Ehh I felt like this kept being on the verge of being really interesting but then kept veering away from the pieces that I found particularly interesting--Odette the queer vampire elder, the details of the Brotherhood/Fallen etc. And like some of that was clearly being saved for the reveal at the end but oof the middle dragged getting there. The dialogue mostly felt so clunky, like it was trying to bridge a gap between "formal old timey" and "sassy Disney Channel heroine who has read a Shakespeare play once."

I'm sure some readers would be more than happy to wallow in the 19th century New Orleans details, and honestly I thought I would have been too but just got snoozy. It is always nice to have historical fiction--historical fantasy at that--that acknowledges that people of color have always existed, and New Orleans in particular is a great place for these characters.

Anyway, that said, you know, I didn't care for [b:Interview with the Vampire|43763|Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)|Anne Rice|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1380631642l/43763._SY75_.jpg|873132] either but clearly those books have tons of devotees, so I have to imagine that this would have more or less the same appeal factors as Anne Rice?