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A review by porshainielsen
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
dark
sad
fast-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
4.5
4.5 rounded down.
This really took me by surprise. High vampire fantasy that is quite adult in nature. Truly non-stop action throughout the entire book. I have seen some reviewers talk about how this is an "average" vampire story. Huh?? What are ya'll reading? The way this is written is unique in the way that it is Gabe telling his story, which at first can make it a little confusing. It does remind me of The Last of Us and the relationship between Ellie and Joel.
Speaking of reviews, there are a lot of complaints about how women are treated in this book. I typically hate misogyny written into novels, but that was a part of this reading experience. I am not sure what people expected out of a high fantasy novel taking place in a monastery where the women are forced to be nuns. Although the misogyny is obviously wrong, it is no different than what it is in Game of Thrones or The Witcher. Not every fantasy book needs a feminist protagonist to be entertaining. And actually, there was some good feminist commentary regarding Dior and their gender identity. I will say the underage sex will was a little tough. There was no reason for them to be sixteen, the author could have easily made the character eighteen and the impact would be the same. I will say that there is similar content in other books and they do not receive the same amount of hate as this one.
This really took me by surprise. High vampire fantasy that is quite adult in nature. Truly non-stop action throughout the entire book. I have seen some reviewers talk about how this is an "average" vampire story. Huh?? What are ya'll reading? The way this is written is unique in the way that it is Gabe telling his story, which at first can make it a little confusing. It does remind me of The Last of Us and the relationship between Ellie and Joel.
Speaking of reviews, there are a lot of complaints about how women are treated in this book. I typically hate misogyny written into novels, but that was a part of this reading experience. I am not sure what people expected out of a high fantasy novel taking place in a monastery where the women are forced to be nuns. Although the misogyny is obviously wrong, it is no different than what it is in Game of Thrones or The Witcher. Not every fantasy book needs a feminist protagonist to be entertaining. And actually, there was some good feminist commentary regarding Dior and their gender identity. I will say the underage sex will was a little tough. There was no reason for them to be sixteen, the author could have easily made the character eighteen and the impact would be the same. I will say that there is similar content in other books and they do not receive the same amount of hate as this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Homophobia