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We are a curse of the shadows; we are a secret. We are eternal: Reviewing The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well! We are returning to form with another vampire novel. I am currently rewatching the Interview with the Vampire TV show and foaming at the mouth for the next season. Until then, I am going to dabble in Anne Rice novels. Before you read this one, feel free to check out my review for Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. Let’s talk about The Vampire Armand.

Content Warning: Child Abuse, Slavery, Explicit Sexual Content, Sexual Assault, Religious Trauma, Violence and Gore, Disturbing Imagery

The vampire Armand was not always the powerful and ruthless leader of the Children of Darkness. He began his life as Andrei, a young man from Kiev Rus who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He is taken to Vienna and taken under the care of Marius, an ancient and powerful vampire. Andrei becomes Amadeo under his master’s tutelage, which involves exploring the darkest parts of the dazzling Vienna. When Armand is given the dark gift, he finds himself a target of a cult of vampires who worship Satan. Alone and unfamiliar with the vampiric world, Armand must fight to save his immortal soul.

The Vampire Armand is a dark and disturbing look at one of Anne Rice’s most iconic characters. Anne Rice does such an incredible job creating these unique character voices and being able to alter her writing depending on which point of view she is writing about. Armand is a fascinating character who is a throwback to the classic Byronic heroes. The book deals heavily with religion and philosophy, which can be intriguing but is sometimes a bit long-winded. This particular book dealt a bit more with mysticism and magic, which I liked as an element of world-building. I honestly wished I saved his book for October because it would have been far more appropriate for the Halloween season, but I am glad I read it now. I can see why this is one of Anne Rice’s most iconic novels and I am going to recommend it with the addendum to heed my content warnings.

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Only the impossible can do the impossible: Reviewing The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. I’ve been really wanting to review this book for a while now. I am a huge fan of the TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire and they just announced that there is going to be a season three based off of this book. If you haven’t watched Interview with the Vampire yet, go watch it immediately. You can also read my review of the novel Interview with the Vampire. Now, without any further preamble, let’s talk about The Vampire Lestat.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Sexual Content, Incest, Disturbing Imagery, Self-Harm

Lestat de Lioncourt has been many things. He has been an aristocrat, an actor, and a rockstar. Most importantly, he is a vampire. His journey from mortal to immortal is full of twists and turns. His maker, Magnus, had left him with a mystery that only he could solve. Over the centuries, Lestat sought out the origin of the vampires. Along his journey, he will make shocking revelations, powerful enemies, and choices that will forever change his undead life.

The Vampire Lestat is a dark, twisted, and darkly funny novel. Lestat is such a fun character so it was fun to see him in the spotlight. He is also such a complex character who is determined and dramatic in the best way possible. Anne Rice did such a good job creating her own vampiric lore, with plenty of complicated characters who struggle with immortality, life, and death. It is so easy to completely immerse yourself in this novel. Even the parts I thought were kind of slow were still enjoyable in their own way. I will definitely be reading more of the Vampire Chronicles and I recommend that you also partake in this dark and gothic series.

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Who wants to be a nice girl anyhow?: Reviewing Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste

Hello everyone! I’m finally back with a review after trying to get through some of the longer books I am reading. Now that the weather is finally cooling down and fall is slowly making its presence known, I will definitely be reading more horror novels than usual. I personally think there is a difference between “summer horror” and “fall horror” but that is just me. One might even argue that there is such a thing as “winter horror” and “spring horror.” That is just me. I mostly pick books based off of my current mood. This book, however, has been on my TBR list for a long time so let’s finally talk about Reluctant Immortals.

Content Warning: Violence, Graphic Bodily Injury, Discussions of Domestic Violence, Some Harsh Language

It’s in 1967 in Los Angeles. Lucy Westerna and Bertha Mason (who goes by Bee) are both immortals who are on the run from the men who ruined their lives. Just as everything seems to have settled down, Rochester and Dracula make a shocking return. They team up to destroy the women who escaped from them and find new “wives.” Lucy and Bee make the decision to face down the men who killed them once and for all, even if it means dying once and for all.

