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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF… this was a reread for me, I originally read it about 20yrs ago and I loved it. Rereading it now and I just. can’t. Not a fan. Have not enjoyed.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was quite a thick book to saw through but it was very enjoyable. I think I like Anne Rices witches more than her vampires at this point which is unusual for me. I loved the family “history/estimate” told through the view points of outsiders but of course what I really want is the real story from “the man” and the family itself. Really hoping we will get to see some of that in the sequel Lasher. My biggest issue was the character of Rowan. I felt like she changed into a completely different person from the first half of the book to the last half. Not sure if that was supposed to be Lashers influence or what but it just didn’t sit well with me. However the book was worth reading alone for the insane family history so still worth at least 4 stars IMO.
I was hoping that with a subject that I like more, ie. witches, I would enjoy Anne Rice. That was not the case. I stubbornly finished this book, but will not recommend. Anne Rice is not for me.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really did enjoy this book. It's classic Anne Rice and quite fucked up at times, but I loved the lore. The lore is what made this book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Incest, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death, Pregnancy
unexpectedly, i found myself enjoying this mammoth tome, despite the many obstacles that seemed to be stacked in my way. that being said, there’s a lot to unpack with this one and i had complicated feelings.
rice’s prose, as always, is intensely readable for me; i love the way she writes and in this book especially you can tell how much she adores new orleans. every time she writes about the city it makes me want to visit - the attention to little details and the love that her characters feel for the place build a vision of loveliness that i would love to inhabit. i think i have to admit that i’m hooked on her writing style; it draws me in and catches me in its claws even when the words i’m reading are in fact absurd.
and absurdity runs rampant throughout the witching hour - from unnecessarily graphic incest to the bulk of the book being a complicated genealogy to the absolutely batshit crazy ending. i’ll give her credit - at no point did i know where the plot of this was actually going - but part of that is the fact that the plot just simply stops in the center. i love rice’s tangents and complex character backstories, but this was a bit much; i was forced to look up a mayfair genealogy in order to keep the whole thing straight (and the one i sourced the most turned out to be wrong about who exactly julien fathered).
also, this was definitely the most explicit of rice’s works that i’ve read so far, and that was Interesting. i had loose plans to read her works written under pseudonyms out of simple curiosity and a desire to say i’ve read her entire bibliography, but the weird inability of any character to confront the reality of rape or incest makes me hesitate. i understand that this was written in a slightly different time, but that doesn’t lessen or invalidate the discomfort of the reader. from what i’ve heard, this only gets worse in lasher, which i’m decidedly not excited about. (speaking of lasher, he is the worst character ever. worse than marius and no i am not joking)
this sounds like a review full of criticisms, which it is, but i did rate the book four stars. it was readable, with notable exceptions it was fun, the plot was interesting, and i genuinely enjoyed reading about all the mayfair witches over the years once aaron lightner’s narrative took over the file. the characters, save lasher, were captivating and i am very interested in what rowan does next and a little more explanation behind her motives at the story’s conclusion. long review and i could say more, but it was a good read with some unavoidable caveats.
ps: i don’t feel super confident in my ability to speak on it well, but the depiction of race and sexuality, in addition to the topic of assault (which i did touch on), in this story is shaky at best. by nature of a story about an old southern family, it is racialized and does perpetuate a lot of harmful stereotypes about slavery and race relations; while i again don’t feel entirely equipped to speak on it, i would be remiss if i didn’t at least mention it for my own notes.
rice’s prose, as always, is intensely readable for me; i love the way she writes and in this book especially you can tell how much she adores new orleans. every time she writes about the city it makes me want to visit - the attention to little details and the love that her characters feel for the place build a vision of loveliness that i would love to inhabit. i think i have to admit that i’m hooked on her writing style; it draws me in and catches me in its claws even when the words i’m reading are in fact absurd.
and absurdity runs rampant throughout the witching hour - from unnecessarily graphic incest to the bulk of the book being a complicated genealogy to the absolutely batshit crazy ending. i’ll give her credit - at no point did i know where the plot of this was actually going - but part of that is the fact that the plot just simply stops in the center. i love rice’s tangents and complex character backstories, but this was a bit much; i was forced to look up a mayfair genealogy in order to keep the whole thing straight (and the one i sourced the most turned out to be wrong about who exactly julien fathered).
also, this was definitely the most explicit of rice’s works that i’ve read so far, and that was Interesting. i had loose plans to read her works written under pseudonyms out of simple curiosity and a desire to say i’ve read her entire bibliography, but the weird inability of any character to confront the reality of rape or incest makes me hesitate. i understand that this was written in a slightly different time, but that doesn’t lessen or invalidate the discomfort of the reader. from what i’ve heard, this only gets worse in lasher, which i’m decidedly not excited about. (speaking of lasher, he is the worst character ever. worse than marius and no i am not joking)
this sounds like a review full of criticisms, which it is, but i did rate the book four stars. it was readable, with notable exceptions it was fun, the plot was interesting, and i genuinely enjoyed reading about all the mayfair witches over the years once aaron lightner’s narrative took over the file. the characters, save lasher, were captivating and i am very interested in what rowan does next and a little more explanation behind her motives at the story’s conclusion. long review and i could say more, but it was a good read with some unavoidable caveats.
ps: i don’t feel super confident in my ability to speak on it well, but the depiction of race and sexuality, in addition to the topic of assault (which i did touch on), in this story is shaky at best. by nature of a story about an old southern family, it is racialized and does perpetuate a lot of harmful stereotypes about slavery and race relations; while i again don’t feel entirely equipped to speak on it, i would be remiss if i didn’t at least mention it for my own notes.
A handful of things that make a reader-living-in-the-year-2025's eyes widen.
But other than that, its size is both its strength and its downfall; there's a ton of room for great writing and a lot of room for bore-you-to-tears writing. Like after the long family history (which I actually enjoyed): the history portion is such a great, slow crescendo that creates so much intrigue (IMHO) that afterwards when you get back to reality you then have to read the dullest & longest description of New Orleans and a big house. What a let down.
And just my own personal pet peeve, but when an author's philosophy of life comes out at the ending through one of their characters, it always sticks out to me like a sore thumb and never rings true. My own pet peeve, though.
But other than that, its size is both its strength and its downfall; there's a ton of room for great writing and a lot of room for bore-you-to-tears writing. Like after the long family history (which I actually enjoyed): the history portion is such a great, slow crescendo that creates so much intrigue (IMHO) that afterwards when you get back to reality you then have to read the dullest & longest description of New Orleans and a big house. What a let down.
And just my own personal pet peeve, but when an author's philosophy of life comes out at the ending through one of their characters, it always sticks out to me like a sore thumb and never rings true. My own pet peeve, though.
. . . I finished. Where is my badge? I feel like I deserve one for getting through 60 audiobook hours in a 2 week library loan.
On to book 2. More development of the rising action expected.
On to book 2. More development of the rising action expected.