faith_bookluvr's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
goldwillow's review against another edition
2.0
So we get ALLLL the way through this book only to have the main character flip a switch and basically act contrary to how she was the entire book. NOT AMUSED
leasaurusrex's review against another edition
3.0
La première chose qui me vient à l'esprit concernant ce livre c'est... Que ce fût long !
Je ne m'attendais pas à un tel pavé et honnêtement j'ai été assez déçue devant l'inégalité du roman.
Il y a des passages vraiment intéressants, pesants, glauques, et ce sont ceux que j'ai préféré lire car ils apportaient un peu de profondeur à ce qui m'a paru être une fable facile et "cul-cul-la-praline".
Le reste du temps honnêtement, j'ai passé mon temps à attendre qu'un éclair de génie nous arrive entre les lignes.
Effectivement, il y a bien eu des éclairs, mais de lointains éclairs. On voit leur potentiel, on se dit que ça va être énorme, mais au final c'est très fugace et il ne se passe rien de plus.
Au départ emballée par l'idée de m'embarquer dans une trilogie, je vais finalement m'arrêter là et me contenter de ce premier opus. Les sorcières me fascinent, mais je ne pense pas avoir trouvé le bon livre pour approfondir le sujet.
Je ne m'attendais pas à un tel pavé et honnêtement j'ai été assez déçue devant l'inégalité du roman.
Il y a des passages vraiment intéressants, pesants, glauques, et ce sont ceux que j'ai préféré lire car ils apportaient un peu de profondeur à ce qui m'a paru être une fable facile et "cul-cul-la-praline".
Le reste du temps honnêtement, j'ai passé mon temps à attendre qu'un éclair de génie nous arrive entre les lignes.
Effectivement, il y a bien eu des éclairs, mais de lointains éclairs. On voit leur potentiel, on se dit que ça va être énorme, mais au final c'est très fugace et il ne se passe rien de plus.
Au départ emballée par l'idée de m'embarquer dans une trilogie, je vais finalement m'arrêter là et me contenter de ce premier opus. Les sorcières me fascinent, mais je ne pense pas avoir trouvé le bon livre pour approfondir le sujet.
sk_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
katielanza's review against another edition
2.0
The writing is interesting in that it is very descriptive in every setting, experience, and character that comes up. However, a lot of the details are unnecessary in that they serve no purpose of enlightening the reader of anything important or practical. This, in turn, leaves a lot of unfinished points in the story. An open-ended novel, which perhaps makes it more interesting for the reader, and is in fact the best choice. However, by the end, I felt that there were many parts that still required explaining, which the epilogue did not do. It seemed like a half-hearted and tired attempt by Rice to clear up a few things and perhaps make the reader feel more hopeful, which the author should not feel like they have to do.
emjuddz's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book! With it being my first Anne Rice novel, I had no idea what to expect going in, and all I can say is WOW. This is one seriously epic, meticulously crafted saga.
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The characters were very complex, very alive, very believable. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’d assumed Rice’s characters wouldn’t show much depth, but I’m wholly happy to announce I was proven wrong! I’m not going to say too, too much about specific characters as I don’t want to give anything away, but relating a long ancestral line in a way that makes each of the dozens of relatives stand out with their own personalities is a stunning feat.
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Now—I will say that the File on the Mayfair Witches sections got a little long. However, having finished the book, I agree that this information is necessary, and the detached tone it’s told with adds to the air of mystery. Don’t skip it or wish it away! You’ll be glad for it later on.
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In short, Anne Rice blew my mind. The Witching Hour was seriously creepy from start to finish, and I’m dying to read the next one!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The characters were very complex, very alive, very believable. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’d assumed Rice’s characters wouldn’t show much depth, but I’m wholly happy to announce I was proven wrong! I’m not going to say too, too much about specific characters as I don’t want to give anything away, but relating a long ancestral line in a way that makes each of the dozens of relatives stand out with their own personalities is a stunning feat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now—I will say that the File on the Mayfair Witches sections got a little long. However, having finished the book, I agree that this information is necessary, and the detached tone it’s told with adds to the air of mystery. Don’t skip it or wish it away! You’ll be glad for it later on.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In short, Anne Rice blew my mind. The Witching Hour was seriously creepy from start to finish, and I’m dying to read the next one!
crimsonpermanentassurance's review against another edition
4.0
I first read this book when I was in my early teens, and it was interesting to observe that while the book has remained the same, the reader has changed over 20 years. My then-self would have rated this a solid five stars, while now, I give it a soft 4.
