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eleasofia's review
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
3.5
i enjoyed this a lot less than the previews books in the series. in general, the entire premise and storyline of the book felt so much less high-stakes and relevant. i really don't like it when the premise of a book is that the main character does something stupid while knowing that it's stupid and the consequences will be bad and then the book is just about the main character dealing with the very predictable and avoidable consequences. exploring what it would be like for a vampire, especially lestat, to be human again is somewhat intriguing, but i don't know if it needed to be told in this many words.
the beginning of the book was just dragging on. then the middle, i actually really disliked. i didn't care much for all of the religious talk. i really dislike feeling secondhand embarrassment on behalf of the characters in a book. at around 50% it became actually interesting and exciting again, so i really feel like it could've been condensed. i know that the previous books were also long and somewhat slow, but the history of the vampires and all that was happening felt high-stakes and important and i liked reading about it from multiple povs etc., but that just wasn't the case for this book.
also, i really disliked some of the things lestat did in this book. of course, the genre is horror, lestat is not supposed to be a "good" person and will do horrible things. the vampires drink blood and murder people constantly.but the rape by lestat really bothered me. unlike the rape by khayman in ancient times, i didn't feel like this was something that needed to happen for the plot. i didn't like the rape by khayman either, obviously, but it was only recounted as an event that had happened and led to a child being born, which was basically the beginning of the big family and important to the entire plot, and it was something that was forced by the circumstances and the time. and the entire chapter where lestat first becomes human again was just terrible to read. i know that it was probably intentional, that this chapter was supposed to show the reader that lestat is not "bad" because he is a vampire and it is his nature to drink blood and kill people, but that even as a human he is still easily capable of horrible acts. doesn't change that i still really disliked it.
nevertheless, i finished it, and i'm glad i did because i still plan on reading the rest of the series.
the beginning of the book was just dragging on. then the middle, i actually really disliked. i didn't care much for all of the religious talk. i really dislike feeling secondhand embarrassment on behalf of the characters in a book. at around 50% it became actually interesting and exciting again, so i really feel like it could've been condensed. i know that the previous books were also long and somewhat slow, but the history of the vampires and all that was happening felt high-stakes and important and i liked reading about it from multiple povs etc., but that just wasn't the case for this book.
also, i really disliked some of the things lestat did in this book. of course, the genre is horror, lestat is not supposed to be a "good" person and will do horrible things. the vampires drink blood and murder people constantly.
nevertheless, i finished it, and i'm glad i did because i still plan on reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood
iiitspiper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Racism
creatureof_nature's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
kanjichris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
peggy_racham's review
4.25
What would you give up to be mortal again?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
retrotrash's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
greylagoon's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
simsplayer30's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book starts off slow with Lestat explaining how he got into his situation. Once it starts flowing, you can get into it. Anne Rice has some scenes that aren’t exactly cool now, but the book is an enjoyable read. Lestat is still his impulsive and mood swinging self. We get to know David Talbot more with a glimpse of others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
lesbophone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
aside from the poorly aged racism and kind of bizarre misogyny this was fun :) mostly there are a handful of scenes i can’t wait to see in amc’s adaptation. also i loved the dog <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
juliasalazando's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It could’ve all been avoid if Lestat’s dumb ass decided to think for a second about the decisions he’s going to make and the consequences of them before making any move. I thought some parts really dragged out. I have little patience for Anne’s thoughts and questions on God, good and evil in this book, although I feel like she has done it successfully in precious book. Although the plot in itself is quite different and interesting, I really like the body stealing and astral projecting and even David Talbot’s distorted version of Candomblé, in order to get to the action it sure takes a while. I dislike half of the characterization she gives to Lestat in this book. I don’t get her obsession with non-consensual things, but I understand that this is a difficult and dark character: Lestat is both, the hero and the villain and Anne is obsessed with him. If you’re a person sensitive to depictions of sexual assault, I’d say to go in with care. Overall, this is the weakest book of the 4 I’ve read so far, yet is still an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault