Para mi esta es su obra cumbre. Y cómo escribe, esos toques de cinismo y humor, me recordó a Abercrombie. All my theories, the unanswered questions I have after the events of book #1.0, and the status of all the characters introduced thus far. I was so utterly enthralled with this PHENOMENAL novel that I read it in one day (!) from mid afternoon to 11 PM with only a break for dinner and whatnot; that is how just absolutely insanely gripping this was; just... *smh* how damn astounding this was.

I honestly did not have a lot of expectations for this one. For me, the jury's still out on Jay Kristoff. I was NOT really impressed with Nevernight to the point where I didn't continue the series and am still debating if I should give it another try, but The Aurora Cycle series was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. It blew my damn mind. I'm glad I gave Empire of the Vampire a shot, though. Aside from it taking me more than a week to finish because, despite the incredible story of Gabriel de Leon, the story really dragged on and on. There were times when I just couldn't focus, couldn't read anymore and that was really frustrating. Though Kristoff may enjoy the world of The Vampire Diaries—he’s currently making his way through its spin-off The Originals—Stefan and Damon Salvatore were not the sort of creatures whose story he was interested in exploring in Empire of the Vampire. The novel is set in a kingdom where the sun has barely shone for nearly three decades, the dead walk during the daytime, and vicious vampire factions fight for control over the remaining human territories. Its world is bleak and frightening, and his vampires reflect that fact.

But as a result, Empire of the Vampire is also genuinely compelling, a rich, layered story that embraces real stakes and wrestles with complex questions about faith, belief, and family, both found and otherwise.

To live is to risk. To fear and to fail. A man must dance on the dragon’s teeth to steal the fire from its tongue. Most are burned alive in the attempt. But better to dance and fall than to never have danced at all.” In book one, we were pretty limited to just Gabriel's point of view. In book 2, Gabe is still trapped and telling his story, and so is his long-lost sister Celene- who we have now learned is an Esani Vampire with some wild abilities. Celene can be somewhat omnipresent and thus provides us with some missing information about the stories of several other characters, namely Dior. The additional POV is refreshing. Not only do we get to learn about Celene herself, but Dior takes center stage in this book. Her adventures, struggles, and character open up significantly as we see her through the neutral and largely indifferent lense of Gabe's sister. Una historia que una vez la empiezas, no paras, primero es por una cosa, luego por otra y luego se le añaden diez más. Todos los aspectos del libro, personajes, worldbuilding, trama, historia ya sea presente y pasado, giros, acción, humor y sexo, se llevan un 10. Nada flojea.Las ilustraciones que acompañan al libro le dan otro toque acorde. Hace de su lectura algo más completo. Here's hoping I manage to land an ARC of the entire book before release but, if not, I'll be in line at the bookstore on release day with everyone else. This story offers it all - forbidden love, a thrilling exploration of vampire lore, power struggles, and unexpected twists. It's a beautifully woven tapestry of plots, each one adding to the others. Sure, it's a long book with quite a few subplots - some of which may feel like they're not adding much - but overall, "Empire of the Vampire" is a daring, intricate masterpiece. It's like a bloody roller coaster that keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting anxiously to see what comes next. M/M sex referred to as sodomy (that means rape, in case anyone cares, a term which has absolutely no bearing on what happens between consenting adults) but yet underaged sexing/ problematic behaviour exhibited by the sketchy adults in the first half of this book is part of the narrative. I shudder.