"To hate the thing that is completing you. To love the thing that is destroying you. What perfect suffering. What hell divine."04-26-24 Complete Review:
"To hate the thing that is completing you. To love the thing that is destroying you. What perfect suffering. What hell divine."
It's safe to say that Empire of the Damned did such a number on me.. it was a couple of weeks before I felt like I could sit down and parse through my feelings. Certainly.. the last novel I read that was this robust.. this well fleshed-out.. was its predecessor.. Empire of the Vampire. After a year and a half, not another title was released that could even approach the weight and emotion of Gabriel de Leon's story.
Book two in the series continues to pull no punches.. and looking forward to the final part of the tale to come.. I find myself eagerly dreading what awaits me as a reader.
Something really interesting happened with Kristoff as this series began. He was already a great writer, but the massive undertaking of weaving so many plotlines and characters together is more than enough to break many other seasoned authors with larger series under their belts. Those of you who know me, also know who I mean. But in this case, the author simply rose to the challenge like a mortal set upon some gods designed path of myth.
For me, Kristoff has joined the ranks of a small select few. Writers so deft of word that their stories can be elegance and destruction on a vast scale that never loses sight of the individual. Storytellers the likes of Neil Gaiman, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and George R.R. Martin.. that can lay siege to the world as a whole.. and still find ways to crush you on a deeply emotional level.. one-to-one.
As an author known for killing off the characters he makes us love, I'm almost more afraid of what lies ahead when some of them survive. What horrible fate will befall them now if they've been given a reprieve?
All of these things continue to be present in book two. I've wept for the Golden One.. softened to the skinwitch.. and been emboldened by the actions of one taking back their power. I've been relieved and crushed again a moment later.. or vice versa.. at revelation after revelation.
I've also seen some things made clear.. finally.. that I've been suspecting for some time, but the final outcome eludes. I don't know what will happen.. only that it will continue to hurt along the way.. and that I cannot wait to experience that.
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01-29-24 / Sampler Review only (Full review coming soon): One thing I feel I can count on with a Kristoff title, is the author does nothing at half-measure. Empire of the Vampire was a bloody, beast of a tale.. and from this massive sampler alone.. I can tell Empire of the Damned is going to be another of its kind.
This story pulls no punches, but that's really another Kristoff trait I've come to count on. The sampler doesn't just tease and leave you before you've grown invested. Honestly, it reads like a small novel in its own right.
The situations are dire, the action sequences are controlled chaos, and at the core of the story.. the beating heart remains ever true. I loved getting a glimpse at how Dior and Gabe's relationship has evolved.. and I really enjoyed the tension filled dynamic between Gabe and some of the other characters at play here.
I am definitely eager to continue reading.. and I know it's going to be a hell of a ride....more
'The Night Mother,' the upcoming release from Bram Stoker Award Winning Author--John Everson, is a welcome trip down"Come on in and sin." Yes, please!
'The Night Mother,' the upcoming release from Bram Stoker Award Winning Author--John Everson, is a welcome trip down the erotic horror genre lane. This standalone follow-up to Everson's 'NightWhere,' is not for the squeamish.
Told in multi-pov, this book tracks the stories of a fallen angel and her lover Mark, his ex Rae and her lover the Midnight Queen, and a dominatrix named Cassie who finds her path merging with them all. The seemingly mythical underground bdsm club is always on the move and the only way in is by invitation, but getting out is even harder once NightWhere takes an interest in someone.
As the events play out, the scenes get more and more gruesome, and you will quickly realize Everson isn't bound by much in the way of limits. There are no safe words here, not for those being admitted beyond the walls of the club.. and not for any of us.
While this is fantastic for me, I know such graphic depictions can be difficult for others, so make sure you know what you're getting into before picking up the book. I discovered erotic horror via the old Hot Blood book series, so if you like those.. rest assured.. you will enjoy this too.
Scenes of violence and kink ramp up considerably over the course of the tale. The first few are relatively sedate in my experience, but they grow in scope and spectrum to a very gruesome, intense level.
Personally, I had a blast reading this book and I applaud Everson for being able to keep up the rather aggressive pacing he set throughout the entire story....more
Many things have been said about 'Den of Vipers' by K.A. Knight. Generally the consensus seems to be that it's the darkest smut people have read beforMany things have been said about 'Den of Vipers' by K.A. Knight. Generally the consensus seems to be that it's the darkest smut people have read before.. and to that I say.. maybe it's time to up your game.
Honestly, while there are some edgy scenes surrounding the demise of people here and there, the more intimate content is not that bad. The author certainly toys with dark possibilities, but she pulls her punches quite a bit.. dispelling the illusion of any real danger often before things get started.
Diesel had a ton of potential, but it was largely wasted due to that sort of.. neutering of his character. Ironically, Ryder gets better and better as the book goes on. I will say, the author gives great backstories. If she were able to properly break into those on a psychological and emotional level, they could be extremely moving. But that's not the point of this book.. and while it's a drawback, it doesn't really affect my opinion of the writing.
Roxy was a disappointment to me. I feel like if she'd been allowed to be the kind of resilient, sarcastic person she was at the core.. instead of being turned into some Harley Quinn caricature , I could have really liked her. She was still okay, but it just could have been so much more than that.
The story is written in multiple POV, but the author lacks the ability to do this well. Her idea of separating her characters comes down to changing their terms of endearment. Unfortunately, they all have the same narrative voice.. with no real distinction whatsoever. Frankly, the book would have benefitted from single or at worst.. dual perspective. Also, not every character in a room has to be addressed in every moment, it just bogs down the progress of the story.
Heaviness. That was a real problem with this book. It's long for a dark romance, I suppose.. but it only feels long because there's so much excess. Just.. a lot of wasted words that make it take so much longer to push yourself through than should be the case.
All that out of the way, I did find it decent. I enjoyed a few of the intimate scenes.. again, giving special mention to Ryder.. who is the only one that really got to loosen up slightly by the end. D should have been my favorite, but both of his big scenes were held back.
I'm glad I got to experience the book that has gotten so much attention in the last couple of years, but now I'm ready for someone to do it right. ...more
Inkslinger
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