A review by ginalucia
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Empire of a Vampire is gothic, gritty, and filled with atmosphere and humour. I read it as an audiobook, which only added to this.

If you enjoyed The Witcher series, but particularly the TV series version, you’ll love this. It’s got those same vibes. Immaculate world-building, gritty characters that feel real, twists and turns, and slow reveals. 

To make it even better than The Witcher (in my opinion), although it’s written by a man, the women within the book are empowering, real, and not abused for the sake of plot.

The storytelling model in this book is a mix between 3rd person and 1st person POV. It works well and lends itself to time jumps and the slow drip of information.

It has everything: vampires, battles, some spice, swearing, gritty morbid horror, a fun and complicated magic system, and great world-building that isn't a rambling lesson, but gradually handed to you through the plot.

Can’t wait to read the next book.

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