After Empire of the Vampire was my top read last year, I was painfully nervous that this next book in the series wouldn't live up to my hopes. I obviously didn't have enough faith because the continual twists and heart-wrenching story frankly blew me away. Jay Kristoff has managed to continue to craft the perfect high-fantasy vampire gothic world in this next novel, full of dread and shimmers of hope.

Similar to the previous installment, this book manages to hold some incredibly dark, horrific, gothic, vampiric imagery in the prose that is gorgeously complemented by illustrations by the highly talented Bon Orthwick.

Something that I really appreciate about this work is that things get capital "B" Bad, many times throughout the story. Still, the theme of hope (no matter how small) continues to keep my heart from getting so heavy that reading the book feels like a humongous effort.

"ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴀᴅ ɪꜱ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ," ɪ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜᴇʀ. "ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴇᴇᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ ɪꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ. ᴛᴏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ɪꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴜᴛꜱᴛʀᴇᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀ ᴍɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ᴍɪʟᴇꜱ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ꜰᴀʟᴛᴇʀ, ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ꜰᴀʟʟ, ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴄᴜʀʟ ᴜᴘ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʙᴀʙᴇꜱ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴏɴᴇʟʏ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢɪʀʟ."

The relationships in this book, whether romantic, familial, or forged in battle, are tear-jerking and extremely real. The women are always written so dynamically, as are the men. 

"ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ. ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʙʟᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ, ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ, ᴡᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ꜰᴇᴡ ᴡʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴇᴅɢᴇꜱ ꜰɪᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴘᴜᴢᴢʟᴇ, ᴏʀ ꜱʜᴀʀᴅꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʟᴀᴅᴇ. ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡʜᴏ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴏᴜʀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ."

I may be biased because these themes just hit so right for me, but I can already tell it will be a challenge to surpass this one as my favorite read of the year (again!).