Rating: 
Summary: re: Bloody & Muddy
Review: As much as I wanted to like this book, I did not. The plot never emerged. As they say, "the plot thickens," but in this books case, it thickens into a paste of mud. In order to get me interested, I really should be enticed into liking Anita Blake from the start. I don't or perhaps I've not been given enough info to form an opinion. To me, it was just a slightly gory horror book with some kinky vampire fantasy thrown in for good measure. I picked it up because I was told, "If you like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, you'll like this." Unfortunately, I didn't. Sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: A fast paced and entertaining novel
Review: The vampire novel is perhaps the most abundant in horror literature and also the one filled with the most cliches, and author Laurel Hamilton uses more than a few. Guilty Pleasures puts vampires in an almost mundane light as they co exist with humans along with werewolves, zombies and other supernatural creatures. It is this familiarity that makes the novel interesting but also takes away the horror and brings us more into the crime/detective genre. The book cover states that its a mix of romance and horror but there was no romance that I could see and the horror is pretty light. However the story stands well on its own and sets up what has become a series of Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books.
The character of Anita Blake is really quite interesting and the story is told through her first person point of view, this makes the novel rather one-sided but the book doesn't suffer because of it. One interesting thing is that Anita has a moral code and even goes to church since belief is crucial to making crucifixes and holy water effective on vampires.
Rating: 
Summary: High on Action, Weak on Plot
Review: Hamilton's Anita Blake series began here, and perhaps certain crudities of plot and narration can be excused by Hamilton's inexperience at the time. She is quite skillful at creating surprising, suspenseful, often violent and even disgusting action scenes. The book is never boring. The weaknesses here are that the action scenes do not seem connected by a plausible storyline and that the first-person narrator (Blake) tells us her thoughts far, far too much. The narrative approach is something of a blend of Sam Spade and Kinsey Milhone, and Hamilton would do better to stick with the Spade. I found myself longing to take a blue pencil to the page, marking out the constant inner commentary and explanations and leaving just the action and dailogue. If the character provides her own inner reaction to every action and line of dialogue, the book leaves nothing for the reader to do. There is nowhere to enter into the story oneself. The plausibility issue has to do with Hamilton's lengthy set-up for the main action. It takes 100 pages, nearly half the book, for Blake to actually begin her investigation. Moreover, considering the amazing powers that vampires enjoy in Hamilton's world, it is just not believable that they would go to such lengths to employ a mere human investigator like Blake to track down a vampire killer. The whole idea, based on Hamilton's own premises, is implausible. The plot seems a manipulated, flimsy structure that exists at the author's whim for the purpose of stringing together (rather good) action scenes. In sum: an enjoyable read, if sometimes frustrating in its execution. One senses that it falls short of its potential and would have benefited from stronger editorial advice.
Rating:
Summary: A guilty pleasure indeed
Review: What a wicked delight this book is, forget that it's not exactly a work of literature, curl up and enjoy yourself. Get plunged into a world where vampires have been integrated into modern day society... unfortunately they are no less dangerous than they ever were. The main character is an "animater", a zombie raising, butt kicking, "tough-as-nails" vampire slayer with a wit to match the pointy end of a stake. Not to mention her outrageous propensity to get into (and out of) some incredibly dangerous and amusing situations. Anyone who needs a bit of vicareous blood pumping fun should get this book. You'll love it and you'll love Anita too.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfection
Review: I read this book for the first time when I was in sixth grade after hearing a radio interview by Laurell K. Hamilton because the idea of a vampire series set in my home town intrigued me and, despite generally loathing both romances and horror novels, I haven't stopped reading the series since.
Rating:
Summary: just what I have been craving!
Review: I have been looking for some good Vampire novels and I have found them! This series is so good. It hooks you and you just can't get enough.I love JC he is my favorite character. Can't wait till the next book.
Rating:
Summary: LAURELL K. HAMILTON RULES
Review: GUILTY PLEASURES IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAD READ BY LAURELL K. HAMILTON. I LOVE HER CHARACTERS, ANITA IS ONE WOMAN WHO DOESN'T BOW DOWN TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING. I CAN'T WAIT TO CONTINUE THE SERIES.
Rating:
Summary: Great series!
Review: If you are a fan of mystery, action, and even the paranormal, this is the series for you. Start with Guilty Pleasures, and when you're done, be prepared to hand your credit card over to the person behind the counter at your local bookstore as you purchase the other 10 in the series. I speak from experience.The main character, Anita Blake, is a woman of the modern day. Very "modern day," in fact, since Laurell Hamilton has created a world where vampires and shape-shifters walk the streets like you and I. To say more would be saying too much. At least give Guilty Pleasures a look. I'll almost guarantee you'll be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent start
Review: Alright here's the set-up, paranormal beings (vampires, were-animals, zombies, etc.) do exist in our modern day world and they have recently been recognized as being a minority class of citizens in this country. They can own property and vote, etc. Because of their status, and their ebing different, they are ostracized to a degree. Anita Blake is an animator (raises the dead) and part time vampire bounty hunter. She comes to know Jean-Claude, a vampire, as well s other vampires, in St. Louis, where this all takes place. It's a good start, setting up the storyline, for the many books to come.
Rating:
Summary: Anita Blake is my hero
Review: Anita Blake is probably my favorite fictional person; she's sarcastic, tough, and smart, she has a really nifty job (she's an animator and legal vampire executioner), and she gets into very entertaining trouble. In Guilty Pleasures and the other Anita Blake books, Hamilton has created a fascinating world full of characters that have real problems and face real dilemmas. At the same time, Guilty Pleasures is fast-paced, edgy, and perfectly blends the right amount of humor and plain spookiness. While Hamilton's prose may not be perfect or fancy, it doesn't take away from the content of her books, which more than makes up for any minor grammatical awkwardness. Hamilton is an original and edgy writer whose novels should be on everyone's "must read" list.
|
