🎧 Audiobook review narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Narration was very good. It was engaging and emotional when it needed to be. Woo Zeller is able to keep character voices distinct and easy to follow. I never got mixed up about who was talking even when there was no dialogue tags. Which I actually think was cheating; there were times I knew who the disembodied voice talking to Rin was because of Woo Zeller XD

Starts out really strong, rushes around the end of the middle, and then takes off in a blaze of glory for the end. I really locked in when Chaghan was introduced which is wayyyy at the end, but he did end up being my fave along with Altan. Loved the character growth, loved the grittiness. This book isn't perfect by any means but it doesn't pull punches and I respect that.

(Chaghan and Altan should kiss 😌✨)

🎧 Audiobook review narrated by Simon Vance

Simon Vance's narration is okay at the best of times and cringe worthy most of the time. He has a fake vampire accent that's just bad. On theme I guess, but bad. It's VERY hard to tell characters apart, everyone sounds exactly the same.

If I ripped out Marius's actual hours long monologue (real hours of my life wasted on his racist philosophical rantings) and all the weird ass racist white supremacy that is just DRIPPING through the narrative, this might be good? Maybe that's what the show is trying to do. Marius and his blond hair blue eyed obsession completely destroys this book for me. And I'm pretty sure the Egyptian parts have roots in right wing conspiracy theories

Lestat is a joy to read, his past is fun, Armand is fun. Nicky is well, maybe fun is the wrong word for Nicky. Gabrielle is a treasure, tho. NGL Louis was a jump scare, I'm now used to Jacob Anderson and book Louis was... not Anderson. Really, I think the characters are what drive the obsession for this series, because this plot man.....

Well, the best I can say is that I read it. Now I can finish the new season of the show