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The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3)

by Clay Griffith (Goodreads Author), Susan Griffith

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 434 ratings · 100 reviews

The epic Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss. A war to the death. Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dash...more

Paperback, 392 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by Pyr

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Sep 14, 2012 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who appreciate amazing books

Shelves: excitement, fanged-and-deadly, dat-cover-goddammit, punks-who-are-into-steam, absolute-madness, ball-busting-chicks, i-am-stalking-you, zomg-i-must-have-him, paranormal-fix, reviewed-2012, great-concept

You are the empress, but I'm just the Greyfriar, popular elephant-riding hero.”
“No. You're the future King Gareth of Britain.”

First impressions
Sadness. Pure sadness. No more Greyfriar. No more Adele. How am I supposed to go on with my life after this? How??

Long story short
Humans are at war with the vampires and they are losing. Their only hope is Adele's geomancy power which may end the war in their favor. Adele and Gareth's relationship meets a strong barrier since Adele's gift can easily...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Mags~CVAddikt~Chaos defies imagination! rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, heros-2-die-4, fangi-fangi, kick-ass-heroines, 5-stars-2012, amazing-worldbuilding, big-fat-tears, dark-oscuro-donker-sombre, deserted-island, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, favorites-2011-2012, killer-instinct, magic-n-stuff, steampunk-clockwork, simply-perfection, you-little-master-piece

REVIEW TO COME

*******************

I need this book ... like ... NOW!!

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Aug 23, 2012 VampireNovelFan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, adventure, paranormal-romance, steampunk, vampires

Powerful, Perfection

Epic doesn’t even begin to describe Kingmakers, the final novel of the Vampire Empire trilogy. Each installment is better than the last; Susan and Clay Griffith have done an amazing job at building momentum to this moment and it really doesn’t disappoint.

Adele leads the war against vampires to the north and Gareth is getting first hand experience with the it, fighting for Adele in the front lines of battle. But the vampires are formidable opponents and have gained the upper...more Powerful, Perfection

Epic doesn’t even begin to describe Kingmakers, the final novel of the Vampire Empire trilogy. Each installment is better than the last; Susan and Clay Griffith have done an amazing job at building momentum to this moment and it really doesn’t disappoint.

Adele leads the war against vampires to the north and Gareth is getting first hand experience with the it, fighting for Adele in the front lines of battle. But the vampires are formidable opponents and have gained the upper hand, quickly bringing the humans to their knees. Something must be done and Adele’s geomancy powers may be the ace in the hole that the human race needs to win once and for all.

The last novel is jam packed with story, but there’s a lot of action so it gets going much faster than its predecessors. Politics, betrayal, and new revelations are key to Adele and Gareth’s development. They are the heart of this saga after all. But with their seemingly impossible love, can the heart still beat?

Adele has matured wonderfully over the novels and she’s become really admirable. I liked seeing her in a major position of power, strategizing and making difficult decisions that challenge morality. It’s a nice departure from other urban fantasy novels where the heroines start at the bottom and have to work their way up. She’s on a slippery slope as she tries to control her geomancy powers, which may be dangerous to more than solely vampires.

Gareth is as wonderful as always with his selflessness. He’s even adorable at times as he still tries to fully understand human customs and history. His light moments with Adele really gave me the case of the warm fuzzies, if only because it feels so fleeting as the pull of his vampire heritage requires that he finally face his brother once and for all. That, and her powers seriously conflict with his entire being on a biological level beyond their control.

This book has pretty much everything you could ask for and you’ll experience practically every emotion while reading it. The ending is very powerful, enough that you may want to have kleenex on hand, but I won’t spoil it any further. My only complaint is that I want more. I love this world and I’m sad to see it end; though unfortunately that must happen to all good things…

Well done to the Griffiths on their fantastic work! This is definitely one of my favorite trilogies ever.

*ARC provided by the publisher
*Review also posted to Amazon.(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Willowfaerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, steampunk, vampire

All in all, I have to say this was a great ending to the Vampire Empire trilogy. I had no idea how the Griffiths were going to pull everything off, but they did. And what’s funny is, they truly waited until the wee end of the book to resolve everything. While reading, I wanted to peek ahead, but I stopped myself, saying ‘’No no, don’t do it.”

Now I don’t want to give anything away, but this review is probably a little spoilery. Don't worry though, I promise not to give away the ending. :)

Now th...more All in all, I have to say this was a great ending to the Vampire Empire trilogy. I had no idea how the Griffiths were going to pull everything off, but they did. And what’s funny is, they truly waited until the wee end of the book to resolve everything. While reading, I wanted to peek ahead, but I stopped myself, saying ‘’No no, don’t do it.”

Now I don’t want to give anything away, but this review is probably a little spoilery. Don't worry though, I promise not to give away the ending. :)

Now that it’s over, I’ve been contemplating the series as a whole, and I’m not really sure if it’s a five star series. I think at first I was just so blown away by the amazing Steampunk world the Griffiths created that I couldn’t help squeeing like a fangirl. I would love to see this series made into movie or a graphic novel. It’s so visually stunning.

The book seems to lack a certain grittiness though. The characters aren’t twisted and gnarled with little flaws and peculiarities. The dialogue is flat and stilted. There’s no raunchy sex or grisly horror…no disturbing surprises (except for one at the end.) Of course it's YA, so it isn't supposed to be too disturbing. All three books have a certain wholesomeness to it that reminded me of old 1930s swashbuckler movies, with the same noble sentiments and same morality. And I say this even with the grim world the Griffiths created and the vicious vampires. I can’t help but feel this book needs a good dose of dark fantasy and some spicier personalities. Don’t get me wrong, Cesare does some horrible things and I was shocked a couple times, but I wasn’t pulled in kicking and screaming into the horror. The writing style is too distant to be visceral.

Gareth is probably the most complicated character in book. As a vampire, he has killed hundreds of humans, yet he has grown to love humanity. He’s still a vampire though, and is missing a certain empathy which makes him unable to notice the nuisances of human behavior. Yet what he does miss, he seems to make up for with instinct, speed and strength, plus a keen sense of smell and hearing. One of the advantages humans have over the vampires is they are smarter and more complex. Humans read and write, build fortresses and weapons, while vampires are just parasites, wearing the clothes of dead humans, letting the walls of the cities they conquered fall into ruins around them. Vampires don’t even clean up after themselves, leaving dead bodies to stink up the streets. While Gareth may have looked outside the box and decided his race is worthless, he still is not as cunning as his human friends, which I thought was an interesting choice. Does Gareth have to be clever to be a hero, or is it alright to have him go on instinct alone? I liked that they attached the vampire weaknesses to Gareth, instead of making him a super vampire. Some of the bad things that happen in the book happen because Gareth has no forethought. I thought this made him interestingly flawed.

I read a review that complained that Adele was a Mary Sue, and I decided I didn’t agree. The main reason being that Adele is vulnerable. I liked her. I was rooting for her. She didn't annoy me. Yeah, she’s got a special power, but it's also a curse. It's aging her. She could die, and she is far from invincible. But she never whines about it. She accepts it. And she even manages to laugh at herself saying, that sometimes her overconfidence ‘annoys even her.’ Adele’s biggest weaknesses is that she’s not coldblooded enough to make the hard decisions of a ruler. But she’s young, and her harrowing experiences change her through the series. Her other big weakness is her lover is a vampire, which complicates her life. The Griffiths make it quite clear that she and Gareth cannot have children and their future together is not going to be easy. Gareth will outlive her, watching her grow old while he does not. This relationship will be tainted by tragedy, and Griffiths know this. Consequently, the ending isn’t all hearts, flowers and perfect bliss. I think having a tint of sadness at the end is always fitting, because it reflects true life.

Problems I had with the series were I found the battle scenes and General Anhalt’s point of view boring. I didn’t care about Anhalt. But to be honest, the only writer who’s ever been able to pull me into a battle was Bernard Cornwell. Most of the time that stuff just doesn’t interest me.

I was also bummed that there weren’t more scenes with bad girl Flay. She’s my favorite character in the series. I could read a whole book about her.

Anyhoo, I did enjoy this series and this last book. Vampire Empire is definitely my favorite Steampunk!
(less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Hitandmiss rated it 2 of 5 stars

Short review - A very lackluster and disappointing ending, Sure the empire is safe and England is secure. However major things are left kinda up in the air, without a real resolution. Many of which could of provided an interesting chapter or two.

People don't know the truth about the Greyfriar, or even what happened to him.

How will Adele and Gareth work out? (Empire needs a future ruler and she isn't going to get one from him!) *Side note* most of the Adele/Gareth talks as they are just the same...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Anna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, steampunk, fantasy, supernatural, the-unfortunately-unrelished

I reviewed this for a web magazine for a while back, and--without posting that same review here--I can't help but mention how absolutely horrible this book is.

