Before getting into the review itself, thank you to St. Martin's Press for approving my request for this [partial] eARC!

I went into this book with only the knowledge of having read Empire of the Vampire and that this is the sequel, but you don't have to! Read an official summary of Empire of the Damned on Goodreads.

Recommendation: Because this eARC isn't the full manuscript, I can't speak to whether Damned is better or worse than Vampire, but I can say that, at the end of this eARC, I was more excited for this release than I was before picking it up. Even if only having part of the story is a mean tease. So far, Damned is shaping up to be a great continuation to Vampire, and I'm looking forward to finishing it once it reaches me! At this point, I recommend this book to everyone who enjoyed Empire of the Vampire, and I still recommend this series to anyone who enjoys dark vampire stories [with spice, though Damned seems to have less spice than Vampire, at least where this eARC leaves off].

Since I've only read a partial ARC at this point, I'm going about this review a little differently: instead of speaking to character arcs over the course of the story, I'll speak to my [non-spoiler-y, of course, since I don't have the full story to speak to] anticipation of what the character arcs might do from the little bit I've been able to read.

Balancing what is essentially two-progressing character arcs for the same character, I didn't realize I was worried about there being a stagnation to the current character arc, especially with Gabe essentially being locked in a stagnate situation where character progression is likely stilted, but, with Gabe's current reactions to his past actions and his current responses to Jean's conversation, it doesn't feel that way at all. That said, there's something about Damned already that feels somehow different then Vampire - even excluding the surprise twist of the "uncharacteristic switch" at the end of this eARC. I'm really looking forward to Gabe's progresson thorough this book, especially with the . . . advancement of his affliction and the impact it will have on other characters.

I'm also really enjoying Dior's character progression. Damned seems to be our first real up-close look at Dior as a person, rather than the figurehead role everyone tends to treat her as, and the little taste I got in this extended sampler has me excited for the rest of her progression through the story. The progress this sampler touches on about the prophecy involving Dior has me really excited for how her journey continues.

Again, thank you to St. Martin's Press for this eARC, even if it was a bit of a mean tease, and I can't wait for my copy of Empire of the Damned to arrive to finish this interesting story!

This was a great sample to get us ready for the release of book two I love this series and can’t wait to continue to dive into it

"You've no idea the devil you waltz with, Chastain."

FIRST OFF, before I say anything else: You know an author cares about their readers when they include a Dramatis Personae (or in layman's terms: my memory is shite thank you for the recap, good sir).

Now, for the actual story:
"Who the fuck told you I was a hero?"

Kristoff is back at it again with a masterpiece of bloodshed, gore, and general vulgarity (including a certifiable fuck ton of cussing).

Gabriel continues to be one of the best male protagonists I've read in a long time. This might be a fantasy book, but his personality is a very real depiction of wrath, heartbreak, self-loathing, and vengeance. At war with oneself (well, and many others). The way this story is told - split between past and present - gives hints to how his personality continues to develop.

"Your fire is a candleflame compared to the hate I keep for myself."

THE END OF THIS BOOK GODDAMN YOU. I flew through it with a broken heart.

I genuinely think I enjoyed this more than book one, a feat in and of itself. The exploration of found family. The growth of his relationship with Dior. Endless vulgar banter.

"The right book is worth a hundred blades." ...so read this one!

"'I heard ye were dead, de León.' 'Heaven was full. And the devil was afraid to open the door.' 'Then the devil is a coward.'"

Since this was a sampler, I don’t really count this as a full review, but it made me SO excited for the full book! The best part was the fact the author included a recap of the characters and their fate from the first book. Just THANK YOU!! Someone like me who reads hundreds of books a year, I can forget details and non-major plot points if it’s been over a year since I read a book. I read EOTV back in 2022, so the refresher was definitely needed and I’m so thankful for it. I believe a recap should be the standard for all series. I won’t speak much on the actual content, as I don’t know all the events that will happen and I don’t want to spoil anything. But the dynamic between Dior and Gabriel is the best! It’s so much fun following along their adventure again, and I can’t wait to read the entirety of Empire of the Damned.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jay Kristoff for providing me an early sample. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

4.25 stars

This was a short sample so it's a bit challenging to give a review, especially with it ending on a cliffhanger that will change the tone of the book but I'm really excited to read what's coming next.

This series has fairly dark tones and crude humour. There's betrayal, violence, sexual content and death. Lots and lots of death. If you enjoyed the first book or the author's Nevernight series, you should enjoy this instalment.

