I enjoyed this fast paced read! I loved exploring these super flawed and selfish characters and even enjoyed the multiple pov shifts—when normally I would not. I gave it a 3.5 because I felt that the horror portion of the book felt too rushed for my taste. I loved the visceral and gory imagery, so I wanted waaaaay more of that. I also was hoping to see a chapter or two from Maggie’s pov so the lack of that was a bit of a let down as well.

Overall, if you like a kookie, fast read that is also a fresh take on the Bigfoot/Cryptid genre, I would highly recommend :-)

If you are a huge fan of the vampire genre, you should at least read this first book in the Vampire Chronicles. It’s clear that Rice’s work is pivotal to the modern day vampire. Retroactively analyzing a lot of the vampire media released in the past 40 years or so, it’s clear that Rice’s successors have poured over her books and incorporated bits and pieces of Louis and Lestat (and other characters) in their own works. I would even say this book is as essential to the genre as Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

With that being said, I would issue a trigger warning to those picking up this book with no prior knowledge of it. The overt pedophilia disturbed me to the point of wanting to DNF it at times. This was a book club pick so I shouldered on because I wanted to be able to have a complete and analytical discussion of the work. I thought these scenes that were particularly hard to read could have been taken out and left nothing to be desired.

I do respect that a part of the horror of the book is Claudia being forever trapped in the body of five year old girl against her will, but implication and subtext is such a powerful tool. I also, as a woman, am not a fan of reading such abuse from the POV of a man. I know Rice wrote this character in homage to her own young daughter who passed away at age seven, but again the overt nature of pseudo-incest and pedophilia took this book from a 5 star read to a 3 star read.