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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
ultimately i thought this was just okay. periods of enjoyment and periods of boredom. turns out i really liked lestat’s narration in TVL and i missed him greatly in this one
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
the devils minion chapter...thats peak romantic horror right there. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since those 45 or so pages ended - I am soooo excited to see it come to life in the show!
rice’s vampires don’t turn into animals, but I love how maharet’s ‘vision’ as a vampire is reminiscent of bat echolocation. this coupled with references to dracula’s daughter and other classic vampire media is very well done.
& I know that akasha is like the worlds biggest hypocrite (and the world’s biggest misandrist/gender essentialist) after what she did to/let happen to maharet and mekare, but at some point you just gotta sympathize with her because she was listening to marius blather for literal centuries. I’d go crazy too. that vampire is insufferable!
and the last couple of lines? that was foreplay for louis and lestat. I know what they did in the sky afterwards.
& I know that akasha is like the worlds biggest hypocrite (and the world’s biggest misandrist/gender essentialist) after what she did to/let happen to maharet and mekare, but at some point you just gotta sympathize with her because she was listening to marius blather for literal centuries. I’d go crazy too. that vampire is insufferable!
and the last couple of lines? that was foreplay for louis and lestat. I know what they did in the sky afterwards.
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to hug these idiots so tightly. There's a deep love in me for this book that just grew and grew with each page. Just a gorgeous book and a gorgeous story with all the arguments in this absolutely fascinating me endlessly. To dismiss the novel as "boring" or "slow" is to miss out on the richly layered characterization that Anne Rice has crafted. The depth of the story lies not just in the events that unfold, but in the intricate web of relationships, histories, and existential dilemmas that haunt these immortal beings. Moreover, this book isn’t merely about plot; it’s an exploration of myth, power, and the burden of immortality. So if you've finished it and come away thinking it's simply boring, slow, or lacking in action, then you've fundamentally overlooked Anne Rice's nuanced characterization and misunderstood both the essence of the story and the depth of the characters. :)))
- thought-provoking journey into the dark, seductive world of Anne Rice’s vampires, one that is well worth the investment
- beautifully different characters with such intricate feelings and interpersonal relationships - this is fundamentally a character novel btwww so if you're reading it for the plot and complain about it ??? what are you doing?? lmao go read twilight instead.
- there's a lot that goes on here politically ((idea of world peace ushered by genocide lol
- not a whimsical fantasy or some lighthearted cozy vampire bs, it's a dense fucking book with thick prose that deals with heavy topics and complicated characters with trauma, and immortality, and religion mixed into all of it ofc
- ancient characters full of biases my beloved
- love that the message boils down to "No one needs or deserves a God stepping in to solve their problems with deceptively simple solutions, just as the global North should learn to keep it's hands out of the global South"
- however, I am ON. THE. FLOOR. at this fucking 500yo grown ass vampire painstakingly feeding individual paper towels to the garbage disposal at 1am. Armand making smoothies and cooking rats in a toaster oven, come on now. <3
- iCONIC. totally would give it 8/5 purely because of devil's minion.
- I really enjoyed the different POVs, finally got to see khayman and jesse and maharet tho that plotline dragged a bit lol I can appreciate having the major arc of lestat and louis towards the end there though, so worth it
- akasha is Meh for me like Gurl plz
- the vampire mythology was interesting but personally I couldn't give a damn
- which brings me to lestat's shenanigans and 'tell me how bad i am, it makes me feel so good’ lestat you whore are you ok ?? xd
- unfortunately this book faces its share of criticisms, with some people out there lamenting the writing style, the slow pacing, or a perceived detachment that makes it feel like the reader is merely observing the vampires from a distance
- all these overlook a fundamental aspect of the novel: the narrative conceit that Lestat himself is the "author" of this story in-world. like girl he doesn't care about rules, he doesn't like them including those of writing novels by extension xd This rebellious approach isn't just a quirk of his either btw; it's deeply embedded in his character - he is impulsive, narcissistic, and insatiably curious, and the book's style mirrors these traits
- the sprawling narrative, the meandering reflections, and even the slower pacing are all deliberate choices that reflect Lestat's temperament; almost as though you are being brought into the mind of a vampire whose perspective spans centuries, with all the complexity and indulgence that entails, all the extravagance and horror of it too
Ultimately, if you come away from Queen of the Damned feeling that "nothing much happens," it suggests a misunderstanding of what Rice is attempting to achieve :)) The novel is a meditation on the vampire condition, a gothic tapestry where the beauty lies in the details, the characters’ introspections, and the lush, poetic language. To reduce it to a lack of conventional action is to overlook the artistry and nuance with which Rice breathes life into her world. Her work is not about meeting conventional expectations, but rather about challenging them, offering an experience that is as much about mood and atmosphere as it is about story :))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
changing my review to 4 stars bc of the devil's minion chapter i miss them