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A review by katbancroft
Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THAT ENDING are you freaking kidding me??? Jay Kristoff emotionally eviscerated me all over again with this gloriously dark, bloody storyworld and its deeply damaged leading man. I was obsessed with the vampires, the politics, the battles and betrayals and the enormously complicated relationships. And the plot twists — THE PLOT TWISTS, my word. I might have permanent bruises from the number of times this book sucker-punched me.
I could say about “Empire of the Damned” what I said about “Empire of the Vampire”: I never totally swallowed that Gabriel was essentially writing a book out loud, and I could’ve done with less crudity. The writing, while absolutely beautiful, became long-winded at times, and the story’s pacing dragged in a few places. But once again, I’m compelled to give five stars for sheer emotional impact. This is the kind of intensity I crave while reading, and it’s going to be an excruciating wait for book three!
I could say about “Empire of the Damned” what I said about “Empire of the Vampire”: I never totally swallowed that Gabriel was essentially writing a book out loud, and I could’ve done with less crudity. The writing, while absolutely beautiful, became long-winded at times, and the story’s pacing dragged in a few places. But once again, I’m compelled to give five stars for sheer emotional impact. This is the kind of intensity I crave while reading, and it’s going to be an excruciating wait for book three!