Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

50 reviews

snerp_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

I found this book to be very entertaining, and though they have their literary weaknesses, I quite liked the characters. The tension between the main cast was palpable, if a bit rushed. (However, this may be because of the 'recalling memories' style of telling a story) The use of an interviewer-intervewie narrative added to the atmosphere, the interviewer's naivety of the story working as a classic stand-in for the reader, making it a good introduction to a series. 

However, I had a few issues with the word and portrayal choices within the story.

The biggest issue for me was the characterization of Claudia, who seemed to be treated as an adult while being described as a child. This could have been a good way to explore the effect of vampirism on a growing mind stuck in an eternally small body, which I suspect is what Rice was going for, but her portrayal of Claudia came across as more uncomfortable than anything. Louis and Claudia are specifically described as father and daughter throughout the book, and Louis met her when she was just five years old, but Rice soon begins trying to implement a strange psuedo-romantic relationship between them, which comes off as gross in every way possible.

I don't think it was executed well at all, and I have to remove a star for this reason. 

My more brief issue was the description of a mass killing of vampires as "the Holocaust", which is a very distasteful choice, for multiple reasons.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story, and will continue reading the series. If you can get past the portrayal of Claudia, you may also really like this book as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

Minor: Genocide, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Antisemitism

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book hits a lot more differently now than when I read it seventeen years ago. Just because I can see the cracks does not mean that the spell has been broken. It lives in my heart, forever and always.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Drug use, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Claudia as a five year old adds a disturbing layer to her scenes involving intimacy and violence, there is biting galore, property damage is imminent, and the complexity of destructive relationships (both with ourselves and others) is at the heart of the novel.

wrensandroses's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

lulubeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death of parent

penguuu's review against another edition

Way too long, way too slow, none of the characters are likeable, I couldn't do it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Just, bad.

michayla13's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Grief

I enjoyed reading this book but it was far from good. There’s a horribly written incest/pedophelia plot which seems more romanticized than condemned in any way. It feels very sloppily written as well. If you’re looking for a book to read based purely on vibes, then this book is okay, but try not to think too hard while reading it.

acogna's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

4.0

Disturbing, uncomfortable, unsettling, and dark. In all, an excellent horror. Also, Anne Rice's writing is a huge coin flip of a bet but some of the sentences here were so decadently beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Slavery

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Interview With the Vampire was not what I expected. For whatever reason I thought it's be suave and golden, when really it was cold and sorrowful. I found the middle very much dragged for me, even up until the final 40 pages. A relationship between the protagonist and their closest friend is a strange one and I know it's supposed to be, but it toes a strange line. Don't get me wrong - Anne Rice can write some incredibly poetic lines. Every once in a while I caught glimpses of the heart of the matter and Rice's ruminations on eternity and love, but they were seen through the haze of conversations that circled around and lengthy traveling. 7/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Gore

crowpeaches's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Interview with the Vampire is a good book and has interestin  things to say regarding spirituality and death, though despite it being the point, it's a bit too drawn out and ponderous, with Louis becoming extremely irritating and whingey toward the end. The atmosphere in the book is excellent and the writing is seductive - that being said the relationship between Claudia and Louis made me feel extremely uncomfortable at points.
Final thought is Lestat is a brilliant character and I wish there'd been more of him, which may motivate me to read more Lestat books in the overall series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, and Violence

jessthanthree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol