Small Mailbox Monday

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis: The Vampire Chronicles
"From Anne Rice, conjurer of the beloved best sellers Interview with the Vampire and Prince Lestat, an ambitious and exhilarating new novel of utopian vision and power

"In my dreams, I saw a city fall into the sea. I heard the cries of thousands. I saw flames that outshone the lamps of heaven. And all the world was shaken . . ." --Anne Rice, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis

At the novel's center: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, inspirer, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of Lestat's undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history, and insidious reach of the unknowable Universe.

It is through this spirit, previously considered benign for thousands of vampire years and throughout the Vampire Chronicles, that we come to be told the hypnotic tale of a great sea power of ancient times; a mysterious heaven on earth situated on a boundless continent--and of how and why, and in what manner and with what far-reaching purpose, this force came to build and rule the great legendary empire of centuries ago that thrived in the Atlantic Ocean.

And as we learn of the mighty, far-reaching powers and perfections of this lost kingdom of Atalantaya, the lost realms of Atlantis, we come to understand its secrets, and how and why the vampire Lestat, indeed all the vampires, must reckon so many millennia later with the terrifying force of this ageless, all-powerful Atalantaya spirit".


Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard
"Two women on either side of the Silver and Red divide tell the stories no one else knows.
Discover the truth of Norta’s bloody past in these two revealing prequels to #1 New York Times bestseller Red Queen.

Queen Song ~ Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

Steel Scars ~ Diana Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow.

Plus a Glass Sword sneak peek!An exclusive excerpt of the hotly anticipated second book in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword, transports readers to the world of Silver tyranny, a Red dawn rising, and one girl’s resolve to break down the system that will hold her back no longer".

Cover Alert: Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by ANNE RICE

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
Release date: November 29th 2016
Series: Vampire Chronicles (Book 12)
Hardcover: 496 pages
ISBN-10: 3038535790
ISBN-13: 978-0385353793

"From Anne Rice, conjurer of the beloved best sellers Interview with the Vampire and Prince Lestat, an ambitious and exhilarating new novel of utopian vision and power, uniting the ancient worlds and the legends of the Vampire Chronicles.

"In my dreams, I saw a city fall into the sea. I heard the cries of thousands. I saw flames that outshone the lamps of heaven. And all the world was shaken . . ." --Anne Rice, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis

At the novel's center: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, inspirer, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of Lestat's undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history, and insidious reach of the unknowable Universe.

It is through this spirit, previously considered benign for thousands of vampire years and throughout the Vampire Chronicles, that we come to be told the hypnotic tale of a great sea power of ancient times; a mysterious heaven on earth situated on a boundless continent--and of how and why, and in what manner and with what far-reaching purpose, this force came to build and rule the great legendary empire of centuries ago that thrived in the Atlantic Ocean.

And as we learn of the mighty, far-reaching powers and perfections of this lost kingdom of Atalantaya, the lost realms of Atlantis, we come to understand its secrets, and how and why the vampire Lestat, indeed all the vampires, must reckon so many millennia later with the terrifying force of this ageless, all-powerful Atalantaya spirit".

Book Review: PRINCE LESTAT by Anne Rice

The vampire Lestat is finally back. This time he has a purpose he just does not know it yet. Picking up in modern times Lestat is still the pitiful self-made outcast.  Loathing himself he has refused to intergrade himself back into his vampire family. In his self-imposed exile Lestat roams the world haunted by the past that he cannot change. While wandering he does a few miraculous things, first he saves a little girl named Rose from utter destruction and becomes her uncle “Lestan”. Second he meets two unique vampires one of very ancient lineage named Seth that is the human son of the dead queen of the damned Akasha. Seth’s newly made vampire partner Dr. Fareed is a genius doctor that has quickly become a valuable asset to the “vampire tribe”. In his medical experiments Fareed has discovered a way to stop the vampire blood in the body long enough to give Margaret new eyes and Flavious a new leg.  With these medical break troughs whirling around the vampire community is on the cusp of a new era not just medically but also socially. The vampire dj Benji has taken notice of this and on his nightly broadcasts he tells all the vampires that  “we are a tribe of one” and every night he begs Lestat to come home and help the tribe. Lestat refuses to do so but Benji’s pleas do not go unheard.

The whole vampire community is still recovering in the wake of the terrible events that Queen Akasha dealt them. At the time no one knew that when she awoke she also woke up many super ancient vampires that had been sleeping for centuries and even some millenniums. As they have been coming to many have found that this mysterious “voice” has been talking to them demanding the destruction of the young vampires all across the world. Some of the ancient ones had fallen victim to incessant demands of the Voice nearly driving them to madness. Lestat has become a great vampire of interest to the Voice and loved to torment him.  The torment of the Voice had been harassing Lestat for quite some time until the burnings of the young ones began. That was Benji’s reason in vigilantly calling Lestat home to the tribe. There is only one way the vampire tribe was going to figure out what this mysterious Voice wants. They would all have to come together to and use all of their strength to find out where this voice is coming from. Only then will they discover its reasons for wanting to destroy the young ones.  The Voice must be stopped at all costs before it kills them all.

5/5 I loved this wonderful addition to the Vampire Chronicles because it almost brings every single one of the vampire characters together. The only part of this novel that I did not like was that Anne left out Tarquin Blackwood and Mona Mayfair.  The only reason it upset me that there was no mention of them was because the last two previous novels in the series were completely devoted to Lestat’s adventures with Mona and Quinn in New Orleans. I was disappointed because I felt that if everyone was coming together to be a tribe then that would include Mona and Quinn. On a really positive note there was a new feature I really found useful that none of the previous novels had and at the very end of the novel there is a full character index and an “informal” guide to the whole series. I found both of these features really helpful in jogging my memory on the previous novels events and it really helped in keeping track of all the newly awaken vampires. I would not recommend this novel as a stand-alone novel because it literally pulls the previous twelve novels together. If you really want to read this novel with out reading all twelve other novels I would recommend at least reading “The Queen of the Damned” because then you will at least get the major points in the back history.

R ~ Rating for sexual references and graphic violence

FTC ~ this novel is from my personal collection. I received no compensation for this review and it is reflective of my honest opinion of this novel.

A M A Z O N

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

STAY CONNECTED WITH ME: 

S U B S C R I B E ~ T W I T T E R ‪ ~ F A C E B O O K ~ I N S T A G R A M ~ G O O G L E +‪

~L I Z Z I E~

New Release, In Stores Today! Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

"Prince Lestat by" Anne Rice
Released 10.28.2014
"The novel opens with the vampire world in crisis...vampires have been proliferating out of control; burnings have commenced all over the world, huge massacres similar to those carried out by Akasha in The Queen of the Damned... Old vampires, roused from slumber in the earth are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn vampire-mavericks in cities from Paris and Mumbai to Hong Kong, Kyoto, and San Francisco. As the novel moves from present-day New York and the West Coast to ancient Egypt, fourth century Carthage, 14th-century Rome, the Venice of the Renaissance, the worlds and beings of all the Vampire Chronicles—Louis de Pointe du Lac; the eternally young Armand, whose face is that of a Boticelli angel; Mekare and Maharet, Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the secret Talamasca; and Marius, the true Child of the Millennia; along with all the other new seductive, supernatural creatures—come together in this large, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious novel to ultimately rise up and seek out who—or what—the Voice is, and to discover the secret of what it desires and why...
And, at the book's center, the seemingly absent, curiously missing hero-wanderer, the dazzling, dangerous rebel-outlaw—the great hope of the Undead, the dazzling Prince Lestat..."

Amazon: Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
~Lizzie~

Book Review: VITTORIO THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice

In this last novel of the “New Tales of the Vampires” series we are introduced to a new vampire Vittorio. Vittorio was a young boy on the verge of manhood during the 15^th century Italy. His family ruled on high from their mountain top castle in northern Tuscany. His ideal life was shattered in one tragic night of murder. The family castle was invaded in the dead of night by what Vittorio would later find out is the ghastly Order of the Ruby Grail.  Every single man woman and child was murdered except Vittorio. He was the only one spared by the super natural killers. Vittorio fought valiantly to protect his little brother and sister but could not stop these freakishly strong killers from their mission of death.  Spared by the woman who had helped destroy his family Vittorio became obsessed with vengeance and finding out more about this supernatural woman Ursula and the Order of the Ruby Grail.

4/5 I enjoyed a brand new vampire and a new romantic one too! I wish Anne had written more of this branch of the Vampire Chronicles because I would read those too. This one was a short, fast paced read and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this one to historical lovers alike because it does not really tie into any of the other novels in the series, it defiantly can be read as a stand-alone novel.

• FTC ~ this novel is from my personal collection.
• R-Rating for sexual reference and violence.
• Amazon: VITTORIO THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice

~Lizzie~

Book Review: PANDORA by Anne Rice

The ancient vampire Pandora has lived for millenniums and finally tells her tale. Roman by birth during the height of the great Roman reign, Pandora was an anomaly in the world of men. She was educated, articulate, strong and not to mention beautiful. You can say she is defiantly the love of Marius’ life from the moment they met. They had first met as mortals and Marius had begged Pandora’s father to be allowed to marry her. Her father told Marius “you are destined to be a roaming historian” and he was deemed unfit for marriage. Marius and Pandora aka Lydia back then went their own paths but had never forgotten each other.

In a horrific turn of events Pandora is forced to flee Rome in fear for her life. Alone she is secreted away to Antioch to start a new life. With no family or friends to comfort her Pandora grieved terribly for her loss and ended up turning to the only comfort she could think of, the temple of Isis. Finding new friends with her goddess Isis she felt compelled to share her tragedy and the freakish dreams that had been plaguing her ever since she left Rome. The dreams were disturbing to the temple and they did not know what to make of them but they knew someone who might be the only person that could help her to understand them. The “mysterious mind reader” as they called him turned out to be none other than Pandora’s lost Marius. This was just the beginning of Marius and Pandora’s love that endured for millenniums. This time around there was no way Pandora would give Marius up and not with out a fight.

3/5 Not my favorite, it was really short and basically only gave the beginning of Pandora’s tale. I would not recommend this novel unless you have read “Blood and Gold” because the two novels really tie in together. And if you want the whole story you have to read them both.

R~ Rating for sexual references

FTC ~ this novel is part of my personal collection.

Amazon: Pandora by Anne Rice

~Lizzie~

Book Review: BLOOD CANTICLE by Anne Rice

The adventures of the southern gentleman turned vampire, Quinn Blackwood and the Brat prince Lestat continue on with Blood Canticle. This time around Lestat could not help himself and he made a new vampire. Mona Mayfair has always been the love of Quinn’s life yet she was dying. The only way to save Mona was to give her the dark gift or say goodbye to her forever, which Quinn could not bear. After Mona was given a new life the deadly trio set out to find out the truth about Mona’s mysteriously missing daughter. Mona’s daughter was a “taltos” which was an alien race that over the years had been born to only the women that were witches. Mona’s family had a dark extensive history with the taltos, which is all covered in the series The Lives of the Mayfair Witches.

Mona’s cousin Rowan was the matriarch of the family and she was also a super genius doctor. At times Rowan had a history of mental instability that all stemmed from her history with the taltos. Mona wanted answers from Rowan about her daughter but Rowan did not really have any clear answers for her, which made the trio all the more determined to find out the fate of Mona’s daughter. Coming together in this novel the Mayfair witches and the vampires contact the only ancient being that Lestat knew would know the truth. The ancient vampire helped locate the daughter and what they find is shocking to say the least.

3/5 Not my favorite, out of all the books in the Vampire Chronicles this one is by far my least favorite. That does not mean I did not enjoy reading because I did enjoy the novel. I think if I had read the whole Lives of the Mayfair Witches series first then this novel would have been much better. I also felt that since I have not read that series that if I had I would have more fully grasped everything that was going on with Mona and Rowan. I would highly recommend reading the Lives of the Mayfair Witches before reading this novel.

X-Rating for sexual references
FTC- I borrowed this book from my local library

Amazon: BLOOD CANTICLE by Anne Rice
~Lizzie~

Book Review: BLACKWOOD FARM by Anne Rice

Quinn Blackwood, a true Louisiana southern gentleman and heir to the vast Blackwood estate had a very unusual childhood. From as far back as he could remember he had a doppelganger spirit that no one else could see. Goblin as he called him, always had been a part of his life, which was eccentric to say the least. There was nothing typical about growing up at Blackwood farm. All of the Blackwood’s were filthy rich. The whole family had lived there for many generations even their servants had been with the family for generations. Raised by his loving grandpa Quinn could do or have anything he wanted yet his main focus was his other half Goblin. The family and servants patronized him but in his life only one person really understood him. Quinn’s equally eccentric aunt queen loved him like no one else could, she believed in his doppelganger even though she could not see him. Blackwood manor had a great family history to go along with the heritage home; it was not uncommon for a person to see some of the family ghosts roaming about the house. For Quinn though it was different from everyone else, he saw the ghosts and seemed to attract them.

In the backwater swamps that the Blackwood family owned was a legendary island called Sugar Devil Swamp. No one had ever seen it but Quinn’s great grandfather supposedly had gone there as a retreat for weeks at a time. It was also said at this time that he had built a secret house out there in the swamp. No one had ever dared find the island because it was legend that his elderly great grandfather on his deathbed had taken off and escaped to the island never to be heard from again. Quinn was determined to find the island and when he did he was shocked at what he had found. Finding the island was just the beginning. Crossing paths with a vengeful ghost from his great grandfathers past was terrifying enough but then he crossed the most terrifying and mysterious being he had ever seen; an immortal.

Quinn was not given a choice about becoming a child of the blood, stolen in the night from his eccentric life there was no going back on what happened to him. Immortal now and forever yet Quinn could not turn his back on the home and the people or spirits that loved him the most. He felt he had to return home especially to Goblin yet when he returned home he had found that Goblin had changed and now was becoming a great threat. Quinn did the most logical thing a blood child could do he reached out to none other than the brat prince himself, Lestat. It made perfect sense and since Quinn had read Lestat’s vampire memoirs he knew Lestat’s history with ghosts, spirits, witches and vampires. If anyone was going to be able to help Lestat was the only one with the know how to do it. Quinn’s only hope was teaming up with the notorious brat prince of New Orleans.

4/5 Enjoyed this one but for me it was lacking in the whole historical aspect I enjoy so much. But I must admit that what it lacked for me historically it made up for it in other paranormal ways. This is one of the few books I would not recommend to just anyone because in all honesty you really need to read the whole Vampire Chronicles to fully grasp all that’s going on in this novel. I also would recommend that you read Anne’s other series “The Mayfair Witches” because this novel is a cross over between the two series. I have not read the Mayfair series and found that I did follow the novel along quiet well but I think it would have been much better of a read if I had read the Mayfair series first.

X-Rating sexual encounters
FTC-this novel is from my personal collection

Amazon ~ BLACKWOOD FARM by Anne Rice
~Lizzie~

Book Review: BLOOD AND GOLD by Anne Rice

Marius child of the millennium, one of the oldest vampires in existence finally tells the story of his life. Stolen from his home at the height of the Roman era, Marius was given the dark blood by a captive druid vampire that was forced into living in a tree and only allowed to feed once or twice a year. Escaping the same fate as the druid vampire Marius was called to Egypt on a mission to save the mother and father of all vampires. The caregiver of the king and queen had given up all hope and took the king, queen, and himself into the sun to die. Little did he or anyone else know at the time that if he killed them it would mean instant death to the whole vampire species. Taking his king and queen Marius fled Egypt and instantly became the keeper of "those who must be kept”. The burden of caring for the king and queen would weigh heavily on Marius for centuries to come.

Marius had given the dark blood to his one time mortal love Pandora; both lovingly cared for the king and queen for centuries in Antioch. Their relationship took a dreadful turn when after a fight between the two Marius packed everything up including those who must be kept and fled. At the time Marius had been blinded by his anger and could not see that abandoning Pandora would cause him great pain in the centuries that were to come. Lost in his loneliness Marius was heartbroken that his glorious Rome had fallen. At this point he felt he had no other choice but to leave the beloved city he was born in and start over anew somewhere else.

Constantinople was proclaimed the new Rome and Marius went east with his king, queen, and two other ancient vampires to start all over. His new life in Constantinople did not go as well as he had planned. After a vampire drama fest once again Marius abandoned everyone but his king and queen and fled. Hiding the queen and king in a remote Italian mountain top crypt he spent decades alone. Once again victim to his own loneliness Marius was driven out of the crypt and found himself in full-blown renaissance Italy. The world had completely changed and it was completely to his liking. He found himself enthralled by the art of this new era. Marius was always a passionate artist in his heart of hearts and the idea came upon him that it was time to re-enter the mortal world as he once had done centuries ago in now ancient Rome.

Venice Italy breathed new passions into ancient Marius. He made a new life for himself with a beautiful home and filled it with new friends and servants. Bianca, beautifully mortal Bianca entranced him from the moment he met her. Marius truly loved Bianca but he also loved another named Amadeo. He rescued Amadeo from a brothel in Venice and brought him home to be educated with all the other boys he took under his wing. They would have many adventures together in Venice but like all good things they must come to an end. All would be ruined in one tragic day in Venice that almost took Marius' immortal life. Amadeo was stolen from him, Pandora was forever lost to him, and now Bianca was trying to hold it all together for Marius. For him nothing could or ever would be the same again but he could not just give up because the secret of those who must be kept must always be protected at whatever the cost even if it cost him everything and everyone he ever loved.

5/5 loved it! I finally got Marius' whole story even though I had to wait until book eight in the series to get it. It was well worth the wait though with an ending I never ever saw coming. I am really looking forward to reading "Pandora" even though it is technically part of the new vampire chronicles because it will give a whole new aspect to Marius' story. I would recommend this novel to history lovers alike because all of Anne's vampire chronicles focus not just on the vampires but the history of the era's in which they lived.

