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Kelly

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Kelly is Currently Reading

Kelly is currently reading

The Adventure Zone Vol. 2: Murder on the Rockport Limited!

by Clint McElroy

bookshelves: funny, worth-a-reread, currently-reading

read in October 2019

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Oct 24, 2019 06:49PM

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Startlement: New and Selected Poems

by Ada Limon (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 20, 2025 02:56PM

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Empire of the Damned (Empire of the Vampire, #2)

by Jay Kristoff (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: netgalley, currently-reading

read in March 2024

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Kelly said: " I re-read Empire of the Vampire before diving in to this (most recent) installment. I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time through. My original review of that book claims that it's Kristoff at his best, and I stand by that. It's a solid, h I re-read Empire of the Vampire before diving in to this (most recent) installment. I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time through. My original review of that book claims that it's Kristoff at his best, and I stand by that. It's a solid, heavy-hitting work of epic fantasy. The re-read took me longer than I expected, but SO MUCH happens, and it's a journey worth dedicating your time to.

When I started Empire of the Damned, I expected it to take me just as long as EotV. However, my journey through this book felt much shorter. I'm not sure if that's based on literal time spent reading, since I don't time myself when reading books, or if it's because of the content. There are lots of adventures in this book, but I still got to the end and felt like I (and the characters) really hadn't gotten anywhere.

EotD picks up where EotV left off. We follow Gabriel as he attempts to deliver the Grail to someone who will be able to help end daysdeath. Of course, this goes about as well as you'd expect. (There is another book in the trilogy, you know, so resolution can't come just yet.) Gabriel's thirst is getting worse, his religious trauma and resentment are just as present as they were in the first volume, and he's scared of losing yet another person who's important to him. Those internal struggles are, in my opinion, the best parts of this book (well, those and Gabe's banter with the Grail).

After so many of the vibrant characters from volume one were lost, I expected to be introduced to a new colorful cast. However, there are minimal new characters in this book, and they fell flat for me. I can't say much more without running the risk of spoilers, but I really wanted some new well-rounded characters and felt like I had to settle for a rather two-dimensional supporting cast this time around.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the trilogy's conclusion, because I am very invested in the outcome of this saga. I need to know what happens with the tension between Gabriel and his interviewer. I need to know what's up with the moth (moths?) fluttering around the captive's tower. I need to know what happens to the Grail.

I'd still recommend this book, though not as wholeheartedly as book one.

Note: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. ...more "

Mar 20, 2024 06:34AM · see review

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Kelly’s Quotes

“It didn’t matter where you were, if you were in a room full of books you were at least halfway home.”
― Lev Grossman, The Magician's Land

320 likes

“There's no such thing as a soulmate...and who would want there to be? I don't want half of a shared soul. I want my own damn soul.”
― Rachel Cohn, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

38 likes

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

tags: read, readers, reading, reading-books

35636 likes

“Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial.”
― George Saunders

1627 likes

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”
― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

tags: inspirational, story-teller, storytelling, your-gift

2495 likes

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