Scan barcode
A review by armandulac
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
As I stated in my review for Interview with the Vampire, I am reading this books mainly as a fan of the AMC+ show, and that absolutely changes how I view these books compared to someone who is coming to them independently. So, take this into account when reading my review!
Okay, so The Vampire Lestat is like. Vastly different from Interview with the Vampire. Lestat's perspective/writing style is very different from Louis' that we get in the previous book- that I know I sort of complained about in my last review. I take it back. Lestat's writing style can be very fast, and it does not go on those long, ponderings that Louis often does in the previous book. Instead, Lestat will write a lot about the scenery of wherever and whatever he is focused on. I think that his writing style led to me not enjoying the book as much, since he rarely focuses on the new characters of this story that are introduced, which led me to not connecting with them as much as I did the characters from IWTV. Because so much of the book focuses on new characters, this makes it hard to connect to the larger narrative. I felt like it was difficult for me to connect with Nicki and Gabrielle specifically, especially because Lestat doesn't spend much time on his relationship with Nicki besides moments here and there. Also, there was entirely too much time spent on Marius.
There were portions of this book that I did really enjoy though! Anytime Anne Rice writes a scene with vampires in a church, I lose my mind. It is well done, every single time and I really enjoy the religious imagery (like the beggar woman and baby in Notre Dame). Seeing Armand in this book and hearing his story was so fascinating, and it really helped put into perspective the Armand we see in IWTV and why he sought out Louis (and Claudia) as well as why that relationship comes to an end. I do appreciate all of the vampire lore that we get from this book as well. In IWTV, the vampire lore is not a focus or not something Louis understands, and this book gives us the TVC vampires that I am familiar with from the show. Also, it really shows just how much Lestat was hiding from Louis and Claudia in New Orleans because damn. He knew like everything. I thought Marius' advice was about the only interesting thing from that section, and it connected for me why Lestat turned Louis and why he avoids returning to Europe/Greece in the show.I really enjoyed the epilogues, they were fast paced, gave us Lestat's perspective on IWTV, provided Armandstat fighting which I love, Louis coming back (!!), and Lestat the rockstar performing and fighting like every vampire. The ending was a lot of fun, even if the way Lestat writes it can be cringe at times.
It may seem by looking at these paragraphs that there are more moments I enjoyed than those I didn't, but what isn't really shown is that the portions I did not like took up a majority of the book so sometimes it felt like a slog to get through. It sucks, because I think this book is necessary to understand the lore and Lestat and there was potential, but the characters I loved from the last book have such little presence that it is difficult to get through if you don't love Lestat. Which, maybe you do! I am just terribly neutral on him.
Queen of the Damned was the light at the end of the tunnel for me, so I am incredibly excited to read it next!
Okay, so The Vampire Lestat is like. Vastly different from Interview with the Vampire. Lestat's perspective/writing style is very different from Louis' that we get in the previous book- that I know I sort of complained about in my last review. I take it back. Lestat's writing style can be very fast, and it does not go on those long, ponderings that Louis often does in the previous book. Instead, Lestat will write a lot about the scenery of wherever and whatever he is focused on. I think that his writing style led to me not enjoying the book as much, since he rarely focuses on the new characters of this story that are introduced, which led me to not connecting with them as much as I did the characters from IWTV. Because so much of the book focuses on new characters, this makes it hard to connect to the larger narrative. I felt like it was difficult for me to connect with Nicki and Gabrielle specifically, especially because Lestat doesn't spend much time on his relationship with Nicki besides moments here and there. Also, there was entirely too much time spent on Marius.
There were portions of this book that I did really enjoy though! Anytime Anne Rice writes a scene with vampires in a church, I lose my mind. It is well done, every single time and I really enjoy the religious imagery (like the beggar woman and baby in Notre Dame). Seeing Armand in this book and hearing his story was so fascinating, and it really helped put into perspective the Armand we see in IWTV and why he sought out Louis (and Claudia) as well as why that relationship comes to an end. I do appreciate all of the vampire lore that we get from this book as well. In IWTV, the vampire lore is not a focus or not something Louis understands, and this book gives us the TVC vampires that I am familiar with from the show. Also, it really shows just how much Lestat was hiding from Louis and Claudia in New Orleans because damn. He knew like everything. I thought Marius' advice was about the only interesting thing from that section, and it connected for me why Lestat turned Louis and why he avoids returning to Europe/Greece in the show.
It may seem by looking at these paragraphs that there are more moments I enjoyed than those I didn't, but what isn't really shown is that the portions I did not like took up a majority of the book so sometimes it felt like a slog to get through. It sucks, because I think this book is necessary to understand the lore and Lestat and there was potential, but the characters I loved from the last book have such little presence that it is difficult to get through if you don't love Lestat. Which, maybe you do! I am just terribly neutral on him.
Queen of the Damned was the light at the end of the tunnel for me, so I am incredibly excited to read it next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest