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eleasofia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
this book is my favorite of the entire series so far. i was immediately intrigued by armand when he was first introduced, so i had high expectations for this book and i wasn't disappointed. now, i'd even go so far as to say he's my favorite.
the book didn't feel long to me at all, and while the pacing fluctuated a little now and then, overall it didn't feel slow. i loved that the book didn't start out slow like some of the previous ones but plunged right into the story. i was immediately hooked from the very first page and finished it in what feels like no time at all.
armand's story is utterly heartbreaking but nevertheless fascinating in all its horrors. the bits and pieces that we already knew about him from the previous books make sense now, e.g., why he he lived miserably for 300 years in the paris' catacombs under the cemetery. it was hard to imagine what could've happened that lead him to decades of this pitiful existence, but i get it now.
we knew that armand had been trafficked and abused as a child, but that didn't prepare me for the extent of it. and from the previous books, it seemed like marius had saved him from that fate, but something about it seemed dubious, and well... dubious doesn't even begin to cover it. i'd recommend reading the content warnings of the book.
i loved learning more about armand's origin and development and how he became how he is at this point in the story. the complexity of his character is really fascinating.it was heartbreaking to see how the spirited, insolent, curious, and loving boy he still was, even after the trauma of being kidnapped and raped, was broken and brainwashed and ended up so utterly lost at the time when lestat met him in paris. he was well educated and sharp and still ended up in what i would call a cult, and turned from the abused one to the abuser. he is capable of unspeakable violence, as all the vampires are, yet i felt like he did it sparingly, though when he did something, it felt especially vicious. i still have so many questions about what he did to claudia. at one moment, he is so full of love, then the next he is cold and cruel. while marius was his saviour, he was also his abuser. and as twisted as it is, armand loved him. the horror of all that is ever present throughout the entire story, right up until the last chapter where he still calls marius "master". armand has suffered so much, and it was just interesting to read about how all of it has broken and shaped him.
i still don't care much for religion, and while it is a big part of this book - of armand's life and identity -as well, i found it a lot more interesting to read about from his perspective, to learn what it means to him and how it has shaped his life, compared to, for example, memnoch's endless monologue or lestat's conversations with gretchen. i still hope i don't ever have to read about the veil again. my god, i was so tired of it by the end.
i also really enjoyed the change of narrator. armand has a more matter-of-factly way of telling his story. he's gone though unspeakable horrors and he tells them exactly as he remembers they occurred, and tells the reader exactly how he felt in those moments and how he feels about all of it now, but he doesn't make it overly dramatic. it's even humorous at times. lestat has severely annoyed me again and again over the course of the previous books. i know it's part of his character design and it's part of what makes him so great, but sometimes he's just insufferable, so i really liked the switch.
the book didn't feel long to me at all, and while the pacing fluctuated a little now and then, overall it didn't feel slow. i loved that the book didn't start out slow like some of the previous ones but plunged right into the story. i was immediately hooked from the very first page and finished it in what feels like no time at all.
armand's story is utterly heartbreaking but nevertheless fascinating in all its horrors. the bits and pieces that we already knew about him from the previous books make sense now, e.g., why he he lived miserably for 300 years in the paris' catacombs under the cemetery. it was hard to imagine what could've happened that lead him to decades of this pitiful existence, but i get it now.
we knew that armand had been trafficked and abused as a child, but that didn't prepare me for the extent of it. and from the previous books, it seemed like marius had saved him from that fate, but something about it seemed dubious, and well... dubious doesn't even begin to cover it. i'd recommend reading the content warnings of the book.
i loved learning more about armand's origin and development and how he became how he is at this point in the story. the complexity of his character is really fascinating.
i still don't care much for religion, and while it is a big part of this book - of armand's life and identity -as well, i found it a lot more interesting to read about from his perspective, to learn what it means to him and how it has shaped his life, compared to, for example, memnoch's endless monologue or lestat's conversations with gretchen. i still hope i don't ever have to read about the veil again. my god, i was so tired of it by the end.
i also really enjoyed the change of narrator. armand has a more matter-of-factly way of telling his story. he's gone though unspeakable horrors and he tells them exactly as he remembers they occurred, and tells the reader exactly how he felt in those moments and how he feels about all of it now, but he doesn't make it overly dramatic. it's even humorous at times. lestat has severely annoyed me again and again over the course of the previous books. i know it's part of his character design and it's part of what makes him so great, but sometimes he's just insufferable, so i really liked the switch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Trafficking
peggy_racham's review against another edition
4.75
To keep your belief after forgeting your childhood and your parents. And it then almost destroying you.
Armands story is heartbreaking but I understand him so much better now.
Armands story is heartbreaking but I understand him so much better now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
menschmaschine's review against another edition
dark
sad
1.0
the first one hundred pages of this are pure unfettered pedophile slop. sorry not sorry! i wonder if this is what some people who haven't read lolita think lolita is. unfortunately it really feels like it's the part of the book that Rice put the most effort in.
part two combines in itself retellings of and refences to events from The Vampire Lestat and Memnoch The Devil, and it tells you that in about as direct of a manner as i just did. admittedly, this is my first Vampire Chronicles book (i'm a fan of Armand in the show...), so maybe if i'd read the five previous books i'd be more used to the way Rice uses the interview/chronicling framing device in the series, even if it is plain cheesy, but i have to say i'm not used to it now. some paragraphs in that part feel especially first draft-y and like they don't offer much to the narrative or our understanding of Armand's character.