First of all--every villain is Starscream. If you don't understand the reference, look on TV Tropes. Well, perhaps I shouldn't say every villain--there is one that's an evil version of Inigo Montoya, but his wasted potential depresses me enough that he's hardly worth mentioning.

Second, the writing is so purple I was nearly vomiting the ov...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 1 of 5 stars

The war has begun, Equatoria’s armies are moving into Europe to reclaim their long lost lands from the vampire clans and free the herds of humanity reduced to squalor, enslavement and an early death.

But the delay has been costly, it’s a winter campaign rather than summer when the heat makes the vampires sluggish, even with the best weapons at their disposal it’s clear the cost of lives is going to be extreme. Unless Empress Adele’s skills at geomancy can tip the scale and be their ultimate weapo...more The war has begun, Equatoria’s armies are moving into Europe to reclaim their long lost lands from the vampire clans and free the herds of humanity reduced to squalor, enslavement and an early death.

But the delay has been costly, it’s a winter campaign rather than summer when the heat makes the vampires sluggish, even with the best weapons at their disposal it’s clear the cost of lives is going to be extreme. Unless Empress Adele’s skills at geomancy can tip the scale and be their ultimate weapon – but at what cost?

Of course, they could adopt the American tactic of slaughtering the humans and starving the vampires, but then, who are they liberating? And is it even right to commit genocide against the vampires, including their own children? Beset by these hard questions Adele also has to consider what future she has with Gareth, especially as Gareth looks to his own people and the potential of him taking Britain’s crown now his father is dead.

The war has begun, but the questions of how to fight it, how to win it and the cost of it remain to be seen.

A big epic showdown but it was so slow. I can’t even put my finger on exactly why it was slow, I think it was several elements. We had pages and pages devoted to single battles. Pages and pages to Adele’s angst over the Greyfriar and the difficulties in their relationship. Pages and pages of the Greyfriar’s own angst, pages and pages – actually pages and pages about everything. I think everything that happened and everything anyone felt in this book had to be accompanied by a rather long winded internal monologue.

I don’t know if this has always been the style of this series because I don’t remember being frustrated by it before. But I think the problem here is that the book is reaching a culmination of epic. There’s a literal war going on. The Equatorian Empire has invaded southern Europe, they have armies in France and the Balkans, thousands of people are dying – and against that backdrop we have the Greyfriar, Gareth, cooking eggs for Adele. Was it a lovely scene? Yes, it was, it was cute and romantic and funny and endearing – but epic conflict is happening! At the beginning the war was front and centre, an epic battle, a grand conflict, a huge show down brewing, but then the rest of the book veered so very far away from it. It became a very personal book of Adele and Gareth – and it was a book very much about their emotional states and various other feelings.

Many of these scenes weren’t bad – like Gareth visiting the King of Paris (a scene that ended up pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of the novel), or, as I mentioned, Gareth cooking for Adele. Adele re-uniting with Morgana. Adele talking with Sanah. Anhalt sparring with Senator Clark. Senator Clark’s war in the US. They were all good scenes, albeit overly written with too much monologue, but they were great in their own right for character development and exploration and just plain fun with this world and these people who I enjoy. But they weren’t relevant to the plot – if they were removed the ending would be exactly the same as it was with them. Some of these scenes would have been wonderful to include and to underscore the difficulties the characters faced – Anhalt’s worry over Adele’s recklessness, Gareth and Adele worrying about the morality of the war, the difficulty of them having any kind of relationship and Adele becoming ever more isolated by the the necessities of state – but all of them together was just too much.

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Sep 07, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

ORIGINALLY POSTED: THE KINGMAKERS Vampire Empire 3
Beyond Love and Politics at FANGS, WANDS and FAIRY DUST

THE KINGMAKERS
Vampire Empire Book Three
Clay Griffith
Susan Griffith
PYR September 4, 2012
374 pages
Trade Paperback / e-book

Disclosure: Received unsolicited from published. No remuneration received and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.

VAMPIRE EMPIRE on Facebook

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS TO BOOKS ONE AND TWO

A war to the death.
Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against

...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Mskchick rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book from a book blog contest.

