As this is only the excerpt of the novel, I’ll hold off on a true review until I read the full version upon release, but I’m eagerly waiting for September 14th. In true Kristoff fashion, the world and the characters are unique and exquisite. His writing style is phenomenal, it’s easy to envision the scene in your head. It’s dark, gritty and a captivating tale that has lived up to my expectations (I’ve been waiting on this book since his announcement). I can’t wait to see what the finished product with the artwork looks- it’s like an adult fairytale book but with more gore. However, I understand that this book may not be for everyone and advise readers to look into its content, topic and trigger warnings before deciding if it’s the right pick for them.

Mr.Kristoff takes swears as compliments as he relishes in readers’ pain and anguish, so f- you Mr.Kristoff, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I should have never asked for this. I need to Read the rest but i have to Wait. It is torture... Pure torture. It Will be a masterpiece.

Interesting concept. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and the world. I'm just not a big fan of the format of the book. It starts with the MC recounting his life story (how he got where he is). I'm (personally) not really into this type of storytelling since the stakes are lower when we know that the MC is "alright" at the end. I much prefer a more traditional format where we're following the characters experience things in real time.

So overall, interesting concept but poor (imo) execution. I'll probably pick up the full book though just in case it gets better!

Wow... How in the world does Jay Kristoff pull it off time and time again! This excerpt (which is crazy to call this an excerpt with that many pages) is a brilliant story already. He likes to rip out your heart and stomp on it a few times and than throw it back in there and hope for the best. I absolutely can not wait for the rest of this story!

The first few chapters of this book suck you right into a tale that feels like The Witcher, with the extra sass of Nevernight. The book begin with the last Silversaint, Gabriel de León imprisioned by Her Grace Margot Chastain, the Undying Empress of Wolves and Men. The Empress' historian, Marquis Jean-Francois has been sent to Gabriel's prison cell at the top of a tower in order to chronicle his life before his execution, (since he is the last of the Silversaint warriors). Gabriel begins his story from his childhood village when the sun first became veiled, describing his family and the events that lead him to join the holy brotherhood of the Silversaints. The beginning chapters I read were fantastic and set up a strong foundation of incredible lore and interesting characters. I CANNOT wait to get my hands on a finished printed copy in September.

First of all, I'm DYING with where this sampler ended. Just plain cruel LOL

I had such mixed emotions starting this; on one hand, the sampler would be good to determine if I want to purchase but on the other I knew the sampler would be killer and make me want more.

Results are this: I NEED THE BOOK PLEASE ST. MARTIN'S SEND ME AN ARC.

I can't wait until the release of this one. I have several copies already on preorder as well as a plan to use in my bookclub very soon after release.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for allowing me to read the sampler.

I almost wished I hadn't received a Sample from NetGalley because I want to read the full thing SO BAD. Jay Kristofferson posted his own book preview on here that's better than mine could ever be, but this is rad! I'm happy to commit to how friggin long it is.

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read an exclusive sampler of this highly anticipated book! I expected the sampler to be maybe 300 pages or something so I was kind of shocked when I got it and it was 600 pages. The world-building in this book is very much fully-realized and the descriptions and very in-depth and thorough. If you aren't used to kind of writing, it can be a bit of a struggle at first but eventually you really get used to it and truly immerse yourself in the world of Empire of the Vampire. The illustrations are very dramatic and the characters are very rich and thoroughly explored.

I was a little skeptical because it was vampires *eyeroll emoji* but I have to say this world that he's built is really sexy and dark in a wonderful way. Sex, violence, blood and vampires are all perfect fantasy elements to me I'm just disappointed that I got hooked and then couldn't read the ending.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this massive sampler clocking in at 400 pages. I believe this sampler to be the first half of the final book, so it was enough for me to get the feel and the tone of the novel as a whole. I'm a huge fan of Jay Kristoff's so I went in expecting excellence, and.... I was not disappointed.
Imagine if Game Of Thrones had a baby with Interview with the Vampire and maybe you will have a quarter of what Empire With The Vampire is like.
It was pure gothic decadence thrown into a fantastical almost alternate history world where
vampires have ravaged humanity to almost nothing.
We follow Gabriel a halfblood vampire also known as a Silversaint ( fancy word for monster Slayer) as he recounts his journey for boyhood all the way to where he stands in his cell waiting his punishment for killing the Forever king AKA big baddie vampire. He tells his story with much sarcasm, banter and most of all hatred, to Jean francois, a purebred vampire who chronicles it on the request of his Empress. The tension between them is palpable. I enjoyed this book so much. Even if you are tired of Vampires, don't worry pick this one up. The blood sucking lore is fresh, brutal,
intriguing and exciting. Nothing like you have seen before. It's fantasy reinvented and I'm here for it. Jay outdid himself. I will be first in line to finish the rest of this novel, the first in a trilogy. Gabriel is now my spirit animal.

