Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm catching up on reviews, and this is the one where I stopped reviewing. This one sounds almost goofy to describe—a body snatcher tricks a powerful vampire into trading bodies with him (seriously, how did Lestat fall for that?!) so the vampire and his elderly crush track him down on a cruise ship . Also the vampire adopts a dog. But it's really an engaging read, if certainly a bit problematic (you can't just buy someone nice things to make up for raping her ). Overall it's a fun addition to a story that might have been concluded after the third installment, but this opens up Rice' world to a wider mythology in a way that, perhaps surprisingly, really works.
Also, just . . . The ghost of Claudia being so present in a book about a problem that could have fixed her whole situation is heartbreaking.
Also, just . . . The ghost of Claudia being so present in a book about a problem that could have fixed her whole situation is heartbreaking.
solidified lestat as my least favorite character. what a dickhead
The only worthwhile main character is Mojo. I think the word "preternatural" was used more times in this one book than in the three previous books combined. SPOILER: I'm really disappointed David isn't dead. Let that bitch rot. Lestat is still a whiny, useless little shit.
dark
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Dysphoria
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Vomit
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my favorite of the chronicles, but still interesting and important to Lestat’s character development.
okay. wow. this was a book.
i will spare the details, but if you thought anything i mentioned about the previous three was alarming, this book blew all of those things out of the water (yes, even the incest). i feel sorry for anyone who owns, as lestat so tactfully calls it, “the organ”. the scenes of lestat’s first few mortal experiences were incredibly disturbing and actually dropped my rating of this book - because otherwise, i greatly enjoyed it. while i think these scenes serve a thematic and storytelling purpose, i found them very difficult to read and quite unsettling in a way that earlier works of the series do not reflect. but, perhaps this is just what it means to be mortal.
anyhow, as always, rice’s voice as lestat is impeccable - he is more magnificently stupid and vain and generally awful than ever. any scenes involving louis were automatically my favorite - and i simply adore david (i cannot WAIT for amc’s casting of him. beloved old man). i even liked the random side characters introduced - the body thief had a truly fascinating mindset, gretchen was interesting, and the claudia hallucinations added a lot to the overall meaning and themes. yes, that’s right, themes - this is an introspective story about what it means to be human and the nature of monsters. i suppose it’s true that you can’t go home again - lestat learns a lot about himself, despite ending up in a very similar spot to where he started. (david, on the other hand, experiences a whole lot of excitement for a 74-year-old. poor guy.)
p.s.: mojo the dog has my whole heart.
tl;dr: couples banter YAYYYY!! lestat, are you really gonna fall for this??? big giant dog!! [redacted]. lestat is so stupid. [redacted]. action movie scene! david are you,,,, good?? omg polycule GOALS.
edit: this book legitimately reawakened trauma in me for personal reasons like. literally days after writing this review so i no longer know how to feel about it. if i ever read it again that might change my rating. leaving this note more for myself than anything.
i will spare the details, but if you thought anything i mentioned about the previous three was alarming, this book blew all of those things out of the water (yes, even the incest). i feel sorry for anyone who owns, as lestat so tactfully calls it, “the organ”. the scenes of lestat’s first few mortal experiences were incredibly disturbing and actually dropped my rating of this book - because otherwise, i greatly enjoyed it. while i think these scenes serve a thematic and storytelling purpose, i found them very difficult to read and quite unsettling in a way that earlier works of the series do not reflect. but, perhaps this is just what it means to be mortal.
anyhow, as always, rice’s voice as lestat is impeccable - he is more magnificently stupid and vain and generally awful than ever. any scenes involving louis were automatically my favorite - and i simply adore david (i cannot WAIT for amc’s casting of him. beloved old man). i even liked the random side characters introduced - the body thief had a truly fascinating mindset, gretchen was interesting, and the claudia hallucinations added a lot to the overall meaning and themes. yes, that’s right, themes - this is an introspective story about what it means to be human and the nature of monsters. i suppose it’s true that you can’t go home again - lestat learns a lot about himself, despite ending up in a very similar spot to where he started. (david, on the other hand, experiences a whole lot of excitement for a 74-year-old. poor guy.)
p.s.: mojo the dog has my whole heart.
tl;dr: couples banter YAYYYY!! lestat, are you really gonna fall for this??? big giant dog!! [redacted]. lestat is so stupid. [redacted]. action movie scene! david are you,,,, good?? omg polycule GOALS.
edit: this book legitimately reawakened trauma in me for personal reasons like. literally days after writing this review so i no longer know how to feel about it. if i ever read it again that might change my rating. leaving this note more for myself than anything.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes