Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC sampler.

This is how you start a sequel!!

5⭐️

So many trilogies suffer from middle book syndrome, where the second book does little to advance the plot. This sampler of Empire of the Damned shows that this series will not be one of them.

EOTD picks up right where EOTV left off, but gives us bits and pieces more of Jean-Francois story as well as Gabriel’s. The introduction of new point of views, and the immediate continuation of a dark and bloody action packed story made this sampler addictive.

This book also featured a recap of main characters from the first one, which is entirely helpful given the time span between publications. Based solely on the first 100 pages, I would guess that this book will be another easy 5 star book for Jay Kristoff, and I eagerly await it’s publication date, so that I can delve immediately into my preordered copy.

An ineluctable gift for storytelling has author Jay Kristoff, propelling this newest Series, EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE, inescapably as an avalanche of boulders coursing down a high mountain. This novel and the prior (EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE) indeed are couched in literal storytelling, as "the Last Silversmith," Gabriel de Leon, is tasked (at imminent point of torture, torment, and death) to relate his life history, recorded by a wry coldblood [vampire] historian, for the delectation of the dreaded Vampire Empress. So the story unfolds, packed with more action, adventure, trauma, gore, and death than one could readily imagine, pinning readers to the edge of their metaphorical seats. Let us hope, this Series shall continue.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for this ARC. This was an amazing start to book 2 of this series. Cannot wait to purchase the book and finish it.

There’s no denying Kristoff has a certain magnetism to his writing, and fantasy fans—especially dark fantasy and vampire fans—can’t seem to stay away. I would be considerably more impressed, however, if he had a more original voice and his storytelling technique and world building weren’t heavily borrowed and drawn from myriads of other sources. The interview format is from Anne Rice, the concept of the Christ figure having a child with one of his creations/followers from The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and The DaVinci Code, part of one of the fights from Empire of the Vampire read literally word-for-word from ‘Salem’s Lot, and his dark sky concept is even in one of his other series, Nevernight. Add to that the sheer immensity and length of this book, just the sample size, and the overly repetitive nature of the plot with the constant fights and battles, I felt very tired reading this and that only a fraction of its total length. I will be finishing the book, as I ordered several copies because of the need to be informed by popular books nowadays, but I can’t seem to really like this series. I will say, the grammar and mechanics, particularly the subject and object pronoun usage, is blessedly correct in this one, to my delight. And whoever proofread all of those quotation marks deserves a raise and a medal.

I didn’t enjoy the first one as much as I did this one so that was a wonderful surprise. I’d definitely recommend this series to another fantasy reader.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the arc. Unfortunately, I do not think EotD is the book for me. I read the first book forever ago and while there was a reminder of who the characters are in the beginning of the sample, I don't really remember the plot nor feel invested enough to continue the series.

This almost went sideways at the beginning. The opening scene is a very graphic sex scene, and I usually skip graphic sex scenes in books. I wasn't sure if that boded well for the remainder. The scene felt gratuitous and unnecessary and makes absolutely no difference to the remainder of the book, which was a great continuation of the story.

I liked that Jean-François didn't interrupt Gabriel every minute asking for explanations and for him to tell a different story that the one Gabriel wanted to tell. It made it feel less like "Interview with a Vampire" and more like its own story (which it well and truly is).

Because this came from NetGalley, I only got to read the first 200ish pages so definitely need to read the full book because I really want to know where the story goes from here!

Rating four stars only because of that first scene.

I absolutely hate Mr. Kristoff and how he introduced me to this world. 😒😂 Because then I would have gotten more than an hour of sleep rather than me sitting there in bed devouring the book, lying to myself that I would read only one more chapter..

Then I wouldn’t have gotten to the end 🤯 saying WTF and now wondering what I will do with my life while I have to patiently wait for the next book. 😭😭😂😂😭😭

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff is the second installment in his grimdark epic vampire apocalypse series. This book retains all the elements that made the previous installment enjoyable but with a slightly different twist. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading most of this book, I couldn't help but anticipate a significant, dark, emotional moment that would match the horror of the first book.

