Readers should buckle up and be prepared for anything before embarking on the wild ride that is Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire. It is a beast of a story that is filled with incredibly well-developed characters and multiple unexpected plot twists. Jay Kristoff has proven that the world is not done with vampires just yet. Curious readers should take a look at the content warning list (at the bottom of my review) prior to starting to read this book as there is a LOT happening. Empire of the Vampire is in no way a book I would recommend to younger readers due to the violence, the language, and the sexual content featured. However, adult fans of dark paranormal fantasy should absolutely love it.

Empire of the Vampire is a dark, gritty vampire tale that follows Gabriel de Leon, the last Silversaint, as he shares his life story with the court historian. I love how the art is incorporated into the story. The artwork featured in the book is supposed to be what the historian is drawing as he takes down all the details of Gabriel’s life. The illustrator of the book, Bon Orthwick, absolutely did an amazing job illustrating some of the key moments in the life of the last silver saint. I hope that the other books in the series continue to include illustrations, as I can’t wait to see what else she produces. My favorite piece is the one she described as “thousands and thousands of vampires” - this piece was featured on her Instagram (@monolimeart) so I’m not really spoiling anything by sharing the description.

Damian Lynch did an amazing job bringing the book to life in audiobook form. I absolutely loved the scenes between Gabriel and Jean Francois.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review a teaser eARC of Empire of the Vampire. I loved it so much I got the hardback and the audiobook - one hundred percent worth it, especially with the art. Can’t wait to read the next installment in the series!

CW: adult language, graphic content, graphic sexual content, violence, torture

Reviewing Empire of the Vampire based only on the first 400 pages included in this sampler, I’d say that I’m liking it but not loving it! It’s picked up at the 50% mark in the book, but there have been some parts that I am so uninterested in that it’s hard to get through them. I love Gabriel and can’t wait to (hopefully) see more of him and Astrid, since I have a feeling I am going to love them together. Overall, I’m enjoying my first Jay Kristoff book and hope it keeps getting better as I continue!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the sampler of Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff!

This is definitely a read for the older, more mature reader. Perfect for the spooky season! I think students will enjoy the vampire trend coming back.

This wickedly action packed rollercoaster ride was a tachycardia inducing, heart bruising pleasure to experience. I was given a sampler but I quickly got bogged down with the names and Vampire lineages and such so as soon as I was able, I bought the audiobook and man oh man am I ecstatic that I did because this narrator, Damian Lynch, was AWESOME!! He was able to produce a bevy of distinct voices, all with varying accents. I NEVER had to question who was speaking at any given moment or guess the tone with which they truly meant their words to have. Of course Jay Kristoff had a little part in achieving that but Damian Lynch made this book a new favorite, for me at least. I'll definitely be looking him, and his uber sexy, yummmmy, husky voice up and seeking out some more of his work.

Anyway... back to the book at hand.

Empire of the Vampire was extremely reminiscent of one of my all time favorite reads, The Name of the Wind, with an infamous "hero" recounting his escapades, trials and triumphs that lent him his "Hero" title... The Black Lion. He recollected (and in doing so he relived) his entire life... ups, downs and in-between, to a vampire that was chronicling our MC's, Gabriel De Lion, history from inside a jail cell. We are privy to his past through a quasi-reliable, beautifully written, recap of his entire life.


Kristoff brought Vampires back into the realm of ugly, nasty, nightmare fuel. The writing was equal parts evocative, poignant, graphic, atmospheric, at (many) times bleak and ohhhhh sooooo vivid. If you're looking for a sparkling, twinkly, pollyannaish vampire tale with romance and a saccharine sweet ending then you are SOL here because this book will take you to dark places and have you questioning if Happily Ever Afters can truly ever exist let alone within a world devoid of sunlight and populated by crazy, demon-like, blood sucking, atrocious creatures. And then there was that ending... an ending steeped in promise. I just this moment finished this book and already I pray book #2 comes out quickly.


Overall:

I usually read a book in print and listen to an audiobook during the same time frame. This book was so raw, and visceral, gritty and dark (when I say dark I mean pitch of night with nary a star nor moonlight to shed a sliver of light), that it made the other book I was reading seem tame and boring. Was it fair to compare? No! BUT it was impossible not to and so I put 2 other books on hold because they couldn't match Empire of the Vampire's tone or fervor. This is new territory for me and I'm here for it. This was a long read/listen but 100% worth every minute spent. The characters were deep, well fleshed out and oh so beautifully, humanly broken and flawed. The background was a little confusing at first but Damian Lynch really brought it home and turned this LARGE tome into an awesome way to be immersed in and consumed by a tale. I HIGHLY reccomend this book... especially as an audiobook AND especially if you like books such as The Name of the Wind. I LOVED it!

~ Enjoy
*** I was given a sampler of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

What an absolutely incredible book. The hype is genuinely earned with this one.

It says something when the publishers release a dozen special editions of a book that sell out before it even releases. Having never read any of Jay Kristoff's work before, I wasn't part of this initial wave of enthusiasm, but as soon as I started hearing from early reviewers, my excitement peaked.

This intricately built world pulled me in and the well-developed characters refused to let me go. If you like epic fantasies with hundreds of pages to digest, this is for you. If you like vampires in your fantasies, this is even more for you. I can't wait to see what comes next in this world and whether the next entry will have an even higher page count!

Jay Kristoff is a genius. He has taken the legend of the vampire and introduced new elements that are compelling and intoxicating.
I know that his books are going to slowly pull me in until I cannot escape. His worlds and characters are complex, showcasing the multitudes that make all of us real. There are never any shining heroes without shadows or dastardly villains without other attributes.

In this world we get a man who has been thrust into a destiny he did not expect. His father parentage has limited his options and made him a target of sorts. He did not ask for it but he must embrace it. He is damaged but still capable of such depth.

This book moves at a breakneck pace. It is hard to pause and digest all the nuance and yet, I know there are things that seem innocuous that will become important further into the story.

717 pages rarely goes down so smoothly. And now I have to wait for the next book which will take too long.

Good vampire story. I personally didn't care for the narrative effect and the random French words felt out of place to me but the characters were entertaining overall.

Empire of the Vampire has it all. Strategy, awesome fights, some lover spice, and generally great storytelling. I enjoyed watching Gabe go from being a highly devout fresh-eyed young man to merciless and calculated. This title was absolutely awesome. There was some very deep character development and the system of magic in this story is something second to none. In general, the characters are well fleshed out and though there are clear stereotypical story elements that work in this story, they work all for the betterment of the plot and are by far made new and fresh by Jay Kristoff. I honestly enjoyed this book and am so thankful for the time that I got to spend with it (especially as a wind-down to my college courses) I think that this book is for anyone who wants a good vampire story without the creepy love triangle ;) . All and all a 5/5 for me and a definite purchase in the close future.

The protagonist Gabriel DeLeon is a very gruff character and often showed that he cares and never gave up. Many moments is the plot were very touching. I loved the world created by the author, the magic system and hope to read more of his work!

OMG this book. Just phenomenal. Nothing more to say but read it immediately. I read the preview twice while waiting for the book to be released.

Look, this book has... some upsides. The magical system is fascinating. It is, in theory, an interesting story. But I could not finish it. Do you know how rare it is for me to not finish a book? Exceedingly rare. I can't remember another in recent memory. And I'm sure there are people out there who will love this book. But oh. my. god. The protagonist is the most obnoxious, arrogant, self-absorbed awful character you could imagine. He is terrible. It is literally hundreds of pages (of which I successfully managed 300 before asking myself, "Why am I torturing myself?) of whining and narcissism. I just could not manage to keep going. I mean, the tattoos are cool. The vampires are cool. But not even the interesting world building is enough to save the narrator from himself.

REVIEW: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

All the stars. All. The. Stars. This book was phenomenal, and not at all what I was expecting.

First of all, the illustrations in this book are fucking amazing - and yes, this warrants swearing a little! I got the B&N special edition, signed by the author himself.

Second, the story is incredible - and I am so angry at myself for having read this book now, when the second book won’t be out FOREVER!!!!

We open with Gabriel, the Forever King’s killer, locked in a cell, telling the story of his life to a vampire historian. Because, as you may have surmised from the title, here there be vampires. A lot of vampires. In fact, ever since Daysdeath twenty-seven years earlier, vampires have become a problem, with the Forever King leading them to victory over the human realms. To deal with the problem, we have a holy brotherhood, the Silversaints, of which Gabriel, as one born of a vampire father, is part.

