Rating: 
Summary: Great for Edward fans
Review: If you are a fan of this series, then this book is a must-read. Hamilton wrote it to give all those Edward fans a serious look into his personality, his past, his motivations, etc. However, if you are new to this series: skip this book and go back to the beginning! This one would just be too confusing for anyone unfamiliar with the history of these characters.
In OBSIDIAN, Anita flies to New Mexico when Edward calls in a long-standing favor she owes him. What ensues is a good-vs-evil tale involving ancient aztec rituals, revenge and good old fashioned monsters. Edward also reveals a personal life which is downright startling considering his "career". Anita is her usual sarcastic, tough broad self; I have always loved the old detective novel feel in the dialogue and action of this series. But one thing this novel is very heavy on: Anita constantly questions her relationship with Jean Claude and Richard and is in major personal turmoil throughout the story.
I love this series. It's fun, it's fast-paced, and the characters are fascinating. Anita has quite an edge, but we've watched her mature with the progression of the series. In OBSIDIAN I enjoyed "meeting" the new characters, especially psychopathic Olaf who seems to waiting in the wings for future installments. Was this the best in the series? I don't think so. But it has its own merits and has to be read to keep up with the characters and storyline. I enjoyed it; I applaud Hamilton for being able to maintain consistency with the history of this alternate reality. As for those who question if Anita has lost her edge---Anita herself keeps questioning this, and I think this is going to lead to some interesting sequences in future episodes. This is not the constantly kicking-butt Anita that is ever present in the other novels (although there is a fair amount of serious butt kicking). Anita is more introspective and is coming to terms with some life issues in OBSIDIAN. For me, Anita Blake is always worth a read, and I am a diehard fan of this series. I recommend OBSIDIAN to any Anita Blake fan or to anyone interested in alternate reality/vampire fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: I loved this book. I have liked Edward's character for years, since I started the series in 8th grade. Although no Jean-Claude or Larry :(, I was not disappointed by the story. Anita is still as savvy as ever! Wonderful folk-lore with the right amount of horror added in, along with a pleasing set of sub-stories, a neato vampire enemy and a bit of who's tougher than who. Possibly, this vampire villain has to be one of the more interesting characters in the series. Edward's unmasking is interesting and Anita's reactions to the other characters are markedly different than what we've seen before. Plus a truckload of guns and knives, a few new monsters we haven't encountered (heck, Edward doesn't even know what they are at first!) and a few extra goodies for surprise kick. Lara Croft, eat your heart out. I read it in three days, only stopped because I had to go to work. I have to say, it was a good book; I got three people Anita-addicted with only the first chapter of the thing! I've been waiting since a week after Blue Moon came out for this one and it was worth waiting for.
Rating:
Summary: I adore this one!
Review: This is my favorite book of the series. The action and detail are outstanding. Anita's moral dilema, accompanied by a perplexing mystery and disgusting murders, make this book very absorbing. It's not for the faint of heart however, so be carefull. Some of the scenes, one in particular involving children, are very disturbing. All in all a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but...
Review: I started reading Hamilton with "Narcissus in Chains," the book that comes after this one in the series. While there was something that bothered me about the book, I couldn't put it down, and decided to start at the beginning. Well, I've now read them all, and while I think Hamilton has a fantastic imagination (and I had as much difficulty putting any of the others down), there are some things that need fixing. Superficially, the editing. I've never read a series of books with so many errors left in.
As far as the stories themselves, Hamilton is overly repetitious in so many ways, and frankly, Anita Blake simply isn't likable. Oh, at first I thought "Gee, isn't it nifty that there's a strong female character" but her attitude grows old real quick. The other characters grow equally tiresome, as half of them are complete bad-... with no redeeming qualities (why is it that 95% of the police introduced in the books are such jerks?), the remaining characters are either (for the most part) sex-obsessed, overly submissive, or otherwise unlikable?
With that said, though, I've noticed a definite improvement in Hamilton's writing style as the series progresses, and this particular book is significantly better than the previous ones... Narcissus is even better. So while I certainly recommend the series, I also recommend to Ms. Hamilton that she get a better editor and take a hard look at her characters.
Rating:
Summary: This is what i like to see!