I devoured this book like a hungry vampire. Based on this first entry, this is going to be one amazing trilogy! Gabriel is fascinating and I can't wait for more of his story. No spoilers, but the one "character" I want more of is Ash!

Okay, I am internally (and possibly externally) screaming. This. Book. Is. LIFE. Or is it death? EITHER WAY! I can't even believe I am left WAITING for the rest of the book! WOWOWOW. I read this 400 page sampler in such a record time for myself, that I think I need to take a nap today to recover.

This book is so dark, so edgy, so lovely, and so terrifying. It has ALL the making of a Jay Kristoff novel. It is unique and filled with an abundance of ingenuity. With violence, sex, gore, prolific passages, I just could NOT put this down. I think this is his best book yet. The world is so well-established and so rich with danger and darkness, you'll never grow tired of what is on the next page.

I LOVED that the vampires were true to lore. They are mean, terrifying, villains that horror stories should be made of. They hold a sort of elegance and appeal, and are just as lovely as they are monstrous. The fight scenes were so detailed and just... masterful. Gabriel, ohhhhh Gabriel. I am smitten. His character is amazing. Being an ex-monster-slayer and sort of in a rut, comes out on top. His development is really amazing, from page 1 to page 400. I NEED THE NEXT 400 NOW!

One thing I absolutely LOVED about this was that, even though there is a lot going on, it's well versed and written. It flows nicely, and the format that it is written in is not terribly difficult to follow along. Also? This story is exactly that.... a story. It tells like one, feels like one as Gabriel gives his events of his life leading up to his current situation, and just about in chronological order. It tells the tale of losing belief in your self, losing purpose in your life, and finding who you are deep within. There are so many memorable moments that were exciting and meaningful. I am a sucker for gothic, macabre atmospheres and boy oh boy, did Jay Kristoff deliver.

This book is really going to deliver. Thank you SO MUCH to St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this sampler in exchange for my honest review!

I made it about 100 pages in before having to give up out of sheer frustration. The way the author writes is very wordy, and it feels like he throws words or phrases in, not for the sake of the story or the character, but because it sounds smart and uppity. The premise is interesting but the writing style makes it impossible to get into it.

"I'm saying we're people of passions," Gabriel replied. "For good or ill. To know ma famille, to know me, you must know that. Our hearts speak louder than our heads."

Out of the entirety of this book, this line right here describes Gabriel de Leon the best and it most certainly describes this story! Oh my goodness, gracious!

Empire of the Vampire is Interview with a Hitman, Van Helsing, and the crusades all mixed into one book.
"'War doesn't teach you to be a killer,' he told me once. 'It's just a key that opens our door. There's a beast in all men's blood, Gabriel. You can starve him. Cage him. Curse him. But in the end, you pay the beast his due, or he takes his due from you.'"

The world-building in the story was so well-done that even though I would never, EVER, want to live there, I wouldn't mind visiting. From the very beginning of the book, I was captivated by the imagery that Kristoff described. The detail and depth that he goes into with the One Faith, even with sneak peeks inside other people's faith in the story, was captivating.

And Gabriel.........let's just say I am both terrified and obsessed with him! If I could sit down with any person, real or fictional, he would probably be at the top of my list!

It pains me that not only do I still have to wait for the actual book to come out but I also have to wait for the NEXT FREAKING BOOK!!!!!!!!

Is anyone ready for this?
Since this is a sampler, I don't feel as if it's fair to judge too much of this book. Yet, it is clear that Jay Kristoff is going to have another hit series. While you might be tired of vampires, Jay returns us to our beloved paranormal creatures in a bloody, sexy, epic story.
You want intense world building? Characters worth crying over? Some bloody smut?
Look no further.

I haven’t read any of Mr. Kristoff’s books even though he has been on my tbr for years! I’ve been seeing things about this book for months and instantly knew I needed to read it! I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Empire of the Vampire drew me in and had me hooked from start to finish! Everyone who loves vampires needs to get this book when it comes out because it is soooo good!! I will definitely be reading all of Mr. Kristoff’s previous books ASAP and his future books as well! Thank you so much St Martins Press!

