This is a very promising start to a new series by Jay Kristoff, full of magic, beautiful imagery, and lyrical prose. I was completely captivated and burned through all 733 pages in just two days. The story was expertly crafted, twisting and turning in ways that were mostly hard to guess, and showed the dynamic nature of each character. My mind is still processing the ending; while hearts do not break, but merely bruise, I feel this bruise keenly.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

My guilty pleasure is vampires. My love for them goes back to the iridescent, carved-like-marble men of Twilight and the brooding, boarding school boys of Vampire Academy. Let me start by telling you — this book does not have those kinds of vampires.

EOTV features monstrous vampires that should be feared. These are not seemingly bad boys that glitter and get the girl.

Quick summary: a fantasy world is overcome with vampires, so the church assembles people to eliminate the vampires, the conquering of which requires the Holy Grail.

Con: I sometimes struggled to follow Kristoff’s fantasy because it is packed with extremely detailed world building and old English.

Pro: Gabriel de Leon, our main character, is very well written because I — a 29-year-old vivacious, loyal, hopeless romantic red-head — found myself relating and empathizing with the main character who is a (rightfully) grumpy, crude and witty man.

Overall the story was great. Kristoff knows how to leave you wanting more at the end of every chapter.

Shout out to the illustrator, the images that accompany this story are stunning!

There is still so much more left to uncover in this world.

If you enjoy detailed construction of fantasy worlds, witty remarks and dark stories of war this might be the book for you.

I’ve read the first few chapters and already got so hooked that I purchased the whole book from Barnes and Noble! The concept is already amazing I can’t wait to read the full book. ALSO THE ILLUSTRATIONS I personally absolutely love them as I feel that I am just that more immersed in the story as a whole. Putting 4 stars for now but I anticipate it to be 4-5 stars when I finished the whole book!

I had high hopes for this book but I was sadly quite let down.

To begin, there are far too many parallels to Nevernight.
-Instead of Never Night, it is now Never Day.
-Mia and Gabe are both snarky, with pale skin and black hair, and smoke. Both attend a religious academy to learn combat.
-Both characters have a non-human side kick (The one in this is basically just Nightblood from Sanderson's Cosmere)
-Both use an unconventional method of world building (Jean Francis is literally the foot notes as a person)
There's one more, but to avoid spoilers I'll move on.

This story is told interview style. I know that Kristoff mentioned being influenced by Name of the Wind and Interview with a Vampire, but I felt the way this was executed pulled the reader out of the story. The main character tells his story solely through the present but with endless quotation marks, as if Gabe is verbatim telling this 700+ page book. There's no reasoning behind why he is able to weave this story, unlike Kvothe's Edema Ruh upbringing. In the end, I don't feel like it added anything to the story as there is no plot happening in the present aside from the story being told and I feel pretty strongly that the story would have been improved greatly had it been from a traditional 3rd person POV so I could connect more with the characters.

There is a dual timeline happening, one recent past and one past past. One of these timelines spoiled tension by alerting me to who would have to survive based on knowing they're alive in the more recent time line. The jumping around between the present and these two past stories made it impossible to connect with anyone.

Instead of the footnotes that Nevernight utilizes to add to the world building or explain things, the interviewer interjects, mid action sometimes, and this breaks tension and pulls you out of the story. With NN, the style of the story made the narrator feel like another character. With this it felt clunky and frustrating.

There's also quite a few parallels to The Witcher that I struggled to look beyond. There's the grumpy loner, the bard that infuriates him constantly, a horse named Jezebel who seems to always come back, and a number of attempts at the 'men are the true monsters' theme that the Witcher series executes so well.

I found the actual world to be super basic. Medieval European, the big church with traditional Christian morals (homophobia, women are garbage, etc) and honestly, in 2021 I do not find these to be compelling choices in modern fantasy. I also don't enjoy books that are so blatantly written to make religion the enemy, like it's black and white. I prefer nuanced characters and I don't feel like there were many in this. It's such an easy target to attack and I think it's more interesting to have characters with opposing morals and those that are more middle ground as opposed to all extremes. (Not that it matters, but I'm not religious at all.)

I was hoping for this to have a horror element and be super atmospheric. Again, I did not feel like this delivered. I wanted more vampires, more action. The plot was not well paced and though I think there were some well written scenes in the end, overall they did not justify the way we got there to me.

Empire of the Vampire is the first book in an adult fantasy series where the sun is gone and the vampires have risen. I've been dying to read a dark and gritty vampire novel for awhile and this book did deliver. The beginning of the book started out very slow for me. I wasn't a fan of the way the storytelling was presented at first. After Book 1 I started getting used to the format, but it still isn't my favorite. The dialogue was a hit or miss with me at times.

The world building is fantastic. Every detail we learned was presented well. There were times the story dragged, specifically a bit in Book 2 and Book 4.

The characters in the novel were a strong highlight for me. Gabriel is a very interesting lead. I always love reading and cheering for an anti-hero and Gabriel did not disappoint. I also loved Astrid and every scene she was in. She and Dior became my favorite characters. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

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

Wow. Just wow.

Best book I’ve read in a while……and that’s saying something.

This is a sweeping drama in the fantasy genre that does an amazing job of world building while at the same time creating an incredible main character that is honestly one of the most intriguing and complex characters that I have ever read. At the end of this book - love him or hate him - you will definitely FEEL something for Gabriel de Leon.

I didn't know anything going into this book other than the fact that it was 1000 pages. Then, as the page numbers began to get closer and closer to the end, I started to worry. "There is NO way that things are going to be resolved," I kept thinking. And, I was right. I do not know if this is going to be a duology or a trilogy, I just know that I can NOT wait to continue with Gabriel's story.

No spoilers, so let me just say that the way this story is given in unusual. The story skips around but you soon realize that it is good that it does. Things wouldn't necessarily make sense if it was given in a linear manner. We get to see Gabriel as a boy, then as a man. Young and eager, then angry and lost. It doesn't make sense, until it does. This is TRULY an amazing story. This man's life is so .......I don't even know which word to use that can even bring one tenth of meaning to it. You have to experience it with the telling.

As I mentioned before, the world building is phenomenal. I was left pondering about existential things like faith and belief and honor. These are not the things you expect to be the leave behinds from a book about vampires.

Amazing....truly amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ability to read this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Love, love, loved this! The writing is brilliant and the story telling is phenomenal! I can’t wait to finish this one!!

This book is amazingly vast in its scope yet held together because its mostly a first person account of one guy's life. Also it does the super smart thing of jumping around chronologically which mixes up the style and tropes its drawing on. (I'd say it dances between Lord of the Rings fellowship, and the standard 'Fantasy protagonist discovers hidden powers')

I waited to read this sampler until last night because I just received my copy from Waterstones this evening and I KNEW this was going to be so amazing and that four hundred pages, while absolutely incredible and I enjoyed every second, wouldn't be enough.

SO, I JUST finished the sampler from NetGalley and I'm immediately going to pickup my book to finish this story TONIGHT.

It is honestly wonderful. Better than I could have imagined. Kristoff is brilliant and this story just DEMANDS your full attention and is impossible to put down. It is bloody, brilliant, and so well written. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book.

Just pick it up now. It's honestly the most perfect vampire story and trust me when I say, you NEED this book in your life.

Wow that was dark and gritty and I loved every minute of it - I could not put it down! This is such an original story that you cannot help to be hooked right away! I think it's safe to say Jay Kristoff has done it all over again and hooked us all!

I have been approved for the "sampler" (55% of the book!) on NetGalley 4 days before the release date. I immediately dove into it, hoping to get through the 410 pages quickly enough to pick it up on the day it was released and continue reading. I wasn't sure I was able to manage about 100 pages a day, considering work, children, and life..., but the novel turned out to be such a page turner (unsurprisingly, I loved Kristoff's style), that it was not at all an issue to read at the daunting pace.

"Empire" is gritty, dark, unforgiving. It is slow-building tension, it is a deftly painted and painstakingly revealed world - and its history - it is sharply drawn characters you fall for ("good" or not), it is hypnotizing narration. It's not a book for children, but it is not as grim as A Song of Ice and Fire - if you read the Darkdawn trilogy, expect something several notches darker, but just as captivating. It's a story of antiheroes, being heroes, then falling from grace - but still remaining heroic, despite themselves. It teases mysteries, it promises twists, it rewards with reveals. I am not yet done, and I would not spoil you anyway, but "Empire" is first class grim dark fantasy, so pick it up and read it already.

