Rating: 
Summary: hated it
Review: Liked the first hundred pages. Then the book became extremely repetitive. The ending was no reward for sticking it out through the entire the witch genealogy. The strong female character set up in the beginning was irrelevant in the ending. As far as I could see it could have been anyone with a womb.
Rating: 
Summary: left me confused
Review: This book had some extremely good parts, like the supernatural part of it all. The ending however, left me...just stumped. It was really descriptive (too descriptive in parts) and the story line isn't in chronological order. Its all over the place. The end made me totally pissed that I'd read OVER 1000 pages (only 400 GOOD pages) for that type of an ending. I think I could've written a better ending myself . By the time I got to the end I couldnt remember half of the cluttered history the book liked to refer back to.
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating...
Review: This book was kind of hard to get into at first, but it's worth sticking it out! The story of the Mayfair witches is woven with a rich history rooted in the southern city of New Orleans. Anne Rice has created a fascinating geneology that provides the background for the plot - in fact, my favorite part of the entire book is the middle section, which is the Talamasca's (remember them from the Vampire books?) records and history of the Mayfair family and their ties to the mysterious being known as Lasher. The characters were well-developed and their relationships completely enthralling. The cliffhanger ending made me run out and buy the next two books in the trilogy. They were okay, but I didn't enjoy them half as much as this first one. Definifely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Truth About Witches
Review: The Witching Hour is a book that can fit no particular genre. It has horror, adventure, love, and reads like nonfiction! From the beginning, it holds mystery, and keeps the pace the whole way through. Although it may get slow at parts, The Witching Hour makes up for it!The Mayfair family holds secrets that no one, except for a small business called that Talamsca knows. Now, those secrets are being revealed. And they all lead up to a surprising, and very bizarre, ending. While giving her mind a break, Rowan Mayfair finds a man floating in the middle of the ocean. She picks him up and revives him. Later, she finds his name is Michael. Michael now searches for answers. After meeting Rowan, they enter a lusty relationship. He also finds these answers from Aaron Lightner. He works for a business that keeps track of paranormal happening and so forth. They have been keeping track of the Mayfairs for quite some time. Now, read what terrible and tragic secrets lie hidden in the Mayfair. And take a journey through the sinister truth in the Mayfair history. The journey starts... NOW!
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastically Dark and Gorgerously Written
Review: If I can sum up this books in a few words I would, but I cannot. It would not do this book any justice to give you a few simple descriptive words on how much I loved this book. Mrs. Rice has out done herself once again, by creating an entire world for us to dwell in and stretch our imaginations even further. Her mastery of the unknown, description, and the undead is a tremendous gift. The Witching Hour kept me glued from the very first page to the very last. She has weaved an entire family history with so many "magikal-skeletons", a prime time televison mini-series would be the perfect display of the magnificence of this novel. The Witching Hour in short, is one big history book. It details the past and current adventures of the family Mayfair, that through the years have amassed great wealth, magic, and influence from an entity known as Lasher to their kin. However, in the old tradition of witch covens - there can only be one who sits at the head of the family - and she is Deidre Mayfair and she is about to die. Her daugher, Rowan Mayfair,whom was taken away at the moment of her birth, never to know her family, has come back to claim what's rightfully hers. However, unbeknownst to Rowan, there's more to this family that meets the eye. We come to find that only women can inherit the role of the head witch of the family, but all is not as it seems because there is a power at work that is claiming this family into it's insestous ways to make the most powerful family. Through a mystical and magikal journey into the dark beginings of this family's history, you come to know the most powerful witches of the clan. In a word-Julien..mesmerizing. When you read this you will know what i mean. Rowan and her family give a stellar performance, as they jump off the pages and you being to take the trip into this dark world with them. Fans of the Vampire Chronicles will have a certain kinship to these books, because our friends from the Talamasca are all over this book. This book is a pure triumph and something that needs to be read carefully, for there is a lot of history and names to know. What I suggest, which is a very fun and interactive way to get involved with the book, is make your own timeline of the Mayfair family and follow along with it during the course of the story as it unfolds and as you are introduced to more of the clan. See if you can figure out the secrets of the mayfair family before you even finish the series. Happy Reading.
Rating:
Summary: So good, you never want it to end
Review: This is one of the best books EVER. It is slow to start, and you actually have to give it about 100 pages... but then you can't put it down. It's the kind of story that you hope will keep going. At 500 pages, I wanted to stop reading because I didn't want to finish. How lucky that there are two more books in the series; you can stay with the Mayfair Witches for quite a while. Please, Ann Rice, add a fourth!
Rating:
Summary: Do you believe in witches?
Review: I ran across this book while searching for a new author to read, as I waited for Stephen King to write a new one. I am so glad I gave it a chance. It turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. And Anne Rice turned out to be my 2nd favorite author. I would have to agree that it was a little slow at the beginning, but very soon you are unable to set it down. It will have you believing in witches too! I encourage everyone to get a copy.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...but...
Review: Anne Rice has a way with words... and this talent was not put to waste in The Witching Hour. Though it was slow to start, after you get through the first 100 pages or so, the novel really picks up. You travel through hundreds of years of history with the Mayfair witches, and learn of their past- till the future catches up. Everything works well, that is, until the last hundred pages or so. The end is a big let down, and the reader is left wondering what happened. In "Interview With The Vampire" there left an open and understandable curiosity as to what happened, where as this novel just leaves a huge gaping hole. You just sit there wondering, "What on earth happened?" Hopefully, the Sequels clarify this.
Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking epic
Review: This immense first book in Anne Rice's epic of the Mayfair Witches is tantalizing, seductive, heart breaking, and thought provoking. Its richest gift is perhaps not the story itself but the way it forces readers to step outside the minds of the characters and think for themselves. At its surface it seems to lead the reader in a circle from the helpless dreaming invalid Deidre in her rocking chair on the screened porch of the First Street house to the hopelessly self-deluded Michael in the same spot. In between these points are the shattered hopes and broken dreams of so many good people...Petyr, Aaron, and Rowan among others. Despite their intelligence, strength, and desire to do right, all of them ultimately fail. And most pathetic of all it seems is Michael Curry whose life is plotted from the beginning as a vehicle for the incarnation of evil and the destruction of hope and love. We are told again and again by those supposedly stronger and wiser than Michael that he is naive and easily deceived. But is this really true? The pieces to the puzzle fit, and what the Mayfair Witches tell him at the end seems aimed at puncturing the reader's belief in his faith in goodness. But in the end Michael may simply be more farsighted than all of them, even Lasher who boasts continually of how far he can see. Just because an explanation seems to cover all the bases doesn't mean that explanation is true. In the end it may be the world that dreams and Michael who sees the truth. Kudos to Ms. Rice.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: I have read all three in this series. In fact, I just got done with the third in the series and let me tell you, this is the best series I have ever read. My big question is, "When is the next one coming out? Please don't leave us hanging, Anne." I have so many hopes that it kills me to wait. One thing, I tried to read this about 2 years ago and (just a suggestion) this is not something you start in a few minutes. You need to get through at least the first two chapters to get hooked before you put it down. I didn't quite take to it the first time and just recently got through the whole thing. I was so afraid I had misplaced my copy of Lasher when I was because I couldn't wait a minute to get into that one. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT. I have already loned the first and second ones out to separate people. Everyone I know absolutely loves it. Thank you Anne Rice you are a queen of authors in my book.
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