The Witching Hour: Lives of Mayfair Witches, Book 1

Amy Wallace

My All Time Favorite Book

"This may be my all time favorite book. Ever. I first read this book when I was 9 years old. I skimmed through it, reading bits and pieces. As I got older, I kept picking this book up and re-reading it, gleaning more and more of the information contained within the text. So many different stories, so many different characters. I remember re-enacting some of the stories with my dolls. This novel is epic, both in length and in the story. Dr. Rowan Mayfair discovers that she is adopted several years after the death of her adoptive parents and after the death of her biological mother, a woman she never even knew existed. Rowan is an heiress to a massive fortune and a large mansion in the Garden District in New Orleans. Along with the house and fortune, Rowan inherits a massive family with a long and twisted history and a family ghost. Maybe I love this novel because I too, am adopted. I think every adopted child fantasizes about their biological parents,, imagining them to be someone famous, royalty or very wealthy. Anne Rice created a character that seems absolutely real from the beginning, coming alive off the page and turning into a living, breathing woman before your eyes. All of Anne Rice's characters throughout the novel have a tendency to leap off the page and become real for the reader. I can almost hear their voices, accents and inflections in the dialogue, as if I was watching a mini-series in my head. With each re-read of this book, I enjoy it more and more. With each turn of the very last page, I feel as though I have uncovered yet another dark secret from within the novel. A sense of accomplishment comes every time I read the last few words. Not only have I read this novel over and over again, I have also read every other novel Anne Rice has published to date. I think this book shines brighter than any of her other novels or series. Don't misunderstand me, I loved reading her other novels, but this one has always seemed like the best of the best. One of the characters in The Witching Hour, Michael Curry, re-reads Charles Dickens' Great Expectations over and over again because it is his favorite book and never fails to capture his imagination. I feel the same way about The Witching Hour and read it any time I need to escape from reality. This book has it all: grand plantations, townhouses, a ghost story, family secrets, family history, witches, and a mystery to solve. This novel never fails to suck me in, transport me to the streets of the Garden District and into the Mayfair Family history. I have never been to New Orleans, but I know it would feel familiar if I visited. I would recognize the places in the novel that Anne Rice describes. It wouldn't surprise me to see a twisted old woman sitting on a screened in porch in a rocking chair and know that she was Deirdre Mayfair, or see an old Englishman standing on a street corner and know it was Aaron Lightner. Anne Rice may not know it, but I think that she may have written one of the best books in literary history with The Witching Hour. I can't ever get enough of it, that is the basis for a damn good novel: one that you never want to end. ["

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January 1, 2014 Verified Purchase

Johnathan Miller

Enthralling

"Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour is nothing short of a gothic masterpiece. While it is undeniably long, every single page is an essential thread in the rich, intricate tapestry she weaves—one that spans generations, continents, and dimensions of the seen and unseen. This isn’t just a book; it’s a world unto itself. Rice masterfully builds the Mayfair family legacy from the ground up, giving readers an immersive experience that is as emotionally resonant as it is wildly imaginative. The detail she pours into every character—each with their own secrets, motives, and scars—creates a sprawling cast that feels as real and haunting as the spirits that surround them. Yes, the novel takes its time. But that’s part of its magic. It doesn’t rush the journey. Instead, it seduces you slowly, drawing you deeper with lush prose, psychological tension, and a simmering sense of dread and destiny. By the time you reach the final pages, you’ll feel as though you’ve lived a lifetime inside the Mayfair home—and you won’t want to leave. If you love deep world-building, multi-generational mysteries, and supernatural fiction that takes itself—and its readers—seriously, The Witching Hour is a must-read. It’s a commitment, but one that rewards you tenfold. ["

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March 22, 2025 Verified Purchase

RoxanneRed

A book full of witches all right…

"This is my first time reading this book or it’s been so long since I’ve read it that ICR? It took me 2 months to read it. Yes, it’s THAT long, 1044 pages to be exact. I just read a few hours at bedtime each night to rewind. There’s SO much info to process & try to keep track of, that IMO it detracts from the story. I kept wanting to put it down & stop reading it but decided to persevere since I love the Telly series. There’s a long line of witches starting in Donnelaith, Scotland some 300 years ago. The Mayfair witch line started with Deborah. It ends at the 13th witch in this day & age (the 1980’s) with Rowan, daughter of Deirdre. Deborah called upon this entity named Lasher, to help her, to save her from being burned at the stake. She was accused of witchcraft by her mother-in-law (isn’t that usually the other way around?) Deirdre had a daughter that she also taught the dark arts to. All of the witches are tied to Lasher. He vindicates them, acquires endless amounts of jewels & rare coins that they in turn use to acquire unlimited wealth, power & prestige. Each witch’s power grows in succession, thereby growing Lasher’s power. He is yearning for a human body to experience all that we experience. He’s formless yet not. Sort of like a coalescence of atoms that you can see an outline of yet it exerts all of his power & he disperses. He claims not to be a demon but he’s most certainly an entity. The Talamasca (we’re always waiting & watching) is an international group of scholars & most have parasensory gifts. They’re the ones that actually started the file on the Mayfair Witches, though they record all things of the paranormal. Then, there’s Michael, Rowan’s destined lover & husband. I can’t say that I highly recommend this book but understand why it was so lauded back in the 1980’s as there were very few books like it on the market back then. Her writing style is unique. But if you’re in the least bit curious, I’ll say it’s worth the read. It’s this long & there’s still 2 more books in this series alone. Finally, que Led Zeppelin’s "What Is & What Should Never Be"…. ["

