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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Some wonderful settings and gorgeous atmosphere here but the book is so entrenched in incest you start feeling mucky every time you see the title. I finished it because I wanted to see how she ended it, but it wasn’t worth the torture. The house is fantastic though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Slavery
I'm a big Anne Rice fan but this was really dull. Not so much the plot but the style of writing, continually going into detail about who said what and where info came from made it slow and excruciating reading. The drug assisted incestuous rapes being romanticised was really gross too - although Anne Rice is known for portraying rape as erotic and positive. I gave up soon after in a truly rare did-not-finish. Even worse, this is the first of a trilogy! Including a family tree would have made it a whole lot easier to keep track of the generations and characters too. But the time I gave up I no longer cared about what happened to anyway. Early on I found the character of Michael really irritating, and dull, his "character" seems more a bunch of achievements and events than actually personality. At least Rowan had personality.
Around page 840-something was a 5 page summary of the plot so far which honestly is better reading than the original.
Around page 840-something was a 5 page summary of the plot so far which honestly is better reading than the original.
More like 1,5 stars.
I obviously remember the writings of Anne Rice through really thick rose-tinted glasses, because I expected to, at the very least, think it was an ok read. But I didn't. I just found myself in a deep brown puddle of Rice attempting to make paedophilia sexy and romanticise sexual assault between long stretches of... eh... pieces of a love story? A tragic family saga?
I feel like I'm missing something vital here, but truth be told I'm not too interested in actively searching for what that is after finally having dragged myself through this 1200-page brick.
I obviously remember the writings of Anne Rice through really thick rose-tinted glasses, because I expected to, at the very least, think it was an ok read. But I didn't. I just found myself in a deep brown puddle of Rice attempting to make paedophilia sexy and romanticise sexual assault between long stretches of... eh... pieces of a love story? A tragic family saga?
I feel like I'm missing something vital here, but truth be told I'm not too interested in actively searching for what that is after finally having dragged myself through this 1200-page brick.
Writing style had it hard for me to follow and understand. I don't want to have to reread a few sentences or paragraphs just to be able to follow the plot.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I watched The Mayfair Witches S1 on Netflix recently and liked it. I wanted to keep the story going by reading the book... Little did I know, it was a 1000 page book=50+ hours of listening.
I sold my soul to The Witching Hourbfor 3 weeks to finish...
IMO, it was too long. I truly didn't care for the middle third of the book that talks about the entire witch history dating back to the 1700s. It was excessive and long winded. It felt like I was reading/listening to a history book.
Whenever Rowan and Micheal were present, I was present. However, I think I enjoyed the show much more.
I sold my soul to The Witching Hourbfor 3 weeks to finish...
IMO, it was too long. I truly didn't care for the middle third of the book that talks about the entire witch history dating back to the 1700s. It was excessive and long winded. It felt like I was reading/listening to a history book.
Whenever Rowan and Micheal were present, I was present. However, I think I enjoyed the show much more.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Im not mad I read it. I got enough enjoyment out of it to stick with it until the end. But its Way too long and the pacing is… not good. The best parts of the book were ‘ooo spooky old house! Creepy old family! Family curse??’ And then once we get the full geneology and rundown of all those mysteries… kinda lost me tbh.
I wouldnt read the next one even if i hadnt already watched a full plot breakdown of it. Anywhere the story goes after this isnt anywhere i want to be. I dont like the characters enough to follow them either (shrug)
I wouldnt read the next one even if i hadnt already watched a full plot breakdown of it. Anywhere the story goes after this isnt anywhere i want to be. I dont like the characters enough to follow them either (shrug)
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anne Rice really should have stopped writing after The Queen of the Damned.