If there is anything you need to know about me, you need to know that two of my favorite books are Dracula and Jane Eyre. I was practically ecstatic when I read the premise of Gwendolyn Kiste’s unique Gothic novel. I did write an entire essay about Bertha Mason’s horrendous treatment as “the madwoman in the attic” and I could also go on about how Lucy Westerna’s tragic fate has been overly glamorized in modern adaptations of Dracula. Kiste beat me to both of these and I appreciate her for it. This novel is a fast-paced, visceral exploration of the literary legacies of these famous characters. I appreciate how Kiste theoretically gives both of these women power in their stories and allows them to have closure. This was such a great reading experience and has easily become one of my new favorite books. Who knew that California in 1967 could be such a great setting for a Gothic thriller? Go pick up this book immediately, especially if you are a fan of Dracula and/or Jane Eyre.

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The world must bow before the strong ones: Reviewing Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy during this time. My university is moving to online classes at least until the end of March. While it is scary, I prefer caution over anything else. The only bright side I am finding is that I can do some catching up on my TBR pile. Why not combat scary with something scarier? I have mentioned previously that Dracula is one of my all time favorite novels so I was very excited to find this gem amongst the other spin-offs. Let’s talk about Dracul.

As a child, Bram Stoker was bedridden with a mysterious illness and his only company was his nanny, Ellen Crone. Ellen Crone, though, is not what she seems. When mysterious deaths begin to happen around town, Bram and his sister Matilda begin to put together a pattern but their nanny disappears. Years later, Matilda reveals her ongoing investigation into Ellen to Bram. Now, as an adult, Bram must confront the mystery of his childhood and the deeper, darker secrets that put everything he knows and loves in dangers.

I was mostly drawn to this novel as it was co-written by Bram Stoker’s great-great-grand nephew. I am normally hesitant with spin-off novels like these but I was thoroughly impressed with this one. It is equal parts creepy, gory, and suspenseful. The writing is great as it hops back and forth through time, increasing the mystery. The first part of the book does drag on a bit, if you ask me but the ending makes it worth the wait. The novel definitely harkens back to the classic horror I love so dearly. Dracul was thrilling and enjoyable for me and any fan of horror literature. I would definitely recommend giving this one a chance, if you are unsure like me. (Just a heads up, though: There is some serious gore in this book so be wary).

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Dead Men Tell Tales: Reviewing Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Hi everyone. First of all, I’m really proud of doing two reviews in one weekend. Since Thanksgiving break is coming up for me, I’ve had a little bit of time to catch up on my reading. This book stood out to me in particular because I remember watching the movie adaptation when I was pretty young. It was the first R-rated movie I had ever seen. It’s certainly not the most intense movie but, for an 11-year-old, it was wild. We can all just admit that we went through a vampire phase in the early to mid – 2000s. I remember being obsessed with Twilight for a time. Dracula is still one of my favorite novels.I decided I wanted to read something in between Dracula and Twilight so I will now tell you what I thought about Interview with the Vampire. 

A young man named Louis was riddled with guilt over his brother’s death when the mysterious Lestat appeared in his life. Louis soon falls victim to Lestat’s charms and finds himself transformed into a vampire. He is pulled down into a dark world of the undead and must navigate the dangerous society with the young Claudia by his side. After hundreds of years, Louis decides it is finally time to reveal his secrets to a young man and hold back nothing.

Like I said above, It’s been a while since I’ve read a vampire book and decided to give this one a shot. Anne Rice has written some of the most popular vampire novels. After reading this novel, I can see why. Louis makes for a great narrator as he is sympathetic and a bit of an underdog. He’s the closest thing to a protagonist in a book where there are little to no “good” characters. Normally, a book with one character talking would be boring to me but I found myself enjoying it more than I thought. Lestat is one of the more intriguing antagonists with his charismatic and intense nature. Claudia was even creepier in the novel than she is in the movie but it makes for a good horror element. While the book isn’t super violent or graphic outside of what you might expect with all of the blood drinking, it has enough to make it intense. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a supernatural novel, specifically a vampire one. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I would read it again.

Note: Anne Rice is a bit of a controversial figure but her life is pretty interesting so I’m going to leave a link to her wikipedia page if you’re interested in reading more about her.