Rating: 
Summary: Slow Slide and Several Huge Changes
Review: Ok...because of the backlog of books that I suffer from, I've had this book for awhile, but haven't been able to read it. I've seen the reviews, and, truth be told, was a bit reluctant to read the story because of everyone's less than critical acclaim for it. I've been reading Ms Hamilton's Anita Blake stories since the beginning, and I must admit, that the character is appealing. It's not all that often that a strong female character is seen in the world of fiction.
I will admit that the story line has fallen down somewhat from what it used to be. But that's to be expected in pretty much anything that has lasted as long as this particular heroine has.
But it's not quite as bad as everyone proclaims in their reviews.
Anita's undergone some rather...........drastic changes with this book. So it's no wonder that some of the longtime fans are confused.
I will admit that I like Anita better back in her butt-kicking days...before, apparently, the wealth of female readers (and likely some male as well) began demanding a more soft-core porn approach to Ms Hamilton's writing style. A word of advice, should a miracle occur and the author read this: keep the butt-kicking separate from the soft-core that's so prevalent in the "Kiss of Shadows" book.
I would like to admit to another of my problems, and a long standing one that I've had: a recent watcher of Blade 2 said how amazing it was that, the moment you became a vampire (nee vampyr) that you immediately became a martial arts master. That's somewhat along the lines of my problem. I think it's amazing that only the beautiful people become vampyrs or lycanthropes...or is it a change that happens afterwards? Either way, I'd like to think that, somewhere out there in Ms Hamilton's fictional world, there's a non-handsome beastie...even though I know it's not true. People want to live the fantasy...not the reality. So anyone Anita's attracted to must be gorgeous.
Maybe the series will get back to its roots...and maybe she'll explore more of the background and life of Edward (my favorite character).
Rating: 
Summary: Biggest disappointment ever
Review: To make it short and to the point:-No cohesive plot
-The character development is highly inconsistent
-Many, many, spelling and grammatical errors
-Repetitive and unimaginative descriptive phrases
-Confusing narration
-Repetitive, emotionless, boring sex scenes
-Contemptible behavior on Anita's part
-Many, poorly developed, unnecessary additions to the already leviathan cast of characters
-Completely joyless narration
-Most of the characters from the earlier books under went total character assassination
-etc., etc. The worst part is that I used to really like this series. Narcissus in Chains was a highly anticipated sequel which I ordered months in advance. After reading this book, I can no longer enjoy the earlier novels. The flaws in the series have been made too obvious to be overlooked any longer.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: Laurell K Hamilton writes an exciting tale in her continuing Anita Blake series. I felt this was a transitional book and Ms. Hamilton did an excellent job transforming Anita. Although I did not personally like the transformation of Anita, I still thought the book was well written and entertaining. It was well worth the money I spent to purchase it in hardcover.
Rating: 
Summary: a new evolution in the series?????
Review: ok, first off, i'll start by saying this book could have been a lot worse. and it is nowhere near as bad as many people have said it is! Anita returns to Saint Louis to find things a mess since people have been trying to fill the void she left....... everyone has been complaining left and right about Anita's evolving sexuality. i have several comments to make there. first, the were-animals, are, by nature, very touchy feely. if there was one thing that seriously annoyed me about anita blake it was the fact that she just didn't get it! i REALLY wanted to throttle her by book 8. with all the time she spent around the wolves and the kitties, ya think she would have gotten a bit more comfy with it sooner perhaps? i have heard a couple of complaints about the homoerotic undertones to this book, and all i have to say about that is "tough". if you don't like it, don't read it...just get off the soapbox and welcome to the 21st century. there were hints in prior books about the ardeur, so i am hardly surprised it came to a head here. i suspect that if Anita had been a bit less holier-than-thou about casual sex, it wouldn't have been so bad. however, she marked herself with a werewolf and a master vampire who feeds off lust...this is a surprise why?!? her own ideals made this worse for her. it'sbeen there. jusy one of the many things about herself she refused to accept...why else can you imagine her and Raina getting along so well?!? ok, admittedly it does seem that everyone wants her and everyone who does is supernaturally endowed. one of the reasons this book only got four stars is that. the S/m and D/s makes sense. anita's struggle with the ardeur makes sense. i am getting a bit tired of everyone lusting after her though. just once i want to meet a vamp or werecreature who says "i'm gay" or "you're not my type, let's be friends". admittedly we are dealing with power issues here, and well, she does have it, so i guess that's the reason for the attraction? speaking of new powers...anita has always hinted that she never cut loose and wanted to be a full-fledged necromancer. well, now she has no choice. i bet if she had studied her vauduun roots earlier, she would have better control and a better idea of what she could do. again, it comes down to the fact that she has spent so much time repressing everything, that when it rained, it poured! add to the mix a master vamp and alpha wolf, and what do you expect from a triumverate?!? again folks, this has been building...why do you think she had a stronger immunity to vamps than Larry or Manny or the other Animators? and remember, this is a woman who could raise a cemetary of dead folks without a human sacrifice in bloody bones, and has had control of vamps since before the Coucil came to town in burt offerings! and the munin are hers to call as well! she ain't your average Animator. this all makes sense to me, although it does seem that it came all at once. again, why i only gave it four instead of five stars. as for Richard and Jean-Claude. i can understand Jean-Claude at this point. he is frustrated with Anita, mainly because of everything i have said above. she fought so much about the marks, and now he has to help clean up the mess she made. i'd be pretty peeved too! as for Richard, i do so hope this is his farewell. i hate him. period. Micah will be a better match for Anita and Jean Claude, and i sincerely hope Sylvie kills richard soon and becomes leader of the pack. his holier-than-thou attitude and self-pity is annoying at best. Anita spends waaaayyyyy too much time brushing his bruised ego. i know he's got the whole "i-hate-what-i-am" thing going, but come on already! Richard, you're ULFRIC! GET OVER IT! another reason why it only gets four starts. overall, decent plot, good writing, good development; i gave it 2 stars because it picked up and quickly dropped too many of it's plotlines in an effort to be "erotic". there was far too little character devolpment for my taste, too many new characters, and it just didn't feel like i was reading an Anita Blake book. i don't know what's up, but i hope it changes, and soon....
Rating: 
Summary: Was this the same author?
Review: I should first tell you that I just loved the very first book in this series and went on and read them all. This last one.....well, are we sure that it was written by the same person??!! I hated how the characters have turned out (anita most of all) Was there anyone that she didn't sleep with? And stripping in front of everyone just to prove that she had a bite mark on her?? The old Anita would have just shot who ever called her a liar!! And Marco?? I'm over him already and what was the point of the fox guy?? Laurel used to tease and string the reader along...this last book was just too too too much until you were sick of it. Now, if there is another in this series I hope that Laurel sits down and re-reads the first couple ones and maybe (just maybe) she can save these characters!!
Rating:
Summary: A New Direction... But Not A Wrong One
Review: In the tenth of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series we are introduced to a plethora of new characters and new obstacles for our heroine to argue, fight or sleep her way out of. Having just returned to St Louis after having taken sixth months off to explore her new powers Anita is still uncertain about her very unusual love life, what she is certain of is that she must begin acting like the power she is and beginning to accept her role in BOTH of her mens life, be it vampire or werewolf. Ms Hamilton has taken Anita in a slightly new direction in "Narcissus in Chains" but I do not believe it is completely wrong. Yes, there seems to be more eroticism in this novel, and even for Ms Hamilton that is difficult to do, but everything DOES have a reason. For instance the sex in this novel seems directly tied to the fact that Anita is beginning to really understand and come into her powers and her place. She begins to understand that she cannot hide nor erase the fact that sexuality is directly tied to her magic and to the magic of her lovers. In "Narcissus in Chains" we are introduced to a new would be suitor/lover Micah Callahan, who like Jean-Claude and Richard is a handsome devil, but unlike the two is the Nimir-Raj to an outside wereleopard clan, which makes this meeting between Micah and Anita very "interesting". I admit that the introduction of new characters in addition to new "problems" without tying up the old ones can become slightly overwhelming, especially when Anita has quite a lot of OLD problems without needing new ones, but I believe that it is imperative that Ms Hamilton take this series further, and she is. She is beginning to take Anita from a confused, whining member of a almost useless triumverite to the strong sexual woman that she was meant to be. Of course Jean-Claude is essential to the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series as he is the dark to her light and the constant shadow that reminds us that no matter how many humans and non humans Anita kills and no matter how much blood is spilled that Anita is still a moral person. No matter which direction Ms Hamilton takes the series Jean-Claude will be the center which brings us back to the circle, for Anita and Jean-Claude will always be that which they are... true lovers, magical elements and endless etertainment. For fans of the Anita Blake Vampire Series this is a must, for although different it shows us a fabulous new side of our heroine. Just be prepared for more shocks, scares and of course the "raunchiness" that we have come to love from the "Queen of Fantasy and Vampire lore"
Rating:
Summary: Anita Blake meets Anne Rice
Review: For the first several books, the Anita Blake series was one of my favorite guilty pleasures. The hero was sexy, sassy, funny, and tough, conflicted about powers she didn't completely understand, not sure how to reconcile the certainties of a moral framework shaped by her traditional Catholic upbringing with her current, complex reality. The setting was intriquing -- a modern day alternate world in which vampires have civil rights and heroes quite rightly wonder who the real monsters are. That question, for good or ill, was definitively answered with this book. Anita has long feared that she might be one of the monsters. Now she not only knows the truth, but embraces it. Given the subject matter and the tone of many popular vampire books, this progression is not unexpected. Some readers will no doubt enjoy the darker tone and more graphic (and frequent) sexual descriptions. Others might feel that Anita has lost too much of herself as she gained power. Whatever the reader's sensibilities, this book is likely to provoke a strong reaction, and the author contines to write vivid prose and a fast-paced, page-turning story.
Rating:
Summary: Now we are going somewhere
Review: All I can say is girls get ready this one is good. Guys still got the goods but it's leaning on the love life. Enjoy cause I know as soon as I was done reading I was looking for the next. Laurell K. Hamilton never ceases to amaze me. I like what she has done with Anita.
Rating:
Summary: Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
Review: ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO MS. HAMILTON IS "GREAT BOOK." I LOVED THIS BOOK, AS I HAVE LOVED, ALL OF THE OTHER'S, UP TO THIS ONE. I WAS HOOKED FROM "DAY ONE" AFTER READING MY VERY FIRST BOOK ABOUT ANTIA BLAKE. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GREAT BOOKS, FOR ME, TO READ. I EVEN GOT ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER HOOKED ON THEM. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE NEW PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK. IT MADE IT EVEN MORE INTERESTING TO READ, NOT THAT ALL THE OLD PEOPLE AREN'T JUST AS MUCH FUN TO READ ABOUT TOO. OK..THERE WAS A LOT OF SEX IN THE BOOK...BUT IT WENT WELL AND ALONG WITH THE STORY LINE. AND BESIDES ANITA HAS TO GROW..DOESN'T SHE??? I FINISHED THIS BOOK TONITE, AND LOOK FORWARDS TO YOUR NEXT ANITA BLAKE BOOK....
Rating:
Summary: Warning: Pass This One Up!
Review: I've read ALL of the Anita Blake Series. So far I've liked them all. Anita Blake started out in the series a bit of a prude - and while I agree she needed to lighten up a bit - there was no need for Ms. Hamilton to turn her into a harlot. This book was AWFUL! I'm being kind giving it one star. I couldn't even finish the blasted thing it was so bad. All the great story lines - everything - has been dumped and in it's place are just boring stories with some awful (and I do mean awful) sex scenes thrown in. Don't get me wrong - some sexual forplay and tension is great - but this is just plain outlandish! I feel a little cheated wasting my time reading what I did - Amazon has so many more other writers that are doing so much better than this.
However, I do highly recommend the rest of the Anita Blake series. Perhaps Ms. Hamilton has ran out of storylines (it happens) - or just lost the essence of her main character. But whatever the reason - as far as the future of the Anita Blake series is concerned: "I'm Finished!"
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