Without giving anything away, the first book is about Gabriel, the last member of a holy brotherhood of warriors called the Silver Order, recounting his past. It's set in a world with magic and creatures but focuses on vampires. There's 4 bloodlines of vampires that each have their own magical abilities that make them formidable. In this world, the vampires are monsters. They slaughter, torment and hunt humans for pleasure. After an event causes most of the sunlight to disappear, humanity is on its last leg. As a member of the Silver Order, Gabriel is a half-vampire and one of the few able to kill vampires. He's been captured and is currently being held prisoner by vampires, forced to recount his story and what happened on his quest in finding the Holy Grail, humanity's last hope.

At the start of the Empire of the Damned, there's a recap of all the important characters from the first book which was really helpful since it's been over 2 years since the first book came out. There's also so much that happened in the first book (almost 750 pages) that I seemed to have forgotten more than I realized.

The book starts off right after the events of Empire of the Vampire. It is a bit of a slower start, with the author weaving in reminders/recaps of what happened previously, in a seamless way without it feeling forced. We also see more of what's happening in the present time and learn a bit more about Jean-Francois, the vampire Gabriel is telling his story to.

This series has some great characters and more importantly villains. In this short sample, I felt like a lot of things have already been expanded. We learn more about some side characters from the first book that were really interesting but barely explored. We get introduced to a bunch of new vampires. We get to see more of the different magics. New locations. Really interesting character relationships. Honestly, everything from EotV but just more.

I hope my preorder comes right away because I can’t wait to finish the book. It definitely has the possibility of becoming 5 stars.

I received a sample of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for this ARC. I think this book will attract a certain kind of reader, and that certain kind of reader just isn't me. This was very dense and quite laborious for me to get through, and the vulgarity was a little much for me. I think fans of this genre and readers who enjoyed the first book will be excited for this one, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I still don't think the art adds anything to this series, and it's weirdly amateur for publication. Jay Kristoff is entertaining as ever, though, and the story satisfyingly continues on the narrative from the first book. There are some clever tricks to change up the narration, which I also appreciated.

I did not believe that Empire of the Vampire could be toppled from it's throne. Boy, was I wrong, EoD has earned the the right to wear the crown. Vampire fiction doesn't get any better than this. This is a fantastic sequel. The story picks up right where the Vampire had left us hanging--and it does not disappoint. READ THIS BOOK.

This was an excerpt from the book, and speaking as someone who has not read any of the books in this series or read this author before, that is about to change. I was immediately pulled into this world of vampires and darkness. The author did a fantastic job of catching me up on what is going on without it being an info dump. This former silver saint has had his share of tragedies, but he is one of those heroes who move on despite his brokenness. The author's writing style flows and immerses you in his dark world without it being shoved at you. This excerpt has only made me want to get this book and read it in its entirety.

Thank you NetGalley for the excerpt.

Continuing where he left off in “Empire of Vampires,” author Kristoff again weaves his tale. Our (anti)hero is still dictating his history so we get the story as from a biography. This style is good for me because we end up with (mostly) a single point of view. The transcriptionist does ask questions to help flesh out the story but is mostly silent.

I enjoy the characters every one. Even the baddies we briefly meet in person have a backstory. No character is without some descriptive element, yet no word seems extraneous. The world becomes more expansive in this book. I did get an ARC that was a large sample size, about 250-300 pages or so.

For and an half stars. Again, the author’s philosophy is not well developed so again he gets a half-star gig. Still, I highly recommend this book. I will be ordering my copy of the full work. My thanks to St. Martins Press via Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

A fun and thrilling addition to Jay Kristoff's vampire saga.

I really enjoyed continuing Gabriel's story and discovering more about the intricacies of Elidaen and Days Death.

What I truly loved, though, was unraveling the mysteries surrounding some of our existing characters like Celene and Dior LA Chance. Their character arcs were a fun ride that I enjoyed going on.

An aspect I was happy to see continued into book two was Kristoff's unique story telling style - I loved the feeling of listening to Gabriel's story as if he were relaying it, with all the jumps and switchbacks that happen when narrating aloud.

This book is perfect for anyone who is already a fan of Kristoff's other works, or someone who is looking for a high-fantasy swashbuckling adventure full of runaway nuns, vampires, talking blades, sword fights and a hint of romance.

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Mini-review:
Another exciting excursion back into Elidaen and the land of Empire of the Vampire that picks up almost exactly where book one left off. Empire of the Damned was a thrilling conclusion to this story, providing all the twists and turns and swearing one could want!

You know, I would swear grimdark isn’t for me. I find lots of swearing a bit crass. Really gross gore usually creeps me out and I don’t love horror but I plowed through the 216 (at least on my tablet..) page sample in a single night and really want to get my hands on the full version ASAP. When everything about what I like suggests I won’t enjoy an author and I love their writing anyway that’s a good author! The Nevernight Chronicle trilogy is also excellent though if you’re as squeamish as I can be you should really take the blood soaked blades on the covers as a warning…

I only got a sampler of EOTD, but my God what a sample. This book starts right where we left off in EOTV and just keeps doing down hill. I love the relationship between Dior and Gabriel, and the insults they throw at each other. I can't wait to see what the rest of this story brings.

I thought I would give the second book in this series a try even though I really did not like the first book. I'm not sure if I should have because this solidified that I will not be continuing in this series at all. I hate the way this series portrays women I had how weird the main character makes me feel. The concept of this world is super cool but I could do without the whole Jay-ness of it all

Suffers from a lot of the same flaws as the first book, like being overly long and worldbuilding that largely feels like it's pieces of other media thrown into a blender. It also suffers from being a middle book, in that nothing really feels resolved.

It does have its moments of being an engaging read, but I often felt like I was trudging through. But if you didn't have a problem with the first book, you'll love this one.

Honestly, I'd probably enjoy the series a lot more without the framing device constantly hinting at things we haven't gotten to yet and if each part were considerably shorter.

I’m just going to post my review here as I don’t like posting negative reviews. I know that this book will be a smash hit with the fans. I tried really hard to get into this book/series but I think I need to accept that the author isn’t for me. I’ve enjoyed the books he’s cowritten with Amie Kauffman but have not enjoyed his solo writing. I’m sorry.

Empire of the Damned is an enthralling and engaging sequel to Empire of the Vampire. As the second book in this trilogy, we are continuing the story of Gabriel de Leon, the last Silversaint, as he recounts his history to Jean-Francois, the court historian for the vampire Empress. In the first book we were introduced to the characters and the story, but in the second book, we have the opportunity for richer character development and deeper mysteries unfolding as we transition towards the conclusion. Sometimes middle books can be tough, but the excerpt from EOtD was just as interesting and exciting as EotV. The writing is excellent, as Gabriel’s character clearly comes through in the language and flow of the story. While the story is dark and complex, I found myself laughing at the humor as well. Gabriel is a tortured anti-hero, and his self-loathing comes through just as strong as his bravery and skill. Empire of the Damned starts strong and is just as thrilling and engaging as Empire of the Vampire.

In EotD also have the additional POV from Celene, Gabriel’s sister who was turned into a Vampire. (Though in this excerpt I was not able to read chapters from her explicitly, but it was implied.) I am definitely excited to read EotD in full, and cannot wait to find out what happens with Gabriel, Dior, and Celene as the story moves forward towards the conclusion of the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced excerpt from Empire of the Damned.

"Empire of the Damned" by Jay Kristoff is a dark and thrilling sequel that delves deeper into the world of vampires and holy relics. Building upon the events of its predecessor, Kristoff takes readers on a relentless journey filled with danger, betrayal, and startling revelations.

Gabriel de León, the Last Silversaint, finds himself entangled in a web of intrigue as he seeks to fulfill his destiny and end the endless night. With the Holy Grail in his possession, Gabriel must navigate treacherous alliances and deadly enemies to uncover the truth behind Daysdeath and the fate of the world.

Kristoff's writing is as sharp and evocative as ever, immersing readers in a world of darkness and despair. The action is relentless, with each page brimming with tension and suspense. From epic battles to heart-wrenching betrayals, the story unfolds at a breakneck pace, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

What sets "Empire of the Damned" apart is its richly developed characters and intricate world-building. Gabriel's struggles with his own bloodlust and moral dilemmas add depth to his character, while the supporting cast of vampires, humans, and otherworldly beings adds layers of complexity to the narrative.

While the story can be dark and at times unsettling, Kristoff infuses moments of humor and humanity that provide a welcome respite from the relentless darkness. With its gripping plot, compelling characters, and jaw-dropping twists, "Empire of the Damned" is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and epic storytelling.

Celene is such a delight, I'm enthralled with her in this book. Delight compared to Gabriel, of course, which isn't saying too much when he's this much of an idiot (lovingly). Similarly to the first one, I was shocked and awed each time I looked at the page I was on and realized how much I'd read without realizing it- I am forever impressed with how Jay manages to keep my attention for this chonker of a book.

The main focus of this one was the character relationships, and to great effect- I loved the new insights given to us by the new POVs and now that we know all the ~vampire lore~ I loved seeing everyone have more room to be themselves. I am eagerly anticipating book 3.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC for review!

I honestly felt myself dragging through Empire of the Vampire, but Empire of the Damned was more enjoyable. I love Dior and the focus on her character really helped for me. I really think these books just probably aren’t for me, I never found myself fully immersed in the story or very attached to any of the characters with the exception of Dior.

This was just a sample of the full sequel but it was an intriguing read, I might give the rest a shot!