Review: I wasn't tremendously impressed with "Blue Moon", the Anita Blake book previous this one, but Obsidian Butterfly redemed Anita for me. The action sequences are back up to speed with the other AB novels (Circus of the Damned and Bloody Bones were especially good in this respect) and the narration is back to where it should be. After two or three books of almost constant romance we finally see a little action and detective work. My only complaint is that Edward, my absolute favorite character, has lost a little bit of his mysterious edge for me, making him seem more normal and less "Edwardy". The mystery of him was what made him a great character...but i'll live. This is the Anita Blake i like to see, and you probably will too! If you're a first time AB reader, you wouldn't be too bad off to start with this book, but go ahead and read the whole series from first to last...you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: A bit different to the others, but in a good way
Review: This is my favourite of the entire sequence, and a bit of a departure from the others in that all the characters are unfamiliar (apart from Anita and YAY! Edward). There a couple of standout action sequences and being removed from Richard & Jean Claude meant that Anita concentrated more on kicking ... On the down side Edward's 'romance' is rather impractical and unconvincing, but that's love I guess. Also it seems impossible for Anita to make it through a whole book without obtaining ANOTHER superhuman power. The new character Olaf was great, maybe the series needs a few more humans, and the twist at the end was both funny and menacing.
Rating:
Summary: Well written but not enough Jean-Claude or Richard!
Review: This book feels separate from the rest of the Anita Blake series in that Jean-Claude is missing. He has been one of the "red threads" in the series, and although Edward is fascinating, it was a bit too much Edward at times. This book also had the most blood and guts to it. I started the series with the 11th book "Cerulean Sins" because it was available to me, and then read in mixed order through the rest of them. My favorites are "The Killing Dance", "Narcissus in Chains" and "Cerulean Sins"; primarily due to the involvement of Jean-Claude and Richard. Although it's best to start from the beginning, each story stands well enough alone that you can read them in any order and still follow along.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced romantic mystery/horror story
Review: Obsidian Butterfly is one of those books you pick up and can't put back down until it's over, and even then with much regret. Laurell Hamilton knows how to keep her readers turning the pages. For those new to the Anita Blake series, here's a quick overview: The setting is present-day America, and the heroine is Anita Blake, the tough, sexy, and smart vampire executioner. She raises the dead for a living, quite legally, for such purposes as settling will disputes. Vampires and werewolves (aka lycanthropes) are legal citizens, only to be killed if they commit a crime. Anita actually has both a vampire lover, Jean Claude, and a werewolf boyfriend, Richard.
In Obsidian Butterfly, Anita leaves her hometown of St Louis to pay back a favor to her friend Edward, who is an assassin. He needs her help solving a string of murders, which were likely committed by something non-human. They team up with the local cops, the FBI, and Edward's mysterious accomplices to find the monster before it can mutilate yet another helpless family.
I would recommend this book to all fans of the Anita Blake series, even if many of the usual main characters are missing. You learn more about Edward and Anita, as well as the nature of her bond to "the boys".
It also goes well alone, precisely because there are not so many pre-introduced characters.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a smart, well-written plot that is a combination of horror, suspense, and mystery with a little romance mixed in. Anita's constant sarcastic thoughts and witty comments keep the mood light throughout the story. The characters are extremely well-developed and draw you into their world of magic, witchcraft and a constant good vs evil battle that will keep you turning pages all night.
Rating:
Summary: School Book Review.
Review: Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the best books I've ever read. The book is about Anita Blake's newest adventure. She is called by Edward to help him solve a mystery in New Mexico. "I was running full out and skidded on my high heels, grabbing the receiver as I slid into the wall and nearly dropped the phone. I yelled into the receiver as I juggled the phone, "Edward, Edward, it's me! I'm here!"' (p. 2) Edward needed her help since she's a necromancer and has solved murders before with the St. Louis police. The theme of the book is really about Anita finding out about herself. She didn't know much about herself, but in this book she finds out more than she ever thought she would. I do agree with it in the fact that everyone needs to find out about themselves. It doesn't relate to my life lately, but I used to try to hide information about myself from myself. I realized, after other people told me, that I can't do that. I would recommend this book, simply because it's one of the best books I've ever read. Granted it's a bit unusual, but it still is the best book of this series. Don't read this book without reading the rest of the series, but it's an awesome series to read if you like magic, Vampires, Werewolves/Werelepords/ect, and a female good guy beating the bad guys.
Rating:
Summary: another good read
Review: I love all of Laurel K Hamilton's novels. I have read and reread them all many times. Obsidian butterfly is a good one. Even though there are no romantic interests for Anita, the detail about Edward's life and the other characters introduced in this book make it a good read. I liked all of the action and the introspection that Anita does about the her own morality. She does seem to come to terms with her own violent nature a bit. She finds out that humans can be monsters as well.
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