This book was a masterpiece! Jay Kristoff did it again! I loved reading every second of empire of the vampire, it was so good!
The characters were all amazing and I loved seeing all the relationships and growth. The twists were everything and so well written. I love the perspective of how it was told as a story in a story!
Honestly, this may be my new favorite vampire book! I highly recommend and everyone should read this book! Now, I need book two immediately!

I actually had this book on preorder over a year before it was released and I was so excited that I needed to read this sampler.

For a 400 pages sampler I devoured this in 2 days. I just couldn’t put it down.
This is such a original story that gets you hooked right away.
. I can’t Say anything about the rest of the book because I still haven’t received my preorder yet so I haven’t read the rest but I just can’t wait for it to arrive and I know I will just drop whatever I am doing and whatever I am reading just so that I can finish this book.

4 or 4.5 stars so far

This book is gritty, bloody, and deliciously dark.

Gabriel is the last of the Silversaints, a group of holy vampire hunters, and the book starts right after he is captured by Her Grace Margot Chastain, the Undying Empress of Wolves and Men. Marquis Jean-Francois Chastain, the Empress’ historian, has been tasked with writing a detailed account of Gabriel's life before his execution and the book is about that. I admit that I was a little wary when I realized that this whole book would be about Gabriel reminiscing and telling his story to Jean-François... For one, I am not a fan of flashbacks in books, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be as involved in the story knowing that no matter what happened, Gabriel would obviously survived since he was still very much alive (although captive and on his way to his execution) and able to tell his story, but I was positively surprised by the result.

I was sucked in this book after a few pages only, thanks to the amazing writing and dark ambiance. The pace is good, the plot is intriguing enough to keep me hooked and the time jumps were very well written and not confusing. The weaving of the present timeline and Gabriel’s past was greatly done and I really enjoyed reading about his journey. I have to say though, that you really need to be in “the right mood” for this type of darker and heavier book if you want to really enjoy it.

The writing is also definitely a strength (not to say the strength) of this book. It is dark and lyrical, but it was not too much or too descriptive. Be aware that the dialogues are vulgar though and there is a lot of blasphemy. There was a good balance of descriptions, action, and snark, and I LOVED IT.

Gabriel is a very snarky main character and he doesn’t seem to give a shit about anything. Because of his antagonistic attitude towards almost everyone, it was a little hard to get to know him and to care for him at first, but I just love his “I don’t give a shit and I’m not taking any shit from you either” attitude. His interactions with the other characters made me smile and even laugh a few times. He just decided that he would treat people the way they deserved it, and it so happen that most people deserve to be treated like shit, according to him.

While everyone sees Gabriel as a hero, this notion seems to annoy him. He knows that he is good at slaying vampires, but he has no illusion about his character’s worth: he is far from being a hero in shining armor, ready to sweep in to save a damsel in distress. He laughs out loud when people call him a hero and does not hesitate to set the records right and let them know that he’s no hero at all. He is ruthless, brutal, and cold (and drunk sometimes), but more than that, he is a survivor. The fact that he is fierce has a magical sword that can communicate with him telepathically, has magical tattoos, and is a half-vampire hell-bent on eradicating the scum of the world also makes him all the more cool and badass.

The world-building is also great. The descriptions and lyrical writing do help to create a dark ambiance and I could picture the cities and people very vividly (the map at the beginning of the book also helps). There are also some black and white awesome artworks by Bon Orthwick throughout the book showing us the characters, which made it all feel even more real.

Wow! This book is a masterpiece, I am so in love with it already. The characters, THE ART, the setting. Stunning work from Jay yet again.

I actually enjoy the time hops, as they add to the suspense and don't deter from the story whatsoever in my opinion. I enjoy being given snippets of info about events we haven't seen yet. It gives the reader some info to hold on to for future reference, and it makes me think those will make some nice "ah ha!" Moments on rereads.

Things To Know:

-Adult (Not YA, I see this asked a lot)
-700+ pages
-First in series
-Gore and violence

Synopsis:

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness. Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending the realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains. Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope: The Holy Grail.

Review: 5 Stars

Exceptionally bloody and spectacularly dark, Empire of the Vampire ripped my beating heart from my chest, but kept me coming back for more.

