The hold this book had on bookstagram last year was crazy. All the different editions and the race to get them all. The covers were all great, except for the one where Gabriel de Leon is standing in the middle of the cover – I didn’t really like that one. But I don’t understand the need to own multiple copies of the same book. However, I don’t fault people for it. To each their own.
I, of course, had to read this book. Not because bookstagram was head over heels for it. But because I really enjoyed the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff. He has an amazing knack for writing morally grey heroes and I’m all for it. ‘Good two shoes’ just don’t seem relatable or even realistic.
Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise, and for almost three decades, the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear… Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints, a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church, now utterly destroyed. Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king, Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life. His tale spans years, from his youth in the monastery of San Michel, to the forbidden love that spelled his undoing, and the betrayal that saw his order annihilated. Most importantly, Gabriel will tell of his discovery of the Grail—the legendary cup prophesied to bring an end to the eternal night… But now, the Grail is shattered. And with the cup of the Savior destroyed and the last Silversaint awaiting execution, what can bring an end to this unholy empire?
This was one BIG book. It was a true wrist workout reading this. And in true Jay Kristoff fashion, it is dark and gritty and full of cursing and sexiness. The characters are all well fleshed out. Gabriel de Leon is the quintessential troubled hero, battling his own demons as he battles the Dead that plague the Empire of Elidean. The worldbuilding is superb. There are places where the book is reminiscent of Game of Thrones – San Michon reminded me of the Eyrie, Avelene of Winterfell. But it definitely is much less complicated than GoT, at least as far as the first book goes.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. According to the latest news by the authot, he’s almost done with EoTV 2. So I’m hoping we can have it sometime early next year.
The Book Dragon 
[…] Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff […]
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