Yes, READ THE BOOK!

Idk, I would always advocate reading the books, as cracky as some of them can be, bc there are always moments that are really great! Single lines worth digging up, some phrasing that hits you #Right in the Feels. Don’t you want to know what happened to Louis, David, and Lestat, before PL? You don’t have to agree with it but the ride is always at the very least stimulating… you can always just skim it for plot points if reading it is too much of an investment.

[^bookwormmykitty from here X]

If you like Louis, especially yes! This is a story he gets a starring role in. It’s cracky but heartbreaking, and it changes the dynamics of the relationship between Louis and David, and between Louis and Lestat, and also there’s a strong FEMALE character?! Who is NOT a Mary Sue (ok she has some Mary Sue elements but whatever I liked her)? Woah. 

It also changes Louis physically, gives him the powers we see him use in PL, and it also allows him to experience a new level of intimacy with Lestat (and others potentially) that he refused to have before. It changes him emotionally, but we don’t get too deep into the specifics on that, but I think we’re starting to see those effects in PL. 

My main issue with it is that it would have been SO MUCH MORE fun from Merrick’s (or Louis’!) own POV, rather than David’s. David was largely a third wheel and I didn’t really care about his youth in the jungles. More interested in the voodoo that Merrick could do, and especially how she used it on Louis ;A; <—Hopefully not really spoiling anything there bc I’m being really general in that statement.

[^Melodie Monrose as Merrick and Jackson Rado as Louis de Pointe du Lac]

antoineandthepiano made this lovely aesthetic pic set and description about Merrick, but there ARE spoilers there, FYI. antoineandthepiano’s description is gr9 tho and worth being spoiled for. YOU MAKE THAT CHOICE YERSELF THO.

I don’t remember if Merrick spoils any other major plot points from books that come before it, I don’t think so. I recall it as being almost a standalone novel.