Definitely one of my all time top 5 books. Gets quite detailed with the family lines and such but it's one of those books that you could read over and over again. Definitely worth it! ( )

My favorite book ever. Just started reading it for the second time. Although it's a long book, you won't be able to put it down. You begin to feel you know all these women involved in the story and you get addicted. Fabulous. ( )

This book is LOOOONNNGGG. Don't pick up unless you like very in depth and lengthy bio novels. The "witchy" element isn't overly done and everything is epic in scope and detail. Rice could describe a sidewalk and make it like poetry. ( )

My favorite Anne Rice book. A fabulous character and an epic story with some of the best romantic chemistry between her and her man.... an edge of your seat thriller, too.... wow. ( )

*** BEWARE: SPOILERS BELOW! ***

This is the story of a family of witches that is 'haunted' by a spirit named Lasher. That's the basic idea, but believe me, it does not really tell you anything about this great and complex story.

While reading the first part of the book, named "Come Together", i really believed this would be a boring book. And the book is 1000 pages long! I was sure i was going to put the book down for good, but i'm glad i didn't! The second part with the Mayfair Witches stories is so exciting! You learn to love Lasher, to fear him, to hate him. I guess you end up feeling for him what the witches felt...sometimes hating, sometimes loving, desiring, wanting it and wanting to get rid of it. He is not a character that talks a lot, or that even shows up often, but you never forget him. That's why he's so remarkable, and it is so difficult to decide whether he is good or bad, innocent or manipulative. He's the most complex ghost you'll ever read about!

The third part "Come into My Parlor" is happy, Michael and Rowan loving each other madly, no signs of Lasher, all Mayfairs brought together in the First Street house at least. The detailed description os the house gets REALLY boring after a while, it's quite tiring to read about the magnolias and the camellias and the azaleas and the unique smell of New Orleans, and the soft river breeze, and the colorful atmosphere etc. for the umpteenth time!

But we must survive this. Because then we reach the fourth and last part "The Devil's Bride" and Rice builds up an expectant tension that leaves you wanting to know what happens next, unable to put the book down! And the sex scenes...they leave you breathless! You cannot be indifferent to Lasher making 'love' to Rowan. Even if by the end of the book you are more or less hating both of them - specially her, for her apparent blind selfishness.

That's what is more fantastic about the Mayfair saga - you don't know what to feel about the characters. At first, Rice makes them so nice and strong and great that you feel a bit annoyed at their apparent perfection. But then, you start seeing them making mistakes...making stupid choices...being effortlessly manipulated by Lasher, like string puppets. You feel sorry for them, for their blatant humanity even when they are surrounded by the supernatural. Michael starts as an annoying, too-perfect guy, and ended up a helpless person. I felt sorry for him. Rowan is a nice, strong woman but in the end i wanted to punch her for being stupid selfish. They are three-dimensional characters with experiences and motivations of their own.

When you finish the story, it's easy to believe that somewhere in New Orleans Michael Curry sits on the screened porch and waits patiently for Rowan to come back to him. That somewhere in Europe, Rowan fulfills some mysterious purpose with newly born Lasher as her 'partner'. The ending of this book left me disturbed, but i loved feeling like that. Angry at the characters, but loving them nonetheless.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

If you like supernatural stories with a touch of sex, interesting and complex characters and a convincing amount of magic, you are going to like The Witching Hour. But i warn you of two things:

- Don't expect Harry Potter-like magic: the magic here happens in a subtle, but much more frightening way.

- You'll have to survive Rice's endless descriptions of New Orleans and the First Street house garden. You'll feel like kicking every camellia you come across!

If you can survive that, then you should definitely give this book a chance! ( )