This is the vampire book I’ve been waiting for!! I’d been itching for a dark and gritty adult vampire story for a while now, and I had all my hopes set for this book … and not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded. I was hoping to enjoy Empire of the Vampire and I’m happy to say: I freakin’ loved it!

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the 3 different timelines, but Jay Kristoff did such a fantastic job weaving them together that I had no trouble following along, and I enjoyed every single one. EOTV is a gripping and gorgeously dark tale, reminiscent in style of Interview with the Vampire. It is sinister, and intense (with a decent amount of swearing + a tinge of smut), and gory, and sad, but it also has its beautiful moments and offers a lot more depth than one might expect at first. It is equally about faith, and purpose, and love, with glimmers of hope seeping through - keeping you invested in the characters and the story, and you can’t help but want more.

I also want to mention the absolutely stunning character art in this book. It added so much to the story and made me lose myself even more in this world. I loved staring at them, drinking in every detail. I feel like this should be mandatory for all books, haha.

In short: great writing, amazing world-building, intriguing characters and lore, and a sinister atmosphere that will suck you in. Overall, this book worked incredibly well for me and I savored every minute of it. I’m beyond ready for book 2 - bring it on, Jay Kristoff!!