy he has spent his life trying to eradicate。 And before his demise， they request a full account of his life， and quest to find the holy grail。 Now， this is only a sampler， not the whole book， so I am left at a cliffhanger， as Jay is wont to do to his fans， and cannot discuss how the story resolves or not。 But we are shown different stages The opening pages were like diving back into the dark gritty pool that is Jay Kristoff's mind。 We enter the story with Gabriel having been captured by the enemy he has spent his life trying to eradicate。 And before his demise， they request a full account of his life， and quest to find the holy grail。 Now， this is only a sampler， not the whole book， so I am left at a cliffhanger， as Jay is wont to do to his fans， and cannot discuss how the story resolves or not。 But we are shown different stages of Gabriel's life and meet some interesting and twisted characters along the way。 I do love Astrid， she's my type of Queen。 The setting is so dark， depressing， and grim， yet you can't help but get caught up in Gabriel's life and struggles。 Even though we know he survives his encounters to be able to tell his story， it is told in such a way as to keep you wanting more！ Fans of The Name of the Wind， as well as classic vampire stories， and just of the man himself Mister Kristoff， will fall in love with this world and these characters， just as I have。 。。。more
Rachel Foster
，
**This was given by request via NetGalley**From the moment I heard about this book， I remember thinking， "Oh thank God。 Finally someone is going to bring vampires back，" and I knew that Jay wasn't going to write the simple vampires。 He was going to write dark and gritty， something sharp and painful and raw and real。。 and I was not let down。 I knew this book was right for him。 Holy hell。 Now i'm going to update this by saying I didn't read the whole book because the version that was given out by **This was given by request via NetGalley**From the moment I heard about this book， I remember thinking， "Oh thank God。 Finally someone is going to bring vampires back，" and I knew that Jay wasn't going to write the simple vampires。 He was going to write dark and gritty， something sharp and painful and raw and real。。 and I was not let down。 I knew this book was right for him。 Holy hell。 Now i'm going to update this by saying I didn't read the whole book because the version that was given out by NetGalley was a 400 page "teaser" version。 I just don't happen to see that version online here。 Maybe I missed it， I don't know and honestly， at this point， I don't think I could even care if this ruins my stats for the year。 I just need to get this out and say that Kristoff did it again。 He hooked me harder and faster than even Nevernight did。 He has this superb way of writing and plotting， and developing characters， that makes me question my ability to write。 His characters are full of depth and emotion and life （even the undead ones）。 This book is no different。 However， I definitely feel like I was just edged really hardcore because there's 300+ pages that I didn't get the chance to read but keep an eye on this space。 I'll update it once my preordered copy comes in！ 。。。more
Emily Brown （Candlelightreads）
，
I was kindly sent an eARC sampler of ‘Empire of the Vampire’ by Jay Kristoff through Netgalley for an honest review。 This sampler was such a tease， the first 300 pages were filled with pain， despair and a charmingly sadist character。 So a 100% Kristoff novel which has you immediately sucked in。 *excuse the pun*。 Jay Kristoff has created a rich and haunting world filled darkness， danger and hopelessness。 The characters in this book are so well presented， the author has a way of creating likeable， I was kindly sent an eARC sampler of ‘Empire of the Vampire’ by Jay Kristoff through Netgalley for an honest review。 This sampler was such a tease， the first 300 pages were filled with pain， despair and a charmingly sadist character。 So a 100% Kristoff novel which has you immediately sucked in。 *excuse the pun*。 Jay Kristoff has created a rich and haunting world filled darkness， danger and hopelessness。 The characters in this book are so well presented， the author has a way of creating likeable， real-life characters in few words。 I thoroughly enjoyed how the story is told， through the perspective of the main protagonist telling tales of his adventures to his vampire jailer。 You would think that you would stagger through the pages as you are placed in one timeline and then the next but， Kristoff has made it so you can waltz through with the moral high ground of coming back to the present time。 This book is filled with bloodshed， vengeance and dripping with plot， it had me on the edge of my seat， biting at my fingernails with anticipation。 This book should come with a health warning as my heart was in serious danger of combusting。Despite only reading 300 pages， I already feel invested and feel hooks digging in deep with this book。 Based on what I have read， I’m rating this book 5/5 as I know it will be legendary！ 。。。more
Leslie Bates
，
