I listened to the audiobook as I read along. I purchased both the hardcover and audio.

Narrated by Damian Lynch & Shakira Shute, Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff is the second audiobook in the Empire of the Vampire series. It’s an immersive tale that held me in its clutches from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the next audiobook.

Kristoff delivers a dark, twisted tale as he further fleshed out the world and characters. There are no sparkly vampires here, as Gabriel de León continues to provide the oral history of what occurred to the Vampire Empress’s historian. In book two, his sister Celene, an Esani vampire, joins him in providing her account.

We pick up where the Empire of the Vampire left off. Kristoff does a splendid job of recapping with help from the historian. The author further fleshes out the world, introducing new characters, battles, twists, history, death and suspense. The tale is dark, from the vampires to the gory battles that unfold. I found myself enthralled. The audiobook only heightened my experience because it is an experience. I laughed, cried, screamed and held my breath. We see suffering, wild chases, suffer unthinkable loss and with each revelation and advancement, I found myself unable to set the story down.

Empire of the Damned felt more like high fantasy than its predecessor as we learned of the different factions and demise of this world. We learned more of Celene’s story and Dior’s as events were retold. I don’t think this suffered from second book syndrome, particularly because I never wanted to set it down. In fact, I lost many hours of much needed sleep and regret nothing. At almost thirty-two hours, it ended too quickly for me. Especially after the jaw-dropping ending that left me screaming for more.

Damian Lynch & Shakira Shute did such a stellar job of bringing these characters and world to life. They captured the character’s personalities and emotions brilliantly. The audio enhanced the story and the characters. I highly recommend listening. Be sure to listen to the bonus at the end with actor/director Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Halo).

I am unwell. It's hard for me to write a review about this book because I loved it so much and I just want to yell at people to read the series. The world Kristoff has created is so viscerally dark and awful, yet it is interspersed with moments of light and hope that leave the reader with just enough faith that everything is going to work out perfectly well. Spoiler alert: we readers are dumb to believe that. At this point I don't think anyone trusts Jay to NOT tear our hearts out, it's just a matter of how he's going to do it. Well, mission accomplished in this book on multiple fronts.

I know that sounds bleak, and it is! But the characters and their relationships and their dogged quest to make things better leave you so invested in the story and their lives that you can't help but feel a personal connection with this world. Gabriel in particular is my favorite type of character: a jaded, broken man with nothing to live for. Why these types of characters are like catnip to me I'll never know, but Gabriel embodies this energy so well. I love him so much, and I really loved seeing him try to work through his trauma in this book and start to think about the future. I also adored Phoebe and I am so glad she was added to this book. Her relationship with Gabriel was complicated yet inevitable, and I thought they were exactly what the other needed.

Speaking of Phoebe, I really enjoyed getting to see the duskwalkers in this book! They are an interesting group and culture, and it was just nice to expand on this world a bit more. I don't want to say too much more because of spoilers, but their addition fit perfectly well with everything going on.

The ending was wild, of course, and now I don't know how I'm going to wait for book 3.

Empire of the Damned continues where Empire of the Vampire left off. The Silversaint, Gabriel de Leon, is still imprisoned and continues to tell his story to the historian vampire, Jean-François. In Empire of the Vampire, the story is told in Gabriel's perspective and bounces between his days as a young Silversaint and his days with the Grail. Empire of the Damned continues the story of Gabriel and the Grail, however, another perspective is introduced - that of his sister, Celene.

Jay Kristoff's writing style makes this book come alive and draws the reader in. There are one-liners that make you laugh out loud one moment and heart wrenching moments that bring you to tears the next. Each character we fell in love with in Empire of the Vampire is further developed and each relationship thoroughly explored.

I have gotten a full copy of the book and I am excited to finish the tale.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this sampler in exchange for an honest review.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT!

- Update, I have finished EotD and cannot wait for the next book. Please Mr, Kristoff, don't make us wait too long.

