Spoiler-free
It’s finally here! Empire of the Dawn was by far my most anticipated release of 2025. I listened to the first 2 audiobooks last year and was immediately invested in this historical gothic world, which brought vampires back to their monstrous origins. Empire of the Dawn is the conclusion to the Empire of the Vampire trilogy.
Book release tour
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the book tour in Edinburgh, where I received a signed copy of the book and witnessed a podcast style interview with Jay Kristoff, himself. I have never attended a book event such as this in the past, and was therefore conflicted on whether to attend, but I’m so glad that I did! It was really insightful and entertaining to hear about Jay Kristoff’s creative process when writing and to learn about some behind the scenes information, regarding previous drafts of the series. It’s actually insaɓne how much the narrative of the trilogy has changed over time, and resulted in becoming something that even Jay Kristoff hadn't foreseen. The event took place at The Parish Church of St Cuthbert, which provided the perfect gothic atmosphere for the end of this dark fantasy series.
Here are some takeaways I got from the interview:
- The distraction of mobile phones. Jay spent a lot of time discussing how, what we call phones (but are actually addictive machines designed to never be put down) get in the way of just about everything in life. When writing a particular book, Jay often goes on a social media and phone detox to fully immerse himself in his own thoughts. When offering advice to aspiring writers this was one of his points.
- Writing Advice. Linked to this prior point, he also stressed how important it was to be bored. And to be comfortable in that boredom. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be comfortable with nothing in a world filled with digital distractions, whittling away at our ever decreasing attention span. He goes on to say how, it’s often said by people that their best ideas come in the shower. However, this is solely down to the fact that the shower is the one place completely void of distractions, where one is left entirely alone with their thoughts. In order to increase creativity, being comfortable in this ‘bored’ state is vital. While this was said in regards to writing, I think the same could be applied to reading. Personally, when I read I like to leave my phone in another room, and dedicate that time I have to the book, and nothing but the book. This has helped me become more immersed tenfold.
- Reading Critically. In order to write better it is always a good idea to read more critically. However, the caveat of this is that reading critically often strips away at reading for enjoyment. I have personal experience of this. When I was a late teen, I started to write my own fantasy book. I absolutely loved putting my imagination down into words. The problem was that I became obsessed. Whenever I read, I found myself not enjoying it, due to me constant analysing various writing techniques and wondering how I could apply that to my own work. This is a struggle which Jay Kristoff, and no doubt many others, share.
- Laini Taylor - Interestingly to me, Jay went on to note that the only author, with whom he could fully leave this way of thinking at the door, and fully immerse himself in the world, was Laini Taylor. Growing up Laini Taylor was my favourite author. I often wonder if I go back and read her books today, if her writing and stories would hold up in my mind. This has given me encouragement to go back and revisit some old favourites of mine. Looking at you: Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
- Sleep Token. On a silly note, me and my friends have a game, where whenever we are at a gig and see someone wearing a Sleep Token top, we have to approach them and ask them what their least favourite Sleep Token song is. It’s dumb, and now that Sleep Token have blown up and their merch is everywhere, it’s impossible to play anymore. Nevertheless, when I saw Jay Kristoff enter, wearing a Sleep Token hoodie, I knew what I had to do… Unfortunately, during the open questions segment of the interview, I got stage fright and didn’t want to burden the audience with my shenanigans, so missed my opportunity.
The Review
So, did Empire of the Dawn live up to my self-inflicted hype? Yes and No.
It is a solid book, don’t get me wrong, and I love this series, but overall I do think that this is my least favourite of the trilogy. For the most part, the various reveals and revelations just didn’t hit as hard for me in this one, but more on that in the spoiler section.
Since I received a physical copy at the book event, I decided to immersion read (simultaneously read and listen to the book) from the point I had already reached. This was very exciting, as it meant that I could experience the illustrations in real time, as opposed to looking them up once I had finished the audiobook, which I did previously. Whilst I still enjoyed the illustrations, and appreciate them greatly (More books need pictures!), I did find that the quality of the drawings dipped in comparison to the previous two books. There is a distinct difference in art style, which personally didn’t connect with me as much. Where before the style was distinctively hand drawn and incredibly dark and gothic, the new style felt less unique and more computer generated. I have no idea if this is true, it’s hard to explain. It almost felt like certain aspects of the drawings, such as the people, were superimposed onto the background. Often with harsh outlines creating this almost green screen effect, instead of forming one cohesive illustration that all comes together on paper with ink. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed spending time simply looking at the artistry, and felt a surge of happiness whenever I flipped the page to encounter an illustration. I guess the wow factor was only slightly diminished, as the art quality of the previous books was insane.
In terms of plot and characters, there isn’t too much I can say in this spoiler-free section, but I will give my general feelings towards the ending. I liked it. I think…? Wrapping up a series as sprawling and complex as this, is no easy feat, and I do believe that Jay Kristoff achieved a satisfying ending overall. Despite this, I am still conflicted with certain decisions made, and no doubt need more time to sit with it. Perhaps my feelings will change over time. I expect this to be a controversial ending amongst fans, which is always fun.
In conclusion, I applaud Jay Kristoff for actually finishing the damned series, and doing it well. This is becoming increasingly rare in the fantasy space, so as controversial as it may become, I am definitely satisfied with the journey I was taken on with these characters, through the brutal, shadowy gloom of this trilogy.
3.75 Stars 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑
Onto spoiler chat!
Spoiler Chat
Let’s talk about some of the aforementioned reveals and revelations:
Dior was the white moth. I think everyone clocked onto this being the case in Empire of the Dammed. That white moth was mentioned far too often, to not hold any significance. The fact that we knew Celene already possessed this ability to hold the form of a moth, made it even more clear that Dior was this particular white moth. Nevertheless, I think this twist was done perfectly. It struck the perfect balance of being obvious enough that most readers would catch on, whilst still retaining that ‘ah ha’ moment of realisation with being able to figure it out yourself.
Dior is a Duskdancer. Gooped and Gagged! I’m not even going to lie, this had me floored! I literally cheered. And a white wolf of all things? Badass! Wild! A standout moment of the trilogy.
Patience is alive. This was a big moment, and not one that I really gave much thought about happening. I liked the idea of Fabien raising her. What’s more crushing than the person you hate the most, raising the one you love the most? However, it turns out she wasn’t really alive and this was all just bullshit. Which leads nicely onto…
The ending. Jay Kristoff famously says that he doesn’t believe in happy endings. Bullshit! This was as happy an ending as you could get. You know all these people that got brutally murdered? Psych! They’re all still alive and are watching the sunrise together, happily ever after. I don’t personally have a problem with happy endings like this, but I don’t understand why someone would purposefully prepare me for a soul crushing finale, only for it to be quite the opposite. That’s inevitably going to lead to disappointment, that never needed to be there. Expectation aside, I actually enjoyed the ending. At no point, after the first book, did I believe absolutely everything I was hearing. Such is the nature of this storytelling style. This twist, of a lot of the story told being a load of shit only to buy time, makes sense to the overarching plot, whilst also making the most out of having an unreliable narrator. Up until this twist, I was becoming increasingly concerned with how this trilogy would end, given how the deaths seemed to stack up drastically page after page. It felt to me as though Jay Kristoff was just killing off as many characters as he could for sheer shock factor, which took me out of the story. Finding out that this was Gabe bullshitting, just to buy some more time, was such a relief and also remained true to the humour of not only Gabe, but the story as a whole.
Having said this, I understand fully why someone would have the opposite opinion. Look, I get it. This ending has the ‘And it was all a dream…’ vibe to it. Not knowing what truly happened throughout this entire trilogy is incredibly frustrating. It’s like if you only watched the Netflix dramatisation of true events, without having the ability to find out what actually happened. However, I think it’s safe to say that what actually happened is undoubtedly less interesting than the story Gabe and Celene told us. So, surely we should be satisfied at hearing the more exciting and interesting version? I do think it would have been nice to have a longer epilogue between Gabe and Celene, so they could discuss the various lies that they told in more depth. However, there’s an argument to say that some of the magic would have been lost that way, diminishing the spark of the twist.
Jean-Francois remains to be my favourite character. His quick witticisms and sly remarks compliment the narrative spun by both Gabe and Celene perfectly. I don't think this series would be anywhere near as good, with a different character as the interviewer. The sexual tension between him and Gabe finally reached boiling point. What a wild scene that was! Having Jean-Francois give into his obvious infatuation with Gabe and succumb to his desires was as steamy as it was frightening. That balance of sex and horror is at the heart of vampiric fiction, and to see it play out between these characters was enthralling. I was worried that this was the end for my boy Jean-Francois, but luckily Gabe left him alive in his escape, only to be shortly recaptured. I remember thinking at the time what the point of this scene was if Gabe was only to be recaptured the very next chapter. I guess, now we know it was all to buy more time to prepare for the battle ahead. Alas, Jean-Francois story ends with Gabe locking him in Celene's cell, alone, to starve to death. This is a horrible way to go, probably deserved, but still, my heart goes out to my boy. RIP.
The Esani. Okay, what the fuck was even happening with this whole cult? Listen, I love a cult and I'm not afraid to admit it, but something was missing from this one. It felt a little forced. The first rule of a cult is that it’s not a cult. I’m still very confused about just about everything regarding Celene, Wulfric and Maryn. So they want to end the world, so that they can achieve salvation? But also kill anyone evil so that they are not evil? I'm obviously missing something, but this whole plot line meandered so much, that I was slipping in and out of focus a lot whilst consuming this part of the story. I do think I would enjoy these sections much more on a reread, now that I have the bigger picture. On paper this plotline is right up my street! Despite my confusion, Maryn grew on me a lot. I’m a sucker for a kid vampire. There’s something about having an ancient entity trapped inside the body of an innocent child that’s deeply unsettling. Not to mention depressing. Imagine being turned into a vampire and forever being a little child… That would suck! (pardon the pun). I feel like I’d enjoy an ambiguous 30.
