Narcissus in Chains

Rating:
Summary: This one should have been subtitled "Bondage and Orgies"
Review: Don't buy this one unless it for the (...) writing. Borrow it and skim for plot.

I skipped most of the first half of Narcissus in Chains looking for plot before I found something interesting. The book was decent after it finally got moving, but there isn't a lot of actual story here. Its mostly just a (...) book centered around Blake's love life. ( Is anyone else out there sick of Blake's love(...) life and ready for the plot to move a bit? Richard or Jean Claude, Jean Claude or Richard, now its Richard, Jean Claude, Micah, and Nathaniel. Should we add Asher and Damian as well? When did this character go from being the scourge of vampires to floozy? )

This series is hit and miss for me. I'm not a really big fan of romance or (...) books so some of the novels annoy me. I started reading the Anita Blake books because I liked Anita Blake. She was relatively believable in her reactions to things, smart, fierce, and the plot was different from most I've read. I'm hoping the author will finally start resolving some things in the next book. I want to see Blake in action again solving crimes, kicking (...) and rediscovering a sense of control and restraint.

Rating:
Summary: anita's only getting better!
Review: i have loved the anita blake series since my freind loaned me book 1 and i can't get enough of anita blake and her men. if only real life could be this interesting. anita still kicks major ... in this novel while her personal life gets more complicated than it was before(sorry some people think that's boring).the evovolution of the main character is what's supposed to hapeened in a series like this and that's why we keep reading it. as far as her annoying views go: on her own life well it's a story and hers is complicated(you try to deal with what's happened to her)i still loved the book and will continue to read and recommend it to everyone i possibly can.

i can't wait to see what happens next, and not a lot of books these days have the loyal following anita does. the story is solid in the same type of adventure/monster hunting of the series and continues on from the earlier books(maybe that's why others got confused)
i usually get my books from the libary, but i ran to the store when i heard it was out and paid full price for the hard back version of this book and never blinked. my 2 friends fought over who got to read it next.

Rating:
Summary: Bit Unfair?
Review: Well, after reading some of those reviews I rushed out and got the book. I have been an Anita Blake fan since Book 1 and just recently re-read Obsidian Butterfly in prep for NARCISSUS IN CHAINS.

Anyone, who jumps in half way on this series is going to have problems understanding/accepting especially with Obsidian and Narcissus. Anita has changed a lot in some ways, certainly become more powerful and scarier (to everyone).

However, there are some strange inconsistencies in Narcissus with some of her behaviour. Yes, people could complain about the sex thing but really combined with the concept of the "ardeur" it was quite restrained and understandable.

Speaking of strange the Richard character certainly appears to be going downhill. A werewolf and ULfric that cannot come to terms with his character especially the climax where he chooses to let himself die (but anita saves him). He really should have been over all this stuff. Yes, Micah appears too perfect for Anita but perhaps that is part of Laurell's plan

The only question I really must ask is how dark and horrific does Laurell want to become. The vampires almost seem tame by comparison to the incredible scene/fight at the end. After the horrors of OBsidian and now Narcissus.

Perhaps, Anita will crack and shoot all her wereleapords (which I think most deserve due to the way they have been written up as such pathetic creatures). I know, the past books had them created as submissives but it is dragging on a bit.

Ok, after all my comments, yes I really enjoyed the book, yes I would get the next book and I really like the teaser put at the end of each book about what happens next.

As always bring back Edward I would love to see Laurell write his wedding in a story

Rating:
Summary: What a muddled mess.
Review: I've read all the Anitia Blake novels. I call them "potato chips" because you can't stop once you start. They're good stories in a messed up world.

But "Narcissus in Chains" was in SERIOUS need of an editor with the guts to cut, cut, cut. At least half of that book was extraneous, and could have been removed. It took a third of the book to get past the first day, and all the sex that takes place therein. I have no problem with sex in novels, but at the expense of the story??? Get on with the story already. Finally, about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through the book we get to what the story is about, I think.

Crazy, muddled writing. People are dying in front of Anita, and she's about to try something paranormal to help them--FINE, JUST GET TO IT! Don't spend 5 pages telling a new character that you're nervous about it, or that you'll kill them if they harm any of her pard.

In the end, the novels are like potato chips. You feel better if you eat a small bag than a large maxi-sized one. Too much of the same taste gets boring.

Rein it in Laurell. Give us the good mysteries and the moral quandries, and Anita's stuggle to keep her humanity. The sex is fine, just don't let it be all the novel is about. That's why we have your Meredith Gentry series.

Rating:
Summary: the BEST Anita Blake book yet!!
Review: My absolute favorite of a fantastic series - this book focuses on Anita's love life (the other books contained more focus on solving a mystery) - hope future books are just like this one...
Introduces a new character, Micah - very sexy and mysterious - can't wait to see if he turns out to be "good" or "bad" guy!!

