Marsters’ narration combined with the fun feel of this novel makes its translation to audiobook seamless, and should win the authors whole new slew of loyal fans. With a lot of vicious Vampires and adventurous derring-do, the first installment of the Vampire Empire lives defies expectations and breaths new life into the Vampire subgenre. Quick Thoughts: The Greyfriar is a rollicking fun start to a series with great potential. Genre: Alternate History Steampunk Vampires I’m really looking forward to the next two.The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire Book One) by Clay and Susan Griffith I became really attached to the characters (I find myself thinking about them when I’m not reading). It had some over the top moments, but they were short and, in a way, worked with the tone.

There were hints about magic or powers coming up, so I’m interested about where that goes. I would have liked to see more world building (since it is alternative history), but since this one was so action focused, I’m assuming I’ll get more details in the sequels (it’s a planned trilogy). I could definitely see this as a Pirates of the Caribbean style movie. Princess Adele is a strong lead, and with the exception of a few out-of-place lines, doesn’t fit into any picture of a damsel in distress. But I don’t think you’re supposed to like him). It reads like the 30s and 40s Swashbuckling Errol Flynn movies, without any of the ridiculous posing (except from Senator Clark, Princess Adele’s fiancé. But a year after it came out, it was consistently getting 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads. A Princess is captured (by vampires), and then rescued by a masked man? It sounded too hokey and predictable to be good. I avoided this book when it first came out. Her only protector is The Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know.

Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire.

It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. Within two years, once great cities were shrouded by the grey empire of the vampire clans. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Review brought to you by OBS staff member Erin

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