This book was very byzantine and gritty too. I enjoyed it more than I thought I might, given the extensive portions of the book devoted to warfare, although I wish that the love story dominated more of book 3. The romance was fairly understated, but the depth of feeling seemed oh so strong between Gareth and Adele. The book has ill-fated lovers, steampunk, vampires, empire building, warfare, and betrayal.

Both Gareth and Adele had great strides in their pe...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Ferdy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Spoilers

This was the worst book in the trilogy — it was slow, cheesy and predictable. The plot was boring - Adele, now the Empress of Equatoria uses her powers to help her people in the battle against the vampires. Whilst vampire prince, Cesare, wants to crown himself king after killing his father so he can unite all the vampire clans under his rule and win the war against the humans. He needs his brother, Gareth, to become king but Gareth wants to stop Cesare so that his beloved Adele will be s...more Spoilers

This was the worst book in the trilogy — it was slow, cheesy and predictable. The plot was boring - Adele, now the Empress of Equatoria uses her powers to help her people in the battle against the vampires. Whilst vampire prince, Cesare, wants to crown himself king after killing his father so he can unite all the vampire clans under his rule and win the war against the humans. He needs his brother, Gareth, to become king but Gareth wants to stop Cesare so that his beloved Adele will be safe.
Gareth was just a bore, there was nothing to him except for his love for Adele. I usually like reading the hero's POV but I think Gareth would have been much more endearing if his POV wasn't known.
Cesare was slightly more engaging than Gareth, he still didn't have much depth though — all he wanted was power and control. His daddy and big brother issues were pretty dull but they made for far more interesting reading than Gareth's ridiculous feelings for Adele.
The worst part of the book was Adele, she was a bloody awful heroine. There were so many things that pissed me off about her, so be prepared for a rant about her.
Adele and her Mary Sue ways were so fucking annoying. Her stupidity was amazing — she kept questioning whether she should use her powers to kill the vampires despite the fact that 1) they were evil 2) they were responsible for millions of deaths 3) she was at bloody war with them 4) they wanted to enslave humanity. I suppose her defense of the vampires was meant to make her seem forgiving and compassionate but it just made her look like a dumb bitch.
The only reason she refused to use her powers to kill the vamps was because she didn't want to kill her twu wuv Gareth - never mind that Gareth had once killed thousands of humans and enjoyed it, never mind that the future of humanity was in her hands, never mind that humans were dropping dead. None of that mattered if it hurt her centuries old twu wuv. What a stupid, selfish bitch.
Adele's hypocrisy irked me no end — she was pissed if any of her friends didn't embrace her vampire boyfriend but then she'd feel betrayed, disgusted and self righteous when someone else was working with vampires. What a silly cow.
Naturally the only people in the spoilt bitch's life that were important to her were men - Greyfriar, Anhalt, Mamoru, her brother. There wasn't a single female that mattered to Adele. She was a sexist douche.
A very disappointing read, mainly due to an insufferable heroine, although the dull plot didn't help matters. I'm so glad I'm done with the series.(less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Kim Ryser rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012booksread, steampunk

My love for this series only grows. This is really, really excellent addition (completion?) to this series and has rocketed it to the very top of my lists of: Steampunk Books, Vampire Books, Romantic Books. (Want to be clear that this is not a "romance novel" but the romance is very important and central to the story.) I just can't say enough good things about the original way vampires are presented in these books and how that turns the main vampire character Gareth into something more like an a...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Vampire Empire is by far, an amazing series. I have followed this series from the first book and love it. I'm, sad to see the story end, but so happy that it's ending well.

The characters of the book have grown and learned so much. It is so cool to see both Gareth and Adele working together. The way the came up with plans so flawlessly, the way they work together, the trusted each other. They were a fabulous team. They both made some very important decisions, that I think well do them good. They...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Marcia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: griffith-clay

The Kingmakers is the 3rd and final installment of the Vampire Empire trilogy. I have read many glowing, nearly rhapsodic, reviews of this book, but for me, it was definitely the weakest of the three. I really enjoyed the first book, The Greyfriar, Vampire Empire Book 1. It was my first introduction into a steam punk world of dirigibles and steam engines, and an alternate history of the planet. It also had the most charming of swash-buckling heroes in the mysterious Greyfriar. I gave it a solid...more The Kingmakers is the 3rd and final installment of the Vampire Empire trilogy. I have read many glowing, nearly rhapsodic, reviews of this book, but for me, it was definitely the weakest of the three. I really enjoyed the first book, The Greyfriar, Vampire Empire Book 1. It was my first introduction into a steam punk world of dirigibles and steam engines, and an alternate history of the planet. It also had the most charming of swash-buckling heroes in the mysterious Greyfriar. I gave it a solid 4 stars for captivating me with the characters and the world building, even though the writing is less than brilliant at times. Still, it was fun, and I was eager to read the second book, The Rift Walker. I liked that book a bit less, though the level of intrigue was actually higher. It just didn’t have the same magic for me that Book 1 had, and this third book was weaker still, in my opinion.