part three is the most interesting: we see Armand in a really vulnerable state, and we see him connect with mortals in a way that to my knowledge seems special for the series. (convincing your fledgling to cut ties with the mortal world is, after all, a key part of the vampiric abuse playbook...) sadly, it feels very brief, and Armand's relationships with Sybelle and Benji are not fleshed out at all. but sure, we needed to know in detail how Mariuskissed Armand's body before sucking him off in a bathtub. before Armand was old enough to ejaculate. or how he jerks him off the time he does ejaculate for the first time. or how he whips his legs until he bleeds (which Armand notably stops enjoying because it gets too rough) because he's jealous Armand had sex with some different adult man.
if (when.) i go back and read all the books, do i think i'll eat my words upon rereading The Vampire Armand, having recognised some deep hidden genius inherent to Anne Rice's writing? no. no way. but did this generally unpleasant reading experience completely deter me from her twisted vampire visions? well, i guess not.
part two combines in itself retellings of and refences to events from The Vampire Lestat and Memnoch The Devil, and it tells you that in about as direct of a manner as i just did. admittedly, this is my first Vampire Chronicles book (i'm a fan of Armand in the show...), so maybe if i'd read the five previous books i'd be more used to the way Rice uses the interview/chronicling framing device in the series, even if it is plain cheesy, but i have to say i'm not used to it now. some paragraphs in that part feel especially first draft-y and like they don't offer much to the narrative or our understanding of Armand's character.
part three is the most interesting: we see Armand in a really vulnerable state, and we see him connect with mortals in a way that to my knowledge seems special for the series. (convincing your fledgling to cut ties with the mortal world is, after all, a key part of the vampiric abuse playbook...) sadly, it feels very brief, and Armand's relationships with Sybelle and Benji are not fleshed out at all. but sure, we needed to know in detail how Marius
if (when.) i go back and read all the books, do i think i'll eat my words upon rereading The Vampire Armand, having recognised some deep hidden genius inherent to Anne Rice's writing? no. no way. but did this generally unpleasant reading experience completely deter me from her twisted vampire visions? well, i guess not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
bunnypearl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Even with all the content warnings, I found this book much more enjoyable than the last couple volumes in the Vampire Chronicles. I always loved the character of Armand and delving further into his backstory was incredibly interesting, his demeanor and actions further explained by the past.
I thought his relationship with Marius, both mentally and physically, was well-written. Though the reality of it is far from beautiful, the way Rice writes it draws the reader into Armand's mind, making them believe (to an extent) that this love is something that can be perfectly attained--even if it takes a long while. Seeing him go from student to lover to hunter to something impossible to label...it's a long, strange process and Armand's development throughout the story makes this book one of my favorites in the Chronicles.
This story is definitely not for everyone and the content warnings should be checked before reading it, but I enjoyed The Vampire Armand much more than I anticipated.
I thought his relationship with Marius, both mentally and physically, was well-written. Though the reality of it is far from beautiful, the way Rice writes it draws the reader into Armand's mind, making them believe (to an extent) that this love is something that can be perfectly attained--even if it takes a long while. Seeing him go from student to lover to hunter to something impossible to label...it's a long, strange process and Armand's development throughout the story makes this book one of my favorites in the Chronicles.
This story is definitely not for everyone and the content warnings should be checked before reading it, but I enjoyed The Vampire Armand much more than I anticipated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
bordino's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
bythunder's review against another edition
Never have I ever read a book so deeply impossible to rate
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
cecilyroseceillam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
I enjoyed the vampire armand a lot, I do have a few criticisms though. It has quite a few weird pacing issues where the first half is extremely extremely slow and then the chapters get shorter and more stakes are involved and ideas/themes feel slightly rushed and then it becomes very slow paced again. I also feel like some things needed to be expanded on and or edited as some things feel very out of place. I also didn’t like the amount SA and CSA on the first two chapters even if it’s meant to be historically accurate. I loved the descriptions of Venice and Italy and Italy began to feel like a character itself which I enjoyed a lot. The way Anne described armand finding new technologies and clothes from that time period was beautiful to read also. I also loved the descriptions of the paintings armand and Marius did, it feel like you had climbed into the paintings and were a part of the colours and egg tempura. I also really appreciated the way this book clarified Memnoch the devil more, and linked back up to the vampire lestat in more detail and added some extra things to them as well as interview with the vampire. Overall I’d recommend the vampire armand if you want a quicker recap like story telling of a lot of history and don’t connect as much with Anne’s much longer, more historically depth work. And I also like that this book has some mystery elements too from armand history and some previous books which get uncovered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Cannibalism
raybudbury's review against another edition
I may come back to this one but I hate Marius so bad I can’t get through it even though I love Armand. I found out I HATE master/slave as a trope so I guess that’s nice to find out. But the amount of grooming. Also this is supposed to be the good time in Armand’s life yeah 🔫 Marius I have a gun at all times pointed at you. Like I get it it’s the Venetian period BUT Anne could have written this in a more critical way but she chose not to and you can see in this book and other books her feelings on that shit. I’ve been thinking about what I would’ve thought as a young teen and I’m lowkey glad I stopped reading after the third book because I should notttttt have read this book as a teen. Good job teen me. Anyway I’m being critical w it by not finishing this one cause I don’t have a gun to my head and I like to have fun Bianca’s comment on Marius and his boys slayed though. Get that freak.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
socialpsysteph's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
Well this book was a DNF but Chapter 4 and I am actually going to be DNFing the entire series since I haven't enjoyed the last 2 books I've read in it. This one I just couldn't continue. I have absolutely no desire to read about sexual relations between a grown-ass man and a child. No, thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Slavery
shellfish's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
While there isn't literal incest, a major relationship does have a pseudo-incestuous dynamic, i.e. a relationship between a minor and a father figure.