Rating: 
Summary: Below par volume in otherwise excellent series
Review: Obsidian Butterfly had some very bad reviews but I loved it, I hoped that Narcissus In Chains would be the same, unfortunately it isn't. While I don't believe it's the unmitigated disaster that some of the other reviewers have demolished, it is easily the weakest book Laurell K Hamilton has ever written. The plot is thin and not strong enough to sustain 533 pages and the sex, while not irrelevant to the plot and Anitas character development is overblown and self indulgent. The main criticism I have is that in all the previous books there has been some structure, some narrative flow based on cause and effect, a baddy to hunt a problem to solve.
In Narcissus the bulk of the story revolves around the affect the Vampire marks have on Anita who ends up blundering from one crisis to another like some homicidal headless chicken, shedding clothes and inhibitions at every opportunity. In the process alienating all her old friends and associates with a cavalier lack of concern completely at odds with the totally loyal Maternal Sociopath that she is supposed to be, Anitas links with humanity are becoming increasingly tenuous. The plot such as it is appears to have been tacked on almost as an afterthought.
On the plus side Dolphs character is fleshing out and showing some potential for any future volumes and the "Ardeur" could be temporary, let us hope so as a plot device it has served it's purpose. On the down side the potentially interesting clash with Olaf or Edward has been rendered irrelevant by Anitas relentless acquisition of preternatural power, neither would now stand a chance.
I hope that Laurell K Hamilton has a good think before the next volume, as it will need to be a lot sharper than this rather windy effort if Anita Blake isn't to vanish in a cloud of reader apathy.
Rating: 
Summary: Exploring her boundaries
Review: I have read all of the Anita Blake series and I see a steady progression that is intriguing to me. After reading some of the first reviews, I didn't think they read the same book, so it goes to show you we review everything from our own personal experiences. This book was bloodier, sexier, more violent than any of the others but Anita is entering a world she knows nothing about and she has no guide so anything is game. I think she realizes she can't control everything and she won't always triumph! But as we all know, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger! As for the sex, so far she has had sex 4 men in her 28 years. Hey, give her a break! As for Micah, it wasn't casual they are still together. I'm looking forward to the next installment and I think Anita is a great kick [butt] character. I can't wait to see what Ms. Hamilton will think of next.
Rating: 
Summary: She Crawls Before She Walks
Review: True, at first glance there may seem to be differences in the book and Anita's character, but when you look at the pattern of the books you can see that Anita's power is always expanding and we as readers are learning with her the limits or lack thereof to her power. Certainly Anita acts out of character and does less than moral things in this book, but just as she needed training and practice to become a sure-shot and fast-draw, she will need to learn techniques to quell new desires and experience to bring fledgling abilities to second-nature skills. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and that there could have been less sex, but overall I'm excited to see Anita to grow as a tough character and anxiously await the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: Different, but good
Review: I absolutely love the Anita Blake series. Her previous books usually included a mystery to solve or a bad guy to conquer. Anita herself and her emotions seem to be the "bad guy" this time and it is her struggle with herself which moves the story along. It is interesting to see that all of the characters are evolving. Hamilton's books are always a fascinating read and this is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, great series
Review: Anita Blake has been avoiding the other members of the triumvirate for six months now. She has been trying to come to grips with her new and her old and growing powers. She is also taking care of the very damaged wereleopards. She allowed them to go out one night and got a panicked call that they were in trouble at an D & S club called Narcissus in Chains. She calls an unhappy Jean Claude to meet her there to save them. Richard shows up also and they "marry" their powers. Anita, saves her leopards, being badly injured in the process. That causes all kinds of problems. Jean Claude ends up in jail for killing her, Richard goes nuts and threatens the leopard who accidently scratches her, a disgruntled pard member is inviting potential Nimiraj to be interviewed, and she wakes up with Jean Claude's incubus urges. While she was away, the boys have had their positions challenged, Jean Claude has handled it, but Richard is having difficulty. The new Nimiraj seems too perfect and has secrets, and his pard is nearly as damaged as Anita's. Anita must mend her relationships and is worried that she might become furry herself on the next full moon. This novel opens up many possibilities for the future. Micah is an interesting addition. La Belle Morte seems to be interested in the triumvirate. Asher's character is becoming more interesting. Jean Claude's character is also developing nicely. I also liked the new assortment of werecharacters. The next novel should be very interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: I hope this is part of a longish plot line that goes on
Review: First of all, I don't mind normally reading a steaming chapter or two of sexual encouters, but this time it was just to much of the same.
Too darn much sex, sex, sex and not much else - especially when LKH needs 10 to 15 pages to describe one sexual encounter.
It gets to the point where you ask yourself where the story is ?
The fact also that LKH in her intro says her usual clique of writer friends didn't see this one due to time constraints, points sort of the way to a novel that was quickly written.
All is not lost, if you're an optimist like me though - this could also be the book that describes Anita's descent into 'hell' and in the next book her fight against it and her climb back out of it. How to get rid of the marks ? How to get rid of the sex ?
I'll wait for the next one to check if Anita as we know it survives...
I'll be sorely disappointed if the next one doesn't
Rating: 
Summary: Sex & Violence, and not much else.
Review: I've read all the Anita Blake books, and enjoyed them all, except this one. I've thought for several books that Anita was getting too violent, but in this one, she loses the last shreds of her morals, and appears dedicated to pursuing all the sex, violence, and violent sex she can get. This book is almost totally plotless! Anita used to be a great character I could love and admire- the Anita in this book is just a bloodthirsty ...
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: THIs books totally rocks!
Anita gets more powers and she kicks everyones ...!
Furthermore, a bunch of new characters are introduced and Anita
developes a new relationship... I have read this book three times
and still I am not tired of it! Its a really really great read and if you like female characters
that are smart, witty, and totally up front, then
read the entire series...
Rating:
Summary: Good, Sexy fun
Review: This books is definitly a change from the old Anita Blake books. It's a great read, much more sexually charged than the earlier, though a few things are missing, namely Edward everyone's favorite psychopath, and Anita's job as an animator is barely touched on.
Rating:
Summary: A sad, sad waste of an interesting character...
Review: I discovered the Anita Blake series a few years back on a suggestion. I was thrilled by the first book I read went back and hungril consumed the rest of the series. I knew from the start that the Blake books weren't high literature, but as escapist fantasy, they sure were fun.
Flash forward three increasingly disappointing books and we get to the latest dreck in the previously entertaining line, Narcissus in Chains. Any scrap of individuality that Blake had is totally lost in a book that a few hundred pages of muddled plot that's just a backdrop for Anita to have sex with anyone who walks past her, with the flimsiest excuse ever invented. Our once quirky heroine has become just another bimbo- and a psychopathic bimbo to boot. I suppose that would excuse her behavior, except that Hamilton has spent most of the last 9 books setting up a personality for her. There's no sign of it anywhere. Oh, and fans of the hard boiled detective angle should just skip this volume- Anita doesn't even come within spitting distance of her job. It amazes me that she can afford to support all the people who've moved in with her, or that the investigative agency hasn't fired her by now for never showing up at work. Oh, wait... her boyfriend pays for everything. Yep, that's one strong willed feminist there.
If I really wanted to read about grossly over powered characters with no believable actions, no consistent morals, a sudden lack of motivations or background, I'd play more D&D. If I wanted graphic sex scenes with no plot, I'd just buy soft core porn. I expected better of Hamilton and Blake.
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