Rating: 
Summary: She's gone Hollywood.
Review: After reading Kiss of Shadows, I was hoping Hamilton would not fall into the Hollywood Sequel mindset of "Kinky sex and violence worked so well with my last book, I'll just give the public more!" Saying I was disappointed in the 10th book (Laurell K. Hamilton's Narcissus in Chains ) is slightly too harsh. I can say it did not leave me mad because I was finished and would have to wait a year or two from my next fix of Anita and the Gang. Sadly I think she did. Truthfully, I can deal with that, I like pure pulp as well as the next person. It was a rainy day entertainment. It served it purpose as mind candy and did nothing more for me. My main problems with this book. 1- She is making Blake too powerful, soon things will just be too easy for Blake and so less exciting for us. (aka read that as, pushing the suspension of belief into the realm of the ridiculous, and if I want that I'll read Terry Pratchett) 2- Blake is becoming less human, and the human struggle was always the part I was most interested in. How would Blake deal with this and still keep her humanity? (These books were a perfect mix of Vampire$ by Steakley and Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Now it's beginning to be a mix of Buffy and All My Children.) 3- The repetition. I must have read at least 3 times about how Blake lost her last back sheath and that it is the only place on her body that she could hide a knife that big. ( I read Obsidian Butterfly, I read how it happen the first hand. ) I just hope that the 11th book is more "substantial" and less "sensational."
Rating:
Summary: Not the best in the series, but not the worst.
Review: This book was a little disappointing. It wasn't as good as some of the earlier books ("Blue Moon", "The Laughing Corpse"), and takes care of so much old business from previous books, it should not be the first someone tries in the series. The focus of this book is on shapeshifters, rather than vampires or zombies. The violence is back to a slightly more managable level, but now the sex scenes are excessive, even though the Richard/Jean-Claude thing has finally been resolved (yeah!). The thing that bothered me the most was the continuing trend -- every time Anita meets a new monster, she discovers a new super power. I liked it better when she had to be more resourceful with what she had, rather than just pull something out of left field. All in all, it's a must read for Anita fans, but doesn't really stand alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Narcissus in Chains Review
Review: By far the poorest of Ms Hamiltons Anita Blake series.
The author seemed more interested in putting Anita into any sort of sexual situation that she can think of, which would have been OK if i was reading a work of erotica. Instead i was hoping to read something else entirely. Nothing important or interesting happened until nearly half way through this book, which at 400+ pages made for some very dull reading.
I wouldn't recommend anyone buy this, borrow it instead.
Very dissappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: The Next Evolution of Anita - Like it or not...
Review: I like it! This book is 10th in a wonderful series about the evolution of a woman. Not just any woman, but a woman who thought she was strong, then got stronger, then realized it's ok (and even GOOD) to have a soft side. Now, Anita must take responsibility for the damage her 6 month absence caused and come to grips with her future, loyalty, faith, and her emerging sexuality. A story set over a period of only 3-4 days, it is bursting with imaginative, even surreal situations. New people are introduced, and like new friends, we are only just getting to know them. Can we trust them; Can Anita? Ms. Hamilton writes well, with few lapses or jolts causing you to question "reality". We are able to clearly see each scene; right down to how Anita hides her holster under a short halter dress or the way the leopards sleep. The book is best read as part of the series. Taken out of order or on it's own, aspects of the story will be very difficult to understand, including why Anita calls herself a sociopath. In the Anita-universe, much is possible; Vampires walk, werewolves howl, cops are not the only good guys, and a lot of people are actually really not human... And the spirit of a woman triumphs over it all. When I stumbled into the Anitaverse about 2 years ago, I came in midway through the series via a trilogy of books 4 - 6 (The Lunatic Cafe, Bloody Bones, and The Killing Dance). Then I filled in the blanks with 1, 2 and 3, then jumped forward to Burnt Offerings (7) and Blue Moon (8). I read most in about two weeks. I leapt for joy at the release of Obsidian Butterfly. I waited breathlessly for Narcissus in Chains. Why? Because I love seeing Anita grow as a woman, question herself and her sanity, but then each time come back stronger than ever. Is this the naive Anita that we see in Book 1 (Guilty Pleasures)? No - It is an Anita who is becoming comfortable with who (what?) she is, and has come to be respected for her strength, leadership, courage, determination, loyalty, and ability to still be a woman. (Yes, she still sleeps with her stuffed penguin Sigmund when she is especially scared or shaken.) But she is no longer just a chick who has the power to raise Zombies and and kill Vampires. OK - so she doesn't always tell the police everything - does anyone? If you want a novel with a cookie-cutter heroine who just beats up the preternatural bad guys every time, this is NOT the book for you. This is NOT the series for you. Ms. Hamilton has taken Anita one-step closer to monsterdom, and Anita once again emerges, well - Anita. Anita's faith in herself, those around her, and even God remain unshakable. And for those fans who have been with Anita though the years, after you read this, just remember - Edward Doesn't Know Yet!
Rating:
Summary: Narcissus in Chains
Review: ...I am new to the Anita Blake world having discovered it in August. I enjoyed the book. I was not disappointed in any way except by Richard. I felt that this book showed a maturing Anita, I felt that it was time that she make some decisions in her personal life, it seems to be the one place she is not aggressive. I like Micah and and development of Nathaniel into a
supportive person, and one who is not so needy. I will agree that there is alot of sex in this book, and that in some ways Anita is like Merry, but I think that Hamilton can still keep the characters seperate if she tries hard enough. I do wish that the books in the series would come quicker than once a year, but I guess that those are the breaks.
Rating:
Summary: A new Anita?
Review: Narcissus in Chains was quite a departure from the other novels in the series. I would like to say at the start that I am an Anita Blake junky, and find Laurell Hamilton's alternate universe to be one of the more creative worlds an author has allowed me to visit in quite a while. That said however, I was quite disappointed when I finished this novel.
Anita Blake "Surrendering" to anything.? Much less something requiring her to participate in group sex.?
When I closed the book my first thought was that this was a collaboration with another author.
Read by itself this book would be an interesting read if only for a glimpse of the world of Anita Blake.
For Anita Blake fans, you will of course have to purchase the book. If you enjoyed A Kiss of Shadows and it's Main Character, you will probably enjoy this book as it seems to merge Meredith Gentry and Anita Blake into one person. If you enjoyed the Anita Blake who would rather die than "surrender", you will probably be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful addition to the series
Review: This book finally dealt with choosing between richard and jean claude and I am happy with the way it turned out. I like micah and think the characters are staying true to the reality she has created. Anita Blake is finally growing up and accepting the people in her life. This book answered more questions and tied in a lot of loose ends. We finally begin to see what anita's own powers are and I think she is coming into her own. Yes, there is sex, but you shouldn't be reading these books, if you don't like the explicit sex. I can't wait for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Laurell Hamilton's Narcissus in Chains, the tenth book in the Anita Blake series, was a huge disappointment. The major characters were almost unrecognizable in her latest work. Instead of focusing on solid characterization and coherent resolution, Narcissus in Chains seemed to focus on sex ... and how to get characters into sexual situations. The book left a lot to be desired (pun intended) to this long-time Anita Blake fan.
Rating:
Summary: A big disappointment from the Anita Blake series.
Review: If you read the other reviews criticizing this book, its true. Its definitely higher in sexual content than the last ones. Spill over from the Kiss of Shadows? Most likely. Although it is nice to see Anita Blake become more comfortable in her skin as well as the way she deals with sex. What's horrible is the disjointed interaction with the police, scenes that don't feel complete and are left up in the air. Animator's INC is not mentioned at all. With Bert at the helm, how can she not get paged by him at least once? The worst of all, which is UNFORGIVABLY BAD FORM, is the plagiarization of a previous love/sex scene from one of her OWN books!!
Where were the proofreaders?? Shame on the publisher, and shame on L.H!! As much as we want the next Anita Blake novel, take the time and put some effort into it. We want to be a part of the Anita Blake world when we read, not run from it due to bad writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Proves Kiss Of Shadows is the new LKH style
Review: As has been pointed out by many other reviewers here, NiC is soft-core porn. Among the many faithful Anita Blake followers, it was for her nickname The Executioner that we loved her. In the latest (10th) of the series, Anita Blake is hard to distinguish from Meredith Gentry from KoS. It was hoped that LKH would use her "Dark Farie" Kiss of Shadows novels as her erotic line and leave Anita Blake Vampire Hunter to what LKH does best , ie action scenes with intense characterization. I am presently loaning out my copy of Narcissus in Chains so others won't buy the hardback. Most say they will buy a paperback or used copy later, but they are in no hurry. This is from people who have been reading LKH since the first of this series. Here's hoping LKH gets Anita back on track in the future.
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