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bel_saturnreads's review against another edition
4.0
“You’re past is stone, but your future clay. And you decide the shape of the life you’ll make.”
4 STARS
Aqui vengo con la review de la bestia como yo le digo lo primero de todo es que después de leer las crónicas de nuncanoche me moría de ganas de leer el nuevo de kristoff y aunque sabia de antemano que por ejemplo el ingles de nuncanoche con el vocabulario era "especial" por decirlo de alguna manera dije bueno no creo que sea tan difícil ay amiga ilusa de mí jajajjaa es verdad que cuando pasas 200 paginas ya dices mira no es tan tan difícil pero que es nivel ingles alto lo es y mi problema fue que entre el ingles que tenia y para mi el gran pero del libro que fueron 200 o 300 paginas de una trama que es que no pasaba nada que a lo mejor era necesaria para el fin de lo que ocurre después pero joder yo no veía la hora de acabarlo
Y que pasó? que cuando pasó ese momento el libro para mí fue un libro totalmente diferente, fue un no parar de leer que ya hasta el ingles no me parecía tan complicado lo demás lo pongo en spoiler para comentarlo porque necesito comentar con spoilers asi que solo si has leido el libro
Spoiler
-Para mi uno de los grandes plot twist sino el que más fue lo de Liathe fue como whattt aunque por un momento con la ilustración llegué a pensar que podría ser Astrid pero ni se me pasó por la cabeza su verdadera identidad me gustó muchisimo-Todo lo del grial de chloe fanática dispuesta a matar a dior por acabar con todo fue como que no me lo esperaba a ver no sabia exactamente en que consistiría todo pero fue como no:(
-Me gustó mucho después de tantos años ver de nuevo a Aaron y Baptiste y como quieren a Gabriel y le apoyan en todo ♥
-Los vampiros de este libro sin duda son super evils todo tan gore
-La historia de Gabriel con Astrid y Patience a ver me dio penita pero como en verdad sólo hemos tenido pinceladas desde el pov de gabriel no llegué a encariñarme con esos personajes he sufrido más con dior por ejemplo cuando podría pasarle algo
-Hablando de personajes los del grial y toda esa trama que se me hizo interminable creo que gran culpa fue que para mi fueron personajes un poco planos no me dio para que me llegara ninguno ni me tocara el corazón y fue como que estaban ahi sin más que sirven al propósito para la aventura de Gabriel y Dior pero ya está
-Y bueno lo de que Dior fuera una mujer gran plot twist es que no me lo esperaba para nada well done kristoff y la relación que se va formando entre Gabriel y Dior amazing de lo que más me ha gustado del libro y como Gabriel pasa de que no le importe nada sólo matar a Fabién a decir quiero proteger a Dior contra lo que sea y que sea más importante eso que su propia venganza porque todo lo del final como la salva de Chloe y de los demás <3
-Y super intrigada por la linea de sangre de Gabriel y todo lo que puede hacer que hablando con Jess y Amp que han sido mis compañeras de aventura en este libro, eso que Gabriel pueda quemar con sus propias manos y Dior salvar con ellas, necesito más explicaciones de todo este tema
Y no sé si se me olvida algo lo que hay bajo el spoiler son ideas que me han venido mientras hacia la review porque este libro tiene para comentar muchisimo y me iban viniendo asi jajaja
Con ganas de leer el 2 ♥
estellemorrison's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
briannad4's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
karenholmes's review against another edition
5.0
Jay Kristoff does it again. A miserable hero, someone who is already defeated wins my heart and makes me tumble with him al the way to the tower where he is imprisoned (this is not a spoiler, it's just the first thing you learn, and everything else is an interview telling his life and important moments).
Anyway, Kristoff has themes that really resonate with me, the most important one, found family. Also dark academia, and the mentor relationship that I could already appreciate in Nevernight.
This is a story of how Gabriel de Leon, a Silver Saint, someone born to slain vampires, looses the best chance they had to end them forever, or so he says. But I'm not sure he is a reliable narrator. You'll have to read to discover on your own.
I love how Jay writes, I love the style and the dialogues and his metaphors when you least expect them. I also love his found families and the grim and dark atmosphere. It's been a great read. But I need book 2!
Anyway, Kristoff has themes that really resonate with me, the most important one, found family. Also dark academia, and the mentor relationship that I could already appreciate in Nevernight.
