The characters here are wonderfully written - with you loving some and hating some, and all of them being interesting in their own way. The main protagonist is incredible, and even after one book (granted, it's a huge book) the characters growth you get to see here is wonderful. It evokes many of the same feelings you get reading the characters in Realm of the Elderlings, which is extremely high praise as I think Robin Hobb is the undisputed champion for character writing in fantasy novels. This is more than vampire story: it’s about losing your belief, your life purpose, your inner source of light, your compass! The language used to speak to and about women. Obviously, with the amount of yellow tabs you can see, he constantly refers to female characters and women in general with derogatory language. In one case, we find out a character we had previously thought was male is actually female, and the very first thing he does is call her a b*tch. They are often talked down to and about, and it is explicitly stated that women in the exact same circumstances as the male main character have two options - nun or prostitute - while men with their circumstances are revered and in many ways respected soldiers. The murderer is Gabriel de Leon. Paleblood. Silversaint. Vampire-hunter and bane of the creatures of the night. He is a legend and having settled a vendetta, killing the Forever King, he is now at the mercy of his enemies. The new ruler of the vampires wishes for Gabriel's story to be recorded before his demise. In a similar fashion to The Name of the Wind, the historian Jean-François of the Blood Chastain chronicles the events of our protagonist's epic tale, as told by the chevalier Gabriel himself.

Empire of the Vampire: the full-colour special edition of Empire of the Vampire: the full-colour special edition of

And, again, I just find it hilarious how serious this book tried to take itself, because if it was a satire or a comedy?? Absolutely here for it. I mean, how can you have something like this— 'spirits that strong will burn like a trencherman’s fart in a candleshop'—and other various phrases and expect this book to be viewed as something edgy, something dark, something just so gruesome and unique and whining about how your magnificent "magnum opus" didn't make GR Choice selection blah blah WHEN YOU WRITE LIKE THIS???

Por fin leo algo bueno de vampiros, últimamente no me gusta el camino que había tomado. Junta lo mejor de las piezas góticas literarias de Anne Rice. Jay Kristoff además escribe una historia salpicada de sangre y oscuridad. Los vampiros se presentan últimamente como algo hermoso e immortal, olvidando la parte monstruosa. I am the boy’s master. He’s impatient. Arrogant. Far too keen for glory. But he’s one of the finest swords I’ve trained, and he took down this highblood alone, drugged to the eyeballs on r êvre. If what I suspect of his line is true… he could be the greatest of us, Talon.”“Or the most terrible.” But don’t expect bestselling Australian author Jay Kristoff’s new book, Empire of the Vampire, to follow this modern trend. In this story, the first in a new epic fantasy trilogy, vampires are 100% terrifying again, vicious monsters who kill violently and indiscriminately, and whose powers mean that few humans are capable of standing against them for long. I did want to make them monsters again,” Kristoff says. “I wanted to explore the way eternity and immortality would just warp you beyond all recognition. [How] it would make you inhuman.” It was okay-ish but not something that was mind blowing. It had its moments but as a whole it bored me. It does have the Witcher vibes to it tho.

Empire of the Damned: The most hotly anticipated fantasy

Para mi esta es su obra cumbre. Y cómo escribe, esos toques de cinismo y humor, me recordó a Abercrombie. The inclusion and heavy focus on a vampire who specifically targets underage virgin girls and uses them like animals. Seriously, he has them pull his carriage like horses. And inevitably the main character massacres every single one of those teenage girls in explicit detail while the man controlling them walks away. Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

Gabriel de Leon recalls the love, euphoria and peace he felt, in the arms of the woman he had promised his heart to, until the unthinkable happens and he sinks his teeth into her body, drinking the life from her and in that moment changing his own because “…he knew the colour of want. And that colour was red.”, But it also revealed who he was, and so is claimed by the ‘Empire and San Michon’ where he becomes defender of the empire, and keeper of the holy faith… the empires sword, their shield and their hope’. But all of it to save him from utter damnation, because he is a vampire. Is this review rambling and confusing and bouncing all over the place? Yes, of course it is, I'm just matching the vibe of the book okay.

Events - Jay Kristoff Events - Jay Kristoff

Though Gabe was once the sort of hero who tends to have songs written about them, by the time he’s recounting his great deeds to his vampire captors, he’s become more of a “fallen hero” whose story is primarily “about redemption, or at least a reclamation of faith.” Utterly boring dogmatic pontification (of the lazily disguised Catholic secret sect variety) but, get this, with tattoos (ummm hello, Peter V Brett would appreciate your stanning via his socials/Dms). Orange tabs: Slightly more subjective, these mark anything in the book that made me roll my eyes and think “yeah, this was definitely written by a man.” These include descriptions of women that are very clearly from and for the male gaze, questionable interactions with female anatomy, cringe dialogue or actions from female characters meant to appeal to the male gaze...you get the deal.Monsters rising from beds of cold earth and slipping on the façade that they were something close to human.' It’s the biggest book that I’ve written. It’s definitely the hardest book that I’ve written,” Kristoff says, whose previous works include the Nevernight trilogy, another massive fantasy shot through with violence, corruption, and complex stakes. “Now that I’m at the tail end of it, [I think] it’s the best book that I’ve ever written. I’m more proud of this novel than anything I’ve ever written in my life, and that’s against some pretty stiff competition.” I honestly did not have a lot of expectations for this one. For me, the jury's still out on Jay Kristoff. I was NOT really impressed with Nevernight to the point where I didn't continue the series and am still debating if I should give it another try, but The Aurora Cycle series was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. It blew my damn mind. I'm glad I gave Empire of the Vampire a shot, though. Aside from it taking me more than a week to finish because, despite the incredible story of Gabriel de Leon, the story really dragged on and on. There were times when I just couldn't focus, couldn't read anymore and that was really frustrating. Gabe’s story] is two sides of the same coin,” Kristoff explains. “One, when he’s young and passionate and thinks all the world is good and bright and he can be a positive force in it. And the other one where he’s gotten old and realized that things don’t always work out the way they do in the storybooks.”