Really liked this one!!! The Plot,the characters and the pacing were carried out so very well!Can't wait for the next book

I was blown away by this snippet of the book! It’s just as dark and gritty as Empire of the Vampire and starts up pretty much where it left off.
Gabriel is as grumpy and loveable as ever while Dior continues to use her wit and Lashame street smarts to get her self in and out of trouble.

I'm a huge Jay Kristoff fan and absolutely love this series. Amazing characters, wickedly funny, dark and utterly compelling. So good.

I was teased with a sample of this book, what can I say? I've devoured it long ago and I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for Empire 3!! Not long now!!!!

Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Damned is a gripping, blood-soaked sequel that raises the stakes and deepens the chaos of the Empire of the Vampire series. The story plunges Gabriel de León further into a world teetering on the brink of annihilation, as he wrestles with the weight of his past, his fractured relationships, and the unrelenting forces of darkness. The plot is relentless, packed with brutal action, devastating twists, and moments of heartbreaking humanity that keep you glued to the pages.

The world-building remains one of Kristoff’s greatest strengths. The gothic, nightmarish landscape of a world ruled by vampires is vividly detailed, with every dark corner filled with danger and intrigue. Kristoff expands on the lore of the Silversaints and the vampire hierarchy, creating a rich and immersive setting that feels as alive (or undead) as the characters themselves.

Gabriel continues to shine as a complex and morally gray protagonist, balancing his bitterness, wit, and fierce loyalty to those he loves. His journey is raw and deeply emotional, making every triumph and failure hit hard. The supporting cast is equally compelling—Astrid’s resilience and Dior’s growth stand out, and the antagonists are as chilling and multi-faceted as you’d expect from Kristoff.

Fans of The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski or The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence will feel right at home here. Empire of the Damned is a brutal yet beautifully written tale of vengeance, sacrifice, and hope in the face of utter darkness. Kristoff doesn’t pull his punches, and that’s exactly what makes this series unforgettable.

First things first, this book has what all sequels should have and that is: a recap! My brain is not what it was and trying to remember what happened in on of the 10s of fantasy books I have read since the last one is near impossible. With that in mind, I want to write a quick blurb but I don't want to spoil book one, so let's just say this book continues immediately after the first book ends.

I have to say I found this book better than Empire of the Vampire because all the worldbuilding was done which meant it was all pure plot, action and twisty turny goodness! With book two also comes a new narrative from an existing character, and to hear the story from their side is very interesting and gives certain scenes a different depth.

My copy, can't remember if all copies have it, had the beautiful illustrations included in it. There is just something about having a reference point to what you are reading/imagining, your brain can still go nuts within the concept but it also makes some aspects clearer.

All in all, I cannot wait for book 3 to find out how it all ends because right now.. I have no idea!

Yet another engrossing dive into the world so wonderfully and masterfully constructed by Jay Kristoff. I am not a fan of any books that require a second or multiples thereafter to complete the full story. After the first book it usually all ends in disappointment, so this was an absolute gift as it delivered on all levels. This is the second installment in Jay Kristoff’s dark, brutal and violent vampire series. It gives a lot more context to the characters, certainly delivers on story depth and the narration is peppered with really exceptional perfectly timed and appropriate amounts of dark humour.

This is an absolute favourite for the year and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Having loved the first I was eager to read the second and it didn't disappoint!
Kristoff has a way about crafting a story his unique take on vampires left me fascinated as a reader, I have recommended his books to customers alot and will continue to enjoy his future works.

Wow. The ending of this book was utter gore fest. Admittedly, book two took me a bit to get through. I found myself wanting to pick up other books instead of finishing this one. A lot goes on, so it's not that it was boring, I think the unfortunate events happening to the main cast just became tedious to endure after a while, so I had to take breaks. The last 20% of the book was rapid fire and very entertaining though. I think there was some plot points and lore that kind of felt too much for me, like I was getting lost in what was ultimately just filler. Also the back and forth POV's and jumping in and out of the storytelling got a bit hard to keep up with sometimes as I had to reorient my frame of mind each time.

In the end tho, enjoyed it and anxious to see how book three plays out.

3,5 Sterne

Ich bin ein bisschen traurig darüber, dass dieses Buch mich nicht so überzeugt hat wie das erste. Jay Kristoff gehört zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsautoren (No joke, ich hab ein Nevernight Tattoo), aber dieses Buch leidet leider am Second-Book-Syndrome.

Natürlich liebe ich auch hier wieder die Charaktere, die Dynamiken und die Konversationen. Was hier fehlt ist allerdings Spannung. Wir hangeln uns von einem Fight in den nächsten, sodass mir diese Szenen irgendwann einfach nur zum Hals raushängen und der finale Fight nicht mehr den gewünschten Spannungseffekt hatte. Auch hier haben wir aber wieder coole Twists und emotionale Momente. Bin dennoch unendlich gespannt auf Band 3 und hab Angst auf welche Weise Jay Kristoff unsere Herzen brechen wird. (UND WAS ZUR HÖLLE PLANT ER MIT FKN OLI SYKES???)

I absolutely feel in love with Empire of the Vampire and from reading this small sample of the sequel I know that I am going to love this as well. Jay Kristoff is the king of grimdark fantasy, I’m in love with his take on vampires and honestly can see this becoming my new favourite series.