*Thank you SO much to Jay Kristoff, MacMillan publishing and Netgalley for giving me this E-ARC sampler of "Empire of the Vampire " in exchange for an honest review *

I really loved Kristoff's Nevernight Chronicles so I was EXCITED AS HECK when he announced that he was writing a vampire book. From the sample, I could tell that Jay make Vampires dark and still keep his signature humor. I can't wait to read the full book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this extended sampler in exchange for a honest review!

EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE is about Gabriel de Leon, the last Silversaint of his kind. He has been imprisoned by the monsters he's sworn to hunt down, for years, and is forced by one of them to tell his story: forbidden love, legendary battles, losing faith, and the friendships he gains along his journey to finish the war once and for all. But to finish and possibly help humanity he needs to find the one and only: the Holy Grail.

First off, I just want to say: Thank you again for allowing me to read ANY of this book. It's one of my most anticipated releases of this year and you should have seen my face when I saw I got the approval to read over 400 out of 750 pages of this chunky, gorgeous book.

That being said... if I'm not counting his collabs with Amie Kaufman (which I adore), I've only read Jay's LIFEL1K3 trilogy, with NEVERNIGHT still being on my TBR pile. When I heard he was putting out a vampire series I knew it'd be an instant-buy for me.

Vampires have been out of style for a while with only a few cropping here and there of good vampire books. I've been waiting for a new vampire book to honestly bring back vampires into the mix. I think EMPIRE could do just that. I liked the separation of "paleones" (half born vampire) and "coldones" (full vampire) and the differences they have but still keeping to some traditions of being a vampire. Jay does a good job incorporating old and new twists to the genre.

If you love THE NAME OF THE WIND mixed with INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, I know you're going to love this book!

The book is told in the POV of Gabriel telling his story to Jean François, a vampire holding him prisoner. Inbetween the story are illustrations by Monolime art and they are stunning both in color and black and white. Jean François has Gabriel start from the beginning when he was just growing up under an abusive household. Gabriel speaks about becoming a Silversaint and training to hunt down the vampires I'm the ongoing war.

I really liked the banter between Gabriel and Jean François. The writing was well done and lots of quips I wouldn't be surprised to see one day on merchandise.

I do have a tiny nitpick... there were many moments of slow pacing which dragged the story down quite a bit but understandably so as the book is 750 pages and is the start to a series. I'm unsure if it's a trilogy or longer but hopefully the pacing will be fixed after all the world building.

I am super excited to continue the story in September, I got it pre-ordered at Barnes and I am ready to finish this story!

PS... this is not a kid's book.

4.5 stars

I've seen so much positive hype around this book, so I was really excited to read this sampler, albeit a little concerned that it was going to be over hyped. But it was not. It was so good. The best way I could describe it is The Name of the Wind meets The Witcher but with vampires and a little bit of The Da Vinci Code. It's told across three separate time lines, the present where Gabriel De Leon is imprisoned and telling his life story to a vampire chronicler, the very beginning of his life accounting his vampire slaying training, and somewhere in the middle where he has a run in with the holy grail. The interweaving of these timelines makes for a really engaging story and there's a bunch of little clues of stuff that's gonna happen but you don't know when. Like any really good epic fantasy, the whole world feels really flushed out and I can't wait until the book comes out so I can read the rest of it. I have lots of questions and theories that I need answered.

”Hearts only bruise. They never break.”

Wow! I was not expecting that! I was not expecting to fall in love with all of these characters and their rough, raw, troublesome lives they all live. I was not expecting such in-depth world building that I just want more of!

This book is very long and goes to a lot of places. And by that I mean you learn a lot of information about a small handful of characters and their early lives. This story is quite literally being told like a story. I didn’t think I’d like this at first but the ole vampire grew on me. Their banter witty and fun in the midst of the story’s true heartache.

“God didn’t want me. And the devil was afraid to open the door.”

The sun is blotted out. The monsters that lurk in the dark are very hungry. Our main story teller is very good at pissing them off.

We know a smidge of what’s to come. We just don’t know all the dots yet and I can’t wait to put the other pieces all together in the following books. Break my heart, Mr. Kristoff!

I will 100% absolutely read anything Kristoff publishes without even second guessing. He is an auto buy author for me. I cannot wait to read the full length novel of this sampler; I'm already completely enthralled with this new world and these new characters. His world building and characters arcs are unlike any other I've read.