Reviews

Das Reich der Vampire by Jay Kristoff

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bethanyangharads's review against another edition

5.0

I had been putting off reading this book for the longest time, purely due to size, but WOW I'm so glad I read it. In classic Kristoff manner, I was drawn into a world of Gabriel and his tales of vampire hunting. To further the premise, Gabriel is half vampire himself which allows him to overpower the supernatural beings, however he has been caught and held in a prison, forced to tell his story to a historian.

Something that elevates this novel above others which follow a 'let me look back on my life and tell you my story', is the purpose that drives the plot. There is a solid reason behind why Gabriel is telling the story of his life and it's because (dw not a spoiler) he killed the vampire king and is now imprisoned. Telling his life story is, we're meant to believe, his last action as a living man. We learn how he got to his in prisoned state through a meticulous weaving of imagery, gore, and familial love, whilst constantly seeking out the why and how of things. So, the whole time, you’re excited to see everything be woven together whilst knowing the end point. I realise that for some that can be a bit ‘lame’ as you already know the ending HOWEVER, you get this feeling that being in that prison isn’t The End for Gabriel.

And, before this turns into a whole freaking essay, I do want to touch on how we see a family develop. The plot skips around a bit from when Gabriel was a young boy to presently (in his 30s) and we see the romance love interest develop into a wife, and a mother. It just feels like something to point out because I don’t think many books have a timeline which encompasses such growth.

Personally, I couldn’t help comparing this to ‘The Witcher’ or ‘The Name of the Wind’ in how it’s an adventure story with a human/mutant kinda fella as the main character who goes around killing things. So, obviously, if you liked those books/series, I highly recommend checking out this latest Kristoff number. OH! Also, if you enjoy following along on maps though, as the MC goes on their adventure check the back of the book first. The map that shows Gabriel’s progression was at the back of my edition, so I didn’t even know until the end *eye-roll*.

Trigger's galore (please do your research with this one, it includes so many!) and questions left open a plenty, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on book two when it comes out!

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me this novel to review. I promise that the gifting of this book has not, in any way, stopped me from sharing my true thoughts about the text.

moose_beans's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

kero_cando's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense slow-paced

4.5

dana_saurusrex's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny sad 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

4.0

bookaddiction94's review against another edition

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5.0

I was nervous picking this up having seen some of the reviews, especially ones relating to the story jumping back and forth between present and past BUT I loved it!
Can't wait for the next one!