Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

16 reviews

macliffe's review

adventurous emotional sad 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

2.5

Started out so good! But as I got further in, I realized that the pace and storytelling had some problems. It could have been so much shorter. There were a lot of mini-plots without much of an overarching plot. I was confused as to why a lot of things happened. Including the pedophelia, what’s with that? Also, SPOILER WARNING: that dang vampire Lestat just wouldn't die! It was so frustrating. On a more positive note, the vibes were the best part of the book. It was so immaculately gothic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Stalking, Sexual content, Torture, and Suicide

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book hits a lot more differently now than when I read it seventeen years ago. Just because I can see the cracks does not mean that the spell has been broken. It lives in my heart, forever and always.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Abandonment, Death, Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child death, Pedophilia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Body horror, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Torture, and Xenophobia

Minor: Drug use, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Claudia as a five year old adds a disturbing layer to her scenes involving intimacy and violence, there is biting galore, property damage is imminent, and the complexity of destructive relationships (both with ourselves and others) is at the heart of the novel.

tanacef's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.5

I’m aiming to add more classics to my repertoire which is the only reason I pushed through to finish this cult classic, I’m sorry to say. I understand that this was a pivotal classic in its time, and maybe that’s the missing piece for me, but I wouldn’t say it’s timeless, and honestly I can’t imagine that this loquacious vampire’s interview was anymore interesting to read in the ‘70s either. This book was just so dull. Essentially, a slice-of-life diary of a very boring, introspective vampire. It was a little compelling in the beginning, naturally, as the exposition was laid, but then I was bored all the way until Part 3. And then eventually Part 3 also dragged on. I couldn’t wait for it to end. I wanted so badly to enjoy it. I always liked the 1994 film and more recently the 2022 TV adaptation. My personal feeling is just that this book was too slow-paced and ponderous. I relied heavily on the audiobook to get through it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Child death, Pedophilia, Stalking, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death

michayla13's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Incest, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Grief, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture

I enjoyed reading this book but it was far from good. There’s a horribly written incest/pedophelia plot which seems more romanticized than condemned in any way. It feels very sloppily written as well. If you’re looking for a book to read based purely on vibes, then this book is okay, but try not to think too hard while reading it.

jessthanthree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal death, Slavery, Racism, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Gore, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cannibalism

velokei's review

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Loved this a lot! I think the writing is absolutely beautiful, it reminds me of the picture of Dorian Gray at times. I will say that I didn’t enjoy the portions about slavery and the fact that Louis was a slave owner, however it’s an important topic that I’m glad was discussed as it’s important not to forget what certain parts of history were for certain groups of people. 
I look forward to reading the sequels when I have the time! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Death, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

I felt a lot of things reading this book - parts of it are deeply problematic (re: Claudia), but if you go in the with a grain of salt and self care ready, I think this is a solid read

The yearning is so strong in this book. There are moments where Louis’ sorrow is so tangible it has a physicality. It drapes over the narrative of prose of the book like a curtain.

“I didn’t know I thought these things. I spoke them now as my thoughts. And they were my most profound feelings taking a shape they could never have taken had I not spoken them, had I not thought them out this way in conversation with another. I thought myself then possessed of a passive mind, in a sense. I mean that my mind could only pull itself together, formulate thought out of the muddle of longing and pain, when it was touched by another mind; fertilized by it; deeply excited by that other mind and driven to form conclusions. I felt now the rarest, most acute alleviation of loneliness.  I could easily visualize and suffer the moment years before in another country, [. . .] and then that passionate and doomed affection for Claudia which made loneliness retreat behind the soft indulgence of the senses, the same senses that longed for the kill. [. . .] And it was as if the great feminine longing of my mind were being awakened again to be satisfied. And this I felt despite my own words: ‘But it’s that dark, that empty. And it is without consolation.’”

 The entire time I felt like I was seeing through Louis’ eyes and was keenly aware of

Lestat’s watchful gaze

“But Louis, this is the very spirit of your age. Don’t you see that? Everyone else feels as you feel. Your fall from grace and faith has been the fall of a century.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Medical content, Abandonment, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Animal death, Bullying, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Rape, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

avie_j's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Torture

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional tense

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Blood, Toxic relationship, Grief, Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, Murder, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Incest

Minor: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Child death, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Gore, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol, Ableism, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts