The Vampire Lestat (1985)

Oh my god, these were so over the top but the first three or four were at least good, back when Anne Rice had an editor. I used to read these a lot, tbh, they're so perfect for your teen dramatic feelings complete with a Brat Prince everyone magically loves. :) ( )

Anne Rice is the author to go to when you want to read a really good vampire novel. Not the type of vampire novels where vampires sparkle and are just too over the top (eye roll). This is vampires done well, with all the rich details and history to go along with them. I love this series and need to pick it back up again - I got stuck on the 6th one and need to push through it! ( )

This is the book that made me fall in love with vampires. Anne Rice writes better than any other author I have read. I love the way she goes into explicit detail about everything. I would recommend this book to anyone. ( )

The sequel to The Interview with a Vampire tells of Lestat waking up from an underground sleep for over half a century to the sounds of a fledgling rock band practicing in a residence nearby. Lestat desires to become a rock star and takes over the band, names it after himself and then pens his own autobiography. The tale tells of Lestat’s life dating back to the 18th century. As a misunderstood aristocrat in a family that is ashamed of his differences he runs off to Paris to become an actor with his mate Nicki. He catches the eye of the Vampire Magnus and is kidnapped and turned into a vampire and then abandoned, all in the same night. Lestat then turns his dying mother and his mate Nicki into vampires. He tells of meeting older vampires and learns of their turnings and their history. The story ends after Lestat's debut concert and ends on a very frustrating cliff hanger.
I found this novel enjoyable but slightly repetitive and hard to follow the different story lines and histories of the different vampires. (3.5* on audio) ( )

I personally like this book very much even though it paints a completely different picture of Lestat than Interview with the Vampire did. I like the back story the author gave him and I especially connected with Gabrielle. But again, that's on a personal level. I look forward to reading the 3rd installment. ( )