Empire of the Damned (Empire of the Vampire #2) by Jay Kristoff
Empire of the Damned continues right where Empire of the Vampire left off with our main characters in peril, trying to escape from enemies. Gabriel continues to tell the tale to the vampire historian. We also receive another point of view from a different prisoner that fills in the gaps of the story.
Empire of the Damned improved upon Empire of the Vampire. It was a worthy sequel that was well worth the wait. I had a few issues with Empire of the Vampire, some of which were remedied in Empire of the Damned. The first entry of this series was somewhat slow and I found that I had some trouble relating to and even routing for some of the characters. I also found the old way of speaking hard to follow. I'm not one for classic literature which is why that may have been the case.
I'm so happy that in reading through Empire of the Damned that the journey that many of the characters are on, as told by our main character, was much improved. I felt that I could understand Gabriel so much more as we are privy to more of his past which explains more about the man he is in the present. I also found that characters that I previously disliked became ones that I was excited to follow through the trials and bloodshed. They were far more intriguing than I previously thought.
This installment in the series is much more thrilling and packed with battles. One of the things that I love about Jay Kristoff's writing is his ability to write action scenes in such a realistic yet fantastical way. He is able to strike that balance very well while still not letting his characters come out unscathed. Gabriel receives new scars to add to his collection on his body and there were times as a reader where I was unsure if he would live through the battles he found himself a part of. It is a testament to how much tension the author is capable of adding to the story as we know as readers that Gabriel is telling the story so he obviously lives.
While the language that some of the characters use (the vampires) is still old world, I found that this particular piece didn't bother me quite as much. I feel this is due to the new characters being introduced and being intrigued by both their motivations and back stories. There are of course twists and turns to this story just as in the first book. However, I found the twists in Empire of the Damned to be shocking and didn't see most of them coming. This added the the thrill as I was reading. I found that I had to take breaks because my heart would race and I would fear for the characters. There were so many events that took place that I would question where the story could possibly go next. This book may be over 700 pages long but it is so fast paced that it does not seem that length at all. I found myself flying through the pages anxious to know what would happen next.
I can't wait for the next installment to come out! I have to know what happens next!
*I received an advanced copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126918599-empire-of-the-damned
https://jaykristoff.com/
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