Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

17 reviews

snerp_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I found this book to be very entertaining, and though they have their literary weaknesses, I quite liked the characters. The tension between the main cast was palpable, if a bit rushed. (However, this may be because of the 'recalling memories' style of telling a story) The use of an interviewer-intervewie narrative added to the atmosphere, the interviewer's naivety of the story working as a classic stand-in for the reader, making it a good introduction to a series. 

However, I had a few issues with the word and portrayal choices within the story.

The biggest issue for me was the characterization of Claudia, who seemed to be treated as an adult while being described as a child. This could have been a good way to explore the effect of vampirism on a growing mind stuck in an eternally small body, which I suspect is what Rice was going for, but her portrayal of Claudia came across as more uncomfortable than anything. Louis and Claudia are specifically described as father and daughter throughout the book, and Louis met her when she was just five years old, but Rice soon begins trying to implement a strange psuedo-romantic relationship between them, which comes off as gross in every way possible.

I don't think it was executed well at all, and I have to remove a star for this reason. 

My more brief issue was the description of a mass killing of vampires as "the Holocaust", which is a very distasteful choice, for multiple reasons.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story, and will continue reading the series. If you can get past the portrayal of Claudia, you may also really like this book as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Blood, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Colonisation, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Incest, and Genocide

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.

izypup's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.75

The last twenty pages were I honestly the best out of the whole book. The obsession with childlike innocence and it being ‘sensual’ to the vampires reads off more pedophilic than symbolic. The vague homoeroticism didn’t make me care about the characters and the majority of the book was a drag. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Slavery, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Animal death

Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, and Excrement

wrensandroses's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Animal death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Racism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

singalana's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

Anne Rice ensimmäinen julkaistu romaani on klassikko vampyyrikirjallisuuden ystäville. Kirja kertoo vampyyri Louisin tarinan, ja tutustumme myös Rice tunnetuimpaan hahmoon: vampyyri Lestatiin. Kaksikon suhde on kaukana harmonisesta. 

Vaikka kirjaa pidetään kauhuna, kovin kauhea se ei ole. Enimmäkseen kirjassa seurataan Louisin kamppailua itsensä ja omien moraalikäsitystensä kanssa. Sinällään kirja etenee kovin verkkaisesti ja hyvin mietteliääseen tapaan. Vaikka Louis kavahtaa pahuutta, hän on kuitenkin kykenevä myös julmuuteen. Mikäli pitää mietiskelevästä kerrontatyylistä ja moraalisista pohdinnoista, kirja on kiehtovaa luettavaa, mutta toiminnan ystäville teos voi olla liian hidastempoinen. 

Etenkin kirjan loppupuolella on vähän toistoa, mikä alkoi häiritä. Itse olisin toivonut vähän enemmän toimintaa, eikä Louis ole kovin kiinnostava ja aktiivinen hahmo. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5

Interview With the Vampire was not what I expected. For whatever reason I thought it's be suave and golden, when really it was cold and sorrowful. I found the middle very much dragged for me, even up until the final 40 pages. A relationship between the protagonist and their closest friend is a strange one and I know it's supposed to be, but it toes a strange line. Don't get me wrong - Anne Rice can write some incredibly poetic lines. Every once in a while I caught glimpses of the heart of the matter and Rice's ruminations on eternity and love, but they were seen through the haze of conversations that circled around and lengthy traveling. 7/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Blood, Child death, Slavery, Stalking, and Violence

Minor: Gore

emmathebookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I have no idea how to describe the things this book made me feel, but let’s just say I needed a moment when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

loustat__'s review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition

There's only so much casual pedophilia I can take. I tried to finish just to finish. I can briefly tolerate  that Louie is an unreliable narrator and begrudgingly read through it even though he doesn't seem to show any character growth in the hundreds of years since he was a bored, unthinking plantation owner who cared more about capitalism than the humanity of the people who worked his land. I just couldnt do it for nearly 300 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Misogyny, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Classism, Pedophilia, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Colonisation, Confinement, and Gore

Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness

nerdkitten's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Kidnapping, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, and Gore

Moderate: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Classism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Self harm, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual content, Addiction, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Excrement