Part of it is that the writing in The Kingmakers was even less strong, but also, the focus on greatly detailed battles caused the first half of the book to bog down and move way too slowly for my tastes. Some reviewers loved those scenes, but I really just wanted to get on with the relationship between The Greyfriar and his beloved Adele. Call me a hopeless romantic, but the dynamics between the two of them interested me more than flying “steamnaughts” and giant robots, driven by riders inside, a la the movie Aliens.

Though the series was fun, and I’m glad I read all three books, since I was really interested in getting to the Happily Ever After part, there was one subtle but persistent thread that was an annoyance all the way through. Specifically, an anti-American slant that was somewhat disguised, but ever-present. It started with one character who was the most blatantly overdone and heavy-handed example of the classic Ugly American you ever saw. Now, I realize he was meant to be a bad guy, and I was fine with that. It’s just that he was a hit-me-over-the-head kind of loud and arrogant ass that I could barely stand to read about. I would have preferred it if his faults had been a bit more subtle, but the in-your-face approach is what the Griffiths went for. Okay, I just tried to overlook it. But worse than this guy’s obnoxious loud mouthed personality were the little references to how bloodthirsty and crass Americans in general were.

Don’t get me wrong. The Griffiths are entitled to their opinion of America and Americans. We aren’t perfect, by any means. Still, it is off-putting to feel disdain for my country seeping into the fabric of the story, even though it was subtle, as I say. And, as I have mentioned before, I do not enjoy real-world politics of any kind popping up in my fictional escapist reading. I have plenty of non-fiction political history books on my shelves for when I want to read about that subject. For one thing, I can’t take anyone’s opinion on what’s going on in the world today seriously when I’m reading a book about body density altering vampires who float above the earth, and descend in blood-thirsty hordes to rip, slash, and brutally murder humans, referred to as their “herds.” Vampire books, werewolf books, zombie books, you name it…just leave out the politics, please, especially if you plan to sell lots and lots of books in a country you seem to have little regard for. Some of us WILL notice.

So I had that little irritation going on, but I really loved the character of The Greyfriar, and I wanted to see how it all turned out. I stuck with the book, and overall, was glad I did. There were finally even some honorable, self-sacrificing Americans at the end, who bravely gave their all for the good of humanity. They sort of made up for the Ugly American and his so-called bloodthirsty country; therefore, I’m trying to be open-minded about the earlier slights. It was just hard to see Americans being portrayed as idiots, while Persians are portrayed as intelligent, caring people, who play a big part in the salvation of the world and all its literature. (For those not up on their history, Persia is the old name for Iran.) So try as I might, these little things were very bothersome to me, but in the interests of “art,” I pushed them to one side as best I could and soldiered on.

The story was still imaginative, The Greyfriar and Adele were a great couple, and the concept of geomancy was new to me and very interesting. All in all, the writing wasn’t particularly strong, and the political slant was a bit off-putting for me, though probably not noticeable to everyone; but the world-building was fun, and The Greyfriar was a touching and sweet character, perplexed as he was by humanity, and striving so hard to understand us.

Bottom line, there are enough fun things in the series to make me recommend it to those who like the genre, and won’t be offended by subtle touches of real life bias slipping in here and there. While many reviewers like the third book best, due to the non-stop action, I prefer the first one, which dealt more with character studies, and which had long periods of quiet discovery. It was less exciting, perhaps, but more touching, and that worked better for me.

Bookin' It (less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Dawn Vanniman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The third book in the Vampire Empire series starts right off action packed and just doesn't slow down. This is one of the best two-author series I've read, there's no telling who writes which parts. I sincerely hope that this isn't the end of the series, I'd love to see what becomes of Gareth and Adele in a possibly peaceful time.

This time we find Gareth on the frontlines fighting on the side of the humans. But don't worry,...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This series was my first exposure to the steam punk-esque genre, mind you I devour most vampire fiction so it was a fun blend.

