I requested the book convinced it was the whole book, but I actually received a sampler.

This was a great continuation of an amazing series. I appreciated the recap of the characters and the previous book. I read Book 1 recently, but that won't be the case for all readers and this way, we are all into the story once the book begins.

Book one was mind blowing and I am expecting nothing else from book 2. I love the imperfect characters, the dark and ugly sides of Gabriel's story and how twisted and power hungry the vampires in this series are.

My only complaint is that I needed more. This feels like it will be a 5 star read, but through the samplers I can't be 100% sure.

Thank you for the digital sampler HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager. I can't wait for the official release so that I can get my hands on the whole book!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this and give my honest opinion

So firstly, gutted it wasn’t the whole book because I was loving what I was reading and didn’t want it to end. So I will have to buy this when it’s released.

I had previously bought and read the first book so was so excited to see where our hero’s and anti hero’s were going to end up. The twists and turns in this series keep you on your toes. It’s like no other vampire iv read before. I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

I wasn't aware this was a sample when I requested. But this was a great start to the next instalment in this series. I LOVED Empire of the Vampire. And I can't wait to finish Empire of the Damned and see all the beautiful art that goes with it. Jay Kristoff remains one of my favourite authors!

Foreword, my vote is a five-star vote of confidence.

I requested the book convinced it was the whole book, since it was not specified in the description, I actually received a sampler.
Had I known, I would not have requested it.
My rating is a confident Kristoff, but I refuse to read what was sent to me because it is not what I requested.
Plus, with the release still a long way off, I don't like to leave things half done.

Mind you, as well as other people who wrote the review before me, when we requested the book, it did not say it was a sampler.
After I sent an email complaint to Netgalley, they replied that they would point it out to the EC and correct the error.
In fact now you see it says it is a sampler.

— 3 ⭑
i wish i had known when i requested this that it would only be a sample and not the entire book. anyways i'm really excited and can't wait to read the whole book in february.

Great teaser for the second book in the series. Appreciated the recap of the previous book slipped into the conversation easily. Cant wait to read the rest of the book!

I am fortunate enough to have received this exclusive Ebook Sampler. The characters are so intriguing. The book is so dark and intense. The book has quest, buried truths and battles. I am really liking Dior’s character. Book one was mind blowing and I am expecting nothing else from book 2. I love how the author unfolds the truth and the revelation unravels at the end. The truth is dark and the world is dreadful. I love the illustrations. Believe me you need this book if you have read Empire of the vampire.

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley.

This made me so excited for the book! I cannot wait to read it, it’s shaping up to be a phenomenal sequel!!!

Wasn’t aware it was a sampler until I opened the book, which is fine.


I can easily, easily see this being another 5 star read for me. I absolutely adored Empire of the Vampire, and even though this is my most anticipated book of next year and I’m very much looking forward to it, I worried it wouldn’t live up to the first one. Well from what I read, it lives up to it. If not surpasses it.

I seriously cannot wait until I can read the rest of this book.

Five stars for anything Jay Kristoff writes - I can’t wait for this book!

Zero stars for the publisher not disclosing that this was a sampler and not the full book.

Overall average three stars

Would I have requested this knowing it was a sampler? Absolutely.
Would I have preferred knowing this before opening the ebook? Also absolutely. However, reading it was only a sampler was the only disappointment - as far as Jay Kristoff's writing is concerned, we're again in solid 5 star territory.

Across the first two books of Empire of the Damned, which is the length of this sampler, I highlighted passages I'm considering adding as motivational posters in my classroom, raged at the events, mourned favourite characters and picked up a few new choice insults.
If I don't succumb to the reader's equivalent of the sangirè (shall we call it librirè?) before February 29th, I have blocked off two days so I can immerse myself in the rest of the novel. And yes, I am fully expecting a cliffhanger of an ending to this second book, but I am willing to suffer for some stories.

It's genuinely just cruel to give us a sampler haha. Obviously it was fantastic and I cannot wait to read the whole thing when it comes out.

I will gladly post this review on my social media platforms once I can read the whole book. This is only an excerpt which does not qualify for a review of quality.
However, I'm expecting this to be a 5 stars read, as from what I read it is the same genius kind of storytelling we came to experience in the first book. Gabriel is telling his story to the historian.
Mister Kristoff is an auto-read author for me

Disappointed that this was a sampler as it wasn't made clear in the listing that this was the case. However I am excited to read this when it releases!

I will not be reading this sampler. When I requested it (and even now when I’m posting this ‘review’) it did not say it was just a sampler and I will not read a sampler, especially so far from the release date. I’m giving a 5 star rating based purely on the fact that is what I rated Empire of the Vampire.

When I requested this It did not say it was just a chapter sampler. If I knew that I would never have requested this. Full disclosure I have not read Empire of the Damned nor the chapter sampler. I have already pre ordered the book and I thought this was for an advance reader copy. So I giving this 5 stars only because I gave Empire of the Vampire 5 stars.

When I requested this I didn't realise it was just a sampler. I don't like to read samplers as they always (mostly) leave you wanting more. It's going to be a long 4 months to wait to get the finished book in my hands, but so worth it.

So pumped for the release! This excerpt made me excited for the sequel!

So excited to go back to this world!