Empire of the Vampire

Vampires are one of those tropes that refuse to go out of fashion. Fortunately, they find ways of reinventing themselves to create that evolution of the monster itself. Kristoff's vampires are evil, violent, pitiless and much more in the classical mold than some of the recent iterations (this is most definitely not twilight). These are blood thirsty monsters who treat humans as chattel. They are very much at the top of the food chain.

There has been a trend in recent vampire stories to take a more urban fantasy approach. This necessitates a hiding in the shadows - the vampires of recent years have been somewhat pathetic creatures who cannot stand up to humanity. Transferring the story into a fantastical setting is a smart move in that sense - it allows the vampires to be omnipresent, visible and helps brings their monstrosity to the fore. The world we are in has been recently cursed into a kind of semidarkness allowing the vampires to roam 24 hours a day (although their power grows in the true night). The vampires are on the rise and apparently unstoppable. The one thing standing in their way is an order of half-breed vampires determined to stop them. Their vampire half allows them to counter the vampires with their own abilities. Their one vice - they need to smoke the blood of vampires to manage their own hunger for blood.

Empire of the Vampire is dark, cynical and bitter. The darkness is pervasive - the atmosphere, the sense of despair, the imbalance of power. This is not a happy read. Some of Kristoff's idioms do get a little abrasive at times - I am all for appropriate levels of swearing, but the use here is extremely gratuitous. I do love his dark humour though. The cynicism that pervades this is delicious

Holy shit.
Witty, edgy, grim. Only critique I can give is that there was too much angst for me towards the middle of the book. But that's it.
Last third reminds me of a certain very popular video game by Sony. That plot is almost one to one copy. I hope Kristoff won't be inspired by the shitty postmodernist “everything must burn” sequel but luckily he doesn't strike me as woke cultist.

This felt like some sort of marathon. It was just so long - only Outlander and Harry Potter books I've read are longer - and I definitely felt like the editors could have chopped it up a bit more.

The vampire traits stick to the most common tropes (silver, sunlight, how to make more, etc.) but it's made unique with terminology, ancestry, and the half-blood (what become Silversaints) race. These are badass creatures.
I really liked Gabriel's snark and that he was a pretty multi-dimensional character, but that can't be said for the rest of this very swollen cast. You don't learn Gabe's real motivations for the latter events of the story until 700 pages in and then it becomes a bit of a sob fest with it ending abruptly when the sun comes up and a good chunk of the story left untold. There's some graphic sex but nothing I'd clutch pearls over but a lot of gore, swearing, and chockablock with religious idealization (it's technically a fictional religion but obviously Christianity of the most zealous kind).

While I did really enjoy this, I'm not sure if I'll continue or if I'll just let someone else read it and get the Cliffnotes version.

Game of Thrones meets The Witcher and Interview with the Vampire and created this bad ass of a story. HOLY FUDGERY FUDGE. This book was everything I hoped for and more. I loved, no, I ADORED, the world and the characters. The story was so long, but it was so so worth it. I enjoyed every single page and I can't wait for the next book.

Mister Kristoff, you've done it again. A masterpiece.

This was excellent. Like Name of the Wind and Anne Rice had a baby. I think that I could have done without the artwork, but it didn't detract from the story. I can't remember the last time I read a 700+ page book in 5 days.

The story is original and compelling. The magic and lore are entertaining and unique. I wish the second book was already out.

It was fun to be reading Kristoff again. His books are fun but there is an unexpected depth and darkness to them that make them more than just a fun romp. Gabriel is an interesting character and the supporting cast was also well realized in this one. Gabriel’s sword was unexpected. I really enjoy Kristoff’s humor but if you don’t like sarcasm or inventive curses you may have issues with it. This is a well told story with a medium to fast pace that made the pages fly by. I look forward to the sequel.

