Empire of the Damned: 2 (Empire of the Vampire)

Product Information

Pretty sure that's Kristoff's motto in life 😂. Gotta love him—because there is probably, IMHO, never a statement as true as this. There is no light without darkness. Life is an endless circle of positives & negatives, and one can never exist without the other. And to embrace it? That takes an immense amount of strength. It is proof that we have lived—that we are STILL living, still alive... we are survivors. I think probably the best thing was the way the book shows you different stages of characters' lives. It's not easy to pull that off (and I've certainly read books where by showing you so much of a character it drags the story down into the realms of boredom), but Kristoff nails it. The character growth throughout the book, especially for Gabriel, is seriously impressive. The book was near falling to pieces, but the lettering was still visible, faint and faded, oui, but still there. This, too, was a strange immortality. Poems, stories, ideas, frozen forever in time. The simple wonder of books.” On specifics, here are a collection of the ways in which this book managed to be the single most misogynist piece of writing I’ve ever had the misfortune to experience:

Empire of the Damned (Empire of the Vampire, Book 2)

This book is: The Witcher meets Interview with the Vampire meets Game of Thrones meets the movie Underworld M/M sex referred to as sodomy (that means rape, in case anyone cares, a term which has absolutely no bearing on what happens between consenting adults) but yet underaged sexing/ problematic behaviour exhibited by the sketchy adults in the first half of this book is part of the narrative. I shudder. There are plenty of other really well-written characters, but there are some that are my absolute favorite. Aaron de Coste, the hater-turned-friend, teen-drama Dior, Astrid the hater-turned-lover, and Ashdrinker the dysfunctional, talking blade. I DID NOT like Aaron de Coste in the beginning. He was a complete asshole to Gabriel for a long time. They became besties, though, and Aaron went from dipship to tolerable to one of my favorite characters. The same exact thing happened with Dior, the teen with the interesting secret Gabe reluctantly had to protect who became another of his dearest friends. the story is dark and gritty and vulgar and takes vampires, as well as the tale of the holy grail, in a completely unique and bloody direction. JK wasnt lying when he said this book is for adults only - it gives ‘nevernight’ a run for its money in terms of mature content. but i love how brutally real this feels. if vampires were to take over the world, this is exactly how i imagine it would be. the world-building is outstanding and really creates such an immersive setting. the amazing illustrations really add to that, as well! Best Vampire book ever! Not only will I stake my heart on that, but it's left me positively dying to read the sequel!

EotV 2021

If half the book could have been pared down by scrapping Gabe's rants and reminding everyone "I've got a lion in these veins bruh" then the other half of this book could be tossed by getting rid of ALL the genitalia references, innuendo, stupid one-liners, attempts at raunchy quips every other sentence, and also sentences that just plain didn't make sense and read . . . weird. Just read my highlights & reading updates to see more of the hilarity that was this writing and story. I truly think this is my last Kristoff book because I'm done seeing if he's gonna write any better. I'm done with this author shoving his ideas of what makes a great novel down reader's throats and expecting them to shut up and take it and LIKE it . . . especially when IT'S NOT THAT FANTASTIC OF A STORY. If anything, this is average fantasy just done up in a bit more gore and violence. Over the course of the last 20, 30 years they have evolved into something very different,” Kristoff says. “[And] there’s nothing wrong with exploring that kind of vampire,” he adds, describing himself as a “massive fan” of The Vampire Diaries and firmly “Team Delena” when it comes to the love triangle at the show’s center.

Empire of the Damned: (Empire of the Vampire Book 2 - WHSmith

There’s a beast in all men’s blood, Gabriel. You can starve him. Cage him. Curse him. But in the end, you pay the beast his due, or he takes his due from you. Durante tres décadas, los vampiros han luchado contra los humanos, cimentando así su imperio eterno mientras el nuestro se desangra. Ahora los que sobrevivimos somos sólo unas chispas de luz en un mar de oscuridad creciente. In justice and hope, no hope there be, In mercy and bliss, no bliss for thee, In death and truth, no truth I see, Through blood and fire, now dance with me.” I forgot to take off a star for what happened to poor Phoebe and Justice. Y’all know me: I care more about the animals than the people, and I won’t apologize for it.

Read Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Me ha dejado con ganas de más. Una historia y un mundo envueltos por un manto de misterio y acción. La intriga de saber más sobre el origen de los misteriosos vampiros o la razón por la que el sol se vuelve negro. Gabriel- Our main character, he was so flawed, so morally grey..maybe just grey towards the end. Idk what to make of him. Was he a good guy or bad? You are the judge but he certainly was interesting. I also liked the supporting character, Dior. But it's not a book for children. So, if the bookstore puts it in the wrong section alongside ILLUMINAE and you find your baby reading it whilst bleeding from the eyes, before you send me an angry mail, pls consider that I warned you. Fantasy Book Critic: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)" . Retrieved 8 February 2016. The .25 stars I've awarded it above 1 is purely for the fact that I saw only one typo. On a technical writing level, it's competently written. Congratulations, the man can structure a paragraph.