Taltos (The Mayfair Witches #3)
Author: Anne Rice
Published: 1994
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated H for a haunting heritage that lives on despite the harrowing mayhem of magic.
Taltos! Talamasca. The world will crumble…
The final book of The Mayfair Witches finds Rowan in a near-catatonic state of trauma after being held captive by the demonic Lasher. Now, a Taltos called Ash has caught wind of the Mayfair witches and Rowan’s recently deceased daughter that had been a Taltos, and Ash wants answers. Elsewhere, Mona Mayfair is coming into her own but that entails unspoken magic, deadly attraction, and consequences that she doesn’t understand. The future of the Mayfairs changes here.
The Mayfair Witches Reviews
The final book in the dark witchy drama took things up a notch while ultimately bringing them home. Rowan still struggled after the traumatic events of Lasher and having lost her daughter. Mona and Mary Jane Mayfair took center stage as the new generation entered the witchy game. Yet, with Lasher gone, what future awaited them? In the wings, Ash, one of the last known Taltos alive, entered the trilogy with a mission to not die alone and he believed the Mayfairs could help him, especially since Rowan’s daughter had been born a Taltos. More so, tragedy struck the Mayfair family demanded a reckoning.
Diving deeper into the history of supernatural beings like Taltos and dwarves was a delight. Rice kept it mild with the history of dwarves but didn’t shy away from Taltos. It was exhilarating though partially a struggle. Overloading me with textbook-style mythos and history isn’t easy for me. The thrill came when Ash began his journey toward a future that he was sure he would never have. In the past, Taltos was revered and insinuated as frightening creatures, yet in this book, it is revealed they’re anything but.
The passion blended with sparks of rage throughout the book and some of these passions crossed some serious lines. I’m all for some dark and twisted love affair and hot sex, but when it gets Lolita, I’m on the vom-train. Michael hooking up with Mona, a thirteen-year-old girl, I was losing my shit. Like, it’s already pretty disturbing that the Mayfairs are incestuous, but this was a whole different boundary. Crossing boundaries are great, but there are some that just don’t work for me. As if that wasn’t enough, Mona wound up pregnant.
Rowan reclaiming her life was empowering. This was definitely one of the best parts of the book. Awaking ready for vengeance was satisfying. She was the magic of this book. Unapologetic, powerful, and magnetic. Rowan Mayfair is the warrior of the series. The traumatic experiences she suffered didn’t magically go away, but she used it and transformed it into something she could use to take back her life. She is at the top of my list of favorite characters from this series followed by Mary Jane.
The corruption of the Talamasca was unexpected making for a great twist. This organization is supposed to be neutral to all of the supernatural and unexplained, but they crossed a line. They delved into chaos and I was surprised. I hope this transfers to the AMC show. This was probably a bigger plot twist for me than Ash coming to New Orleans. I don’t know, it’s something about seeing something inherently good twist into villainy. It gets me every time.
At the base of the entire book, the imagery was outstanding. Rich and lush without a detail missed. I was swept away by the magic of New Orleans alone and have been since the start. There’s something about the city, its mysterious and shrouded in mysticism. Rice utilized this side of New Orleans with wild abandonment, opening up its magical veins for readers.
Overall
Still spooky but enriched with history and masterful storytelling. There were some major bits I couldn’t get past. Still, Rice is a legend. She swims in an infinity pool of the unknown without yielding to the uncomfortable elements. It’s incredibly bold and not for everyone, but it’s not so far out there that it’s unbelievable based on witches in history deemed loose and limitless in their intention and actions. This series has been incredible, so I highly recommend it even though there were a few bumps along the way that were rather questionable.
Quotables:
“Life can be this. Remember this.” (p. 266)
“Oh, stop reading my mind! Don’t be a Mayfair bitch, be a Mayfair witch…” (Mary Jane to Mona, p. 281)
More to come soon…
-K.
Song Today? Haunted by Maty Noyes.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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