Kristoff, Jay - Empire of the Vampire - informal buddy read starts 15th June 2022

[Eldarwen]

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Eldarwen, did you approve of the redemption of Aaron?"

I've finally, finally been able to get back to this! Always something else getting in the way..

I did!! I didn't quite expect him to turn into a person I could actually have an inkling of liking for, but it was well done.

I'm at the end of book five now, so will finish it tomorrow so I can report back with my thoughts on the ending.

Book 2 is currently with the editor btw, so we might get a certain publishing date soon :-) I'm hoping for 2023.

[Eldarwen]

I finished Book 5 "The Road to Hell" and wow, so much has happened!

Talon is another one of those characters I never liked - or trusted, for that matter. Now I know why. And it irks me that (view spoiler)[Gabriel's family was murdered before he could finally get those much needed answers regarding his heritage. (hide spoiler)] That is typical though of course. I'm guessing that is something for the next book in the series. I don't see that coming to light in book 6 in this novel. Maybe a little hint here and there, yes, but not the entire truth.

As for Patience, (view spoiler)[I can't help but wonder if she did inherit some of her father's "curse" after all. Most half-bloods only seem to show their heritage during their teens and not really before, so there was no sure way to tell while she was still a young girl or even a babe - unless of course he had some way of knowing since Gabriel is a vampire himself. With the half-bloods the fathers didn't stick around and humans do not have the same senses, so..? I'm curious about that part. (hide spoiler)]

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

It was a bit of a journey but I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next book. Buddy read next year?

[Eldarwen]

Absolutely! :-)

[Eldarwen]

I realised, I never came back with my final thoughts!

So, I finished Book Six "As Devils Can Fly" and I cannot wait to pick up the next book to hear about all these things that have been left up in the air.

Lots of revelations in this part.

I mean, (view spoiler)[Celene?! How come she tastes and feels like an ancien when she's only been dead for fifteen years? It seems that vampires have access to quite a vast amount of knowledge humans are not privy to, or have quite simply left to rot in books or ignored because they thought it may be fiction, or because it was not pious enough to be considered knowledge worthy of humans. At the same time, it seems not all vampires have access to the same resources. I can't help but wonder if Gabriel's father took Celene under his wing. Or someone else from the family, because why else would she know about sanguimancy and be able to wield it when she's been turned by a Voss? Also, what exactly does her title Liathe mean and/or entail?! Jean-François seems to know, so at least the title is something of general knowledge among the Dead. (hide spoiler)]

Then there are the Silversaints. (view spoiler)[Oh I wanted to bloody scream!! I hate fanatics in books. Hate. They make a good villain a lot of the time but eurgh!! These have proven to be a truly ridiculous bunch. That Chloe was a bit of a nutcase where her faith was concerned was clear from pretty early on. Even the Silversaints had some particular ideas at times, but this?! I never thought Greyhand would hold that much of a grudge as to go so far as to murder one of their own, fallen or no. Outright slaughter. Ridiculous. (hide spoiler)]

I absolutely loathed that part. Though in a good way, I guess? Because I do like it when a book gives me feels of all kinds and there were quite a few in this one, especially in that last part. I enjoy feeling with or for the characters, good or bad.

Dior is still a bit of a (view spoiler)[bitch, reckless but with at least hints of a brain. She's had a tough life but her blind faith in Chloe was a little frightening. Until she of course realised what the true plan was. Silly little goose. (hide spoiler)]

And then what's been done to (view spoiler)[the outcasts in general: Astrid, Aaron, Baptiste, and Gabriel himself of course. They cry about not having a lot of recruits and people dying (yes, of course that is all Gabriel's fault because he was kicked out of the order) but at the same time they refuse to have any dealings with people who break their oaths no matter how good they are at what they do. It's all a bit silly. Though of course from a (fanatic) believer's point of view they're all horrible sinners and they did break their vows.

I loved that Gabriel, Aaron and Baptiste bumped into each other again. It was good to see those two on the pages of the book again after they were cast out. (hide spoiler)]

At the beginning of the book, I never would have thought that I'd actually be happy to have Aaron be mentioned again haha.

[Eldarwen]

Ladies!

In case you're still following this thread: book #2 has been released :-D

I'm currently waiting for my Waterstones special edition to be delivered to my doorstep but wouldn't mind picking a start date already for this, some time in the near future - maybe towards the end of Uno or after it, if you can wait that long hehe.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Thanks for this. I knew it was soon...

Anytime towards the end of April is good for me. I'll actually buy a copy of this one, too long to wait for the library copy.

I think I might re-read Book 1 just to refresh before.

[Eldarwen]

Shall we say May? Right on the 1st or later in the month? (Starting preferably on a Saturday so I can actually spend some quality time with the book instead of work hehehe)

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Eldarwen wrote: "Shall we say May? Right on the 1st or later in the month? (Starting preferably on a Saturday so I can actually spend some quality time with the book instead of work hehehe)"

Works for me.. ❤️

[Eldarwen]

Aah, it's almost time!!

I'm going to set up a thread later for book #2 :-)

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Great. I just re-read book 1 in preparation.

I might start after the 15th though so I can use it in the Book Games challenge.

PS - I enjoyed the re-read just as much, really looking forward to book 2.

[Eldarwen]

That is good to know! I might have a look at the ending chapter(s) for a little refreshment, but knowing the author, I don't think it's necessary.

And yes, I wanted to suggest a later starting date so we can use it for Book Games :-) So I'll set it up for the 15th! And I'll pop Sammy a dm to let her know as well.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Buddy Read Thread for Book #2

:-)