I’m back and ready to spill the book tea! This will be a long one, so buckle up. I swear I didn’t forget about this blog, but someone remind me not to kickstart a passion project within two weeks of moving again. Talk about STRESS-FUL. Thirty containers of books and a whole apartment packed and (almost) unpacked later, and I think I’m ready to dive back in.

Due to the past month’s chaos, I don’t have very much writing or book updates, but I do want to take the time to talk about the last book I read, Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff, and the wild story I have concerning it. TW: Parental Death. Alas, this is the time I met Jay Kristoff the day before my father’s funeral and my thoughts on Empire of the Damned.

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Some back story: I read Empire of the Vampire in the summer of 2022. I devoured it- like disgustingly devoured it. I’ve always loved Dark Fantasy, but this made me remember just how much. If half of the things I’ve read in fantasy books were real, it would be absolutely brutal, so I like it when fantasy keeps the human nature of things since life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Add vampires (with a hot and badass MMC), Christian-based fantasy, and a killer interview-esque-styled storytelling method, and it’s a recipe concocted just for me. I finished that book in a couple of days while working a full-time job (Like how? Who is she? I miss her!). I was so hooked. I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I read The Worst Day and Unmade. For the sake of my professional life, I cannot go into specifics of what made it so hilarious, but I do remember sobbing while trying to read through the tears while sitting on my boyfriend’s bed as he obliviously played CS:GO beside me. Long story short, once I shut that book, I could not shut up about it, and I was obsessed. 

I went to my dad, whom I got my love for reading and the fantasy genre from, and basically said, “Yo, drop Blade into a Christian fantasy where he finds the Holy Grail, and this would be the outcome!” Let me tell you, that man loved Blade and Jesus, so color him intrigued. I filled him in on it and pushed the book hard, and he was interested, but very focused on Wheel of Time at the moment since he had just got into the new show. 

Fast forward to when Jay started going on tour for EOTD. I snatched up tickets to his stop in Dallas on March 15, 2024, with no plan in sight despite genuinely dreading driving to Dallas from Houston. It is 5 hours on one straight road and the most boring drive ever. Most importantly, it was the day before my dad’s 55th birthday. I constantly talked about how excited I was to go, and he was happy for me, but as I said earlier, things aren't always sunshine and rainbows. My dad had been having breathing problems since mid-2023, and by this point, we found out he had both Myasthenia Gravis and ALS. He was fluctuating in health, but he never once wanted me to cancel my plans for the tour, so with his encouragement, I decided that when the day came, I’d make a day trip to Dallas and drive there and back for the event just so I wouldn’t miss my dad’s birthday weekend. That’s how bad I wanted to go, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me!

Alas, early in the morning on March 9th, a week before his birthday, my dad passed away in his sleep. He kept saying he wanted to be surrounded by everyone he loved on his birthday, so we made sure his celebration of life would be the same day. At this point, I was tempted to just not go, yet I remembered how adamant he was on me not canceling before, so I got my sad ass in the car and made that day trip to Dallas and eventually got back home at 5 AM only to get 2 hours of sleep before waking up for his service. It ended up being one of the biggest services and a weekend full of more fun and love than one could ever imagine in a situation like that. 

RIP Pops, you would’ve loved Deadpool x Wolverine! I dedicate this blog post and everything else I write to you, who fueled my curiosity, helped me get a Bachelor’s in English Lit at our dream college and made me the story-lover and writer I am today. I couldn’t have done it without you!

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Let’s get into the book!

I managed to get my hands on an arc of EOTD that I clearly didn’t get to read before the tour, and I was honestly kind of ashamed I hadn’t read it yet because those Q&As gave me fomo and I didn't like not knowing what happened yet, but that might’ve been for the best (not really, but let me be delusional for a moment here). The signing was at Half Price Books in Dallas, and it was the biggest HPB I’ve ever seen in my life. I was in heaven! He talked about so many things like Phoebe, Blood Dvyok, river placements on maps, his weapon physics, Long Live Evil - Sarah Rees Brennan, and honorary mention- Anne Rice. I just stood there listening like a fly on the wall.

  I bought A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, and Maktub by Paulo Coelho while waiting once the talk was over. Once I got to my turn in the signing line, which was almost at the end of the line at about 11PM because I got there late, I was kind of speechless and exhausted. I wanted to tell him how I never drive to Dallas for anyone or give the reason why I hadn’t read it yet and how my dad’s funeral was in the morning, but instead, I impulsively spat out my experience when I read The Worst Day and how [redacted], and he thought it was the funniest thing ever - i.e. the picture above. We chitchatted for a bit longer than I expected, and he was genuinely one of the nicest people, and it was one of the best book signing experiences I’ve ever had. 

Now, I finally mustered the strength to read it within the last month, and the way it ended had me spiraling! He wrote Deeds Not Words in my book he signed, and after finishing it, it’s on sight, Jay! I know it’s mostly Blood Dyvok in this book, but those mfs vamps were unhinged in the worst way, and Nikita’s unfortunately gorgeous self can BURN, and so can his sister Lilidth! I need book three now!

🚨Now entering spoiler territory🚨: 

That book one recap was a true gift. Authors need to do that more often! I try not to get emotionally attached to anyone Jay writes, but he makes it so hard not to. Just like his world-building, they’re always so well fleshed out! Also, on one of the most important notes, someone please take horses away from this man! And how dare he make Dior name her horse with him…

It started slow with a lot of traveling and “father/daughter” banter, but once a certain cougar entered the villa, I was up and alert. I LOVE Phoebe, and what a delight it was watching her story unfold. If she’s hot, powerful, and independently fierce with at least some good morals, call me easy. I loved learning more about her people and how they work. I know better with Jay’s books, but he damn near gave me a heart attack every couple of chapters with her, and seeing her and Gabe get close despite everything against them was so unexpectedly satisfying. Speaking of romance, Aaron and Baptiste? Their plotline was so heartbreaking and so precious. I love them and their story so much.

I was so excited to learn more about Celene, and I was not disappointed. She and the Esani are such a spooky enigma, and I’m dying to learn more about them in the finale. She’s such a mysterious character, and she clearly has so many secrets up until the very end. Seriously, her and Gabe’s beef is understandable, but so frustrating- I still can't believe she dropped him. The audible frustrations I yelled when they were fighting in the end had me heated. That was not the time nor place, and I was yelling for them to leave, and y'all wouldn't believe the gasp I gusped when Lilidth pulled that stunt. They lingered and fucked around for far too long. It made the Connor reveal so insignificant, and it low key hurt that I didn't care that much due to the Dior situation. It made the reveal about the curse feel so pointless for a second there. I speculated there could be some Resurrection Sunday-type stuff since she is literally a descendant, but the big reveal of it? CHEF’S KISS. 

Seriously, can we have some commotion for the artwork by Bon Orthwick? FANTASTIC! The art is such an amazing touch. That, plus the captivating storytelling method easily  push this series to be one of my favorite dark fantasy series of all time. I cannot wait for book three! I will crawl on glass for an arc, and I’ll eat it up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the second I get my hands on it! I have to figure out how this story ends!

I have my suspicions that their constant bickering was played up to distract the historian because it seems like they both have something up their sleeve, especially Celene’s and her intimidating self (or selves?). I do enjoy the historian and his freaky ass, but he and Chastain are ultimately holding them against their will, and I'm excited to see the present day situation, and how they'll get out of it, what the hell is going on with Dior, and Celene's true strength unleashed. Book three is gonna be a blast, and I'm curious to witness it all unfold!