Rating: Summary: Pulled a all-nighter for this one!! Review: Couldn't put this down well I'm hooked ...... (never mind that it took me 2 years of looking at it in my TBR pile to get to it)LOLAnita Blake is (as the cover says) Badddddddd with the capitol "B". This is my first Vampire book, I don't generally read gore but suprisingly enough it doesn't contain a lot of it. Descriptive fight scenes, gun battles, creatures of all kinds and "sort of" love story is what this quick read had to offer. I am not a Science Fiction professional reader so my review is actually coming from someone that is new to this genre it seems to me that Laurell K. Hamilton tried to mesh the world of Romance with Science Fiction and she did it (in my honest opinion) rather smoothly, don't get me wrong there is a slight reference of a "possible" attraction between 2 characters (sorry no spoilers here) but there isn't a lot of romance going on. The suspense is within the murders that are going on and the potrayal of the Nickolaus character (who reminded me a lot of the Kristin Durst role in "Interview with a Vampire")will haunt me for a day or two I am sure. The one thing that I was a little perplexed about was how did Anita develop some of her skills... but I do have faith a figure that these may be revealed in later books so I look forward to delving into the rest of the series. I highly recommend this series if you are a Romantic Supsense Reader that needs a break from the "norm". I also recommend for those of you looking for a lighter read Charlaine Harris {{Southern Vampire}} Series or if you like it action packed try Susan Sizemore {{Laws of Blood}} Series. Respectfully Reviewed
Rating: Summary: Not your average vampire novel Review: I know Hamilton's books have become one of the more staple vampire novels, but compared to so many out there they have a fresher, more unusual take. Guilty Pleasures, the first novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, is no exception. Despite its short length (compared to Hamilton's other novels), there's a lot packed into the book. It sets up the character of Anita Blake, a short, no nonsense animator. She raises zombies for a living. She just so happens to also be the Executioner, a legal vampire killer. She thinks of vampires as monsters, and vows not to get caught up with them, although through this book (and the following ones) that changes. While I avoid horror novels, this really doesn't qualify as one. Sure, there's blood and gore, and she doesn't hide it, but it's not overly so. The plot overshadows the horror aspect so you don't get hung up on it. The character of Anita Blake is more than just interesting. She knows interesting people, she's done things that have left scars, she has a gift that's unusual, and she has flaws and weaknesses. Instead of being the uber powerful, perfect vampire slayer, she's short, not that strong, and bears scars from times she should have been killed. She feels real, like a real person you could meet and talk to. The vampires in the novel are interesting as well, but in this book they're barely discussed. Jean-Claude shows himself as a formidable force, but aside from him and Nikolaos, the villain of the book, the rest of the vampires are only briefly mentioned. If you enjoy vampire novels and don't mind blood and gore, this is a series worth checking out.
Rating: Summary: This book was definitely a guilty pleasure! Review: Anita Blake-where have you been all my life? Courageous. Savvy. Tough. Self-deprecating. Funny. She's my kind of woman. Anita is an animator of the dead. She raises corpses for a fee. She is also a legal vampire slayer, working for the police. The vampire community knows her as the Executioner. But now someone is murdering vampires, and the master of the undead wants Anita to find the guilty party. Against her better judgment, Anita agrees, instantly plunging her into a rollercoaster ride of adventure and danger. Guilty Pleasures is the first of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novels. I don't know what took me so long to discover this imaginative series. I am an instant fan. This book satisfied my need for supernatural chills and just plain fun. You don't have to be a vampire fanatic to enjoy this story. Get it! Read it! I can't wait to start reading the next installment, The Laughing Corpse.
