Rating: 
Summary: Lord have mercy.
Review: This was my first Hamilton book. I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. It is really poor. Some of the similarly rated reviews will give you a better idea - I don't want to waste any more time with this book.I'm not a diehard vampire fan, but I've read some Rice books and others, this has to be one of the worst I've seen. The plethora of mystical/fantasy stuff is so omnipresent that it takes away from the fun and mystery of it all. There is a lot of filler too - this author seems to have trouble quickly moving the plot along. I got tired of repetitive descriptions of Edward's "dead eyes" and boy, watch out for that killer description of sopapillas and sage honey. Lord have mercy.
Rating: 
Summary: It Keeps On Going
Review: At first, having Anita seperated from all of the other charaters was kind of strange. Once I adjusted, it was just nice. The focus was on her, and she is the central charater. Her growth during these books has been amazing, and it looks like weird things are happening next book. I found that it is best to just read them back to back to back. It's one long lovely story. You won't be disapointed if you've read the others, and I think, in a way, it is a better standalone book then any of the rest have been.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT THE BEST IN THE SERIES
Review: THE REASON IT WAS NOT THE BEST IN THE SERIES BECAUSE JEAN CLAUDE WAS NOT IN THE BOOK AS AN ACTIVE CHARACTER. THE SAME FOR RICHARD. I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THAT THEY COULD HAVE MADE A APPEARENCE. AH, BUT I WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NARCISSUS IN CHAINS COMES OUT I KNOW LKH WANT DISAPPOINT ME ON THIS BOOK. I HAVE READ EXCERPT AND THE EXCERPT MAKES ME CRINGE IN MY SEAT. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHO ANITA WILL END UP WITH. THANKS LAURELL, I LOVE YOUR BOOKS. MY FIRST BOOK WAS THE KILLING DANCE AND FROM THEIR I BECAME ADDICTED. THANKS FOR THE ADVENTURE. TAMMI
Rating:
Summary: Coudn't put it down & Didn't want it to end
Review: What a great book! I've been looking for a charcter like Anita Blake for a long time! I enjoy Buffy, but this definately is an 'R' rated version of a slayer. Halfway through the book I knew it was coming to an end, but I was sad because I didn't want the story to end. Found the book by accident, but now I'm in search of more Anita Blake stories. Wish I had waited until I could start the series from the beginning, but it sucked me in before I realized what was happening. I enjoyed all the characters, and look forward to the next book with trepidation and anticipation for rounds with Olaf... Makes my skin crawl. Yeah!
Rating:
Summary: This book is fantastic!!!
Review: If you are a fan of the Anita Blake books, then this is a must for you. All fans of Anita are familar with Edward. We never knew much about him...well now that's changed. This is Edwards story. Don't get me wrong, Anita sill tells the story, but we finally get to read Edward's story. Anita killed one of Edward's back up, and now she owes Edward a favor...and in Obsidian Butterfly, Edward collects on that favor. We all know that Edward's smart as a tack and twice as tough as a nail. So what kind of monster could be out there that's scares him? You'll have to read this book to find out what's lurking in the darkness. As usual, the characters in this book are life like. I liked the char of Olf and Bernardo. I highly expect to see these characters in furture books....esp Olf. When it comes to Anita and Edward I'd like to see one of two things happen. They either hook up or in one book they go aganst each other to see who's the best. Hamilton has a very unique writing styly that keeps the reader glued to the page. The dialouge is sharp, witty, and just fun to read. I *highly* suggest this book. If you have to, get Guilty Pleasures (the first book) and work you way up to Obsidian Butterfly, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A few peeves, but overall a fun read--in paperback
Review: I loved the chance to learn more about Edward, but I, too was bothered by LKH's rather exploitational approach to the nursery scene. And *continuity*, YIKES! What happened to Monstruo, the creature in the bar? I re-read the final chapters twice to make sure I hadn't missed it, but no, Anita didn't make a quick side trip before she left town to wrap up that loose end. Sloppy editing, folks. And finally, an obsidian blade is *sharper* than steel, not duller.
Rating:
Summary: can't put it down
Review: The combination of eroticism, twists and thrills make this a book you can't put down!