What has remained the same is the delight in the sheer gothic juiciness of this sprawling book. It truly is southern gothic at its finest.
As an adult, certain things were far more horrifying to me that strangely didn't phase my younger self at all. I also came to empathize with Carlotta Mayfair a whole lot more as an adult.
It was a real trip down memory lane - not just revisiting old characters and fictional events, but the sense memory of where I was (physically and emotionally) the first time I read it: It was over the course of maybe a week during summer vacation, on the outdoor swing of our yard. I remember the sound of cicadas and crickets, and the heat of summer. This time, it took months, in bites, before falling asleep at night, and as a result, it just didn't resonate as strongly as it did that first time.
What has remained the same is the delight in the sheer gothic juiciness of this sprawling book. It truly is southern gothic at its finest.
As an adult, certain things were far more horrifying to me
Spoiler
the incest, rape, and genetic breeding of a monsterIt was a real trip down memory lane - not just revisiting old characters and fictional events, but the sense memory of where I was (physically and emotionally) the first time I read it: It was over the course of maybe a week during summer vacation, on the outdoor swing of our yard. I remember the sound of cicadas and crickets, and the heat of summer. This time, it took months, in bites, before falling asleep at night, and as a result, it just didn't resonate as strongly as it did that first time.
midrel's review against another edition
2.0
This is really as deeply enthralling as it is a deeply flawed book. The book begins at its strongest, little by little building the mystique and mystery of Deirdre and Antha and the house and the phantom called Lasher. And this is probably what it does best, establishing a fascinating setting that promises an exquisite gothic story to come.
Only, such never happens.
Momentum immediately peters down as we are tossed into Michael's curry point of view and past. This is, for the most part, an odious, terrible bore, and the fact I willed myself to read through it is nothing short of a miracle. I'd not blame anyone in a million years for not having the same patience.
Unfortunately, even when we are outside of that mire, things don't really improve. Rowan and Michael are frankly boring characters, and though I was eager to see how the plot would affect them, everything was ultimately a letdown because instead of rising to the quality of the plot and setting, those two petered down to the same bland quality of the characters, right down to the unsatisfying and unremarkable ending.
Honestly, it feels like Rowan and Michael's story was just an excuse, a frame story to write about the line of the Mayfair witches, which is what really interested the author. If so, I wish she had just focused wholly on it. As it is, the historical archive on the Mayfair witches is probably the best part of the novel, along with the very beginning, but the style it is written it makes it drag at numerous points.
If it had been written as a novel proper, it'd have been marvelous.
Alas. As it is, I cannot in good conscience give this more than two stars for the horrendous mismatch of potential and wasted possibility.
Only, such never happens.
Momentum immediately peters down as we are tossed into Michael's curry point of view and past. This is, for the most part, an odious, terrible bore, and the fact I willed myself to read through it is nothing short of a miracle. I'd not blame anyone in a million years for not having the same patience.
Unfortunately, even when we are outside of that mire, things don't really improve. Rowan and Michael are frankly boring characters, and though I was eager to see how the plot would affect them, everything was ultimately a letdown because instead of rising to the quality of the plot and setting, those two petered down to the same bland quality of the characters, right down to the unsatisfying and unremarkable ending.
Honestly, it feels like Rowan and Michael's story was just an excuse, a frame story to write about the line of the Mayfair witches, which is what really interested the author. If so, I wish she had just focused wholly on it. As it is, the historical archive on the Mayfair witches is probably the best part of the novel, along with the very beginning, but the style it is written it makes it drag at numerous points.
If it had been written as a novel proper, it'd have been marvelous.
Alas. As it is, I cannot in good conscience give this more than two stars for the horrendous mismatch of potential and wasted possibility.
coreyk's review against another edition
5.0
I've loved this book for a long time. Glad I decided to read it again now that I'm in my 20s. The history of the Mayfair Witches alone is worth the read. Can't wait to read Lasher and Taltos (I haven't read either) and check out more Anne Rice.