This man can write plain and simple and I have been counting down the days until I can get my hands on this full books. I have been waiting very impatiently to dive fully back into this world that comes to live so vividly in his writing !

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good vampire story. From Adam Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania to Bram Stoker’s Dracula—I appreciate a wide spectrum. But I will be honest. My tastes do tend to lean—Stephanie Meyer (glittery), Jennifer L. Armentrout (steamy), Rainbow Rowell (magical and broody), and Tracy Wolff (just plain trashy), and although I LOVE Jay Kristoff, Empire of the Damned is decidedly none of those things.

It’s DARK epic fantasy that takes you to the brink of despair over and over, holding you back only by the smallest, most frayed thread of hope. I think that’s exactly why I love it. Jay twists a beautiful and heart wrenching story about one man’s crusade for justice and hope in a world literally shrouded in darkness and swarming with monsters. But behind all the vampires, all the self-righteous crusaders, death, and carnage, bloodshed and loss, at its most fundamental level, this book is about faith. Jay captures so well the complete mind fuck it is to believe in something good and pure and true, when your experience has been so grotesquely opposite.

Gabriel is quickly becoming one of my favorite literary anti heroes, and this second installment was everything I could have asked for. I loved it even more than #1! Jay did so many things right. Liathe, Gabriel’s sister, was a brilliant edition. Their love/hate relationship was pure gold. I love that she mocks his ego and that she calls him out for being selfish, brash, vain and faithless. I LOVE that she makes the reader question his credibility as he delivers his account of losing the holy grail (the key to ending the vampires reign.) The vampire historian who’s transcribing Gabriel’s account plays a much Larger role as well, often times playing referee between Gabriel and his elusive sister. I also suspect the vampire is a little smitten with our down trodden silver saint… and even though I won’t dare to hope for an enemies to lovers story, I thoroughly enjoyed their barbs and jabs and just their overall dynamic.

Phoebe, the Lion Shifter—amazeballs. Dior, her entire journey into the lions den—a masterpiece. Jay backed each beloved character into corner after corner, and I never knew what to expect. There were also times I laughed out loud, gasped and cried. Jay built an incredible cast of characters in this second installment, and I cannot wait for their journey to continue in book #3.

I really loved that this book picks up exactly where the previous book left off, allowing the reader to jump right back in to the story!

Gabriel goes through so many different emotions in this one, and the writing lets the reader really connect with the characters in that aspect. I wanted to cry, scream, and fight right alone side them!!

If you’re a fan of vampires, historical fiction, a bit of fantasy, and epic storytelling- this is for you!!

It's absolutely stunning. The characters are so well thought out and written, and the suspense and horror feels are near unbearable at times. I love the world building in this series and can not wait to see where the story goes next!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jay Kristoff for giving me a Sampler of Empire of the Damned in exchange for my honest review.

Confession time. I read two chapters of this book and had to put it down until Empire of the Damned came out. This book was so good that I knew I would not be able to wait months for the rest of the book. Empire of the Damned picks up very shorts after Empire of the Vampire left off. What I really appreciated is that at the very front of the book there was a rundown of who all the characters were that you need to remember from book one. In this book we follow Gabriel and Dior as their journey continues. This book allows you to see so much more of this post-apocalyptic world and the vampire community as a whole. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone who loved book one. While I want to do a reread of the series, before the next book, whenever that is, you can absolutely jump right back in and not be confused. That is the sign of a great second book, when you are given just enough to remember what you need to know from book one. While I am not going to give the entire book at star rating until I finish it (I am 400 pages in currently), the sampler portion that I was given access to was a 5 star read for me.

Update: I finished the book and am now counting down the days until the next book. That cliff hanger KILLED me. It was so subtle yet now there is so much more that I want to know. AHHHH! I need more information now!
Final Rating: 5 stars

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc for the first part of this book. I did also preorder this book, and waited to read the whole book before writing my review.

Man, Kristoff has yet to disappoint me with a book. He doesn't even know what middle book syndrome is.