As Gabriel recounts his life to his captors, we go back to Gabriel’s introduction to the Brotherhood and his forbidden love, and jump back and forth with his life, seventeen years later, when he becomes part of a ragtag band of humans who have found a way to end Daysdeath and the vampires.

I can’t give more details due to potential spoilers, but do yourself a favor if you’re a fan of dark epic fantasy and go buy this book. Like, stat! I read it last weekend and already want to do a reread. Now I’m going to go sulk about not having more Gabriel, Dior, and Astrid.


CWs: Death of spouse/child/parent, homophobia, religious abuse, mention of sexual grooming and abuse (not on page).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the e-ARC - full disclosure, I read the sampler and sped to B&N to buy a physical copy ASAP.

This was a super generous sampler which features 60% of the book which, at full length is over 700+ pages!

This is my first book by the author and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed. The story building was both expansive but well done and wholly immersive. It’s dark, unforgiving, but also quite lush in its descriptions without being overly tedious or overdone. Everything felt well thought out and the religious inspiration and themes were heavy handed in the best way possible. There is certainly no dancing around all the religious critique and examination, which I welcomed.

As far as the characters, there was a great cast, though the MC is clearly very layered and well developed. At times I admired Gabriel, at others he infuriated me, but there was no doubt a very emotional and visceral reaction, which to me, is a character well done. There’s definite a “guy’s guy” type of attitude here with the incessant swearing, bro-type misogynistic barbs or insults, and crass humor, but I think that’s authentic to the character. I didn’t take offense to it, but others may. I do think the author provided an abundance of advanced warning about who this may or may not work for, so in that sense, he’s unapologetic and I think it works for his MC, Gabriel. The other main characters introduced all stood on their own and didn’t fade into the background, which considering how much personality Gabriel has, and how many events unfold and the scale of the story, is hard to execute! Some of the secondary characters were favorites off the bat, while others were a slow burn if not just interesting addition.

Some of the twists and surprises definitely landed, while others weren’t as surprising if you paid attentions to the details and notes. That said, the way the story is delivered, as a sort of memoir Gabriel must execute to his vampire captor was unique and interesting. In the same way one might tell a story to another person, the story weaves and jumps between periods instead of following a strict linear path. While that may be jarring for some, I think it works well here. The intermissions or interruptions between present day Gabriel and his vampire captor add some comedic relief and help ground us back to the “why do we care” which was helpful and showed nuance.

I look forward to completing the story and find that this certainly lives up to the hype.

This is only a snippet. Didnt realize that. Book seems interesting but dont have it. Will have to pick it up when it goes to paperback. Dont have people request snippets.

Please note, this is a review of the 400-page sampler, not the full book (739 pages)

Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire is crazy violent and full of extreme language (normally doesn’t bother me, but here it was an overkill). Now, I am have read a Kristoff novel before so perhaps it is his mo.

I thought this was a fair book and was glad I got the sampler as I struggled just to get through that, I will not be picking up a copy to continue so I guess you could consider this a DNF.

An epic start to an amazing book!! I love all the characters! Jay Kristoff is one of my favorite authors and he delivers yet again! A must read for lovers of vampires and dark fantasy! Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!!

Thank you so much for this excerpt! This was definitely one of the best excerpts I have ever read and it made me very excited to read the rest of the book.

This book is so good! I cannot rave about it enough! I can’t believe the sample cuts of where it does. It leaves me wanting so much more. It’s dark and gritty. Even though it’s long, it reads fast.

This is hands down the bloodiest book I've ever read. What a way to kick off a new series! I am a huge fan of vampire media and I really enjoyed Kristoff's take on the half-vampire trope. I saw this compared to The Name of the Wind, another of my favorite books, and can absolutely see where the comparison comes from. It's a perfect October/Halloween read. I especially enjoyed the scenes of Gabriel's time at San Michon during his Silversaint training days. Sooooo glad I picked this up!!

This book was hands down the best book I've read this year. Jay Kristoff is one of my top 3 authors and he never disappoints. This book was captivating, suspenseful, funny and tense all at once. The adult themes are prevalent, which I love.