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March 29, 2025 Verified Purchase

crookedfoot37922

One of the best books I’ve ever read

"The story is completely enticing. The writing itself is simply exquisite! Do ourself a favor and avoid the made-for-TV version until after you’ve read the book(s). ["

February 10, 2026 Verified Purchase

Ldlgvh

Series should've ended with 'Witching Hour' *some spoilers*

"...of course, that's just my opinion. :) I've been a long-time reader of Rice's books...since I was 14 and 'interview with the vampire' came out, in fact. (the movie) Anne Rice is a masterful storyteller. This is a lovely, twisted, haunting and at times romantic tale of a family who discovered power, wealth, pain and death through their association w/a 'nature spirit' called LASHER. The story really kicked off for me when we traveled back to the beginning of the tale. The year 1689. We learn of the first of the so-called 'witches': the well-meaning and kind-hearted but simple and naive Suzanne who conjured Lasher in the fields of Donnelaith with her young daughter Deborah -- only to burn from her inability to understand that the being had the ability to develop a will and purpose almost independent of her. Deborah never used Lasher with evil intent; she simply did NOT understand the being she dealt with (to wield and control him properly). Although he loved her -- loved all the Mayfair women -- he was not mindless. His actions were sometimes the result of what *HE thought* the witch desired in her heart and this led to Suzanne's demise at the hands of the townsfolk. Later generations (her granddaughter to be exact) would have a better grasp of this concept. Yet, the fam's methods vfor dealing with Lasher varied as some witches were inherently weaker than others. Overall...this was the crux of the entire problem. The fact that Lasher could 'learn'. The fact that he developed intent, knowledge of himSELF and -- later -- used his newly found knowledge and self-awareness to plot, manipulate and steer the family to suit *HIS* purpose. But-- Rice provides GREAT insight into the character of Lasher through his talks with Rowan (present day) although his motives for attaching himself to the family are still somewhat obscure. We learn how the Lasher came to service the family. How he came into being -- or actually, that he always 'was'. "The newly emerging intelligences of man, locked in matter, nevertheless perceived us, and thereby caused us to perceive ourselves. ...For millenia, these human spiritual intelligences developed; they grew stronger and stronger; they developed telepathic powers; they sensed our existence; they named us and talked to use and seduced us; if we took notice, we were changed; we thought of ourselves. ...(we learned) all things from you (humans). Self-consciousness, desire, ambition. You are dangerous teachers. And we are discontent." THEN--> "...Who am I? I am the one who wept for Suzanne when no one wept. I am the one who felt agony without end, when even Deborah stood numb, staring at the body of her mother's twisting in the fire. I am the one who saw the spirit of Suzanne leave the pain-wracked body. I saw it rise upwards, freed, and without care. Do I have a soul that it could know such joy -- that Suzanne would suffer no more? I reached out for her spirit, shaped still in the form of her body, for she did not know yet that such a form was not required of her, and I tried to penetrate and to gather, to take unto myself what was now like unto me. But the spirit of Suzanne went past me. It took no more notice of me than the burning husk in the fire. Upwards it went away from me and beyond me, and there was no more Suzanne... ...Who am I? I am Lasher, who came down to sit at the feet of Deborah and learn how to have purpose, to obtain ends, to do the will of Deborah in perfection so that Deborah would never suffer; Lasher, who tried and failed." He was the most interesting character in the book, imo. Rowan...Michael? Meh. I don't care about them. They're main characters but they might as well be in the background. Anyway, I'm a 'who/what/when/where/why' type person and I appreciate details. Insight...so I've no issue with the time flipflopping back in forth. Some posters are writing as though this was a time-travel book. LOL C'mon -- it's not THAT confusing. In honesty, it didn't flip that much. Goes something like this: -- Present day -- 1600's and beyond.(you review the history as depicted in the files by a secret order called the Talamasca who make it their business to keep watch over what they consider to be supernatural matters). Here you chronicle the journey of the Mayfairs through the centuries from a first-hand source, outsider perspective and witness accounts -- Present day. That's all. I suppose some folks were bored with the long drawn out story, started skipping ahead to get to the 'good part' and just plumb got lost in the blizzard of words and imagery. LOL I did the same in the beginning. So I understand. LOL I do it with most books. Yet, with a story like this -- you HAVE to backtrack. There must be a basis and you have to tell that history. Anyway, you can always count on Rice to provide plenty of rich details and depth. I read the rest of the books in the MayFair Witches' series and was really disappointed with the direction the story decided to take. The whole Morrigan-Talto's thing was pretty...anti-climactic. Just didn't like them. But I did like THIS book. ["

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November 9, 2009 Verified Purchase