Empire of the Damned picks up right where book one left us - and never fear! If you've forgotten all the nitty gritty details from Vampire, Kristoff has graciously left us with a recap of it's events. We're back with Gabe and Dior, and my love for them only continues to grow through their bonding and witty banter. I can't get enough. It almost gives me The Last of Us vibes. Our reluctant hero, who would give up the world for that girl. I laugh. I cry. Kristoff has me deeply invested in these two.

One thing I really enjoyed was the addition of a new storyteller. It really added a new perspective to the story we know so far and allows us a glimpse of the events through a new eye. This series has a unique way of of providing us with everything we know through secondhand accounts being told to the historian. Adding another voice to the mix really helped to shed some new light. It was especially helpful towards the back half of our story when so much was happening in different places, but we were still able to see the full picture.

I also found the pacing of this book to be really successful. In book one I found myself waning a little in the middle while events were unfolding, but book two kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish and I was never bored. Even when we were learning new world lore or character history, it was delivered masterfully.

That ending, though. I admire Kristoff for the way his stories always pack a punch, and he never holds back, playing on all of my emotions. I always have a bunch of theories of what might happen, and think "surely, he wouldn't go there." But he does. And I'm gutted. He should buy some shares in Kleenex.

I genuinely don't know where this story will take us next, but I am on the edge of my seat waiting to find out.

This one ended up just not being for me. It was a writing style that I just didn't mesh with, so maybe I'll come back to it another time.

An absolutely brilliant sequel. I finished this book several days ago and I still cannot get over that ending! An excellent continuation of Gabriel and Diors story, filled with brilliant world building and fantastic characters. I cannot wait to see what happens next! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the Advanced Copy.

I'm so glad I was able to get my hands on this sample. I enjoyed Empire of the Vampire and now I'm ready for the rest of this book! I just hope this one lives up to my expectations, but this was a great start and a TEASE!

"Eat shit, you cack-gargling twatgoblin."

Jay Kristoff is everything amazing about the book world ❤️

I loved everything about Empire of the Damned. Every plot point, line of dialogue, detail, and moment, brought this whole book together and it was fun to read from start to finish. There was not a moment where I was bored or wasn't in the mood to read. I just wanted more of this world and more of Gabriel.

Empire of the Damned is darker compared to EOTV. There were moments when I had to pause and remind myself that it was a book. The book is not for the faint of heart or "happily ever after" chasers. You will be crushed. You will cry. BUT, isn't that what makes reading fun?!

I will recommend this book and Jay Kristoff until the day I die.

Interesting beginning to the story which I hope lives up to my expectations. Unfortunately still waiting for the audiobook from my library for a full review since this was only a Sample.

Ready to read the whole book but so happy with the sample of this being as long as it was. I remember picking up the first book and saying this will either be a great read or boring. So happy it was a great one.

I AM SCREAMING! Where has this book been all my life? Why has it been so long? This teaser of a book was just enough to leave me wanting more. I cannot wait for it to come out.

I can't wait to read the rest of this book!!! I am so excited to see Celene's point of view and learn more about what happened to her between when she was turned into a vampire to now. I will be diving right in!!

In the immortal words of Gabriel de Leon:
F*CK MY FACE

Did I just read the greatest high fantasy book of all time?
Because Empire of the Damned has wreaked me for all other books.

Sequel to Empire of the Vampire, this series feels like Interview with the Vampire meets The Witcher, but even better.
Everything about this sequel has blown me away- the writing, the action packed battle scenes, the crude humor, the love and sex and violence and heartache.

And here’s the thing-
There are no happily ever afters.
The vampires are unspeakably cruel.
The humans, cattle.
The narrators, unreliable.

And yet I have never been so fully engrossed in a tale as this one. I honestly cannot remember a book I’ve enjoyed reading more.

I’ll be honest, I ended up buying a copy and reading the whole thing after I found out this was only an excerpt.
Loved it, 5 stars. If you love great world building and characters, this is the book to read!