Review: Empire of the Damned

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bloodydamn goryhell, Mister Kristoff.

Baise-moi le visage.

You've done it again. You love your readers, but you love breaking their hearts even more, and now, two and a half years on from the start of your darkest and most epic trilogy yet, it's never been as clear as it is now.

While some reviewers have complained that this book has a bit of middle-book syndrome and Sophomore Slump, and it's not an entirely unfounded criticism, I will say that this book read so much faster than its predecessor for a lot of reasons. Namely, the more linear narrative this time around, in part because Gabe actually is no longer the sole narrator and sole jerker-around-er of Marquis Jean-François. (Though J-F wouldn't mind which narrator is jerking him around, be it Gabe or Liathe, because he's pretty well established as bisexual in this book - hell, most named characters appear to be either bi or gay, which is exactly how Kristoff would have it in a book that owes such a debt to Anne Rice.) Shaking things up with a new narrator to cover more of what happens outside of Gabe's POV in the past is one of the main reasons why I flew through this book - it made things so much harder for me to predict.

Except for the ending, though that owes at least partly to me having seen Dune Part Two twice this month, lol.

But still, that ending legit made me cry.

Damn you, Mister Kristoff.

But thank you for coming to Oregon so I could bring my copies of this book (standard US and B&N special) for your signatures, and your complaints (along with the rest of us) about how the publisher totally cheaped out and gave this book Bible-thin paper. What is this, Sarah J. Maas? (Though I doubt SJM would make it a point of writing long-ass sex scenes only to hilariously interrupt them at the worst possible time, but leave it to Kristoff to poke fun at his own bread and butter tropes and devices, neh?)

(Incidentally, at some point I might spring for UK/Aus editions of the books in the future, but today is not that day.)

I admit, I thought it was funny as hell of Mister Kristoff to sign my copy with the Dyvok creed, "Deeds not words," especially since I'm a writer too. But reading the book and seeing how much it centers on Blood Dyvok as the main villains (particularly the narcissistic, illeistic Nikita and his Heartless sister Lilidh), I can see he was preparing me for what was to come.

That ending, though...someone's gotta pay for that.

And I'll be paying for Book 3 soon enough, I'm sure, but I sure as hell hope Kristoff finishes it in a timely fashion too. He said in Beaverton he'll be taking a month off in Spain for it, and he's halfway through Book 3, so...

Disfruta de tu viaje, Kristoff.

Y reza por la paz que no pusiste dar a los personajes en tu cabeza.

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