There's something about the way Jay Kristoff writes that I really like. I think it's the humour; a dark, crass sort of humour that punctuates many chapter endings. I also appreciate his attention to detail, the journey the characters go on and the ability he has to make you feel like you're trudging through the puddle-ridden, dark streets with the protagonist. It doesn't hurt that this particular protagonist is about as anti-hero as it comes, and we all love to like someone we really shouldn't!

What works so well in Empire of the Vampire is that journey, actually. Because we follow the evolution of a vampire, from making to undoing (not literally, but his character really trudges through that mud!). I felt like we had a very complete picture of his life, which was brilliant. I also think the world building is unrivalled, it really is.

What doesn't work so well for me was how logical I found it to be, and how hard it was to really sink my teeth in. The story is told in present time but also in the past, jumping sporadically between the two with deliberate pauses to gather your understanding. Thank goodness for such pauses, because you need them with such a convoluted story. Eventually, this came to be a style I loved, but it took some getting used to.

The story, as a result, is really quite slow paced (as you would imagine with such a tome). I typically appreciate a lengthy journey to get to a satisfying story, but I found there were large chunks of this I could have easily skimread and still maintained my understanding and/or enjoyment.

So, some pacing issues certainly, but also some really clever ideas and the epitome of vampiric, dark storytelling. We've been asking for this long enough - a vampire reboot - and this certainly shoves that boot right where the sun doesn't shine. I just wish it had gotten there slightly sooner!

Well suck my blood and f*ck my face, what an absolute rollercoaster of a ride from the amazing author that is Jay Kristoff. I think ye have guessed by now that I am 100% Kristoff obsessed so I was itching to read it. I was a little bit on the hesitant side as I'm not normally team vampire but of course there was absolutely no need!

If you've read any of Kristoff's work before you will know he is a master of dark suspense and flawless world building mixed with fantastically well-developed characters who have enormous sass and attitude. He did not let us down with EOTV.

It's violent, it's bloody, it's sexy, it's tense and it's an absolute must read!

“The greatest lies are the ones we tell ourselves. The deadliest poison the one we swallow willingly. And yet sometimes we clutch at those deceits like a drowning man at straws, because the alternative is simply too awful to fathom.”
“Empire of the Vampire” by Jay Kristoff is the first book in the new series with the same title. The story is very dark and was meant to bring the image of vampires from the romanticised eternal creatures promoted by pop culture back to the bloodsucking monsters of legends from the olden days. And I say the author did a marvellous job.
At the very start of the book, we meet Gabriel de León, the last Silversaint of a holy brotherhood imprisoned by his mortal enemies – the vampires. He is forced to tell his own story to the empress historian. And now we get to the narration, which is not typical because it’s nonlinear, meaning we are jumping between two different timelines. I have to say that I was a bit annoyed because every time something interesting was happening, we were pulled away and thrown to completely different events (which most of the time slows down the pace). But as I read it further, it made sense why the protagonist told his story this way, and it served well to build the suspense and tension before the grand reveal of secrets at the end of the book.
“Empire of the Vampire” is meant for adult readers, as the main character is swearing, like, a lot. Sometimes even more than it’s necessary. I was internally laughing that the author was trying to make sure that this time his work wouldn’t end up on the Young Adult shelf. I’m not a massive fan of cursing in novels, but here, somehow, it didn’t bother me. It was fitting for the protagonist to speak this way, so it felt natural and not forced.
The world-building is impressive. We have this whole massive setting with a dystopian and gothic atmosphere where the vampires are unstoppable, and humans are scrambling desperately to survive. The author used the central concepts of Christianity but twisted them just a bit to give them more novel sound and fit well into his world. And finally, we have the vampires that are as they always should be – bloodsucking monsters that bow to nothing but their twisted desires. I also love the whole concept of the Silversaints’ order and how each member is a descendant of vampire clans which grant them special abilities to fight against monsters. It is a mix of the Witcher and the Grey Wardens from the Dragon Age games (I love both).
We meet an exciting set of characters in addition to the protagonist - a ragtag band led by Gabriel’s old friend. Each person there is not what they seem at first, which makes them all very likeable. They are all quirky, annoying, and scheming to meet their own goals but still fight side by side when they need to.
The book is also full of epic battles, mad chases, escape attempts and heart-breaking moments. Even though it’s huge (over 700 pages), there are not many moments where the reader could get bored. It may take a moment to get pulled into the world entirely and get the good feeling of the scenery with all the details, but once you do, the story flows beautifully. I wasn’t binge reading it, I was taking my time reading just a few chapters each evening, and I always looked forward to getting back to the story of Gabriel de León.
If you like dark, gothic tales with bloodthirsty vampires, knight-like orders, epic battles, and rich world-building, you should check out this book. I loved every page, and it’s one of my favourite books read this year.



“Wampirze Cesarstwo” Jay’a Kristoffa to pierwszy tom najnowszej serii autora o tym samym tytule. Autor serwuje nam mroczną opowieść mającą na celu odesłać w zapomnienie romantyczny obraz wampirów, jaki zaserwowała nam ostatnimi czasy popkultura i powrócić do klasycznej wizji żądnych krwi potworów z legend i opowieści z dawnych czasów. Jak dla mnie wykonał on kawał dobrej roboty.
Już na pierwszych stronach książki poznajemy Gabriela de León, ostatniego z członków bractwa srebroświętych, który jest więźniem swoich zaprzysiężonych wrogów – wampirów. Zostaje on zmuszony do podzielenia się swoją historią z cesarskim historykiem. I tu przechodzimy do specyficznej, nieliniowej narracji (akcja powieści przenosi się pomiędzy wydarzeniami z wczesnej młodości bohatera, a tymi sprzed kilku miesięcy). Na początku bardzo mnie ten zabieg frustrował, gdyż kiedy tylko zaczynało się dziać coś ciekawego, historia przeskakiwała do innego czasu i akcja znów zwalniała. Jednak, w miarę jak opowieść postępuje przeskoki te stawały się bardziej naturalne i z pespektywy budowania napięcia i motywacji bohatera do dzielenia się najbardziej traumatycznymi wspomnieniami, taki rodzaj narracji nabiera sensu.
Książka jest kierowana do dorosłych czytelników, gdyż oprócz wielu dość graficznych opisów przemocy, główny bohater klnie jak szewc. Czasem nawet więcej niż potrzeba. Osobiście zaryzykowałabym teorię, że autor zrobił to tylko i wyłącznie po to, by upewnić się, że jego książki nie trafią ponownie na półki młodzieżowe (jak to było z serią Nibynoc). Mimo że nie jestem specjalnie fanką przekleństw w książkach, to tutaj zupełnie mi to nie przeszkadzało. Biorąc pod uwagę charakter głównego bohatera brzmiały one jak najbardziej na miejscu.
Świat wykreowany przez autora jest fantastyczny – post apokaliptyczna wizja niekończącej się nocy z wampirami, które panoszą się po całym świecie i ludźmi walczącymi desperacko o przetrwanie. Autor zapożyczył główne koncepty z chrześcijaństwa, ale dodał również własny twist, dopasowując je do stworzonego przez siebie świata. No i w końcu mamy wampiry takie, jak być powinny – potwory żerujące na niewinnych ludziach, które służą jedynie własnym, mrocznym żądzom. Bardzo podobał mi się również koncept zakony srebrnowiętych, z jego członkami będącymi potomkami wampirzych klanów, co dawało im specjalne talenty umożliwiające walkę przeciwko nadludzko silnym potworom. Jest to swego rodzaju połączenie naszego rodzimego Wiedźmina i Szarych Strażników z gry Dragon Age.
Oprócz głównego bohatera mamy również wiele ciekawych postaci pobocznych. Kiedy Gabriel jest zmuszony dołączyć do bandy obdartusów wiedzionej przez jego dawną przyjaciółkę, siostrę zakonną, jej towarzysze zdają się najbardziej niedopasowaną i irytującą kompanią na świecie. Jednak każdy z nich jest czymś więcej niż się początkowo wydaje, i poznawanie ich wszystkich jest nie lada przyjemnością.
Książka jest pełna epickich walk, szalonych pościgów i ucieczek oraz łzawych momentów, gdzie autor bezlitośnie łamie czytelnikom serca. Pomimo tego, że jest to opasłe tomiszcze (prawie 900 stron) to nie ma specjalnie momentów nudnych czy dłużących się. To prawda, początkowo może zająć chwilę wczytanie się w opowieść i zapoznanie się z wieloma szczegółami charakterystycznymi dla tego bogatego świata, ale jak już mamy to za sobą to historia naprawdę porywa.
Jeśli lubicie mroczne opowieści z krwiożerczymi wampirami, zakonami rycerskimi, epickimi bitwami i niesamowicie bogatym światem to musicie sięgnąć po „Wampirze Cesarstwo”. Ja cieszyłam się każdą przeczytaną stroną i jest to jedna z moich ulubionych książek tego roku.

