moreau's reviews
65 reviews

I was going to give this 5 stars, and I may change it, as I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I'm too picky with my 5 stars and this doesn't deserve to be one of a select few. I have seen people say this book isn't pedophilic, and that Aschenbach's fixation with Tadzio is purely platonic and envious, I disagree with that and can't interpret it that way myself, but if we do pretend it's less creepy than it is, or blame its creepiness on the translation I read, I think it's a very deep story. I get the obsession with youth, I may be close in age to Tadzio rather than Aschenbach, but I've watched so many people wither away that I've become hyperaware of my youth. Particularly since my mother, my sole guardian died. In her and my grandmother's last year, they lived vicariously through me. They saw my achievements as their own, which was an honour to me. My mother was young, and died from a cancer which I may carry the gene for. I'm aware I may die young, and I'm aware the two people who doted on me the most aren't here to protect me. I envy other teenagers, I go to a "special" school and had to spend a lot of my teenhood caring for my mother. I see boys like Tadzio and I am jealous of them, I'm not a very conventional male, I'm short and flamboyant, most people think I'm a woman, unless I wear a dress, then I'm a man. I'm not an androgynous beauty like Tadzio, despite the fact his teeth are described exactly like mine, I confuse people, and it's tiring. Whenever I see happy, normal teen boys I feel like I may as well be an old, dying man compared to them, I know I'll soon be an adult and will never have been a textbook teen like them, and that's an odd feeling. But I can't abide by thinking such thoughts whenever one sees a stranger for more than a second, Aschenbach is a Humbert Humbert type character, even though you may be able to see yourself in him in some ways, other ways he is incredibly unrelatable because he's a sick fuck. He isn't just jealous of Tadzio because his life is nearing its end, he objectifies him. He's not just a muse, he lusts for him. It's gross, the romantic, artistic analogies Aschenbach uses when he thinks of Tadzio don't make it seem like any more of a purely artistic interest in Tadzio's aesthetic, it's just Aschenbach sugarcoating his perverseness with poetry, and it makes it even fouler. It's as though he's grooming Tadzio in his mind, gaslighting himself into thinking he sees Tadzio as no more than inspiration, when his utter obsession shows otherwise. If he thought of Tadzio as merely art, he would've glanced at him once and fucked off, using that memory to create whatever he so pleased, but he didn't do that. He didn't make a statue like the Greek ones Tadzio resembles, he just stalked the poor boy to create what? Some sick fantasies when he went to bed that night? The ambiguity of whether we are supposed to feel for Aschenbach or not is this book's downfall, because I can't say its good if he's not meant to be a sick fucking cunt, but if he is, and if that was more explicitly stated somehow, even if Aschenbach tried to defend himself, then this would get the 5 star rating I'm dangling above it. 

There is no need for her to be 15. I will forgive him being 18 as that's legal and although 2 years is the limit when one of you is underage for me, I understand that not that long ago 3 wasn't considered that bad. I also simply cannot abide bringing Beauty's family into it all. The first few pages has the prince demanding she not wear clothes to supper with her FATHER, which is just absolutely foul. It's not that I am opposed to porn or I wouldn't have read this, but this one is just wrong. I also just found this extremely poorly written. The same expressions and terms are used over and over, and I just can't put myself in the shoes of someone who would find something as perverse as this arousing. I could understand liking very specific, one off aspects of it, but I am horrified that any person could think up the combination of it all and type it out, albeit messily, like an ao3 fanfic, ironic Anne wasn't too keen on fanfiction of her work, considering Sleeping Beauty isn't her creation. I hate the talk of the fact the "slaves" are disposable, when their frontal lobes are developed they're sent home "changed for the better." How is this not a psychological horror?! They have PTSD? Stockholm syndrome? Is that how they've changed? Eugh!! I don't like that they have to walk on all fours either, how is that sexy to anyone? Humans doing that looks stupid. Especially naked. And how unhygienic it must be having so many people crawl around the castle naked. How has this kingdom not created a new STD yet with their practices? This really should be considered a horror book, maybe it'd be interesting if someone died due to the abuse they faced and the monarchy was overthrown. But no, the entire human race in this world is full of pervs who would approve of how often Rice uses the word "suckle". The chapters in which Prince Alexi tells his backstory are terrifying. They read like something out of A Clockwork Orange or Killing Stalking. I was confused to why everyone kept saying Beauty was clearly The Prince's favourite until Alexi recounted his past, I genuinely cannot understand how Anne Rice could have thought up the things they do to him as they are so unbelievably disgusting and disturbing. I refuse to believe this is actually considered just an erotica novel. I can't believe I found it in the romance section, it is utterly deranged. I seriously think anyone who reads this and has any different of an opinion to me on it should be investigated. I understand people have fantasies they don't want to fulfil, and know would be unethical in practice. But if your brain can handle this shit that alone should get you put in prison so I never have to come across you in the world. Before reading this I told my grandma it existed and she said it sounded hilarious and asked me to get it for her. I did. She was traumatised. She's dead now, as I tried reading this a few times and didn't get very far, but I hope she can see I finished it and I can't believe she also finished it. I think she was expecting something more.. Colleen Hoover, Sarah J Maas level. & I was expecting to be able to stomach it more than her. Nope. Curious to see how this series ends but not in a hurry to read more. May just flip to the last page of the last book. Also how did no one get pregnant?? No way they've got proper birth control. Please, if you want fairytale erotica, watch the 1977 porno Cinderella with Brett Smiley, because it is self aware it's absurd and at least Brett Smiley was fuckin' hot! Unlike every single thing described in this God forsaken text. 

I really do believe Anne Rice isn't.. a genius author. She seems to forget things about her own characters a lot, and every man is bisexual and every woman is straight because she wants to write about penises. But I will give it to her for this, it is actually historically accurate, and fucking enjoyable. I really relate to Tonio, so she wrote him as a character decently enough for me to become very attached to him. Castrati have always been a weird little interest of mine, so this book was everything I have dreamed of. New favourite book, even with the usual insane Ricean sex scenes.

most of the characters in this are such cunts, in an incredibly smart, well written way. i hate rhett. i hate bonnie. i like mammy, charles and wade and scarlett is likeable as a bitch. so of its time but such a classic. disgustingly inaccurate portrayals of slavery that accurately portray white people's blissful ignorance. quite the read but worth it.

I WANT RON

tim burton count your days i need this musical

sophie was actually justified in everything she did, she was a shit fucking friend to agatha but i put that down to pure dumbness or lack of social awareness rather than malice. she was bloody annoying but she wasn't evil until the school itself gave her a reason to be a villain. dare i say she is another neurodivergent person failed by the school system. a victim of her environment. tedros is a sexist POS and actually needs to die. hort is amazing though. agatha is the biggest traitor to the goth race. she is like the new crow movie. she is like tim burton dropping out of mai the psychic girl and making ms lose all respect for him. the fact she actually likes tedros and gets used to the "good" lifestyle is insane. i know plenty of goth girls ungoth for average boys but i consider them all posers. ❤HORT IS TRUE GOTH❤ we love HORT.❤  anemone needs to be fired for cultural appropriation. 

i hated every single character in this and didnt like the world building either. i wanted to read to either professionally hate or get in on the hype but i was simply bored, i cant say much. didnt finish the last chapter but i read enough theres no way im dnf'ing it. fuck every single person in this. 

so fucking boring. all the characters have lost their personalities. dont even know who half the characters are, theres so many new boring people, why?? they serve no purpose. this is terrible. i despised this. took me so long to read because its so boring