Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

13 reviews

aliennas's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

It honestly has no business being this long. The “Yes, rape me!” and the pedophilia, incest and other… uncomfortable aspects of the book were big yikes. That being said, the narrative and the plot in itself is really cool. Part 2 is a clear highlight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Incest

Moderate: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Murder, Grief, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Infidelity, Incest, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Terminal illness, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy

lilythegoblin's review against another edition

Alot of instances of incest and/or pedophilia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Incest, and Death

If you can make it through the gross parts... the descriptions of architecture and New Orleans was really nice! Just too much ick.

cgrays's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

The main characters are incredibly dull and their "romance" is one of the worst put to writing. The book swings between the present with the main characters, to stories going from each generation of the Mayfair witches. 

The sections of the book about the Mayfair witches of the past is genuinely exciting to read, but the main plot is so unbearably awful that it can't lift this book beyond two stars for me. The ending as well, is unsatisfying for as long as we spent with the Mayfair family. 

Oh, and in Anne Rice fashion, there's unnecessarily graphic descriptions of children in sexual situations and some strangely racist undertones. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Colonisation, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Racism

jessies's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Slavery, and Pedophilia

alicecider's review against another edition

dark mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Pedophilia, and Slavery

lyfeistrip's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Murder, Medical content, Sexual assault, Rape, Gore, Death, Child death, Car accident, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Colonisation, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Torture, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Murder, and Sexual violence

lil1inblue's review

I just couldn't with the racism, or the incest, or the rape. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Sexism

dragonaion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is my fourth book of Rice's that I've read, the first being the Beauty trilogy, and this was a very different pace than I was expecting. 
It is on the slower side, looping in years of history like a story-in-a-story that can be at times, hard to read. Half of the book is about the Mayfair history and I can't count the number of times I thought, "Is this really all necessary to the story?" 
This is a dark read, as Rice is known for, and while hard for some readers, it is filled with interesting complex thoughts and ideas. Heavily Christian, it adds a contrast to the questioned morals shown by the characters and their situations. It appears that the book is character driven, however the arching plot is revealed at the end and loops the entire story together, as if you're riding down the ribbon as you read to suddenly find yourself atop a perfectly wrapped present, bow and all, on the last page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Terminal illness, Racial slurs, and Abortion

As Rice is known for, she is not shy with the sexual content and rough concepts, and she is going back in history, so there is some underage content, slavery, and "okay at the time" wording that may disturb some readers.

cinderrunner's review against another edition

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

1.5

Overly long. Convoluted and dull plot. I hate a pregnancy trope. Extremely boring for the first half and, even after it does start to get interesting, the story doesn't stay consistently engaging. This was such a struggle to get through. This is my first Anne Rice novel and I am extremely confused as to why she has so much hype around her. The obsession she has with relating sex in this book to r*pe is disgusting. Like Rowan will be having consensual sex and be like "oh god yes, r*pe me." Its genuinely nasty and so unnecessary. Also a lot of incest and undertones of racism from all the characters regardless of what time period the story is set in. Please don't waste your time with this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Slavery, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

mafer1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Incest, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Medical content