I enjoyed this book but my main concern was the ending and how quickly things seemed up wrap up. At one point I was thinking "there must be a 4th book because I'm 95% done and I have no clue how this will finish".

Spoilers Ahead.

Everything seemed to fall into place too easily. Adele reads some doodles and realizes she's the most powerful geomancer in the world at a time...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 06, 2012 Katrina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

Now that's the end I'm talking about. For every book series I read, I usually expect there to be a huge grand finale for the last book. I want it to be explosive, with a really big bang towards the end. It should have the obstacle of all obstacles. And it has to have that oomph, that one final, strongest ever, most intense, at-your-limits push towards victory. I want the characters to work really hard for that happy ending. And usually, the finales I encounter don't meet my epic expectations. Fo...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Lyn (The Heartless) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: it-s-my-favorite, 2012, series, vampires, teen-lit, fantasy

What did I think?!

It is over, there is not more.

I might write a real review one day.
But for now, here is a preview of my review:

When I thought that the book was going to kill everyone I have ever loved:

At each new revelation:

When everyone was hurting:

When Adele proved time and time again that she had a freaking backbone and even though she missed her man, she didn't go comatose:

What I wanted to do to Caesar (you fucking BASTARD):

Last 50 pages:

The end:

The few slight flaws, such as the unne...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was so excited when this came in the mail for review. And with the anticipation, the book opens up with a bang. The war is on and Adele is leading the campaign against Cesare and his packs. In fact most of the book is about the war and Adele's growing power. The action is intense and the war has everything you expect... including political intrigue on both sides.

Since this was the last book of the trilogy I had to be curious as to how it would end. How would our couple, who is of a completely...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Vivien rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Kingmakers is the third book in the thrilling Vampire Empire trilogy. A fast paced action adventure filled with war, vampires and political machinations. In a world that could mirror our own, it stands out with the heavy doses of steampunk woven throughout.

The third book takes off immediately where The Rift Walker (book 2) ends. There is no down time in this book. It starts off with a bang and keeps you on your toes until the very end. Every scene plays an important role in weaving the plot...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark, arc-or-review-copy, contemporary, fantasy, read-in-2012, war, steampunk, pyr, romance

Despite my few qualms, the Griffith team has managed to do something that is (in my opinion) nearly impossible. They took an extremely tired trope (vampires) and spun them differently, captivating even the overly-cynical Sarah here at Bookworm Blues. Their steampunk world, oppressed humans, and rabid vampires managed to intrigue me where just about 99% of other vampire novels never did. While in some ways The Kingmakers outshined its predecessors, it was a properly epic ending to a series that t...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, wow, wow, WOW! The Griffiths absolutely blew me away with the conclusion of the Vampire Empire trilogy. As anxious as I was to get my hands on it, now it's done! No more new book to look forward to!

I knocked off one star for The Rift Walker but would add two stars if I possibly could for The Kingmakers. Some authors you know will deliver a happy ending for the protagonist(s), some you know--well--things probably won't turn out so great. The Griffiths are not hesitant to bump characters off...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Nicki Markus rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is without a doubt one of my favourite vampire series. The first two books were fantastic and this final instalment is just breathtaking. The authors' world building is first rate and I was sucked back into the world of Gareth and Adele from the very first page.

I loved the way the story came to a gripping conclusion and, of course, I adored the continued romance between Gareth and Adele. Despite the fast-paced plot and almost non-stop quasi-cinematic action, there was still plenty of charac...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Zack Kullis rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have a bone to pick with Clay and Susan Griffith....

It was only a matter of a few weeks before I was ready to send my manuscript to the editor when I started this series. I was sucked into the story like flotsam pulled out by the tide. There was nothing I could do.

The characters were so well developed that they felt like people I know personally. Antagonists were vile, dispicable people/beings that had me upset enough that I was actually swearing out loud as I read various passages.

Protagonist...more

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Oct 11, 2012 MissM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I am sad this series is over. I think it was a very creative setting and world and I think there is room for more story to be told here. I'd like to see more of how things work out in the longer run. (Maybe even a series 10 years later or something?)

I felt like they had too much to wrap up in this single volume and it felt like there was still so much on-going plot throughout most of the book, with a very quick and hurried ending. So the end was a little too rushed for me.