Rating: 
Summary: Death calls in a favor
Review: Laurell does a great job again with her world of Anita Blake, animator, vampire slayer-lover-servant, and everything else in her unique world. This was great seeing Anita out of her element (as it were) in New Mexico answering the call of the bane of the otherworld Edward who needs her help with a very unpleasant murderer/mutilator. The books have a great deal of detail in many areas - I was impressed she credited Massad Ayoub for firearms information. One area though that I'm having a problem with is the sexual details that are becoming more and more prevalent. It would seem she might be wanting to make a 'bodice-ripper' novel with vampires (and werewolves and government protected psycho serial killers oh my). I believe the novels have done well without all the bedroom details but perhaps she knows (or is being told) what will sell. Two details that I like that were revealed about Anita was her 'reasoning' for dating Jean-Claude and Richard was she doesn't feel comfortable (or safe) with humans. The other was the strongest bond between her and Edward was that they were secure in the knowledge that if one of them needed to be retired ("when it absolutely, positively HAS to be killed overnight!") that the other is willing and able to do the job right. Can't wait for the new book!
Rating:
Summary: Edward finallys calls in Antia Blake for that favor
Review: "Obsidian Butterfly" is the long-awaited Anita Blake novel in which Edward the Bounty Hunter finally calls in the favor our heroine owes him for his services in "The Killing Dance." So Anita heads to New Mexico, where something is out ripping the bodies of some people apart while removing all the skin from others. Whatever type of monster this might be, it is something so bad that even Edward is spooked. Anita is spooked because Edwards, in his cover identity as "Ted," has a girlfriend who has two children. If all this was not troubling enough throw into the mix the two other backups Edward has enlisted, Olaf, the serial-rapist who keeps threatening Anita, and Bernardo, who keeps trying to hit on her, as does Ramirez, a local cop. Oh, and did I mention she has been celibate for months? This title around the title refers to both a bar and the English name of Itzpapalotl, the vampire Master of the City, which serves to indicate that whatever it is that is out there has something to do with Aztec mythology. One again, Anita Blake, vampire hunter/animator/necromancer has her hands full. Laurell K. Hamilton is perhaps the finest writer of horror stories around as in book after book in this series she comes up with gruesome scenes that match the best you can find in Stephen King or Clive Ba rker. In "Obsidian Butterfly" this comes when the last of a group of flesh-eating zombies on a killing spree in a hospital makes its way into the nursery. The main problem with the Anita Blake series, as others have pointed out, is that there is a sense in which things keep repeating themselves as our heroine mouths off to the wrong people, complains about her love life, and keeps calling herself a monster as her personal body count continues to rise. However, the basic mystery here and all its various involved sub-plots are combined in a compelling narrative that overwhelms the problems with characterization. One thing I especially liked about this ninth novel in the series is that yet another unknown aspect of Anita's power did not make itself known at the key moment. In fact, given some of the climaxes of the previous volumes, there is a simple elegance to how our heroine dispatches the monster this time around. On balance, "Obsidian Butterfly" is one of the best novels in the series, ironically helped by the fact that Jean-Claude and Richard are, with minor exceptions, absent from the story. A final set of reminders. First, these books are not for those who wish to avoid have sleepless nights. I have told my teenage daughter, a big Buffy fan, that she is not old enough to read these novels because I know they will give her nightmares. Second, these books should be read in order as you cannot possibly appreciate Anita's relationship with Edward or her extremely complicated love life unless you do them by the numbers.
Rating:
Summary: She keeps getting better (both the Author and Anita Blake).
Review: This book was an excellent piece of storytelling. I have been a fan of Anita Blake since I read Guilty Pleasures and then made sure to read every book in the series and each book keeps fleshing out both Anita and the other characters more and more. Some readers complained that they missed reading about Jean-Claude and Richard but hey anybody can take a vacation and visit new places. Very few people stay in just one town and someone as enterprising and powerful as Anita should getting out and seeing new places. Because of this we get to see her in unfamiliar territory dealing with all new and all different foes and new friends. Besides the fact that her love life was getting kind of complicated she has to do Edward a favor because she owes him one. Because of this we get drawn into a whole new scenario with all new characters. We get to see Anita deal with a whole new level of badness and we don't know whats gonna happen because the Author is just very good at building up the suspense. Yes, some of us just live for the very well done fight scenes, and confrontations with people, monsters et al. but the times in-between are more than meaty enough to keep you wanting more. It's hard to believe but this entire book takes place in over just about 3 or 4 days. You will still be hanging onto every single word. I found myself giggling on the train to work as I read some passages, the words were just so real and I even read a few paragraphs to my friends just so they could hear about some of the scenes for themselves. Hurry up and Buy this book whether you are a fan of Anita Blake or just love a good Vampire-Monster / Murder Mystery with some werewolves, otherworldy creatures and just bad-a$$ people thrown in for good measure.
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