Didn't realise it was just the sample but thanks! Have finished copies now. And the artwork is stunning

Jay Kristoff has done it again. A dark, exciting and emotional read worthy of all the praise and special editions.

"There’s no misery so deep as one you face by yourself. No nights darker than ones you spend alone. But you can learn to live with any weight. Your scars grow thick enough, they become armour."

Thank you to Harper Voyager for providing a sampler of this book in exchange for honest review.

3.5*

Empire of the Vampire is a book that has sat firmly at the top of my anticipated reads of 2021, and a strong presence at the top of my TBR, and so my expectations were incredibly high. Fast forward to October 2021, I finally managed to get into this book, and here we are.

Firstly, EOTV was advertised with a whole bunch of influences and comparisons, and I can see where a lot of these came from. The main influence that stood out to me was its comparison to The Name of the Wind. The stylistic choice of a story-within-a-story was very reminiscent of NOTW, although I found the use of third-person quite jarring at times. In contrast to NOTW, where the story being told by Kvothe is told fully in the first person, EOTV is technically written entirely in third person, with about 90% of the book taking place in speech marks. This isn't a big peeve and it's something you quickly start to ignore or get used to, but I did find it quite jarring when several chapters would go by in this way, and suddenly the chronicler interjects and suddenly we're back in third person. It also just means the book reads a little weirdly if you think about it too hard. Since almost the whole book is literally being told word for word by Gabriel, it just seems a little weird to think about an actual person speaking this narrative. I'm not sure how to properly articulate what I mean by this, it just seems weird to think about an actual person telling a story and including every ounce of description, every conversation, and even descriptions of how a person speaks. I kind of just wish the book was told wholly in first person.

Anyway, back to the book itself. Another comparison I saw mentioned on Twitter was The Last of Us, and I wholeheartedly agree with this, sometimes even more than the NOTW. Without going into spoilers, if you're familiar with TLOU and have read this book, you'll absolutely know the relationship that is so reminiscent of Joel and Ellie. It was one of my favourite parts of the book, and I absolutely loved seeing the two of them grow because of each other.

Speaking of relationships in EOTV, I absolutely adored Astrid, and I really found myself falling for her and Gabriel's relationship very quickly. I wish we got more of them post-San Michon, but what we did get I really enjoyed. Astrid was a definite highlight for me, and every page with her on was excellent. She was wholly badass and strong, but with a softer side that she keeps well locked away. The relationship had me smiling from ear to ear, and bawling my little eyes out, and that kind of range of emotion tells me just how hard I fell for this romance.

Gabriel was a very interesting protagonist, and I had a lot of fun following his journey. As Dior describes him, he is the classic "tall, dark and damaged" type, not anything we've never seen before, but I still enjoyed following him nonetheless. He's a very flawed character who has been forced to make tough decisions and has lost almost everything, and while he struggles with finding faith, still manages to come through for the people he truly cares for. It's interesting to see him make these choices and struggle with finding the balance between doing the right thing, and achieving his goal of vengeance.

In terms of world building, I really enjoyed what Kristoff created in this world. It took the classic vampire tale and put some unique spins on it that made it its own story. I didn't have any issues in understanding what was going on or with info-dumping, and I genuinely enjoyed exploring what the world had to offer. For plot, I enjoyed the book and found it to be a pretty easy read, but I did find myself struggling with repetition. It's a fairly long book and I found that from the 50-75% mark, a lot of it seemed to blur together for me. It seemed to be a similar pattern of actions occurring, and while I was never bored, I'd have liked things to have switched up a little more at times.

Overall, this was a perfectly entertaining read and definitely sated my need for a good vampire book. I'm very intrigued to see where the story heads in future books, and so excited to be reunited with some new favourite characters. A special mention also has to go out to Bon Orthwick for the illustrations in this book. They were absolutely stunning and added so much to the atmosphere and building of the world.

I have found the beginning of this book incredibly slow, and I have been trying to read it for months now, however, having reached the end of this sampler, I am starting to understand the hype surrounding this book, and why everyone was so mad that this sampler ended where it did.

I think the hardest part of this novel is getting to grips with the writing style, as it's not something that I've been familiar with. There's so much detail about each character, location, and event that happens, and I understand why it's done that way, but it's made it quite hard to get through personally.

