The Queen of the Damned is the first book in the Vampire Chronicles series I've had a consistently good time reading. While the book never quite reached the heights of Interview or TVL it thankfully didn't have any of the severe lows.

The structure and POV of this book was really funky especially in contrast to its predecessors. But surprisingly enough I loved the plethora of new POVs in the story and their unique perspectives. Anne Rice is at her best in reflective narrative and flashbacks and The Queen of the Damned really lets that aspect of her writing shine. Weather it's in the dreamy summers Jesse Reeves recounts or the punchy brutal life of the mysterious twins each weaving perspective gripped me.

Akasha is a fascinating villain throughout this book. I'll admit I didn't quite understand the love of her early on in the book. But as we peel back the layers of her homicidal philosophy I was more and more engaged. What gets me most about Akasha is her lack of self-awareness . The flimsy pseudo-morality she uses to justify mass murder and horrendous atrocities both in the ancient past and present day say a lot about her character. She's compelling because of her utter insistence of the moral righteousness of every single horrific thing she does.

I will say this book's only failing for me was the absences. I braced myself for Louis' lack of presence in the narrative but I still found it disappointing how little Anne gave him to do. It seemed like an especially missed opportunity because of how consumed Akasha is with morality. To not have the most meditative and philosophical character in the series share his perspective seems like a waste.

Overall I really loved The Queen of the Damned. I love Rice's winding indulgent storytelling and I can't wait to sink into more of the story.