Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Let the dark know my name and despair. So as long as it burns, I am the flame. So long as it bleeds, I am the blade. So long as it sins, I am the saint. And I am silver.
Jay Kristoff

SYNOPSIS:

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

MY THOUGHTS:

* Sitting comfortably with a cup of wine while writing this review because, ‘oh boy!’, I need some alcohol on my system for this review.

My god, how do I begin this?

Well, before this review let me just say this:

VAMPIRES ARE COMING BACK! AND NOT THE GOOD AND LOVING ONES!

I had high hopes for this book and I WAS RIGHT!

The whole plot and writing was perfect. It tells us the story between the present and the past and chapters are divided so well it’s frustrating sometimes. When you were nearly discovering some huge part of the story, the chapter ended there and there we are travelling through time again.

It was marvellous, an absolute masterpiece!

Interview with the Vampire meets The Witcher in an epic and bloody battle against evil (as evil being the vampires). Finally we have vampires again to fear!

WHAT I LIKED:

– The whole plot and writing was perfect. It tells us the story between the present and the past and chapters are divided so well it’s frustrating sometimes. When you were nearly discovering some huge part of the story, the chapter ended there and there we are travelling through time again.

– The main character’s growth was described perfectly through the chapters.

– The story is set in a world of terror, where the sun hasn’t risen for the last 27 years. It brings back vampires as monsters and something you should be afraid of. It doesn’t romanticize them as we’ve seen in the last decade.

– The story being told as an interview was really amazing. The author often made fun of the frustration of skipping the timelines.

– The artwork by https://www.instagram.com/monolimeart/ throughout the story is brutal and amazing! It truly captured the events of the story.

– The comedy through such a heavy book was a relief but the tears….oh tears that rolled through my cheeks at some point. I love that the author made me feel so many different emotions.