With all that being said, I did finish this sampler with my interest piqued, and I am intrigued to see where the story goes, and how it's going to end, as at the moment I have no idea what is going to happen.

My first Jay Kristoff and the buzz around this book certainly had me intrigued. I love vampires novels in any setting but gothic and bloody is my favourite. This has a fabulous mix of both,

This very much reminded me of Interview with a Vampire, however the tables have been turned. Our main character, Gabriel is being forced to tell his story to the things he hates the most, the vampires. I only received a sampler of the book - which was 300 pages long!! I would say I was only just started to get gripped and the story was just starting to take shape. If you love a slow burn, epic fantasy this is going to be right up your street.

Do not expect any twinkling here, these are full on villainous vampires, the blood and gore is real and graphic. This is an adults only offering from Jay Kristoff and I am looking forward to continuing the book.

This book rocketed into my favourite books of the year!

I timed reading this extract to be a couple of days before release so that I could continue immediately in my physical copy.

Kristoff writing just grabbed and pulled me into the story. I loved the world and how dark it is along with Gave, our main character.

I devoured this book and I cannot wait for the sequel!

This sample instantly drew me in and gave me serious Interview with a Vampire vibes (which is always a good thing!). I felt intrigued enough to learn more about our protagonist and why he had been captured. What also compelled me was Gabriel's addiction and what happened as a result. I've since listened to the audiobook of this title and it blew me away. What an incredible experience! Thank you for allowing me to sample the delights of this book. My favourite book of 2021!

With Thanks to Jay Kristoff and Harper Voyager for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

5* - 6* if I could.

This is hands down the best book I've read this year, I'm a firm follower of Kristoff and have enjoyed all teh books he's published. This one takes a big step up in writing and story structure, while retaining the dark, gritty, sarcastic style we're used to.

EOTV follows Gabriel Gabriel de León a silversaint, tasked with protecting people from vampires. The story takes place following days death, an event that cast the world into shadow and darkness and allowed for the return of the vampires and their forever king.

The book is a written memoir of sorts and follows a non linear, episodic format which is beautifully woven together to delivery the best twists and turns along the way.

This was my first Jay Kristoff book and was I blown away. I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait for the sequel.
This is the story of Gabriel de Leon, the last Silversaint of the Ordo Argent, and the most famous one. In the first scene, Gabriel has been captured by one of the four Vampire Lines - The Blood Chastain, and the empress of this line wants to hear his life story and what he did with the Holy Grail. The story is written in three time lines: The present, when he is a broken man with nothing left to loose, the past in two lines: The first as a young man just getting initiated into the Order and a 32 year old man who has lost his Faith and is on a mission.

This is a dark book, full of magik, monsters and hopelessness, but it is also a story about a man fighting for what is right and trying to carve a new world. The characters in this book are flawed, but also read like real people. Gabriel is trying to find glory, Aaron de Coste starts as a spoilt brat, Dior is an arrogant kid, Astrid is cold and arrogant, but they all fight to stay alive in a world that tries to kill them.

Gabriel is a bastard, but he is not a monster. He is a broken man, a faithless one, but he will not leave innocents to die. His story bruised my poor heart and left me wanting for more. I cannot wait to see what the next book has in reserve for us.

Wow. I mean, what else is there to say?
Empire of the Vampire is absolutely fantastic. A slow burn but so worth it.
Beautiful world building, characters who feel real to you, a narrator who is flawed but wonderful, the witty conversations between the main characters. I could go on, and on, and on.
I’ve recommended this book to so many people, and all I have to say is: If you like fantasy, read it. It’s worth every second.

If I was ever unsure as to if I was going to enjoy this book honestly how could I not? I can’t wait to read the rest!

this book is absolutely fantastic! everybody who loves fantasy loves a good vampire book and this one does not disappoint! in fact I went bought this book myself on release day when I was on holiday because I was desperate to read the full story! I think everyone will love this! especially the special editions of this book!

Empire of the Vampire is the verbal account of Gabriel de León – Silversaint, half-blood and killer of the Forever King. In the first chapter, he has been captured and is asked to recount his life to a vampire historian. De León reluctantly obliges, describing how he came to join the holy Silver Order, his rise to glory and subsequent fall from grace.

De León doesn’t always tell his tale chronologically, deliberately toying with his captor and getting more than a little tiddly. This interview format, perhaps a nod to Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire, allows Kristoff to construct the plot perfectly, maintaining tension and anticipation of answers until late in the game. What might have seemed gimmicky in less capable hands instead becomes the spine of the story. I even quite looked forward to the breaks in de León’s monologue where he exchanges insults with Jean-François and gets called out for lousy storytelling.

The world of EotV is a grim one. Daylight has become as scarce as hope as vampires slowly take over the continent, leaving death, destruction, and the zombie-like wretched in their wake. This bleak setting and religious imagery reminded me a lot of Tristram from the Diablo games. The language, too, though I could have done without the “thee’s” and “thou’s” used by the elder vamps; it felt artificial at times, particularly in contrast to the modern language, which uses many French words. I did like Kristoff’s penchant for smooshing words together (knifebright, daysdeath, silversteel… twatgoblin). It becomes noticeable after a while, but I found it quite effective in worldbuilding and setting the tone.

The setting also borrows heavily from catholicism, though none too kindly, as de León struggles with his loss of faith and anger at an indifferent God. De León is more agnostic than atheist, but reading EoTV, it’s clear that Kristoff has a few bones to pick with organised religion.

The specifics of the plot are best discovered as you journey through the book with de León, which leads to a fantastic ending that will leave readers begging for the next book the series. My money is on it being named Taint of the Saint. Or perhaps Flood of the Blood. Pucker of the Sucker? Anyway, I bet it will be great!

This book was fantastic.

At first I didn't think I'd like the way the story is written - the main character telling us the story of his life - however, it is very effective. I liked the way the timeline jumped around even though you wouldn't think it would work. It meant you knew bad things had happened to the characters you were currently being captivated by.

The concept is easy to grasp and wasn't overly complicated. It meant that you immediately understood the magic, characters, world etc. This was definitely a refreshing take on vampires whilst picking the 'good bits' about them.

The writing style is lovely and is my first time experiencing Jay Kristoff. I will definitely be adding his other books to my TBR pile.

This is my first Jay Kristoff and he did not disappoint. The atmosphere is dark, brooding and blood thirsty. It had me gripped and wanting more. The characters were extremely likeable, even De Leon’s Captor Jean Francois. Bon Orthwick’s illustrations are stunning and only add to the atmosphere. Can I have the next book in this series now please?

Thank you to Harper Collins UK for the advance sampler of this book.

There are no words to describe just how excited I was to read this book. I have recently developed an absolutely love of everything Jay Kristoff. I just love his books and I was so excited to see what his take on vampires was going to be. I haven’t read and loved a vampire book for such a long time, and I couldn’t wait to see whether this would be the next one I obsess over. Jay Kristoff is a mastermind for writing this book. This is such a great vampire book and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

One thing I have discovered is that I am just utterly in love with Jay’s writing style. It’s hilarious, raw and real, and I love everything about his writing. This is one dark and twisty book… and I loved it! I love how he has this knack for writing these super dark storylines, while managing to get these incredible meaningful lines in there that really resonate with you and will stay with you forever. That is one hell of a talent. His writing is so beautiful and lyrical… while also being able to pull off a whole conversation consisting of only one word…. if you know you know!

Empire of the Vampire is raw and real and such a fantastic take on vampires. There are no good vampires in here. They are evil and they have taken over the world and left all the humans fighting to survive. I loved this dystopic feel to it and it really made me love the concept of this fantastic book.

I know so many people are completely in love with this book, and while I really did love the premise, the writing style and the characters, I did think this book had some pacing issues. It took me quite a while to get through this book and honestly, I struggled with some of it. It’s split into separate books and the time jumps around quite a lot. The ‘books’ that told of Gabriel’s younger days when he was first training really dragged for me. I felt like not much was happening and I was just dying to get back to the days where he was older and fighting. I felt like they were much more plot-heavy ‘books’ and as a plot-driven reader, I preferred them. Honestly, I love this book, but I do feel like it was a lot longer than it really needed to be. I ended up switching from Hardback to Audio half-way through and if you’re struggling, I highly recommend the audio edition. The narrator is FANTASTIC! Though slow… speed it up to like 1.5.

Empire of the Vampire is fantastic! I did really enjoy it, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Regardless of my issues with the pacing, I am completely and utterly in love with all things Jay Kristoff and I can’t wait for more from him. I highly recommend picking this one up, it’s definitely worth it.

I am so ready to have my heart ripped out by Mr Kristoff all over again! My most anticipated book of the year!