Well, it’s really good—don’t get me wrong—but ultimately incomplete. Obviously. Obviously as well, I have to read the rest of it now. Because it’s really, really good. Jumping back and forth between two pasts does kinda throw the whole flow off, but when your story has this much kick to it you can apparently get away with that.

Not much I can do but recommend the full version as this sample makes me NEED to read the rest of it.

Okay, so this book took me foreeeever. I started this behemoth September 20th. Didn’t finish until November freaking 22nd. TWO. MONTHS. To be fair, I was planning my wedding and was balls deep in wedding stuff (which was November 6th, and my glorious husband messaged Jay about it and he actually recorded a “happy marriage” video for me *insert squealing, puppy eyes, and tears*) so I didn’t have much time to read. Plus, this book is HEAVY. It probably took me twice as long to read each page as a normal book would take. I was only able to read a couple chapter a night at best, and the result was that I really got to savor this bad boy. Usually I gobble new Kristoff books up within 24 hours of release at the latest (usually months before release in ARC form, actually). It killed me that I didn’t even get to start it until a week after release! I did get the ARC from NetGalley a couple months in advance, but I was less jazzed to read it when I found out it was only a lengthy sampler – I didn’t want to get SUPER into it and then get cut off and be jonesing for the rest for weeks on end! I figured it was better to just wait until release. And it was 100% worth the wait!

That being said, this is the first of Jay’s books that I wasn’t absolutely gung-ho smitten with from the very beginning. It definitely feels like Adult High Fantasy because it started SLOW. Jay’s writing is phenomenal, as always, so I was never bored; but I wasn’t super into Gabe as a character until a good 1/3 of the way in. (As per usual, it’s all about the side characters for me though!) It took a while for me to get invested in this story.

This book is dark. And when I say dark, I mean: It’s the darkest book Jay has written, and his books are usually pretty dark anyway. Moreover, it’s extremely bleak, too. Gabe is very pessimistic and has basically lost all faith and all hope. And because he’s telling the story, that bleakness bleeds into the whole narrative and feel of the entire novel. The storytelling is super interesting because Gabe is telling his own story after it all happened. Which is a lot like Name of the Wind (which I hated), but it’s done in a way that I actually enjoyed. NotW didn’t work for me because it made me feel detached from the story knowing that everything had already happened. But, Jay is a MASTER at pulling shit off, and there’s just something in the way he does it that it worked for me.

I also want to say that I’m not usually a vampire fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed Jay’s take on them! It was a fresh perspective on vamp lore – maybe it’s been done before, but if it has I haven’t seen/read it, so it was new to me.

It’s not a Kristoff story without a few blow-your-face-off bombs being dropped. I looove that Jay always keeps me on my toes! I can usually see twists coming a mile away, but Jay always manages to surprise me. There were two twists in this one that had me positively gobsmacked.

[spoilers removed]

Side note: The horse deaths got me hard. I actually had to put the book down after that one scene. Whew.

As always, superb and flawless storytelling by Mister Kristoff! Can’t wait to get my hands on the second book!

(Original review posted at Novel Heartbeat)

I highly enjoyed this sampler of Empire of the Vampire! I want to read the full book as soon as possible now!

I really enjoyed this sample. I went out and bought the full book of course to finish the story!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is late, but you cannot go wrong with a Kristoff book. The world's and characters he builds are amazing. This was a winner from the start!

I really enjoyed this sampler and the tone that was set was phenomenal. I can’t wait to read the rest of this book! Dark and delicious

This was 4.5 ⭐️s for me! I started the book on audio, and the introduction to this new world was amazing but… oh so so long. Therefore minus half a star. I got a little bored with how long it felt on audio. I ended up getting the kindle book and the physical book and switched back and forth between all formats.

Now once this book got going, like really going, DAMN it was good. The story had violence, vampires, nuns, and a splash of romance. I loved the budding romance story between Gabriel and Astrid. And I loved the unique way the story was told.
⠀
If you haven’t read this book, do so right away.

Empire of the Vampire is a gripping and gritty vampire tale that had me hooked from the start. This terrifying story had me gripped from the start. Though it was long, it never fell flat for me. The atmosphere that this book created was incredibly captivating and I really enjoyed all of the characters (whether I loved them or hated them) that were introduced to me over the course of the book and the journey that everyone went through.

However, I was only given a sampler of the novel, not the full novel (Thank you so much to the publisher!), and I have since not finished the full book, only the sampler, so my opinion is based off of that.

The atmosphere really makes the book. The descriptions and paths in this book really add to the fantasy vibes and the gritty aeshetic. I really loved the way that this book was paced, though I only read half of the book as it was the sampler. When people say that this book is terrifying, they mean it. There is a lot of violence, terror, profanity, and while it’s a lot, it also adds to the environment and the aesthetic that the book is trying to create.

I would recommend this book to any fantasy lovers (especially vampire lovers). If you’re tempted to pick this book up or add it to your TBR, definitely give this book a chance!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me the first half of Empire of the Vampire.

It’s safe to say I DEVOURED this first section, and I’m definitely afraid to finish this book…but in the best possible way.

Shut up! Ok I thought this was going to be bad if I'm honest, but I was gladly mistaken. I got Interview with a Vampire and The Witcher vibes from that and loved it! The artwork in the book is beautiful. I need more! I need to find out what happens! 100% you should read this.

A fantasy that sucks you dry like the vampires in here and yet still leaves you alive enough to want more. I loved this despite it not being a full novel but it earned a space in my favorites!~

Jay is a genius. I love that he strays from the HEA. I loved this book and I'm so grateful for the ARC.
Dark and Perfect!

Thought this was going to be a lot longer sample than it was. I wanted to like this but I found the writing to be too repetitive from his other books. But I do hope vampires make a comeback!

Well wasn't this a ride!

I have a very hit or miss type of relationship with Mr. Kristoff but I was not going to pass up this beast of a Vampire book.

This book is a lot. There is a lot of character building, a lot of world building and a lot of plot but I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't bored. At no point did I ever think "OK, let's get this over with now". In fact, I desperately wanted more.

The story is told as a type of biography with deLeon spilling his life story for a vampire historian and it gave me very big Anne Rice vibes. I was hooked immediately.

Vampires are coming back in a big way and Kristoff is leading the team!

Empire of earth he vampire drew me in from page one and has left me desperately awaiting book two’s release .

I recommend this book to fans of the Anita Blake vampire hunter series as well as to those looking for a reverse interview with the vampire style set up.

Ended preordering two different editions for me and a friend .

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: The beginning of a bloody epic tale that will give you everything you want from a gritty, dark, and action-filled fantasy novel. 

THE EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE is the vampire book you have never thought you needed in your life. Kristoff does it again with an amazingly dark, bloody, twisted tale of pain, loss, revenge, love, and friendship. The writing is nothing short of brilliantly constructed to beat the crap out of you as become immersed in the world created by the author. 

Here is the thing. I will not sit here and retell the story of Gabriel de León. Read the damn book for yourself. It is well worth the time and quite frankly if you don’t, you are missing out. What I will say is that this book takes the best of gothic vampire tradition and makes it fresh, compelling, and bloody addictive. The characters have grit, heart, and wit. The lore and history built within these pages is a complex web setting the stage for what is to come. Then, if that wasn’t enough, there are illustrations added throughout the book that make the experience of reading even better. 

Seriously, this book is a must-read. Though I will warn you, it may leave you hating and loving the author at the same time. Kristoff has the remarkable ability to craft a story that will tear your heart out, but still, have you coming back for more. The next book cannot come soon enough.

Unfortunately I DNFd this about 200 pages in. It's very heavy in world building and I wasn't super connected with it. It felt like it was slow in building. Typically I absolutely love Jay's writing and other series! I think I'll definitely try to come back to this but I do feel as though it might not be for me.

I was so excited and thank you for the early access to those 400 pages!

Purchased the whole book from Audible.
Um what just happened!? I listened to the audiobook, and it was wonderful! I am in shock, awe, mad, sad, confused... so many things! Disclaimer - this is an adult book, not recommended for a YA audience. Includes a good amount of violence and cursing.

Empire of the Vampire is a recounting of a man named Gabriel, a Silversaint. He is recounting his life to a vampire historian while locked away. I am going to try to be as vague as possible throughout this review because everyone should go read/listen to this one. Especially if you like a good dark fantasy and a TON of worldbuilding.

In this story, it is forever dark/eternal night and so vampires have come out of hiding and now exist with humans, only they are constantly at war with one another since humans are a food source. We are not really sure how or why it is forever night, but the vampires are there to stay. Gabriel has been enlisted, in a way, to be a vampire hunter and help humans as a Silversaint.

The overall story is bold, violent, blunt, and coming from a jaded, burnt-out man it makes it all the more ominous and wonderful. You just feel everything about this world, the characters, and it plays like a TV show in your head. (Maybe because I am watching The Witcher right now also).

Gabriel is a bit broken as a character, but his tale is epic with fights, love, revenge, twists, and a weird religious undertone. There was a lot of religion in this book, and it was an interesting take on faith/ hope, blind faith, and understanding to world around you based in faith. I really liked Gabriel's story, sarcasm, and persona throughout this tale.

Overall, I have lot of questions... which will be hopefully answered in the coming books. But this one was almost 900 pages and what felt like a billion hours on audiobook... we got some much in this book, which was spectacular but still it left so much to come. I am so excited to continue this series!

(Sorry if this review was all over the place... sometimes word-vomit is the way to go when I have all the feels about a book)

This was only a sampler of the novel (the first 400 or so pages), providing the first half of the book. However, upon reading this half, I definitely wanted to finish the story of Gabriel de Leon. The prose, the characters, the story- all of it drew me in and kept me intrigued in the story. Kristoff's writing is unique, which is an aspect that he changes with each of his stories. He includes plot twists that I did not see coming, and I imagine there are even more twists in the story to come. The characters are dynamic and I wanted to see what happened in each of their stories. The world building was amazing- I felt like I was immersed immediately in the world of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to finish this incredible story. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2021 and I was so excited to get this sampler! I'm honestly very disappointed in this books, not because it's not good, but because the hype was so high that my expectations were too high. It's interesting and it held my interest but there were so many points that the writing just made me cringe.