PG-13 for mild violence
FTC- this novel is part of my personal collection
Amazon ~ BLOOD AND GOLD by Anne Rice
~Lizzie~

Mailbox Monday: Anne Rice

Vittorio the Vampire by Anne Rice
"With Pandora, Anne Rice began a magnificent new series of vampire novels. Now, in the second of her New Tales of the Vampires, she tells the mesmerizing story of Vittorio, a vampire in the Italian Age of Gold.
Educated in the Florence of Cosimo de' Medici, trained in knighthood at his father's mountaintop castle, Vittorio inhabits a world of courtly splendor and country pleasures - a world suddenly threatened when his entire family is confronted by an unholy power.

In the midst of this upheaval, Vittorio is seduced by the vampire Ursula, the most beautiful of his supernatural enemies. As he sets out in pursuit of vengeance, entering the nightmarish Court of the Ruby Grail, increasingly more enchanted (and confused) by his love for the mysterious Ursula, he finds himself facing demonic adversaries, war and political intrigue.

Against a backdrop of the wonders - both sacred and profane - and the beauty and ferocity of Renaissance Italy, Anne Rice creates a passionate and tragic legend of doomed young love and lost innocence'.~Lizzie~

Up Coming Release "PRINCE LESTAT" by Anne Rice

I know what your thinking what does "The Vampire Chronicles" have to do with historical fiction? For me it has everything to do with historical fiction. My love for historical fiction started with this series by Anne Rice because Anne's vampires have something that "Twilight" and any other vampire series never had... history. The best part of this series is that you live and breath a vampires life from the beginning to present time. Anne has set her characters in my favorite time periods ancient Egypt, Renaissance Italy, Revolutionary France, Revolutionary America, and so many more. After retiring her series "The Vampire Chronicles" Anne Rice has decided to break out with a brand new second part to the series starting with this new release "Prince Lestat". The title itself is very suggestive of what may come to be for the handsome vampire Lestat.

The series includes Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, Tail of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Blood and Gold, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle and if you want to go in another branch of the vampire's you can pick up The New Vampire Tales duo: Pandora and Vittorio the Vampire. Farther yet you can also check out The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland.

 I would highly recommend this series to history lovers because this whole series focuses on the history of the era and if you can handle a bit of vampire gore then this is for you but keep in mind there are NO sparkly vampires here. The only thing that sparkles in Lestat is his personality. I can  not wait to read this novel but I am very disappointed to hear that Barnes and Noble had autographed pre-ordered copies up for sale for less than a few hours before they were all gone. Sadly I could not get a copy but I will wait in high anticipation for the 11th book in the series. I can not wait to see where Anne takes Lestat this time.

Releasing 10.28.14
"A stunning departure, a surprising and compelling return…From Anne Rice, perennial best seller, single-handed reinventor of the vampire cosmology-a new, exhilarating novel, a deepening of her vampire mythology, and a chillingly hypnotic mystery-thriller.
"What can we do but reach for the embrace that must now
contain both heaven and hell: our doom again and again and
again…" -from The Vampire Lestat

Rice once again summons up the irresistible spirit-world of the oldest and most powerful forces of the night, invisible beings unleashed on an unsuspecting world able to take blood from humans, in a long-awaited return to the extraordinary world of the Vampire Chronicles and the uniquely seductive Queen of the Damned("mesmerizing" -SF Chronicle), a long-awaited novel that picks up where The Vampire Lestat ("brilliant…its undead characters are utterly alive" -New York Times) left off more than a quarter of a century ago to create an extraordinary new world of spirits and forces-the characters, legend, and lore of all the Vampire Chronicles.

The novel opens with the vampire world in crisis…vampires have been proliferating out of control; burnings have commenced all over the world, huge massacres similar to those carried out by Akasha in The Queen of the Damned…Old vampires, roused from slumber in the earth are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn vampire-mavericks in cities from Paris and Mumbai to Hong Kong, Kyoto, and San Francisco.

As the novel moves from present-day New York and the West Coast to ancient Egypt, fourth century Carthage, 14th-century Rome, the Venice of the Renaissance, the worlds and beings of all the Vampire Chronicles-Louis de Pointe du Lac; the eternally young Armand, whose face is that of a Boticelli angel; Mekare and Maharet, Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the secret Talamasca; and Marius, the true Child of the Millennia; along with all the other new seductive, supernatural creatures-come together in this large, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious novel to ultimately rise up and seek out who-or what-the Voice is, and to discover the secret of what it desires and why…

And, at the book's center, the seemingly absent, curiously missing hero-wanderer, the dazzling, dangerous rebel-outlaw-the great hope of the Undead, the dazzling Prince Lestat…"
Amazon: "PRINCE LESTAT" by Anne Rice , The Vampire Chronicles
~Lizzie~