Rating:
Summary: The best so far
Review: Some of these reviewers seem pretty bitter than Anita isn't going to swoon first and then ask some big strong man, preferably Richard, with his wonderful conscience -- as well as his inconsistent beliefs and horrible temper (something they never mention) -- to save her. Get a life. This book was great. It was the first Anita Blake story I read and I have since read them all.
It's quirky. It's fun. The characters are great, and even though they are so far out there, they seem pretty real. Those who don't like it seem mostly not to like the direction the writer has taken Anita. Oh well. Go find some sob sister to read. I'd rather read something about a strong character with an interesting plot and good character development.
Hopefully, the author won't take these critics to heart and tone the character down in her upcoming book. Anita rules!

Rating:
Summary: I don't know what to think.
Review: I'm glad Richard's out of Anita's life. I think it's about damn time. But I don't understand how he could hold on to his so-called "humanity" for so long. Anita herself has mentioned over and over how Richard has this (I'm not so sure how to put it...) "violence" in him. And with this marks that bind them all together, I would expect him to at least inherit some of Jean-Claude's and Anita's better qualities, like cold-heartedness. And it gets boring. After all this time Richard finally comes out and admits that he wants to die. LKH has made him into a seriously pathetic character. I wish she would find a believable way to undo the marks and thus, leave Richard out of everything for good and take away Anita's magical abilities. Let's face it. She's way to powerful to be human. I bet she could have a face-off with the most powerful council member and win. And what would be the point of that? What would be the point of this serie? I hope LKH won't add more options to Anita like wings and claws and fangs and scales and etc. etc.....

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed with the turn in the story line.
Review: Anita Blake started out as an interesting character, which was at odds with being who she was with what she did. She had morals and boundaries. Now she has none of those things, she kills whoever gets in her way and sleeps with everyone with no regards to anyone's feelings or any reference to what her one time high morals used to be.

Rating:
Summary: Starting to go down
Review: I don't know... I think this book series is headed downhill. Granted there are good parts in this book, though for the most part when I finished reading it, it left me empty.

I'm starting to realize on how much Anita's selfishness is getting to me. Case in point. If Jean Claude or Richard sleep with someone while she's with them, she's ... However she sleeps with everyone and thier brother and gets angry at them if they are upset by that. Sheesh!

Another thing that is getting to me is the trend of destroying some characters. First it was Edward. When we first met Edward he was called "death" by the vampires. Lately he's truning into a little girl who can't get out of situations without Anita. I mean come on, is Anita the toughest SOB on earth? Now it's Richard, ok here's the enigma. Anita wants him to be more blood thirsty and be ruthless and be the king. But wait, didn't when Richard killed Marcus and ate him, she was so disgusted that she ran to sleep with Jean Claude? Get it together woman, find out what you want!

I didn't like the Micha character in this book. I mean Anita used to have high morals, she stayed away from sex with strangers and now she's become a ..., granted there's nothing wrong with that but her complete change in morals doesn't even bother her anymore. Also if I ever hear an Anita thought with the words "It should have bothered me more than it did" again I'm going to go insane.

I hope the next book gets back on pace with her past books. It seems to me that Anita is slowly slipping into becoming a villan in her own books. She alienates any of her friends that disagree with her and is becoming more and more a monster. Anita needs to find her humanity again. The old Anita would hate who she's become.

Rating:
Summary: oh, the (in)humanity!
Review: I started reading the series as a friend had encouraged me to get Guilty Pleasures... and I was instantly hooked. I've followed Anita Blake as she flows down the river of powerful magic, clinging to the melting floe of her humanity while temptations and situations force her to deal with the fact that she's not ordinary. But for a necromancer who's dating both the leader of the local werewolf pack as well as the vampiric Master of the City, she had to come to terms with it soon enough .

With NIC it changes, almost as if there had been a full moon. Anita seemed alternatively playing on the edges of denial of what she is, and embracing the beast (in more ways then one). She lost the edge that kept me connected; her humanity, and how she could work around the problems of dealing with the bigger, badder foes with her sharp thinking. Lots of power going on... but where's the heart or the wit?

Perhaps the fact that she had little contact with her "human" associates is partly to blame. Ronnie makes a very abbreviated appearence at the beginning, and then a couple of dealings with Dolph and the RIP crew. That's it. Most of the people she deals with are a selection of vampires, werewolves and wereleapords (oh my!).

One of the few things I did like about the book was that there was a glimpse in the shadowy life of Raphael, the King of the Wererats, and how it seemed to anchor him, make him more real. Ironic that he would gain humanity while Anita's is slipping away from her loyal readers.

I'm not ready to give up on this wonderful series, and there is the new book coming out. We will see if Ms. Hamilton has gotten all the kinky sex out of her system for Anita, and we can get on with the story of a woman who runs with the monsters.