Chillingly sensual, and mesmerizing, the experience of reading Interview With the Vampire was like a slow, dark dream. I am so glad Anne Rice decided to enrich literature with this classic (and deeply aesthetic) story that changed the connotation of "vampire book" from "trashy romance for teens" to something moving, insightful and mature. One thing, among many, that I appreciated was its grandly complex depiction of love. Love, in all its confusing, intoxicating, even questionable forms. Despite being hailed as "erotic", Interview has not a single scene of intercourse, graphic or otherwise; but still, really, I can understand the label. Anne Rice's writing still /feels/ erotic - intimate, titillating. This is due to her ability to create atmosphere, to /suggest/. It is skillfully done, and definitely to be commended.
Interview With the Vampire raises some interesting moral questions - where do the lines between good and evil blur, and how far does this gray area stretch? How much are we willing to forgive in the name of emotional attachment? Because all of these characters are problematic in some way, have done things that are clearly morally wrong, yet most of them - like Louis or Claudia, even Lestat at the very end - managed to garner my sympathy. I felt deeply for them, I even attempted to rationally "lessen" to myself the gravity of their wrongdoings. Of course, I was disturbed by the eventual realization of what I was trying to do.
And yet, in spite of its morally grey appearance, Interview With the Vampire is, essentially, anything but. Louis' struggles with his new vampire nature; his constant anguish over being "damned", as he constantly considers himself; these things show, more impactfully than outright stating it, that Evil Is Evil. That it causes nothing but sorrow, fear and despair. There is soberness and awakening in figuring this out for yourself, and that is why I can boldly recommend Interview With the Vampire to anyone. It is by no means an immoral book, au contraire - it is a strongly /moral/ book, masquerading as one.

I LOVE THESE

SO MUCH FUN!!!

The Promise is smoothly illustrated, gripping, and overall a splendid continuation of Avatar Aang's adventures with his friends. While the animated series dealt with a war in which good people fought a concretely evil foe, this follow-up comic, set in the aftermath of the great war, handles the infinitely more tricky struggles of restoration, diplomacy, legacy, cultural appropriation, etc. And it does all this surprisingly well. I had the feeling that The Promise is slightly more...mature, or complex, in tone? And I guess this is why. You've got Zuko torn apart by his own perception of right and wrong, his built-in impulse to "protect his people", hearing his father and fearing ending up like him, and the way everyone will perceive his actions. You've got Aang dealing with a terrible promise to one of his dearest friends, as well the dilemma of whether to preserve his nation's culture or "share" it with the world... AtLA could not have been continued in a more interesting and realistic way. This is a DEFINITE must-read.

BRUH

I'm so glad the right choices were made...what a solid conclusion to a very remarkable trilogy.

BRUH

This is getting so intense...

Poor Zuko..