DRC *Sampler* Review: Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff
- Story Eater
- Oct 21
- 3 min read
Release date: 4 November 2025
Book Boxes/SE's: Illumicrate, Goldsboro, BN Exclusive
Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author of the Empire of the Vampire and Empire of the Damned, Jay Kristoff, comes the epic conclusion to the #1 internationally bestselling series.
From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.
Gabriel de León has lost his family, his faith, and the last hope of ending the endless night—his surrogate daughter, Dior. With no thought left but vengeance, he and a band of loyal brothers journey into the war-torn heart of Elidaen to claim the life of the Forever King.
Unbeknownst to the Last Silversaint, the Grail still lives—speeding towards the besieged capital of Augustin in the frail hope of ending Daysdeath. But deadly treachery awaits within the halls of power, and the Forever King’s legions march ever closer. Gabriel and Dior will be drawn into a final battle that will shape the very fate of the Empire, but as the sun sets for what may the last time, there will be no one left for them to trust.
Not even each other.
Review
I'll start with the assertion that, though I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (though review copies do mean reviews), I was not at all impressed that, when I opened the DRC from St. Martin's Press (thank you, SMP, don't ghost me, please), I would not be reading and reviewing a complete copy but only a 20% sampler of the book. Boo. Hiss. I can't very well rate a book that I haven't read in its entirety. I'll leave a review of the first 170 pages or so of this 800 page doorstop; but where I'm not forced to, there won't be a star rating. Anyhoo, onward.
Kristoff writes well but like a diesel engine. The story takes a while to get warmed up, but when it gets going, it can go for a long while, especially under heavy loads. Unfortunately, the prose here in the analogy is not as efficient. Just the sampling, about 160 pages or so, absolutely drags until the last few pages, when a whole slew of action goes down, and then the first part ends in a cliffhanger. It's a psychological technique used by written and visual entertainers for years. While I love a good cliffhanger, I feel it must be preceded by consistent pacing and a wholly unboring lead-up. That did not happen here.
I still don't like the Interview with the Vampire format. I thought perhaps we'd be out of that slog by now, but it seems we're stuck in it until the bitter end, and with another second-hand (or third-hand?) narrator besides. The conflict in the first part felt formulaic, rushed, and too conveniently concluded. Why do I keep reading? Well, this book happens to occupy a lot of conversation in all interfaces of the book world. I've been asked in book sections in grocery stores, retail stores, schools, etc. about books; and I've been able to respond informatively and not from ignorance. I can't tell you how aggravating it is to hear folks talk up or down a book who haven't even read it.
All that asserted, I won't tell people not to read it. I will say the content is not agreeable to me and leave it up to the other human listening/reading to decide. For readers who don't like explicit content of any kind, this book is full of it, so proceed with informed caution.
My thanks to St. Martin's Press for the DRC SaMpLe for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.
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