This is a story of how Gabriel de Leon, a Silver Saint, someone born to slain vampires, looses the best chance they had to end them forever, or so he says. But I'm not sure he is a reliable narrator. You'll have to read to discover on your own.
I love how Jay writes, I love the style and the dialogues and his metaphors when you least expect them. I also love his found families and the grim and dark atmosphere. It's been a great read. But I need book 2!
josie_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
jconn4's review against another edition
4.0
-inhales deeply-
Holy shit, what a book. /I say, fondly./
Truly, there's so much to unpack here that I don't know where to begin. Anyone can read a summary of the book, so I think I'll just try to present what I thought the strengths and weaknesses of "Empire of the Vampire" were.
As for strengths... God, there are /many./ This book's greatest strength is the depth and intricacy of its lore and worldbuilding. Kristoff laid out the workings of his world and all of the lore behind it seamlessly and flawlessly, so that I never felt like an outsider looking in, being taught about how this reality functions--but instead learned in the most natural ways possible, as someone living and breathing it firsthand. This is truly some of the most extraordinary worldbuilding and lore I have ever seen in a book, /ever,/ and that's not something I say lightly. Daysdeath, the One Faith, the Silversaints, the Dead... Magnificent. Simply magnificent. Furthermore, the narrative (almost) always felt very immediate, tangible, and tense. There were several times I found myself tensing in my seat during a particularly brutal fight scene, for the most part not knowing where the narrative was going to twist next. Kristoff has a way of writing that is poetic, stunning, brutal, and heartbreaking.
The characters are also wonderful, each one fleshed out, well-rounded, and intricate in their own unique ways. (Not trying to give any spoilers here, but I was really interested in Greyhand's character and wanted better from him--if you know, you know.) For all of his monstrous qualities, Gabriel de Leon is a protagonist you will root for and a protagonist your heart will ache for. Please, Kristoff, cut this guy a break. /Please./
As for weaknesses, they are few, but they nonetheless stood out to me. I began reading "Empire of the Vampire" in January of this year, and only just finished it in the final days of March. This isn't because I was finding myself slogging through the book, or otherwise not enjoying myself (as my previous praise shows). It's just so /long/, which says more about me and my relationship with books over 500 pages than the quality of the book itself, but hear me out. For all the beauty of Kristoff's writing, there were certain parts of the book that I felt could have been eliminated--or saved for future books in the trilogy--that would have both improved the pacing and shortened the overall number of pages. Not because they were in any way /bad,/ or didn't belong, but because they were weaker narratively speaking than others. And in a book as long as "Empire of the Vampire," I feel that every part needs to matter, be it through progressing the plot, developing the characters, or what have you.
That being said, the pacing throughout certain parts of the book felt a bit off to me. I think a lot of it had to do with the style of the narrative: Gabriel de Leon, in the present narrative, is a prisoner recounting the stories of how he became a Silver Saint and how he came upon the Holy Grail simultaneously. These are all separate threads in the narrative. About 10% of the book takes place in the "present day," with Gabe as a prisoner, while the rest is split between his youth in San Michon and his quest for vengeance against the Forever King as a jaded and bitter adult. Being interrupted from one narrative by the reminder of the "present day" narrative, only to then jump into the /other/ of these narratives, sometimes brought the pace of the book to a grinding halt, and it would take some time for momentum to build again. I 100% understand and appreciate the novelty of the book's narrative style--a fallen hero, recounting his tales of former glory--and how it allows Kristoff to focus on the parts of Gabe's story that really matter, but it sometimes made the book slow down a bit /too/ much, and might have been better overall if--again--the book had been a bit shorter.
Naturally, those are two very minor critiques in the span of an otherwise breathtaking and /gorgeous/ novel, the beginning of a trilogy whose next books I can't wait to get my hands on. I will say for those interested in reading, however, that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is very intense and very heavy, both in themes and imagery. There is gore, there is sex, there is all manner of swearing, and /boy/ is there blood. I've seen some instances online of this being referred to as a YA book, and this could not be FURTHER from the case. This is a fantasy novel meant for adults, in every sense of the word. I've pitched it to numerous people (and succeeded in getting them to buy the book for themselves, mwahahah >:) ) as the videogame Bloodborne meets The Witcher franchise...but with Vampires. Just something to keep in mind when you're considering this book! I, for one, certainly can't recommend it enough--and I already know it's a book I'll definitely return to to reread in the future. Bravo!!
