Blood Communion by Anne Rice

Blood Communion by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 288

Publisher -

Source - Gift from a friend

Blurb from Goodreads

The Vampire Chronicles continue with a riveting, rich saga--part adventure, part fairy-tale--of Prince Lestat and the story of the Blood Communion as he tells the tale of his coming to rule the vampire world and the eternal struggle to find belonging, a place in the universe for the undead, and how, against his will, he must battle the menacing, seemingly unstoppable force determined to thwart his vision and destroy the entire vampire netherworld.

In this spellbinding novel, Lestat, rebel outlaw, addresses the tribe of vampires, directly, intimately, passionately, and tells the riveting story of the formation of the Blood Communion and how he became Prince of the vampire world, the true ruler of this vast force, and how his vision for all the Children of the Universe to thrive as one, came to be.
The tale spills from Lestat's heart, as he speaks first of his new existence as reigning monarch--and then of his fierce battle of wits and words with the mysterious Rhoshamandes, proud Child of the Millennia, reviled outcast for his senseless slaughter of the legendary ancient vampire Maharet, who brought forth the Great Family of the undead; Rhoshamandes, a force who refuses to live in harmony at the Court of Prince Lestat and threatens all that Lestat has dreamt of.
As the tale unfolds, Lestat takes us from the towers and battlements of his ancestral castle in the snow-covered mountains of France to the verdant wilds of lush Louisiana with its lingering fragrances of magnolias and night jasmine; from the far reaches of the Pacific's untouched islands to the 18th-century city of St. Petersburg and the court of the Empress Catherine . . .




My Review


This is the last book in the vampire series, I think had I not left as long gaps between reading them maybe this one would have been a bit different? Lestat has changed over the years, like actually evolved and if you aren't familiar with his humungous back story you really need to go back and read them.

There are many mythical beings in this one and a lot of animosity, a war threatening due to issues and grudges that happened previously. Lestat has to face ad adversary that threatens all he holds dear and everything they have set up.

Death, murder, threats of violence, vampires obviously, the clones from the previous books, the close circle of those around Lestat and what they have built. I just wanted and expected more I guess, it isn't a bad book at all but going on things that have happened in the previous books I just expected so much more, 3/5 for me.

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Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - In and out over 6 days

Pages - 451

Publisher - Knopf

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

At the novel's center: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, inspirer, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of Lestat's undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history, and insidious reach of the unknowable Universe.

It is through this spirit, previously considered benign for thousands of vampire years and throughout the Vampire Chronicles, that we come to be told the hypnotic tale of a great sea power of ancient times; a mysterious heaven on earth situated on a boundless continent--and of how and why, and in what manner and with what far-reaching purpose, this force came to build and rule the great legendary empire of centuries ago that thrived in the Atlantic Ocean.

And as we learn of the mighty, far-reaching powers and perfections of this lost kingdom of Atalantaya, the lost realms of Atlantis, we come to understand its secrets, and how and why the vampire Lestat, indeed all the vampires, must reckon so many millennia later with the terrifying force of this ageless, all-powerful Atalantaya spirit.


My Review

I have read the previous books in the series over X amount of years, some I remember more clearly than others and Lestat has certainly been on a journey. This time we see him being the Prince of their people, leader/ruler and he has as an inner spirit hitchhiking in him Amel. When the counsel hear of a vampire being murdered and his brain eaten it brings to attention a new person(s) of interest and a threat to the vampires but they have no idea of just how unique these people are or their purpose!

I really struggled in parts with this one. Some of it was really interesting especially those who can harm vampires, I am purposely being vague here to avoid spoilers. Torture, spirits, higher beings there is a lot in this and a bit of past and present with stories of old being told and beings trying to work out their place amongst each other, both them and the vamps.

Lestat is very different from how I remember him, he is much more chill and wise but he has been through a hundred life times. Louis pops up again not really playing a huge part but then nor are really any of them excluding Amel, Lestat and the others. I almost felt this was a foundation laying book for what is to come, the next book but it was so very long, disjointed a bit and I kept getting pulled out of it. I just don't think it flowed as well as the previous books nor where the characters overly engaging. David popping up did make me think of The Mayfair Witches trilogy and I think I will re read them at some point as I loved them and the Talamasca group - I actually would have loved a book purely on them to be honest. Whilst it is nice to get a few tidbits/updates on previous book characters nothing was overly in depth if you exclude the others and folks from their story. 3/5 from me, of course I will read the next one which I believe is the last in the series but this wasn't my fave by any stretch.

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Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - just about 1 week on and off

Pages - 458

Publisher - Anchor Books

Source - Amazon I think

Blurb from Goodreads

The vampire world is in crisis – their kind have been proliferating out of control and, thanks to technologies undreamed of in previous centuries, they can communicate as never before. Roused from their earth-bound slumber, ancient ones are in thrall to the Voice: which commands that they burn fledgling vampires in cities from Paris to Mumbai, Hong Kong to Kyoto and San Francisco. Immolation, huge massacres, have commenced all over the world.

Who – or what – is the Voice? What does it desire, and why?

There is only one vampire, only one blood drinker, truly known to the entire world of the Undead. Will the dazzling hero-wanderer, the dangerous rebel-outlaw Lestat heed the call to unite the Children of Darkness as they face this new twilight?


My Review

The Voice is speaking to vampires and causing chaos and murder through them but who is the voice and what does it want? We catch up with Lestat, the voice reaches out to him also and we get a wee bit of a back story on some of the important ones in Lestats life and some of the vampires from previous books make an appearance.

So it was nice to catch up with Lestat after everything he has done and he withdrew into himself. He saved a human and we get a look at her and her life. The voice makes a fair few appearances to other vampires and incites riots/deaths/murder. It is a busy busy book and to be honest I expected A LOT more of Lestat. However we visit so many other vampires I would say Lestat is in less than half of the book. It is still an interesting read just not what I was expecting and whilst I liked it I didn't love it. We go back to the origins of how vampirism started and to be honest if you didn't read the previous books there is enough info in this to catch up.

If you enjoyed the previous books I think you will like this, I also noticed there are two more after this one so I will check them out. I enjoyed catching up with old characters and meeting new ones, the voice was an interesting spin also, 3/5 for me this time.

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Review - The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 15 days

Pages - 1207

Publisher - Penguin Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real a family of witches-a family given to poetry and incest, to murder and philosophy, a family that is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous and seductive being."

My Review

Rowan Mayfair was kept from her immediate family from birth, to save her from the family legacy and curse. Events take place that will bring Rowan home,the history of the witches and its ghost are about to come to a head and something new is coming along.

Rowan is a fabulous young doctor, she saves the life of Michael in a chance meeting that will change their lives forever. Michael is suffering from visions and his hands are picking up vibes and readings from anything he touches. He needs to figure out what it all means before going crazy. Rowan is desperate to meet her family, despite making a promise to the woman who raised her that she would never return. Together Rowan and Michael try to unravel the mystery of the Mayfair family and what it means for them and their relationship.

The book covers the past and present, the history of the family ghost and all of the Mayfair witches to date. It gives some insight into Lasher, the family ghost, although not in depth as this will follow in the second book.

The book covers secrets, murder, sex, incest, magic, history, lies and deception to name just a few of the themes covered within this tale. It is quite a long book standing at over 1200 pages, some of this I feel could have been trimmed off and not have affected the overall tale. It has mystical and magical happenings, sex is a strong theme throughout which may make some readers feel uncomfortable. For me, this is a reread, I read this as a teenager and loved it. I still liked it as an adult however, after having devoured so many books I find myself much more critical and clearly not as enamored with the tale as I had been as a teen. It is a great book, opening up a new world with ghosts (or demons if thats your preferred term for Lasher) and witches that spills over into our world.

This is the first in a trilogy, as I have said I have read it before and will track the others down, they are somewhere in my many book shelves. Despite the time line jumping around and there being quite a few characters, the story is quite easy to follow and Anne Rice has created a world that many will love. Certainly worth a read if you like mystical type tales laced with sex and family tragedy and secrets, 3/5 for me this time.

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