Rating: 
Summary: A Big Step Up From "Blue Moon"
Review: This was not the best in the series but it was so much better than "Blue Moon". The best part was No Richard. He is so anoying that why Ms. Hamilton does not get rid of him I will never figure out. I did miss Jean Claude and the rest of the vampires. Getting to know Edward was nice and I really liked the storyline. The part with the children I could have done without. I recommend starting at the begining of the series, that way you get to know all the characters and why Anita is who she is.
Rating:
Summary: Left me wanting
Review: I enjoyed the Science Fiction Book Club because I had enjoyed Laurel's books so much and wanted to own the complete set. The level and type of violence differed in each. The characters were fully developed and interesting to read about. The concentration on the "supernatural" and Anita's rapidly developing talents are the keys to the books success. OB was advertised as an Edward book and to an extent it was. I found the new "monsters" unique. But, this book left me wanting ? I'm not sure what. I did learn that Edward is somewhat human and has some bizarre friends. Another reviewer specifically mentioned Olaf but I don't think we were given enough insight into him. Yes we knew his background but that's all. With each book Anita's talents mutated and were enhance in some way. In OB they remained the same. OB feel short. It didn't offer anything that would make you buy another Laurel book if this had been the first one you read. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book but was somewhat disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't knock it...
Review: I just finished reading this book for the second time and I still found it fascinating. First of all, the absence of Anita's friends is crucial to the overall story. In the previous novel, Ronnie, her best friend, was questioning their friendship because of the violence. Also, anyone who has been in a "three-way" relationship (I haven't personally, but I have friends who have) will know that it's not easy to make a choice. Anita's taking a break from the boys is what normally happens in real life. As for the missing preternatural friends, well, when you break up with someone, their friends are no longer your friends. So overall, in the relationship aspect, this reflects real life. I found it believable and much needed for a story like this. I loved the character development of Edward and Anita. Their relationship has changed forever and that is an exciting development. I can't wait to see where their relationship will go next. As for Anita, her character has seen so much gore and violence. She already taken leaps that she thought she never would. It makes me wonder how the author will top this novel. Someone said that the storyline of Anita entering a vampire's lair was getting old. Well, the books are in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. What do you expect?
Rating:
Summary: Anita at her best
Review: While this has been called an "Edward book", I think it's really an "Anita Book", and I really like Anita. I like her courage, independence, and sarcastic wit. We do learn more about Edward; he is no longer a 1-dimensional person, but comes into the light of the real world and becomes much more interesting because of it. There is also plenty of action, a little too much gore, and an interesting new monster. Yes, I missed Jean-Claude (there is only one dream scene with him), but I was very grateful for a break from Richard.
Rating:
Summary: Too cool! Laurell K. Hamilton gets better and better!
Review: I have been a fan of Anita Blake since I read her first book Guilty Pleasures back in 1994. This newest offering, OB, is quite similiar in style and content to the first three books in the series (which I like!) before the entanglements withthe men in her life, Jean-Claude and Richard, got so complicated. For you J-C fans, you'll be happy to know that there are some itty bitty (blink and you miss them) scenes with him in here (Anita connecting with him psychically, again!) but there is NO Richard. Sorry werewolf fans. The rest of Anita's friends are missing here, too, with the obvious exception of Edward. Edward is my favorite character in the series, and if he's yours too--you may not like what Laurell does with him in this book! Warning! Laurell also introduces two very interesting new characters, Iztpapalotl (translation: Obsidian Butterfly--hence the title of the book) an Aztec vampire who owns a nightclub named after herself and thinks she is a bona fide goddess, and Olaf, a psycho serial rapist/killer who... well, I won't spoil it for you but I will say that he's very interesting. All in all, if your favorite element of the Anita Blake series is the romance element, you may not enjoy this book as much as her later offerings (i.e., The Killing Dance, Blue Moon, etc). If you love Anita's caustic wit, the violence, the action, and supernatural elements--it's all here and boy is it ever! I can't wait for LKH's Queen of the fey series to come out and there's a teaser for that (Kiss of Shadows--September 2000) in the back of Obsidian Butterfly.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive
Review: Like all the books in the series, I thouroughly enjoyed reading this. I rather thought of it as a sort of return to Laurell's original style. However, though I was eager to read Edward's story, it wasn't at all what I expected, or maybe even hoped for. Several people have written in to say that they were disappointed with the revelations that are provided of Edward's life. I take some exception to that. Yeah, I did like the ruthless Edward better, but I think that this Edward is in some ways more cold. Laurell changes her characters throughout the novels, but I tend to like this treatment as it reflects "real life". Why should anyone remain the same? One thing I do wish? That Jason played more of a role in the novels.
Rating:
Summary: Good Enough
Review: Having waited so long for my latest Anita Blake "fix", I was happy to find some truly chilling monsters. Anita is as bitchy as ever, flexing her muscles and coming to terms with the monster she has become. This book is not for the faint of heart. Ms. Hamilton has the uncanny ability to create monsters so vile that nothing in the reality is as frightening. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WITH A NEWBORN! I missed Jean-Claude and Richard, but the story did not suffer because of the absence. Edward and friends seem to fill the void well, and I expect to see Olaf again. To sum up--I found it satisfying and a good, fast, read
Rating: 
Summary: OK if you are a fan
Review: I am a fan; but I am disappointed in this last installment. Is nobody else getting tired of the formula? Anita and helpers walk into Vampire layer knowing that they will probably be killed; head vampire plays games with Anita and friends; Anita shows how tough she is. It was down right scary the first time she did it several books ago, but I am ready for something else now. I liked the story with Edward. It was good to get to know him a little. Anita has definitely crossed the line into monsterdom now. She can not deny it. My favorite idea for a story would be to have some new executioner pop up who is just like Anita was in the first couple of books: good-guy, white hat, everything is black and white; very good at what she does. Instead of Anita going in to with her friends to another vampire's layer, I would like to see this new executioner come into Jean-Claude's layer and take on Anita with righteous indignation. Seems appropriate to me.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This book is so awesome...i love this series of books...keep up the good work Ms. Hamilton.
Rating: 
Summary: Rush Job
Review: Uncompromising, moralistic, stubborn, determined - these are all adjectives which have been applied to the character of Anita Blake in the past. Unfortunately, they can no longer be applied with the same degree of accuracy. Anita Blake has been a favorite of mine since the beginning of the series, in no small part because of her tenacity, because of the consistent refusal on the part of the author to have her character cave for the sake of expediency. In the past, Hamilton took the extra minute, thought hard, and found a solution which allowed Anita to maintain her code of honor while managing to survive. Well, not any more. Obsidian Butterfly has her fighting alongside a convicted rapist who is, in all probability and in his own words, a serial rapist /murderer. Quote: "I thought you were convivted for rape" ... "The police got there too soon". The Anita of yesteryear killed people for doing the former alone - let's think back to Burnt Offerings and blue Moon. The newer version doesn't even have a paragraph to explain her reasons for a lack of reaction (i.e., solving the greater crime first, circumstances beyong her control, etc.). She assimilates the information, and moves on as though the character in question had admitted to a predeliction for, say, performing unspeakable acts upon stuffed toy penguins (which, in retrospect, probably would have gotten a stronger reaction). The book does seem to suffer from a certain lack of editorial attention - things like a set of mountains named the Blood of Christ are mentioned, pondered by characters, and never spoken of again - but misspellings and loose ends are par for the course. In and of themselves, they wouldn't have spoiled the effect. The lack of consistent charecterization from the last novel to the new one does.
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