I know I have some prejudice going on, because Armand is far from being my favorite vampire. (Blame it on the poor casting of Interview with a Vampire.) I find Armand to be incredibly drab and too easily amused to be likable. He's easy to fall in "love" and so easy to please. Even though Marius educated him incredibly well and bestowed upon him experiences only the rich could have, he's annoyingly naive and simplistic. That being said, it makes this novel painful to read. Besides the erotic scenes-which are amazingly done--this novel is a bore. It's pretty long too, and Rice spends too long describing things that are irrelevant. The "conclusion" is particularly pathetic of Rice and overall I don't believe she was in her best element with this one. It's the least enjoyable Rice novel I've read so far, and I'm a fan. :/