Empire of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff

 

Number of Pages: 739  | Publisher: St. Martin's Press  | Genre: Fantasy

Summary:

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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.

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Review:

Empire of the Vampire" has been the biggest book I've read this year, and I have mixed feelings about it.

The book begins with Gabriel de León being interviewed by Jean-Francois to record his story. Apparently, Gabriel de León has been captured and has no choice but to tell his tale.

The novel starts off well, with a protagonist who has a sharp sense of humor, a bold attitude, and a stubborn nature. He recounts his childhood, how his parents raised him, until he is finally recruited by the Silver Saints (a group of men tasked with fighting vampires).

This timeline is interwoven with another in which Gabriel de León is about 30 years old and sets off on a journey with friends from his past to search for the Holy Grail—an object that could help defeat the vampires.

In total, there are three timelines: when the protagonist is being interviewed in the present, when he is a minor, and finally, when he is older. While the author’s intention was to keep the story interesting, it ended up losing me.

When the book started, I was deeply interested in Gabriel de León’s story and the Silver Saints’ order at the San Michon monastery. This is where the author took the time to build the world and introduce various mysteries to uncover—as well as Gabriel’s love interest: Astrid.

My interest faded when the author kept jumping in time to a more mature and bitter Gabriel. At times, it seemed like his responses were harsh “just because.” Jean-Francois even asks him why he answers that way, and Gabriel replies that he simply prefers to respond like that.

Furthermore, that timeline is full of clichés that have already been seen in other stories, and as the plot progressed, some twists felt predictable. This means I didn’t really enjoy the narrative techniques used.

What works in the book’s favor is that there were two mysteries that kept me interested in the story and ultimately redeemed the novel. Unfortunately, I can't say much about them because they’re vital plot points—but when I saw how the author connected everything, I thought it was a clever twist.

Astrid was my favorite secondary character because the author portrayed her as a strong woman with a relaxed personality. My desire to read always increased when she appeared.

I already have the second volume in my hands, but I’ve been putting off reading it because I’m afraid I won’t enjoy it—since the timeline I liked the most was the one set in San Michon, and in this first book, Gabriel de León finishes telling what happened there. However, I want to read it soon so I don’t forget the world the author built.

Speaking of worldbuilding, that’s one of the strongest aspects of the book. The caste system and the universe the author created were the best parts. It was easy to understand, and I was impressed by the rituals performed by the Silver Saints.

Finally, the book feels like a mix between Interview with the Vampire with a youthful and modern twist. I don’t think it will be my best read of the year, but I found it entertaining.

Have you read it?