I received my very first Advanced Reading Copy of this book from the publisher， and the fact that it is from an author who I very much admire – I was awestruck。 I was not expecting to be one of the lucky ones to read a brand new book of Jay Kristoff’s this early on。 But， I will not speculate on that。First impression: I thought I was over vampires， I was very wrong indeed。 This is a new Adult Fantasy novel by Kristoff， so for starters this is not a book for the young ones。 These are not your Edwa I received my very first Advanced Reading Copy of this book from the publisher， and the fact that it is from an author who I very much admire – I was awestruck。 I was not expecting to be one of the lucky ones to read a brand new book of Jay Kristoff’s this early on。 But， I will not speculate on that。First impression: I thought I was over vampires， I was very wrong indeed。 This is a new Adult Fantasy novel by Kristoff， so for starters this is not a book for the young ones。 These are not your Edward Cullen vampires or even your Damon Salvatores。 They do not sparkle and they are not devilishly handsome and there are no love triangles。Instead， this is a book with extensive world building which I am absolutely here for it。 And true to his writing style， Kristoff is notorious for telling his stories through creative outlets。 The ARC I received included black and white illustrations which were very dramatic and jaw-droppingly amazing – the artist deserves soo much credit because the artwork did the novel justice。 I don’t like people ruining books for me， so I will not bombard you with any spoilers for even I don’t even know how exactly Kristoff will end this – but if you enjoy a slight “coming of age” tales， mystical journeys to learn about yourself， vampires and let’s say vampire-hunters， this is for you。 If you like mysterious and forbidden libraries， an anti-hero， and detailed fight scenes – then you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did。 Jay Kristoff literally said， ha！ Edward Cullen， Damon Salvatore， Klaus Michaelson – child’s play。 I’ll one up you with Empire of the Vampire。 So， ladies and gents get your thumbs ready to hit that Pre-order button and your credit cards at the ready for this new series by Jay Kristoff。 It’s going to be real crowd pleaser！ 。。。more
Donna Bull
，
"And in the sight of God and his Seven Martyrs， I do here vow; Let the dark know my name and despair。 So long as it burns， I am the flame。 So long as it bleeds， I am the blade。 So long as it sins， I am the saint。 And I am silver。"Holy Redeemer。 This was the NetGalley sampler that I read， so it's only the first half of the book and all that needs to be said is READ THIS BOOK！！！ This vampire saga is a journey full of faith， despair， honor and heartache。 The world of Elidaen has been brought to it' "And in the sight of God and his Seven Martyrs， I do here vow; Let the dark know my name and despair。 So long as it burns， I am the flame。 So long as it bleeds， I am the blade。 So long as it sins， I am the saint。 And I am silver。"Holy Redeemer。 This was the NetGalley sampler that I read， so it's only the first half of the book and all that needs to be said is READ THIS BOOK！！！ This vampire saga is a journey full of faith， despair， honor and heartache。 The world of Elidaen has been brought to it's knees by the daysdeath， a world altering event that reduced the amount of sunlight the world receives。 Crops fail， trees die and the once reclusive vampires are now able to walk the world unimpeded during the day。 Humanity is at the brink of extinction， and it's only hope is Gabriel De Leon， the last Silversaint。 No spoilers here so all I will say is the characters， the violence， the world building， the twists， it's all brought together beautifully by Jay's writing。 With our protagonist Gabriel， you can feel the ache， weariness， hope， resignation， need and want all wrapped up together marvelously。 I am counting the days till my copy arrives and I can find out what in the heck happens next！！！ARC provided by St。 Martins Press and NetGalley 。。。more
Samantha
，
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC sampler of this book！ Usually the samplers I see are only a few chapters， but this sampler is sixteen chapters！ It's a very generous sampler that gives you a good indication of whether you'll want to continue reading the book when it releases （I will be）。 It's sort of hard to write a review when you don't have the whole book to read， but based on what I read so far， I'm giving it a 4 star。 This book feels like a mix of some of my favorite vampire novels， and that' Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC sampler of this book！ Usually the samplers I see are only a few chapters， but this sampler is sixteen chapters！ It's a very generous sampler that gives you a good indication of whether you'll want to continue reading the book when it releases （I will be）。 It's sort of hard to write a review when you don't have the whole book to read， but based on what I read so far， I'm giving it a 4 star。 This book feels like a mix of some of my favorite vampire novels， and that's what helped hook me。 The base of the story sounds like Interview with A Vampire （Anne Rice）， but reversed with the vampire being the one to interview a vampire hunter。 The vampire hunter aspect feels like a mix of Blade （Marvel character and movies） with a dash of The Witcher （Andrejz Sapkowski）。 There's also tiny a little bit of True Blood （HBO/Charlaine Harris）。 So if you like vampires from the media mentioned， I'd give it a read！ The one downside is there were a few lines that I found ridiculously funny， and I don't think they were supposed to be。 One line in particular made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down and walk away。 I will update my review and rating after the book releases！ 。。。more
Amy Verkruissen
，
This is the first book I've read by Jay Kristoff。 It was breathtaking。 It was hilarious。 The illustrations were beautiful。 It was only the sampler， though it was nearly half the book， I've already pre-ordered the hardback I loved it so much。 Gabriel is telling his story to a vampire that holds him captive and requires his story for his mistress。 He is the last of the silversaints， a brotherhood of men who serve God by slaying vampires that have taken over the lands。 The sun no longer shines due This is the first book I've read by Jay Kristoff。 It was breathtaking。 It was hilarious。 The illustrations were beautiful。 It was only the sampler， though it was nearly half the book， I've already pre-ordered the hardback I loved it so much。 Gabriel is telling his story to a vampire that holds him captive and requires his story for his mistress。 He is the last of the silversaints， a brotherhood of men who serve God by slaying vampires that have taken over the lands。 The sun no longer shines due to a "curse" which shadows the land。 This allows the vampires to expand their empire since they no longer have to hide from the sun。Seriously， if you love a good vampire tale， this one is epic。 It's very dark and definitely not for children。 Though I have not read the Witcher series， I've seen the show and this book has a very heavy Witcher vibe to it。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Milsi ✨ I cast FIREBALL！ ✨
，
Fuck this is so close now and it's like it's been 84 years。。。 Can't wait to get my hands on my two favorite special editions ❤️ Fuck this is so close now and it's like it's been 84 years。。。 Can't wait to get my hands on my two favorite special editions ❤️ 。。。more
Rebecca De Grandis
，
3，5⭐️
Rose Guzman
，
✨4/5 Rating✨Based off Exclusive Sample， Not Final RatingSpoilers & Thoughts Below！！•Empire of the Vampire is an action packed fantasy read filled with vampires， quests， untold stories， religion， and various dark elements。•I do highly suggest checking the trigger warnings before reading as it does have a lot of gore and violence。 •So far I have loved the gothic vibes and all the inspiration the author took from Interview With The Vampire。 •The world building is well written and filled with a lot ✨4/5 Rating✨Based off Exclusive Sample， Not Final RatingSpoilers & Thoughts Below！！•Empire of the Vampire is an action packed fantasy read filled with vampires， quests， untold stories， religion， and various dark elements。•I do highly suggest checking the trigger warnings before reading as it does have a lot of gore and violence。 •So far I have loved the gothic vibes and all the inspiration the author took from Interview With The Vampire。 •The world building is well written and filled with a lot of details and descriptions。 So it is very easy to follow and understand。 •The storyline is very interesting as it goes back and forth through a nonlinear narrative。 It is told as a narration of the main characters life story and I was definitely intrigued the whole time。 •The writing is absolutely captivating and while the story is well written unfortunately， it was a bit slow paced in certain parts。 •The main character， Gabriel de León is such a complex and interesting character。 His story is still much of a mystery but from what he has said it’s been filled with heartbreak， loss， temptation， anger， and survival。 I’m curious to learn how he ends up where he currently is。•One of my favorite aspects of this book so far is The Ashdrinker。 Such an unique and interesting piece that I just know has a dark history to it。 •Favorite quote: “God didn’t want me。 And the devil was afraid to open the door。”•This exclusive sample left off an a very intriguing plot twist， that I did not see coming。 •Overall， just an entertaining read so far with a captivating character and storyline that I’m excited to finish once it fully releases。**This review is based off an exclusive sample， that contained about 410 pages of the finished book and was provided by the publisher via NetGalley。** 。。。more
Tammy
，
With a gush of Anne Rice， a splatter of GRR Martin， a drop of Stephen King， a drip of Rothfuss and a slash of TWD， Kristoff builds a fantasy world of vampire rulers， silversaint warriors， struggles with faith， blood， gore， touching moments and smart-assed cracks。 No fair， SMP。 No fair。 But your ploy worked。 I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the remainder of the book。Note: I read 400 pages of an exclusive sampler
Joy （Books with Joy）
