Reviews

Das Reich der Vampire by Jay Kristoff

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linhdapanda's review against another edition

5.0

Empire of the Vampire – a masterfully written dark and gritty story of an infamous vampire killer amidst the cold, gray world where the vampires dominate. I found this book too stunning to be anything less than a 5-star rating, but it does leave me wanting.

Here are some things that really worked for me:
- If you can, get the hardcover illustrated edition. Each illustration is an eye-candy piece of work that made reading a lot more enjoyable.
- The writing style – from what I can understand reading the other reviews, Jay Kristoff’s style either works for you or it is too flowery. Personally, I think it’s beautiful, and he paints a haunting and spellbinding picture of the story.
- The characters – be prepared to feel things. Due to the dark and apocalyptic setting of the world, nobody is sunshine-and-rainbow. You’ll probably start out hating most characters at first. At any rate, that was the case for me. But I came to understand and cherish everyone by the end of the book, which was not something I expected.

But as I mentioned earlier, there were a few things that I wish were done better. For example:
- The romance, or rather, the lack of it. There are many things unsaid in this book and unfortunately, relationship fall into this category. There were many beautiful details that I would’ve enjoyed reading in greater details; those stolen kisses, the secret midnight rendezvous, the budding love. I saw one FF and one MM couple that I would love to have known more about. But instead, we were swept into the grand tale of woe that the main character focuses on. At any rate, take this complaint with a grain of salt. At ~740 pages, I’d guess most people don’t need it to be longer!
- The atmosphere – at some point, being constantly reminded about the dreariness and unfairness of the world gets tiring. This is a long book, and so I spent many days being immersed in its darkness. I often found myself wondering, do things ever get better?

I think Empire of the Vampire should be enjoyed slowly; like nursing a dank glass of whiskey by the fireplace while the world freezes over outside. Reading this book has been immensely enjoyable. Despite the few issues I have with it, I am eagerly waiting for the next book in the series!

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Re-read 04/2024: Is this still one of the best books I've ever read in my life? Hell YESSSS!!!!!

rhargrave's review against another edition

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4.0

A fantastic modern fantasy book, if the series continues at this strength, we might have a modern classic of the genre.

All the joy of a fantasy world. The book is grounded in a mediaeval French setting with the appropriate brutality, gore and realism to really sell it in.

lvlalt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

pestowitch's review against another edition

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DNF at 15%. So long winded and a filled with genuinely childish level of weird insults and swearing. Like Interview with the Vampire crossed with Name of the Wind, and yet more boring than the pair of them.

elsu's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a haunting depiction of religious guilt and fanaticism. I can't blame poor Gabriel for being an utter asshole. You can bet your sweet ass that someone will get traumatized in the following chapter whenever something remotely good is happening to the character for once.