Mark's Reviews > Empire of the Vampire

To be honest this writes title is something my daughter suggested which she does on occasion and this time I strongly suspect my buying this book, the 1st edition, is an absolute gorgeous book and an absolute beauty to have on your shelves. Which in my specific case it means my daughters bookshelves.

The story is about a world where daylight does not return and Vampires are no longer restricted to the night. The supposed hero's are the Silversaints' half-blood vampires who are the only ones that have the strength to wage war with their full-blooded brothers and sisters.
When the book opens the last of these Silversaints has been captured and before he dies there is the vampire biographer who wants to write down his story for his Vampire Empress. We get told the story of the beginning and training of Gabriel the Lion. Who is by that time essentially a drunk and blood-addict. To be honest the leading character all lack some sympathetic side most of the characters in this book are rather unsympathetic and you have to be very empathic to like even the leading character.
The book ends in a rather unsatisfying ending which leads you to suspect that this 740 pages novel is going to have a sequel. There is another book to buy my daughter. I was left somewhat unsatisfied after reading this amount of pages. Mr Kristoff could have taken the time to create a better ending instead of his mantra that he does not like happy endings.

A beautiful book that is far too good-looking for the story, the drawings are quite beautiful and the story is rather average in my humble opinion. I have at least a year before I have to decide to read the next one. I will be buying it even if it is just for my daughter who is a reading mad as her dad. I am glad she has got her own taste and will be happy to support her in reading, not sure what she'll say about some scenes which are certainly not YA.
It is also not a book you take along on the train to work and back, far too large.