Rating: Summary: Best book series ever! Review: I first heard of this series through the internet. I read the reviews and I decided to buy it. Needless to say after reading this I had to buy the whole series. It took over three months to get all of the books that were available and I read the whole series in a week. This is an amazing first book to a fresh new series and I love the ending! (Note to future buyers, if you buy the first book get the second and third. This series if very addictive! Pace youselves and don't let the gramatical errors bais your opinion. It was only after the millionth time that I read this that I noticed.:D)
Rating: Summary: Entertaining Review: Anita, short and tough, is not to be messed with (by anyTHING). If you are into vampires, werewolves, violence, heavy sexual tension, this is definitely the book for you. These things were not alway my forte, but Hamilton pulls it all together farely well. Anita is put into a lot of wild situations, even for a necromancer (raiser of the dead). I do have two complaints, though (which were not so horrible to cause me to reduce the amount of stars). First, all the men are beyond gorgeous--not very realistic, with long hair and unbelievable bodies. Second, apparently, every last one of them want to jump Anita's bones. I completed this book in one night. It is an easy read and a great book to escape from the mundane world.
Rating: Summary: Frightfully fun! Review: I avoided the "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" novels for a long time for the same reason I didn't watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" until the third season - it sounded too cheesy to be any good. Of course, "Buffy" became one of my favorite shows, and "Anita Blake" is really starting to grow on me, too, and for the same reason - the strength of the characters, particularly the secondary ones, which outweighs the corniness of some of the plots. Naturally, anyone is going to make comparisons between Anita and Buffy - look, see, I just did - but in truth, they're not all that similar. Both feature short, but very tough, women who hunt vampires, yet carry on a tortured love affair with one. Beyond that, though, there's not much in common. In Anita's world, vampirism is legal. She's the Vampire Executioner for the St. Louis area - called in by the police to handle vampires who break the law. Beyond that, she's an animator - a zombie-raiser (another paranormal business conducted out in the open), and a police consult for supernatural crimes. Naturally, all these job descriptions invariably collide in each novel. Sometimes the dialogue (or monologue, since they're told first-person) gets a little stilted. Hamilton pushes Anita's "I'm small, but I'm tough" routine a bit too far sometimes, and the endless repetition of exactly which guns and/or knives she's wearing and how she's carrying them gets a little tedious. And a few books in, when you realize the pattern of 3 different subplots all being related somehow, (ie, monsters hire Anita to find menace threatening them, strange client hires Anita to raise the dead, Anita's love interest has a deep dark secret), it loses some of its punch. Nevertheless, I *like* Anita, and I like a lot of the secondary characters, too - even if most of them are on the side of the monsters. The stories are both fun and gruesome - a nice balance, somewhere between fluff beach reading and gnawing-on-your-fingernails.
Rating: Summary: Begin your addiction! Review: Okay, I have to say it: Laurell is a Goddess! The Anita Blake series is the only other addiction I have besides chocolate. I love this book & I have hooked my best friend on the series as well. Definetly give this book a try, you won't be disappointed!
Rating: Summary: Good start for the Anita Blake Series Review: This is a good book, that keeps you interested throughout. Nevertheless, Anne Rice is still queen in this genre. What I don't enjoy that much about the Anita Blake story (and I know that other people will disagree) is that besides vampire it has a whole myriad of other non human creatures (zombies, ghouls, animators, wererats, etc.). If you haven't read neither Rice nor Hamilton I would start with Rice first, but if you have already read Rice's books then Hamilton might be a good second choice.
Rating: Summary: Fun with reading! Review: Guilty Pleasures continues Laurell's wonderful world of vampires and other "creatures" from a very human view point. She writes well and gives a full spectrum of feelings and addresses her all too human confusion. Great book with many levels of thought. How different are we all after all? Not only great fun but thought provoking as well. Full of action and the supernatural! Enjoy. But be sure to read the books in order. They are confusing and not as much fun read out of sequence. Absolutely confirmed my interest in more Laurell K.. Passed the first books on to friends and now have a group of people hooked. One of the best addictions I've found!
Rating: Summary: Love her world Review: One of the best of the Anita Blake series. Each book is stand alone - a wonderful gift in itself! Anita is one tough chick and she's got all sorts of issues with the otherworld creatures around her: vampires, werewolves, the odd ghoul, just to name a few. She is a licensed vampire killer, but only sanctioned hits. Because vampires are people too and have rights! Ms. Hamilton has a wonderful talent of creating a world where you buys into the rules. This is a quick read because the action never lets up! Note for the Guys: this is NOT a chick book. If you love action set in this world, but with a few extra types of beings involved. Read it - very cool!
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