First of all, Jay Kristoff’s writing style is badass. He is extremely imaginative and his world building is striking! I have never read a vampire novel that I loved this much. I don't want to say too much because I want everyone to experience every bit of it themselves!
I saw many similarities in the world that was described in Empire of the Vampire and the country of Ishgard in Final Fantasy 14 and this made me love the world even more! I really hope Netflix or Amazon picks this book up for a series!!!

This book was 735 pages long (US standard first edition), but never did I feel like it was this long. Empire of the Vampire was the longest book (pages wise) that I have ever read to completion. The illustrations really add to the story and they are beautiful! I want murals like them in my forever home one day!

I will be keeping my eye peeled unrelentingly for book two. I am so excited that the story continues. I NEED MORE. I cannot express with mere words how much I loved this book. It will keep a special place in my heart forever. Without a doubt it is in my top 2 books read in 2021, and has made its way onto my list of favorite reads ever. I will continue to recommend Empire of a Vampire to friends whenever they ask for a book recommendation.

I was nervously waiting for this book's release, but decided to see if I could get the ARC sampler to tide me over. Boy, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest! I blew through the sampler so fast.

I'm a huge fan of gritty, dark vampire tales, especially when most of the vampires are extremely monstrous. The more feral the vampires the better. Which isn't to say there are no elegant, regal vampires! Kristoff gave a delightful mixture of both. As usual, Kristoff's writing is so descriptive and poetic without jumping the line into too much purple prose. I'm a huge fan.

I thought I wasn't going to enjoy the way the beginning was set up, but the story moved at a quick pace and always kept me interested. I loved something about each new character introduced despite the fact there were quite a lot. I also loved Kristoff's world building; he gave me just enough to make it come alive without boring me to tears for pages. (Not that I despise pages of description necessarily lol.)

If anyone is a fan of Kristoff's other works, they'll adore this one more than likely. Otherwise, if adventurous, paladin-esque, dark, and Bloodbourne-style worlds are someone's cup of tea, they'll have a great time with Empire of the Vampire. Oh, also if you're a fan of anti-heroes, too.

I have to say, I requested this one just because of the hype it's been getting. I had no idea what it was about, other than it had vampires. I am so glad I read this!
This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. So gritty, attention grabbing, with some humor sprinkled in. Gabriel has cemented himself as one of my all time favorite characters.

I have purchased the audio and a special edition of this since reading it. Fantastic!!

First, I was surprised this was a sample. It really wasn't clear on the book description here. Nevertheless, let's get into it:

I'm not sold on this after the sample. If I had a full copy, I may even DNF it at this point. I am enjoying the set-up; how Gabriel is recounting his life and times as a silversaint to a cold blood. It's very Name of the Wind and I'm into it. However, in my opinion, the story is quite dense and the names and timeline are a little hard to track.

It may just be that it requires more brain power than I have to invest in it right now. I feel like it is the type of story that requires a lot of focus. I may pick it up someday and read it in full, but I am not chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the exclusive sample!

Awww - finally after a couple years of waiting - it's in my hands! I am a huge Jay Kristoff fan and this did not disappoint - This is probably his most ambitious world building yet...and its beautiful and glorious and bloody and devine!! Thank you so much to both NetGalley and St. Martins for this eARC of the first portion of the book in exchange for my honest review.**

All I can say after having delved into these 400 pages is that I'm already sad about finishing the book (already picked up my B&N special edition since its out now), because its NOT enough. No matter what happens in the rest of the book I already know it cannot possibly be enough of this world and these characters...I will already be pining for the next installment. Jay's world building is incredible in this, especially his unique take on the Vampires, the various famillies with their individual powers and the overall vampire lore/powers of this world he has created. I've loved his exceptionally strong female leads of his past two fantasy trilogies and wasn't sure if I was going to love his male lead quite as much....but I do. Of course.

Jumps in time are not a particular favorite of mine but it works here, or maybe its just Jay's writing that makes sure I am so engrossed in what I am reading I don't feel that moment of "oh I wish I was reading in the other timeline already this part is boring etc." - nope none of that here for me. It's all good and different parts (so far) give us a good balance of different portions of his life (but with a feeling of equal importance). Yes its gritty and bloody (I guess possibly in way that is disturbing to some but I love?), but it's also beautiful and sentimental and just ALL THE THINGS. I don't think I've read a more perfect Gothic Fantasy than this promises to be.