Still, I have to give b...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Jeffrey Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OMG! Such a great ending to the series but I can see the opening for a sequel or spin-off. I love the Griffith's writing and highly recommend this series to anybody interested in a Vampire series with a strong female character, good story line and a different approach to the world of vampires. My hat is off to Clay and Susan on the entire series. Well written, great characters, and enough suspense to keep you reaching for it right after you put it down. I'm sad to say that this is supposed to be...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Carla Krae rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any fantasy lover.

4.75 stars.

I'm sad if this is truly the last of Adele and Gareth we get. The end resolves the immediate conflict, but still leaves so much in their world, questions, and how they'd get on in the new world.

Some deaths made me cheer, others made me terribly sad. It really has been a war.

And selfishly as a reader of paranormal romance, I would have liked a smidgen more dedicated to Adele and Gareth's consummation. We waited nearly 3 books for it and the Griffiths only give hints when it happens. B...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Craig Meyer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-recommend

This book is an excellent end to the trilogy. I'm not a big fan of steam punk fantasy. But the combination of the vampire mythology, the world as it exist (example, England overrun as well as most of Europe by vampires), and the steam punk reality provides for an excellent story not just for this novel but for all the novels in the series.
The question now is, does the author continue with this story? An argument can be made that the author created a fantastic ending to the story. Should the auth...more

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Jan 27, 2013 jD rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1_library-yes, 2013_all, fantasy_vamps, 2013_5-stars

By the time I got to the last page, I was emotionally exhausted. To describe Adele and Greyfriar's journey as difficult would be an understatement. I wasn't sure at any point that these two would survive their own tale. Clay Griffith showed his h/h no mercy. They never seemed to catch a break.

The first thing I believe a reader should know going in -- you will not be satisfied unless you read all three books of this series. Not just because it's a trilogy but because every character has a story a...more By the time I got to the last page, I was emotionally exhausted. To describe Adele and Greyfriar's journey as difficult would be an understatement. I wasn't sure at any point that these two would survive their own tale. Clay Griffith showed his h/h no mercy. They never seemed to catch a break.

The first thing I believe a reader should know going in -- you will not be satisfied unless you read all three books of this series. Not just because it's a trilogy but because every character has a story and each story has a place. Mr. Griffith did an extraordinary job of giving the reader a comprehensive understanding of motivations and consequences.

The second thing a potential reader needs to know is that this story is dark all the way through. Yes, there were a few light moments as Prince Gareth discovered something new about humans; every time Senator Grant opened his mouth to provide a snarky comment; or when Flay was slinging insults at Gareth. My favorite is the opera scene where Greyfriar witnesses how his character has been made into a romantic hero via a musical. I also enjoyed when Simon shows Adele that he is not a child. These moments were so unexpected in their sweetness and helped to lift some of the somberness of this story. The shifting perspective also helped to keep the story from becoming too mired in bloodshed and heartache.

The final thing is that this story is so much more than a love story. I could clearly imagine the horror of living under the yoke of a predatory race that makes no attempt to see humans as more than food. The placement of this story in history puts humans just beyond the discovery of high tech weapons. It is the time of steam power so the ability to fight the vampires is difficult at best. The vampires are fast, they don't feel pain, and they can fly. I felt they all needed to be wiped off the planet but Adele believed they were a sub-species of humans and could be taught to co-exist with humans. That belief will have to be proven or disproven in another trilogy because I wasn't convinced based on the ending.

I can find nothing missing or falling short so it's 5 stars in this girl's opinion.

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Nov 27, 2012 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A satisfying conclusion to the series. The first third of the book features battles, fights, wars, death and lots of vicious vampires. The second third reintroduces characters and at this point they were a very welcomed break for this reader as I was battle fatigued. The interactions were interesting and nuanced. Gareth/The Greyfriar is showing more and more vulnerability and humanity in this installment. His interactions at the opera, the library and cooking a meal for Adele were particularly e...more

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About Clay Griffith

Clay and Susan Griffith are the authors of the Vampire Empire trilogy -- The Greyfriar, The Rift Walker, The Kingmakers.

"Vampire Empire is transforming genre fiction." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Explorations.

If you're on Facebook, please think about going to www.facebook.com/vampireempire and clicking LIKE. If you done it already...Thank you.

Clay & Susan Griffith are a married couple who have wr...more

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Quotes from The Kingmakers

“Simon blurted, "Can I put the dead hand in my blood?"

"May I put the dead hand in my blood," Adele corrected. "Yes, go ahead.” — 2 people liked it

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The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3)

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