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𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Empire of the Vampire𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Jay Kristoff𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Adult， Fantasy𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶 🌶 🌶 𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:• This was my first JK book and whilst I had no expectation， I didn’t expect myself to be so engrossed by this—I couldn’t put the book down。 • The writing was dark and enthralling and I couldn't fault the pacing， though this was a long read。• Intriguing and immense world-building。 • The characters were complex and I liked the main character， Gabriel， he’s an intriguing characte 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Empire of the Vampire𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Jay Kristoff𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Adult， Fantasy𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶 🌶 🌶 𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:• This was my first JK book and whilst I had no expectation， I didn’t expect myself to be so engrossed by this—I couldn’t put the book down。 • The writing was dark and enthralling and I couldn't fault the pacing， though this was a long read。• Intriguing and immense world-building。 • The characters were complex and I liked the main character， Gabriel， he’s an intriguing character and I enjoyed his witty banter and smart remarks。𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:• Due to the style of this， parts of the narrative can be “Info-dump-y” at times （though I didn’t mind this）。Sinister and mesmerising， Empire of the Vampire is a feast of a tale。 If you’re a fan of gothic macabre reads I suggest you devour this book！ 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥， 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:✔ dark， gothic macabre reads✔ disillusioned and complex anti-hero✔ rich world-building 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of dark adult fantasy， anti-hero protagonist， vampires𝐂𝐖: Adult themes: violence， gore， language， sexual content， there are religious aspects in this book and I feel like some people may be uncomfortable reading thatThank you to @NetGalley and the publisher （Harper Collins Australia） for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲。𝐜𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞。 。。。more
Ayre
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I received a sampler of Empire of the Vampire from Netgalley。 The sampler contained a little over 400 pages so I'm going to mark it a DNF at this point because I don't have a desire to purchase the book in order to finish it。 This book follows Gabriel， a crusader like knight destined to kill vampires。 In this world something has caused the sun to go permanently dark and vampires basically have free reign。 This isn't the worst thing I've ever read， it just really isn't for me。 The writing is pret I received a sampler of Empire of the Vampire from Netgalley。 The sampler contained a little over 400 pages so I'm going to mark it a DNF at this point because I don't have a desire to purchase the book in order to finish it。 This book follows Gabriel， a crusader like knight destined to kill vampires。 In this world something has caused the sun to go permanently dark and vampires basically have free reign。 This isn't the worst thing I've ever read， it just really isn't for me。 The writing is pretentious and takes itself far too seriously。 I'm not a big fan of religion and this isn't even thinly veiled Catholicism。 There is a lot of unnecessary pedophilia that makes the book uncomfortable to read at times。 Characters could easily be aged up or down to make relationships less creepy。 Also， its not necessary for all vampires to be sexually obsessed with children。 Jay Kristoff also lifts plot lines directly from other vampire movies or books。 The Blade movies， the Bible， and Salems Lot are examples of stories where exact things shown in this book have already been done。 He didn't even really try to change things up。 This also doesn't have a linear timeline， which is a story telling device I personally dislike although this one isn't horribly done。This book isn't all bad， there were things I did like。 This is a story within a story， very similar to how The Name of the Wind is told （he really is stealing things from other books）。 The artwork in here is amazingly beautiful。 There are some extremely funny one liners。Most people seemed to like this book from the other ARC reviews I'm seeing so if it sounds good to you and nothing I dislike about the book puts you off then I think you should give this a shot。 。。。more
Ashlie Valenzuela
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**** May contain spoilers ****𝙴𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙰𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 “ 𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑺 𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑩𝑼𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑪𝑹𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑳𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑫𝑼𝑺𝑻 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑶𝑭𝑻𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑨 𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑫 𝑫𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑲 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑫𝑨𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑨𝑺 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑷 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑶𝑹 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑱𝑶𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑺 ？ 𝑨 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑾𝑯𝑶 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑾 𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹， 𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰 𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑵 𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑫 ？ 𝑼𝑵𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑰 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑴， 𝑶𝑭 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺𝑬 。 𝑷𝑹𝑨𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑮𝑶𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑼𝑵𝑨 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝒀 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑬𝑺 𝑾𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑩𝑬𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑭𝑼𝑳， 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑵 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵？ 𝑶𝑹 𝑺𝑰𝑴𝑷𝑳𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑨 **** May contain spoilers ****𝙴𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙰𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 “ 𝑴𝑰𝑺𝑺 𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑩𝑼𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝒀 𝑪𝑹𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑳𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑫𝑼𝑺𝑻 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑶𝑭𝑻𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝑨𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑨 𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑫 𝑫𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑲 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑫𝑨𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 𝑨𝑺 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑷 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑶𝑹 ？ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑱𝑶𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑺 ？ 𝑨 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑾𝑯𝑶 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑾 𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹， 𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰 𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑵 𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑫 ？ 𝑼𝑵𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑰 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑴， 𝑶𝑭 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺𝑬 。 𝑷𝑹𝑨𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑮𝑶𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑼𝑵𝑨 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝒀 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑬𝑺 𝑾𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑩𝑬𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑭𝑼𝑳， 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑵 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵？ 𝑶𝑹 𝑺𝑰𝑴𝑷𝑳𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑺 𝑫𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑩𝒀 𝑴𝒀 𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑫 ？ 𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑰𝑺 𝑨 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑨𝑳’𝑺 𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑳𝒀 ， 𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑻 。“I was lucky enough to be given an E-ARC of this fantastic book 。 I took my time with this one ， not missing a single word ， trying to remember every little detail of the illustrations 。 Gabriel De Leon ， Last of the Silversaints ， Is truly amazing 。 Truth be told ， when I was reading ， I felt a little sadness 。 There is something so deep within and it is dying to break free ， to set Gabriel free 。 The war within himself and his religion ， a constant battle 。 The hatred he feels ， the love he feels and the guilt he feels ， constantly at war inside his head 。 I have my suspicions about something’s left unanswered ， but I’ll save those for the next book 。 An outstanding read ， and probably a top 5 of mine this year 。 Is it too soon to ask when we get book 2 ？ 。。。more
James Tivendale
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The most I’ve enjoyed an epic fantasy novel for a long time。 Full review to follow shortly。
The Nerd Daily
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Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Alana Missen From best-selling author Jay Kristoff， comes Empire of the Vampire—a new epic that is set to ignite the minds of readers across the globe。The first in a new series， and accompanied by beautiful illustrations from Bon Orthwick （@monolimeart）， Empire promises to be a new cult classic with its gothic inspired take on vampires。 It is action-packed from start to finish， introduces an immersive （and terrifying） world that can be further e Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Alana Missen From best-selling author Jay Kristoff， comes Empire of the Vampire—a new epic that is set to ignite the minds of readers across the globe。The first in a new series， and accompanied by beautiful illustrations from Bon Orthwick （@monolimeart）， Empire promises to be a new cult classic with its gothic inspired take on vampires。 It is action-packed from start to finish， introduces an immersive （and terrifying） world that can be further explored in later books， and delves into deeper discussions on topics such as belief， hope， the making of a monster， and more。Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily 。。。more
Laura
