If you enjoyed Empire of the Vampire, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed with Empire of the Damned!

I'm going to skip some of the background and 'what's the book about?' here because I can't imagine anyone would pick this up without having read Empire of the Vampire first (and if you're considering it, don't! Read EotV first!)

This book picks up right where book one finished and is told in roughly the same format: Gabriel is a prisoner and narrating his life story to his vampire captor. In book one we had two timelines (three if you count Gabriel in the tower). In book two, we only follow one timeline (two if you count captive Gabriel) BUT we follow that timeline from two different viewpoints! Gabriel remains the 'main' viewpoint, but someone else has their turn as narrator too - I won't say who to avoid spoilers.

I really enjoyed this format and there was one section in particular, towards the end of the book, when the two narrators are recounting their parts of the story simultaneously, that was just so, so cleverly done. From a technical point of view, this section of the book left me with such a strong admiration for the 'craft' of Jay Kristoff's writing that I wanted to particularly mention it.

So, what's new for book two?

We were introduced, in the first book, to the idea that there were four vampire 'houses', but we only really had to deal with one of them - the Blood Voss. In book two, we get to know one of the other major vampire factions, alongside a taste of the 'politics' between and within each faction - just because they're all vampires certainly doesn't mean they all get along!

We also get to see, for the first time, what vampires are like when they are on their own turf - ruling over their own little kingdoms. My goodness... there's some very dark scenes in this book, and Kristoff does a fantastic job of painting the whole bloodstained, horrifying picture. It's a great reminder of what's at stake, and what the rest of the world will become, should Gabriel and Dior fail.

We have some new characters and some returning characters: I'd probably say, with the exception of Lachlan, that none of the new characters interested me quite as much as the returning ones. Maybe that's inevitable, I've had an extra book to get to know them, after all, but I did find myself missing some of the 'old crew' who got less page time in book two. The new characters were very enjoyable, I do want to emphasise that, but I didn't find myself quite as attached to them as I did to the cast at the end of book one.

There's some fantastic emotional moments as well: we see character relationships come to fruition and we see characters grappling with the decisions and events of book one. It wasn't quite to the level of THAT scene in the first book, but I definitely found myself welling up more than once before I closed the book.

Overall, does it live up to the hype?

If you were a fan of book one, I think you're going to love book two. If you weren't keen on book one, however, I'm not sure book two is going to change your mind. It's very similar in style, tone and themes.

I think I'd probably say I preferred book one, but that could be because my expectations weren't as high and so it was more of a pleasant surprise. I do think this was a remarkably consistent sequel and the majority of fans are going to be delighted with it.

Well, f*** my face. I needed this like Gabe craved his daily sacrament and enjoyed it like a fine bottle of Monet.

Blood, gore, and murder galore—this will suit those who like their vampires to be classic heartless bastards. I can't wait for the final book to come out.

I listened to the audiobook, and I think they used the perfect voice actors. My only regret is missing out on the artwork, which is apparently included in the printed and presumably e-books.

I'm crying and going to have the biggest book hangover from this

5/5⭐️

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

??????¿¿¿¿¿

I need the next book asap

Not as good as the first one and I'm not sure what to make of the ending, hopefully the third is a solid conclusion and doesn't take years to get written.

Disappointing.
As I said in the first books review, this writing style just hurts my brain! There is absolutely no reason for this book to be 3 books long because I know by the ending of this one there will be another one. A duo-logy would of been perfectly fine if written right.

On another note I do like the story line I just really do not understand why it hurts my brain so much to read it. Good cliffhanger at the end and a good shock near the end of this book about celene.

I hope the next one isn’t as long as it really doesn’t need to be and I hope the story finishes, whether for the good or bad it just gets done.

What a sequel!! Loved this even more than Empire of the Vampire. Where is book 3??

Jay Kristoff knows how to write a fucking fantasy. He is excellent at his craft, and this might be a contender for one of my new favorite fantasy series of all time. I really liked the first book, but this second installment had me on the edge of my seat and my heart aching on every page. My favorite characters are put into helpless situations that make you want to scream and cry, because you’re watching them become victims and you can’t get them out of it. You’re screaming for everyone to get out of this alive and heartbroken for what they have to go through. An emotional roller coaster and an absolute wreck on my heart and mind. My god, I was riveted, all the way until the last word. Bring on the third book. I need it like air.