It took me one whole week to read 20% of this and I can't go on. This book is similar to [b:The Name of the Wind 186074 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) Patrick Rothfuss https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1270352123l/186074.SX50.jpg 2502879]. Now many a Rothfuss fanboy will scream at my face about how KKC is liekm the best series EVER and it's absolute genius. No, it isn't. Nor is this one so. You know the feeling when you are like... 14 and everything is dramatic? You are so deep and every annoying piece of comical melodrama is the best thing ever? This is it. Except... it isn't? Because it has a lot of adult content. Which is fine, I am an adult, but because I am, the attempted gravitas is just pathetic to me, but also the content makes it not really suitable for actual kids. It's also very verbose. People of a certain country or region or whatever are obviously the world's version of black people. Yet we have to read repetitive descriptions of them being black and having dreadlocks. Pro tip, after making it obvious they are the black people, just mentioning they are from that place is pretty much enough, you don't have to also say they have dark skin every time. I also can remember a character having feckles. You don't have to tell me every scene. She is freckled, yes. It just never seems to get anywhere. We are going with the story and it's still setting things up without making any progress. I like me some vampires. That's not the issue. But this is such a stiff book. No flow, no playfulness, not wit. Just overwritten angst. It takes itself so seriously, meanwhile the story itself is really not clever or anything. I found some unintentional comedy in it, except I was also really dang bored. It has illustrations, though. They are pretty nice, I have to give that to them. A bit samey, Instagram, webcomic style, but with impressive detail.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the review copy.

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 also purchased the audio, and Damian Lynch is fantastic!

I didn't really know what to expect with this book. Vampire fantasy? Didn't seem like my cup of tea. So I certainly didn't expect to love it as much as I did. This book was a journey from start to finish. Extremely well written characters, plot, and world

So many questions were answered, but so many things were left unanswered. It was a perfect blend

5/5. Just amazing. Can't wait for book 2

I liked the book well enough. I think it's the best vampire book I've read so far, though I haven't read a lot of those.
It had a great atmosphere - gloomy and depressing.
Some good character work and nice plot twists.

And it didn't get 5 stars, because it was so damn long for no damn reason.
This was 750 pages long book to tell 3/4 of an eighth of a story. The author threw endless hints and mentions of things that supposedly happened, but barely showed any of it at all. The story he told could've rested comfortably in 500 pages, if that.
There was so much repeating of scenes, of feels, of descriptions, of metaphors... like a dear friend who came to visit and overstayed his welcome (see, we can all do it).
By the time I reached 80%, I was tired of metaphors and “the taste of blood in my mouth” and just wanted it all to end. And that kind of ruined the moment of the big reveal... which at that point I had guessed 200 pages ago.

Regardless, I recommend and will look forward to the next book, which will hopefully tell more story and describe less feelings.

There's a lot to like with this book - its dark, it's atmospheric and it's exciting. I loved the setting and the different vampire families with their differing abilities, then having the half bloods being the ones to hunt those vampires whilst battling their own inner need for blood. It was all very well done.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff is nothing short of a masterpiece, seamlessly blending the gritty, atmospheric storytelling of The Witcher Season 1 with the gothic elegance of Interview with the Vampire. Kristoff’s worldbuilding is unparalleled, creating a richly detailed and immersive universe where sunlight has failed, plunging humanity into a relentless battle against the vampiric dark.

Told through the fragmented, confessional voice of Gabriel de León—a weary, haunted protagonist—it masterfully weaves past and present narratives, adding layers of intrigue and depth. The prose balances poetic beauty with raw brutality, while Kristoff’s unique voice breathes life into every page.

This is not just a story of blood and battle; it’s a deeply emotional exploration of love, loss, loyalty, and betrayal. Gabriel’s journey is both epic and intimate, a tale of humanity’s resilience and the darkness that lies within. For fans of morally complex heroes, intricate plots, and unforgettable worldbuilding, Empire of the Vampire is an instant classic that will sink its teeth into your soul and leave you craving more.

Ever read a book that's so good that every word grasps your attention? That's this book for me. This is a combination of Anne Rice's Vampires, Blade, and Anthony Ryan's Blood Song put in one big paper love child and oooo mama it's amazing! Idk if I can say that it's the best fantasy book but definitely the best Dark/Supernatural Fantasy you will ever read. Also a nice little surprise was the fact that it has about 40+ illustrations thrown in it and they go perfectly with the story to help you imagine what he's writing. I feel like most illustrations are a little arbitrary and don't have anything engaging with the story. Definitely a rated R book not to be confused with Twilight but it's tasteful. Standing ovation for Señor Kristoff, you have officially made a die hard fan off one book.