Holy shit, what a book. /I say, fondly./
Truly, there's so much to unpack here that I don't know where to begin. Anyone can read a summary of the book, so I think I'll just try to present what I thought the strengths and weaknesses of "Empire of the Vampire" were.
As for strengths... God, there are /many./ This book's greatest strength is the depth and intricacy of its lore and worldbuilding. Kristoff laid out the workings of his world and all of the lore behind it seamlessly and flawlessly, so that I never felt like an outsider looking in, being taught about how this reality functions--but instead learned in the most natural ways possible, as someone living and breathing it firsthand. This is truly some of the most extraordinary worldbuilding and lore I have ever seen in a book, /ever,/ and that's not something I say lightly. Daysdeath, the One Faith, the Silversaints, the Dead... Magnificent. Simply magnificent. Furthermore, the narrative (almost) always felt very immediate, tangible, and tense. There were several times I found myself tensing in my seat during a particularly brutal fight scene, for the most part not knowing where the narrative was going to twist next. Kristoff has a way of writing that is poetic, stunning, brutal, and heartbreaking.
The characters are also wonderful, each one fleshed out, well-rounded, and intricate in their own unique ways. (Not trying to give any spoilers here, but I was really interested in Greyhand's character and wanted better from him--if you know, you know.) For all of his monstrous qualities, Gabriel de Leon is a protagonist you will root for and a protagonist your heart will ache for. Please, Kristoff, cut this guy a break. /Please./
As for weaknesses, they are few, but they nonetheless stood out to me. I began reading "Empire of the Vampire" in January of this year, and only just finished it in the final days of March. This isn't because I was finding myself slogging through the book, or otherwise not enjoying myself (as my previous praise shows). It's just so /long/, which says more about me and my relationship with books over 500 pages than the quality of the book itself, but hear me out. For all the beauty of Kristoff's writing, there were certain parts of the book that I felt could have been eliminated--or saved for future books in the trilogy--that would have both improved the pacing and shortened the overall number of pages. Not because they were in any way /bad,/ or didn't belong, but because they were weaker narratively speaking than others. And in a book as long as "Empire of the Vampire," I feel that every part needs to matter, be it through progressing the plot, developing the characters, or what have you.
That being said, the pacing throughout certain parts of the book felt a bit off to me. I think a lot of it had to do with the style of the narrative: Gabriel de Leon, in the present narrative, is a prisoner recounting the stories of how he became a Silver Saint and how he came upon the Holy Grail simultaneously. These are all separate threads in the narrative. About 10% of the book takes place in the "present day," with Gabe as a prisoner, while the rest is split between his youth in San Michon and his quest for vengeance against the Forever King as a jaded and bitter adult. Being interrupted from one narrative by the reminder of the "present day" narrative, only to then jump into the /other/ of these narratives, sometimes brought the pace of the book to a grinding halt, and it would take some time for momentum to build again. I 100% understand and appreciate the novelty of the book's narrative style--a fallen hero, recounting his tales of former glory--and how it allows Kristoff to focus on the parts of Gabe's story that really matter, but it sometimes made the book slow down a bit /too/ much, and might have been better overall if--again--the book had been a bit shorter.
Naturally, those are two very minor critiques in the span of an otherwise breathtaking and /gorgeous/ novel, the beginning of a trilogy whose next books I can't wait to get my hands on. I will say for those interested in reading, however, that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is very intense and very heavy, both in themes and imagery. There is gore, there is sex, there is all manner of swearing, and /boy/ is there blood. I've seen some instances online of this being referred to as a YA book, and this could not be FURTHER from the case. This is a fantasy novel meant for adults, in every sense of the word. I've pitched it to numerous people (and succeeded in getting them to buy the book for themselves, mwahahah >:) ) as the videogame Bloodborne meets The Witcher franchise...but with Vampires. Just something to keep in mind when you're considering this book! I, for one, certainly can't recommend it enough--and I already know it's a book I'll definitely return to to reread in the future. Bravo!!
simp_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Castlevania meets the Witcher?! I would've five starred but the horse dies.
lovepeaceandwrite's review against another edition
4.0
Ohhhhh this is… fuck my life… I need the second one
holycowmomma's review against another edition
I persevered until I would have rather poked my eyes out with a spoon. Second book I've tried of Kristofs and had the same experience. There's something immature in the way he writes that bugs me.
benas_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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