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4。75/5 ⭐️Holy freakin wow！ Fantasy lovers line up at your book store or pre-order your copies now because this gem of a book comes out tomorrow and it’s one you don’t want to miss。 I can hardly comprehend the magnificence and intelligence behind this book。 In a world where vampires have taken over and humanity’s only hope at survival is locked in a tower surrounded by the monsters he swore to destroy， things are looking pretty grim。 Gabriel de Leon the last vampire hunter is forced to tell his l 4。75/5 ⭐️Holy freakin wow！ Fantasy lovers line up at your book store or pre-order your copies now because this gem of a book comes out tomorrow and it’s one you don’t want to miss。 I can hardly comprehend the magnificence and intelligence behind this book。 In a world where vampires have taken over and humanity’s only hope at survival is locked in a tower surrounded by the monsters he swore to destroy， things are looking pretty grim。 Gabriel de Leon the last vampire hunter is forced to tell his life story; the epic battles， forbidden romances， treacherous travels， heartbreaking deaths， uplifting victories and all things in between。 Hats off to Jay Kristoff because he created an intricate， interesting world with just as fascinating and complex characters。 It was easy to become immersed in this story。 The world building was relayed to readers cleverly and simply。 There were illustrated pictures throughout that provided an amazing visual aid， but they also made the book unique。 However， even without these， the descriptions were so vivid and raw that every scene and emotion were easy to concoct。I have never met a more unlikeable but simultaneously lovable character than Gabriel de Leon。 He’s infuriating， rude， stubborn and when you think his heart can’t get blacker， he does something that makes you forgive all。 Complex characters can be hard to portray and I think readers sometimes mistake them for inconsistent characters， but not here。 We are given access to the layers and multitudes that make up each person。 Therefore， a real connection between each character and reader is allowed the opportunity to grow。 The exploration of religion and faith and the moral dilemma of sacrificing one for the many were prominent themes。 Whilst this is a fantasy book it actually tackled a lot of theoretical and relevant topics。 This book constantly had me thinking and questioning within and beyond the pages。As much as I loved this I did have a couple of minor complaints。 Firstly， it did very occasionally drag。 Secondly and most importantly the ‘Empire of the Vampire’ was devastating。 Brilliant， but devastating all the same。 Don’t go into this picturing sunshine and happily ever afters because you’ll be sorely disappointed。 This novel was addictive， thought provoking， entertaining， soul crushing and completely and utterly worth the time and pain。 It reminded me of a darker version of ‘Name of the Wind’ with vampires and a lot more profanity。 I recommend this to all fantasy lovers （16/17+） wanting to sink their teeth into a new series。 TW: graphic violence， abuse， bullying 。。。more
Lillian Adkins
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I’ve never rated an ARC 5 stars so fast in my life。 Disclaimer: I’ve never read a book from this author so I had no idea what to expect。 I was hooked from page one。 This book had everything that I’ve been craving from a story for a while。 Do yourself a favor and read it already！
Courtney Sullivan
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**I received a free digital copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。**I just recently discovered Jay Kristoff's work and started with Nevernight。 I knew that I needed to put that trilogy down to start this so I could have the other two books to help the book hangover with EotV。 I found this book difficult to stay focused on because the layout was hard to read to me。 It is set up interview style， but not in a format that is easy to follow。 There are so many quotation ma **I received a free digital copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。**I just recently discovered Jay Kristoff's work and started with Nevernight。 I knew that I needed to put that trilogy down to start this so I could have the other two books to help the book hangover with EotV。 I found this book difficult to stay focused on because the layout was hard to read to me。 It is set up interview style， but not in a format that is easy to follow。 There are so many quotation marks that I couldn't keep track of who was saying what。 The overall story was great， and I was intrigued by the characters。 I could not finish this sampler because of the format on my kindle， but I am going to give it an immediate second chance once I can get a physical copy。 4/5 stars because I could not finish currently， but plan to retry upon release！ 。。。more
laura ☼
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Vampires are making a comeback and I'm so here for it。 I KNOW Jay Kristoff is about to serve us some scary badass vampires。 I'm so excited， this is the first book I've ever pre-ordered in my life。 Vampires are making a comeback and I'm so here for it。 I KNOW Jay Kristoff is about to serve us some scary badass vampires。 I'm so excited， this is the first book I've ever pre-ordered in my life。 。。。more
Kyle
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