Phenomenal! I’ve missed Gabriel De Leon entirely too much, and now I’m even more excited for the rest of this book!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this extended preview. Based on this sample, I can say with certainty that we’re in for even more indulgent, pulpy, action-packed, melodramatic fun than the first volume. A huge thanks to the author and the publishing team for including a list of characters at the beginning– it was a helpful reminder.

This was a fantastic sampler - about 215 pages available out of 700+ that will be published. I needed a more comprehensive recap and had to do some extensive research on the web to remind myself of the events from book 1. The Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book was barely enough to give a reminder, but still a good starting point. The story took off right away, picking up immediately after we left Gabriel and Jean-Francois. We get answers about the Esani, learn more about vampire lore and the empire, and meet new powerful characters. Just like EotV, this sequel is full of violence, blood, gore, and incredible action sequences. Jay Kristoff's writing is spectacular and flows smoothly; it's easy to get swept away in the story. The twist at the end of this sampler made me thirsty for more - I can't wait to get the finished copy in my hands!!

Middle book syndrome? Don’t know her. EOTD delivered, fleshed out the continuation of EOTV and left me wanting more. Absolutely obsessed with this world and these characters, Kristoff doesn’t miss.

This review is based on a sample of Empire of the Damned. Thanks to St. Martins Press for early access.

This is the second book after Empire of the Vampire. Kristoff is elaborate in his world-building and character descriptions. This is adult-fantasy (not YA that Kristoff has written so much of) It's great that Kristoff has included updates at the beginning reminding readers what happened in the first book. Fans of the first book should enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an eARC copy to review.

Yet again, Mr. Kristoff has obliterated all of my expectations. His story writing style is so descriptive and rich. Similarly, the characters are so well-crafted that you cannot help but feel connected to them. The banter between the characters is perfect. And the twists and turns! I'm pretty sure I went through every emotion while reading this book.

I cannot wait for the next installment of this epic tale!

5/5 stars

This was between a three and a four for me. I was on the fence about reading Empire of the Damned at all, as after the Empire of the Vampire I wasn’t sure if I would continue with the series, but I’m so glad that I did because I ended up really enjoying this one. I think the pacing was better than the first, so it drew me in pretty quickly. And after that ending, I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment.

While only a “sample,” this eARC was packed with action, revelations, and of course a dash of bloodshed. Picking up immediately where EOTV left off, Empire of the Damned takes the reader on a continuation of the epic quest to save the Grail and end daysdeath. I love how Jay makes the leading characters both irreverent and lovable, blending them into something so complex and real, the reader will feel like Gabriel is recounting his tale directly. I love this dark and gruesome tale and I cannot wait to continue it with the full installment.

Huge huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital arc!
This second installment from Mr. Kristoff did not disappoint! We’ve gone deeper into Gabe’s tale and also were gifted other POVs as well, like his sister Celene. We got more on Dior also giving us some of that history as well.
EOTD dives into more of this twisty and complicated vampire world and is ensuring we are ready for the epic conclusion.

Wow! Just Wow! My mind is blown away with this beautifully written and epic building world. It just builds, builds, builds, and when you think there can be no more…… Wrong!! The hits keep on coming. This book builds on what the first book laid out. This book had me in knots in what was going to happen next. I flew through this book in two days and it’s a pretty hefty book at 709 pages. This book was just awesome!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jay Kristoff, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this sample

You can say a lot of things about Jay Kristoff’s book but his writing will absolutely blow my mind. The way he tells a story just sucks you in and makes you read until the last page.

This book is not an exception. I absolutely love how the story is unfolding and absolutely terrified how much Gabriel and Dior care about each other and remind each other about their humanity. But also I feel like something very bad as coming. As usual