Phoebe. A previous favourite of mine, but felt she lost her shine a little in this one. Seeing her betray Gabe - stealing Ashedrinker right after sleeping with him - was wild! I was so shocked! I didn’t buy it for a second, it felt so out of character. It took a fair while for me to realise she was enthralled and had no choice in the matter, so that was a relief. I thought Jay had really gone off the rails and this point, but he managed to bring me back in, so fair play.
Aaron and Gabe. Their friendship has come a long way over the years. It's basically enemies to lovers at this point. Their friendship grew in a really nice way at a stead pace over the entire trilogy. I feel like they both ground eachother, and bring out the better parts of their character's.
Aaron and Baptiste. My favourite relationship from the previous book, but as with Phoebe, I felt they lost some of their sparkle in this one. And I don’t mean that Edward Cullen sparkle. Baptise cheating on Aaron with some random dude was dumb. It felt out of character for him and I didn’t buy that he would actually do that to Aaron. It doesn’t do much good for the gay slut stereotype. Besides, they are so devoted to each other. I guess you never really know with these things, and I'm glad that they eventually came around. Having Baptise want to turn into a vampire so that he and Aaron could be together forever, but Aaron refusing Baptiste's wish, is a classic trope seen often in vampire literature. I’m not mad at it, I think it’s an inevitable and necessary conversation that needs to be had between the living and the undead. I found it quite touching how desperate Baptiste was, as it truly showed how devoted he was to Aaron, and similarly Aaron for refusing to accept. However, this makes it all the more strange that Baptiste would simultaneously throw it all away for a cheap shag.
Dior and Reyne. Speaking of romantic relationships, we of course have these two lovebirds. While my investment in Aaron and Baptiste's relationship simmered down somewhat, my investment in Dior and Reyne's relationship only grew. I feel like they really got into their stride here and their bond continued to grow in an organic and realistic way. Despite their love, I found it incredibly moving how Reyne was still willing to have Dior marry Prince Phillipe, to fulfil the prophecy. Not only was Reyne willing, it was in fact her idea. This understanding of palace politics impressed me and came as a surprise. This sacrifice for the sake of the greater good was quite moving, and made me respect Reyne much more as a character, not only as Dior’s partner, but standing on her own two feet.
Now, when it was revealed that they were half sisters... that was crazy! I was like - "What in the mortal instruments is going on in here on this day?" Thankfully we didn't go down that path. But still, this whole lovers to siblings arc is always a bit messy.
Dior and Celene. The bond between these two grew very quickly. Whilst the bond between Dior and Reyne felt natural and genuine, unfortunately, the opposite was true for Dior and Celene. I found their developing relationship to be forced, with the sole purpose of progressing the narrative in a desired way. It didn’t feel believable to me that someone as secretive and private as Celene would open so much to Dior, over such little time. During these sections, I felt as though Celene was talking not to Dior, not to Jean-Francois, but directly to the reading to tell us necessary information about herself. I feel as though this growing relationship between Celene and Dior was shoehorned in, just to relay this information, as otherwise they'd be no way of informing the reader. Whatever, I just had to let this one slide.
Fabien Voss. Love that we finally get more of the main big bad. He is a cookie cutter villain, but I like the cookie produced. Yh, I’ve eaten this cookie before, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna enjoy eating it again, and again, and again… I loved this cool, handsome, mysterious killer. The smirky face, surrounded in that smirky aura of snobby superiority. Urgh, so irritating! I loved it!
The Forever Princes. These guys and gals were really badass. I just wish we had more information about them, for me to fully distinguish them from one another. It may be that on this read through, I didn’t fully absorb all the information, but it felt to me that they could have done with some more fleshing out, to really heighten their villainous threat.
An extract I enjoyed:
'Wait.'
The Silversaint raised on brow as Jean-Francois leaned forward.
'You're saying the horses... Lived?'
Gabriel frowned. 'Why does that surprise you?'
'Because every other stallion, mare, and gelding you've mentioned during this tale is dead. I was beginning to think it some morbid jest on your part. About the only occupation in Elidaen more dangerous than Horse With a Name is Woman Who Slept With Gabriel d-'
'Can I finish this fucking story or no?'
The vampire eased back into his chair, twirling his quill.
'S'il vous plait.'
The silversaint scowled another moment before continuing.
Horses not surviving in this series has become somewhat of a meme within the fandom and that fact that Jay Kristoff addressed this, within the story, made me smile. It was a nice little meta moment. It also provides further proof of why Jean-Francois is the best character, and perfect interviewer.
Final Thoughts
It's the weakest of the trilogy, but I appreciated the controversial ending. To me, the ending is just fine. But I'm certain that there are going to be much stronger opinions than mine and I can't wait to hear all about it! Is that not the fun of the book community? If everyone has the same opinions on everything, it becomes stale and boring. I appreciate how Jay Kristoff has crafted a finale, which will divide fans, and encourage discussion.
Comments