Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff

14 reviews

booksalacarte's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

Empire of the damned- 4.75⭐️ 3🌶️

Dark Epic Fantasy

Second book

Vampires

Dual POV

Storytelling narration

Catholic inspired religion

War

🏳️‍🌈 representation

Character recap!!!

My confusion is why the first 2 sections of this book weren’t included in the first book. It would have been a full arc of a story. The break in storytelling would have been very natural due to where “book 3” starts/picks up. But I understand the shift in narration necessary to go onto section 3… interesting.

But putting that aside, I loved this book!! It was a great second book that didn’t suffer the sophomore slump. I was engaged and invested and excited for what was revealed through this part of the story. I really enjoy Jay Kristoff’s writing style. I was worried about the addition of a second storyteller, but it worked out!

Messy characters make me love it even more. Give me all the drama and messy relationships/friendships. Make me gasp. And this author delivers. I enjoyed side characters becoming main players.

The things that I didn’t enjoy include misogyny  standard to European medieval feudalism centered around religious orthodoxy. If you thought a book that was inspired by medieval Catholic Europe was going to be without it being present, I don’t know what to tell you. But it’s there, it’s never fun to have to read in excess. But it’s an adult fantasy, with cursing and I get.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC of sections 1 & 2 of this book. All opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Classism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Torture, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and War

freckleface3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Violence, Slavery, War, Animal death, Physical abuse, Torture, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

karapillar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Stalking, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Grief, Body horror, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cannibalism, Drug use, War, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Child abuse

Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage

fairyfluffcake's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Devastatingly brilliant followup to Empire of the Vampire! Now begins the agonising wait for part 3...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug use, Torture, Gore, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

thebookkeepers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This was so hard for me to review! I'm a huge Jay Kristoff fan and his storytelling is phenomenal. This book however was very hard for me (personally) as someone who doesn't like to read heavy gore or animal death scenes. This book was HEAVY with some dark elements and it's hard to say I enjoyed reading it because of that. However, I do love the characters and see the reason for making this book as dark as it was for the plot. I enjoy Gabriel's POV chapters the most because he usually adds humor that helps lighten the tone. A few portions of this book were predictable for me, but there were still lots of reveals that literally made my jaw pop open. Overall, I do enjoy this series and will for sure be reading book 3! While I may reread book 1, book 2 will be one I skip for future rereads haha. 

LGBTQ+ rep: lots of sexual fluidity within the world including m/m and f/f relationships 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Violence, Gore, Death, Cannibalism, Cursing, War, and Murder

Moderate: Slavery, Alcohol, and Sexual content

avialaeleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

I am really loving the series, but for me it takes a long time to read them because of the way that the books are written. Because it's written in a way that our main character is telling the story to someone else, the story embs and flows with the way they are telling the story, so of course just when everything is getting exciting and I just keep turning pages to figure out what happens next "the narrator" just back to present to make some quip to the person they are telling the story too. 

Also I am a little upset that the author killed off Dior but then also brought her back at the last moment but ended the book at that moment. That should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. 

Again all the bickering and fighting in this book just makes it so good. I love all the weird insults that they all come up with and of course their weird mix of British, French and Scottish. 

I also lived for the spicy moments between Gabriel and Pheobe, there banter during it all was the best. And also the way it all started was honestly kinda fun and sad all at the same time. I also am a little sad that Connor (phoebe husband) was found to not be dead and then he died like wtf. Why.. 

I also like the budding relationship between Dior and Reyne. I am hoping that something actually become of that because I think that they are cute together. 

Also is Dario a traitor, is he working with Gabriel and Celine? Is he Joaquin the hound boy? Am I thinking correctly. Are they all there on purpose, did they set this up on purpose? I need answers I have so many of them. I know this book just came out and I won't get any for a while but I need them like immediately.

Nikita and Lillidh were both killed in the fighting as well and the Twin Terrors. I can't remember what happened with Fabien Voss, he is most likely still "alive". I am just trying to figure out why being inside the Chaissan keep will help them end the endless night. I also need to know what happened to Dior, she died then seemingly came back.  But from the sounds of the first two books they make it seem like she is dead so what happens next. Is she actually dead or is this all a ruse to get into the keep and end everything or what is going on. I have way too many questions and not enough answers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Grief, Cursing, Blood, Murder, War, and Torture

jessie_the_bibliophile's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Cursing, Confinement, Blood, Animal death, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Slavery, Torture, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child death, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Alcohol

charles237's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Slavery, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, War, Sexism, Body horror, Trafficking, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Addiction, and Abandonment

magyklyxdelish's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book left me shattered and reeling from a cliffhanger and now I have to wait for the final one?? Ughhhhh 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War

amy_reading_23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

4.25

The ending made me cry. I'm still reeling. 

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first, but I still really enjoyed it. The first half was a little slow but it picked up around the middle and then raced towards the end. At some points I thought maybe it was becoming predictable, bit then the unexpected would happen. 

I enjoyed the whole lore around Pheobe's clans. Since book one was so heavily monotheistic and christian-like, it was interesting for this book to have some focus on a matriarchal society who is pagan and believes in multiple gods, yet still has a prophecy about Dior, hinting that maybe all could be true.

I think something the writer does well is complicated characters. Even though some of the characters themselves believe in a black and white world of good and evil, its shown throughout the books that this isn't the reality, and every character comes with as many flaws as redeemable qualities. Even some of the more "villanious" characters can be enjoyable (like the Marquis and Kiara) and understandable in their own way. Book one very much was anti vampire - all vampires are evil - whereas this one was a bit more complex in that regard.  

These books are so rich with world building, lore, love, loss and emotion. I'll truly miss this world when the third one is finished. 

I genuinely cried at the end when Dior called Gabriel Papa. So hard. And cried again when she passed. I don't know what to make of the last few pages, although it made me reflect on one thing. Both Gabriel and his sister have said how the other is an unreliable narrator. And there's definitley things they're hiding from the historian. I'm intrigued for book 3 as I imagine it will combine both the events that happened after Dior's "death", how Gabriel killed Fabien, but also I think there will be some plot set in the present as we finally find our what Gabriel's plan is here. 

I also think his sister is in on it. I think their fight is a rouse and I think maybe the grail isn't truly lost.  But what keeps me afraid is that the author has said he doesn't believe in happy endings. So whether the dark days end or Gabriel lives or dies in book three I really don't know.

There is more explicit horror in this book. I didn't find the first book too disturbing horror-wise but this one does contain more torture and brutal deaths so definitley check the trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, War, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Death

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Abandonment, Cursing, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry