Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

27 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.

izypup's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.75

The last twenty pages were I honestly the best out of the whole book. The obsession with childlike innocence and it being ‘sensual’ to the vampires reads off more pedophilic than symbolic. The vague homoeroticism didn’t make me care about the characters and the majority of the book was a drag. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, and Excrement

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

singalana's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

Anne Rice ensimmäinen julkaistu romaani on klassikko vampyyrikirjallisuuden ystäville. Kirja kertoo vampyyri Louisin tarinan, ja tutustumme myös Rice tunnetuimpaan hahmoon: vampyyri Lestatiin. Kaksikon suhde on kaukana harmonisesta. 

Vaikka kirjaa pidetään kauhuna, kovin kauhea se ei ole. Enimmäkseen kirjassa seurataan Louisin kamppailua itsensä ja omien moraalikäsitystensä kanssa. Sinällään kirja etenee kovin verkkaisesti ja hyvin mietteliääseen tapaan. Vaikka Louis kavahtaa pahuutta, hän on kuitenkin kykenevä myös julmuuteen. Mikäli pitää mietiskelevästä kerrontatyylistä ja moraalisista pohdinnoista, kirja on kiehtovaa luettavaa, mutta toiminnan ystäville teos voi olla liian hidastempoinen. 

Etenkin kirjan loppupuolella on vähän toistoa, mikä alkoi häiritä. Itse olisin toivonut vähän enemmän toimintaa, eikä Louis ole kovin kiinnostava ja aktiivinen hahmo. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

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

emmathebookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I have no idea how to describe the things this book made me feel, but let’s just say I needed a moment when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

loustat__'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition

There's only so much casual pedophilia I can take. I tried to finish just to finish. I can briefly tolerate  that Louie is an unreliable narrator and begrudgingly read through it even though he doesn't seem to show any character growth in the hundreds of years since he was a bored, unthinking plantation owner who cared more about capitalism than the humanity of the people who worked his land. I just couldnt do it for nearly 300 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

nerdkitten's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, and Colonisation