Why has it taken me so long to read this book? I knew I’d love it as much if not more than the first one and I did. No begins the long wait for the third book.

Jay Kristoff can do no wrong when it comes to writing, he’s very talented at drawing you in and keeping his claws in.

After I finally picked this up I could not put it down. My eyes were glued every page and like with his other books, I was destroyed by the end. This book was dark, gritty and is not for the faint of heart.

Thank for you the advanced copy!

Can’t wait for the next book! I love Gabriel and his journey. This book was so captivating and emotional at the same time!

This was just the sample but if that was anything to go by wow! I've just finished the whole book and Empire of the damned blew my mind. Kristoff's writing is once again what sets him apart from other authors! 5 stars from me.

This was just a sample but I've now gotten the full book and love it! Love the story but by gosh is it dire at times and a bit grusome.

TW: blood, violence, sex, strong language, torture of animals and people and the detailed descriptions of all mentioned TWs.

SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW:

The first book was absolute disaster in my opinion that is why I went into the second with with very low expectations but I am presently surprised. It almost feels like Jay Kristoff listened to the reviews of the first book and improved what was criticized.

Here is the brief summary of what I hated about the first book and what the author improved in the second:

1.) the "your mama" sexist jokes were absolutely not necessary in the first book and there were too many for no apparent reason in the first book - the second book contained maybe two. So this was much needed improvement
2.) The first book had 3 time lines: the present, the past and even older past (if you will). This was so annoying and hard to follow which timeline is which. The second book only deals with two timelines; preset and past - much easier and more enjoyable read.
3.) The misogyny - In the first book the role of women was absolute disaster. The women were either nuns or prostitutes and most of them existed in the plot as devices to move the story of the male characters forward - the second book introduced strong female characters with their own storylines who were warriors and fighters and even villains. I love to see this in the book.
4.) I felt like the first book was copy of Witcher and forced the characters to much into the roles: Gabriel into Geralt, Dior into Ciri, Astird into Yennefer and Chloe into Triss. - The second book still makes the relationship of Gabriel and Dior way to similar to Geralt and Ciri but I feel like the Silversaint starts to develop his own personality and start being less of a copy of the famous Witcher.

I would love to mention that the only thing that was upsetting me as much in the second book as it was in the first one is the direct speech. The quotation marks are used in the most of the book to tell the story. I do not like or enjoy this writing style.

With that being said I would love to highlight parts of the Empire of the Damned I loved.

- The character development of Dior - The character development is one of my most favourite things in the books. I absolutely loved seeing Dior go from hiding in a role of a sassy little boy into a full fledged saint fighter. She accepted herself and the task given to her due to her blood. Dior blossomed into young woman who is not afraid to fight and die for others. I can't wait to see what the next book will bring in her growth.

- New Point of View - We get the storytelling not only from Gabriel's POV but also from Celene (his sister) which brings a completely new and refreshing chapters. Much needed in my opinion.

- Insight into the vampire hierarchy - the book two thanks to the previous point, provides more insight into the vampire dynamics and hierarchy and overall lifestyle (If I can all it that - deathstyle maybe? LOL). The Dyvok chapters were absolutely horrific and displaying all the terrible torture the vampires spread in the world. This was essentially why I picked this book in the first place.

Not everything is perfect and the Empire of the Damned still have some space for improvement. Some passages dragged and were very boring. I truly believe that this book could have been shorter by cutting some of the parts out. It would make the story pace faster. The book didn't really trigger any emotional response. Many characters suffered and died, but none of the passages made me cry or feel devastated. I believe this might be the issue of the writing style as the whole book is a story told by Gabriel, instead of us reading actually what is happening we are just told what is happening. The the book "tells" doesn't "show".

After almost 2000 pages I am invested in the story of Dior an Gabriel and I will probably read the book 3 when it comes out. I have my own theories and I want to know if these will come true.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have been so excited for this sequel and it did not disappoint! Launching straight in where Empire of the Vampire left off, we have another epic that sees Gabriel De León continuing on his quest to vanquish the evil that grips the world.

I honestly can’t say much more because it’ll ruin the first book for those who haven’t read it, but if you’re a fan of horror/fantasy I would 100% recommend you pick these up.

Don’t expect Twilight…they’re gory, brutal, sexy and FILLED with foul language. Also, maybe don’t read if you’re particularly fond of horses!

Rich world building, gripping story, beautiful illustrations throughout and brilliant depth to all of the characters, bring on the wait for the next book!

Ich liebe dieses Buch. Die Geschichte ist einfach der Wahnsinn. Jay Kristoff kann einfach schreiben. Ich freue mich schon bald die deutsche Version in den Händen halten zu dürfen.

This book hooks you like the first one, Jay Kristoff makes multifaceted characters that sometimes you hate for their decisions and sometimes you completely agree with them and rooting for them.
The setting, the way the story is told and the plot twists that come with simple details that you discard are brutal. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in this saga.
It's a gory, tense, bloody and heart breaking story, but it's worth it for the author's writing.

So sad that this is just a sample it made me want to read the whole thing!I can’t wait to get reimmersed into this world again