Rating: 
Summary: A very colorful & Literary Soap Opera
Review: I'm not totally done reading the book yet, but so far it has become, (keyword: become) a great book which is very attracting and makes me want to read on and on! At first, it was hard to keep track of the characters but they become all intertwined at some point, which makes it easier to grasp. The vocabulary was a little above my level, using the french language frequently, but still I understood the events happening. The book is a real soap opera, but more colorful than the ones on the television.
Rating: 
Summary: No substance at all... Terribly disappointing
Review: If you're looking for pornography and s&m (also incest), buy this book. If you're looking for substance, look elsewhere. I was terribly disappointed with this story and completely lost all respect for this author after reading it. I almost want to give it a rating of 0. I was expecting something from it, it being about the "Marquis de Sade" and all... well, after reading it I still didn't have the slightest clue who the heck the Marquis de Sade was even supposed to be! How this book ever won an award, I honestly don't know, but it must not be a very respectful award or it was fixed. Makes no sense to me. This book belongs in the romance section (well, if the sex was the slightest bit romantic...), NOT the horror section. Romance novels have much heavier storylines than this did. Any storyline and characterization that may exist, however faint, is nothing more than a copy of other authors ideas. I guess the author thought she could substitute talent with sex and violence, but sorry... page after page of graphic, boring sex description gets boring! And that's basically how it is. Sure if that's what you're looking for, great, but I was not looking for that when I bought it. The cover is very misleading and makes one think there might have actually been a story there. I did notice a slight potential at the ending in a few pages in a description of a graveyard and animalistic vampires. Tinted a slight H.G. Wells/weird vampiric style. There was a bit of mood there, but unfortunately, the author didn't try to carry that same mood throughout the book. Only other thing was one of the characters was somewhat endearing and had potential. Too bad it was so undeveloped. I could have just rented a porno. It would have been more entertaining. And that's pretty sad, because I'm not too difficult to please. I can read almost any book or watch any movie and usually find several positive things about it. It takes a lot to make me want to write a bad review about something. I read the whole thing, I did try to give it a chance, although I read it in 3 hours, there was such a lack of substance. This book belongs in the porn/romance whatever section, not alongside such authors as thomas harris and wilbur smith, ann rice or steven king....
Rating:
Summary: Gotta Love It!
Review: It was really great of Mitchell to use Sade as a character. it made it seem so much more realistic in terms of characters. The S&M scenes are very descritpive. I couldn't put it down! I read for hours on end without noticing the time. I've had friends borrow this book and they agree it is VERY interesting. The novel is very well-pieced together and it flows like bubbly champagne!
Rating:
Summary: This is a horror novel, right?
Review: Never one to pass up any vampire novel, I purchased Sips because the description seemed interesting. Vampires, Marquis de Sade, fetishism, yada yada yada. If this is a comedy, I give it 4 stars; however, I'll give it 1 star as a horror novel. Sade was rather boring; I would think a character as intense and multi-faceted as the Marquis de Sade would make for a more interesting vampire. The writing style isn't too bad, but overall I found the characters to be mildly amusing at best. The plot was thin, the end was anti-climactic, and the vampires were not very frightening. The book had little suspense, and it leaves a mile-wide opening for a sequel at the conclusion. I would, however, like to see something more of the vampire mutants lurking in the graveyard. They were the most riveting of any of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Quel fromage!
Review: Quel fromage! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book but Sade's française de Pepi Le Pew got tiresome. The S&M sex scenes were gratuitous and often times stopped the flow of the plot (yes, there is a plot). I know, I know, what am I thinking... one of the main characters is the vampire form of the Marquis de Sade but does that mean that everyone else in the book has to be as weird or weirder than he?
Rating:
Summary: Quel fromage!
Review: Quel fromage! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book but Sade's française de Pepi Le Pew got tiresome. The S&M sex scenes were gratuitous and often times stopped the flow of the plot (yes, there is a plot). I know, I know, what am I thinking... one of the main characters is the vampire form of the Marquis de Sade but does that mean that everyone else in the book has to be as weird or weirder than he?
Rating: 
Summary: Vampires, Bondage and S&M
Review: Sips of Blood is a meandering story of vampires, blood worship, bondage, and sadism. I found it rather superficial and lacking substance. The characters, having no real believable personality, also added very little to the story. Even the infamous Marquis de Sade, of who this book revolves around is seen as little more than an everyday man with a secret life dealing with torture, pain, and brutality. Little if any of the psychological aspects of his mind and thought process are dealt with. For those looking for an easy reading book dealing with porn, bondage, and a thirst for blood, then you probably will enjoy the book. However, if you expect something more substantial than superficial flash and shock, if you want to get into the minds, hearts, and souls of people and their behaviors, then you won't be satisfied.
Rating: 
Summary: A riveting, blood-chilling fantasy
Review: The Marquis the Sade and his mother-in-law still among us -- as vampires! Well, I've read two biographies of the Marquis, and Sips of Blood is remarkably faithful to his character, and includes the occasional well chosen quote from Sade's own works. But beyond that, it's a riveting fantasy of blood and sex, with a surprising plot and delightfully twisted life-like characters. The haunting ending moved me to tears. Mary Ann Mitchell has done it again: another truly original novel.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes I like to read this book.
Review: This book means so very much to me. I don't think you understand. It's as if somebody wrote a story of my life and then put it onto several hundred smallish pieces of paper. No, I'm not French. No, I'm not a vampire. In fact, I'm polish and I'm told I look like a very old Johnny Depp. That's beside the point. The Canterbury Tales changed my life.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating opportunity squandered!
Review: This premise really had promise. The concept of the Marquis de Sade being "alive", forever walking the earth, was chilling and horrifying. Which crimes would he commit in this modern time? What would his view of our society be? However, the author didn't explore this fascinating aspect of the story. Instead, we were treated to some kinda weak (and not at all sexy) S & M that provided little insight into the characters and that didn't seem to DRIVE the story as much as BE the story. This wasn't enough to keep me riveted. I finished it, but the book is already in the "to be donated" pile. A disappointment.
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