Review – The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire, Book 3) by Clay and Susan Griffith (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 374 pages
Publisher: Pyr
Release Date: September 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-1616146740
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Vampire Empire series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the concluding novel in the Vampire Empire trilogy. It was an excellent end to the series. Lots of wonderful action, some romance, and epic battles. These are some great characters in a truly creative world.

Adele is launching an all out attack on the Northern European vampires. She is set on using her Geomancy to its fullest to save lives and reduce combat time. At her side helping support her cause is Gareth as the Greyfriar. As the war continues Gareth realizes he might make a larger difference by leaving Greyfriar behind and stepping up to claim his birthright.

This book is very well balanced. There is a well thought out and detailed world that is creative and interesting. The characters are likable and easy to engage with. There are lots of excellent military/battle scenes but also lots of tender scenes between Adele and Gareth. This book seamlessly blends steampunk themes with epic fantasy.

Adele and Gareth continue to be very well done characters. Adele is strong and smart and does what she has to for her country. Your heart goes out to her and Gareth and their star-crossed love, especially since with the war moving at a faster pace Adele has to use her Geomancy power more than ever which makes it so that Gareth can’t be near her without being in pain. It was pretty awesome to see Adele finally embrace her Geomancy.

Gareth continues to be a complex and interesting character who is completely and absolutely loyal to Adele. He grew a lot as a character in this story and finally begins to realize that his birthright allows him a lot of power to influence the war between vampires and humans.

The side characters are all very well done. Anhalt is loyal and completely supportive of Adele; he is one of the few who truly understands what she is dealing with. We learn a lot more about Mamoru and some of the decisions he makes feature strongly in the plot as well. Cesare doesn’t have a ton of page space but Flay does, and she has an interesting role to play in things.

This is a long book, but it doesn’t feel like it when you read it. I am not a huge fan of war-based storylines, but this book completely sucked me in. The writing it so well done and so easy to read. Everything is just in perfect balance.

So you want to know if Adele and Gareth get their fairy tale ending? Well I can’t you that without spoiling the book, but let’s just say I think readers will be pleased with how things are left. Things end in a way that I thought was plausible and, while up beat,wasn’t completely fairy tale unrealistic.

Overall an excellent conclusion to this series. I can’t wait to see what the Griffiths come up with next. If you are a fan of epic fantasy check this series out. If you are a fan of steampunk check this series out. It is a very creative and engaging series that balances action, politics, war, and romance incredibly well. Highly recommended.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge
– Steampunk Reading Challenge