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Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Excrement
Graphic: Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Violence, Gaslighting
Minor: Grief
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Violence
Minor: Slavery
There were a few little things that I picked up from this read through; for example, it rocks my world that there is a reference in the book about a lone leader who was the only one in the social group who didn't dye their hair black. If I had only read the book in 1996, I would have been able to quietly flex with all my baby bats... (as I didn't either).
Realistically though, the book has some very problematic and unsettling features. It's supposed to be gothic horror, and it gets that way by how it messes with people's heads. It's very dismissive of Consent, and it challenges Church and Morality. There is blood and booze, and debauchery. The main character comes across as remorseful and moody, but he is also inconsistent, and has low-key pedophilic vibes. The character is also fairly non-sexual.. being attracted more by beauty and vivacity, which I think leans a little into Acephobia, to try and un-human him.
As someone who was a LARPer (live action role player) I spent about a zillion nights in fancy dress playing at vampires. It was interesting to read about vampires who knew nothing about their own
kind because as a player of Vampire games and student of vampire myths, it makes anything these undead creatures do in a book seem familiar to ME, but they of course, having only just being reborn into night (muahahah) they don't know what they can or can't do, and have no words for the things they feel.
I think the book is clever in the way that it launched thousands of vampire fans, and in how the struggles of immortality are depicted, but as a story it kind of drags, and the characters aren't particularly loveable (I know... but it's _my_ opinion, and LeStat is a deadbeat dad, and Louis is a moper).
All in all it's a so-so story. It's not bad, but also not something I'd rush out and buy a copy of to lend to all my friends.
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Grief