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Average Customer Rating:

Not my cup of tea

Customer Rating:

My mom bought the first two Anita Balke books for me because I have always been a fan of the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles (and the Witches). Now to her credit my mom usually picks out good books- not this time. I found the story to be lacking in somewhat important background details- some things aren't fully explained, for example in the beginning we find out that she is supposed to "reanimate" some dead guy, but then the story just moves on. I also felt that the sentence structure was very simple and basic and I particulary did not like the use of "words" such as 'kinda' and so on. Does this woman have an editor? I can appreciate the attempt to make the speakers sound real but I think they sound like teenagers. And finally putting it out there that this is a "sexual" novel is far from the truth. I would certainly not recommend this book.

Good, not what I expected.. felt a little watered down

Customer Rating:

I came across this series and decided to give it a try. I ordered the first four books. This first book left me scratching my head in certain areas. For example, parts of this book read as though it was the second in the series. It seemed like they would reference something that happened in the past and give you a quick up to speed as to what they were talking about and then move on from there. Something you would see in a second or third book to try to catch the reader up to date. I even went back and made sure I had the right book. Characterization: Overall the heroine is labeled as a strong "tough as nails" kind of gal. This I liked. She wasn't whiny and she was very straight forward. I immediately took a liking to Anita Blake. You don't really know alot about her past as it's never explained. Some parts are referenced very briefly as I've said before then forgotten, like we should know where she got that scar, or who this person is and how they came into her life already. The main villian in this story is a child master vampire who is over a thousand years old. The first thing that came to my mind when it was said she was a child vampire, was Claudia from Interview with the Vampire. From then on that's who popped in my head everytime this child was in a scene. There were several other side villians all working together, but even though they seemed like a big deal to Anita, one even from her past, they were snuffed out very quickly at the end and had little importance in the outcome of the story. There are a few different characters that are introduced in this book, yet I didn't feel like I got to see them develop or even learn anything about their personalities. It was pretty much "This is _____, he does this" Then they would move on. Romance: None. This was kind of disappointing to me since I thought this was a paranormal romance series. I suppose I was wrong. No one to blame but myself there. Plot: Decent. I felt it had great potential, but it felt very rushed at the end. Everything came to a head in the last five pages and was quickly solved. The most powerful child vampire went down too quickly and easily for how powerful and scary she was made out to be. Overall: I gave it three stars, because I felt like it was missing something. Which I understand it was the first book of the series, yet I felt like it didn't give me the information I was looking for right away. It was rather short and I felt it could have been a bit longer and the characters introduced at a slower pace with some more information of the past given. I felt like I was reading cliff notes on what the book should have been. Perhaps I judged too harshly. Maybe that's why there are so many books in the series. It could be that all of the past information in told in the remaining series. Yet, why make 16+ books of little info when you can write half as many longer and better written books is beyond me. Maybe it's just a way to get more money. Will I read the other three? Yes. I bought them might as well read them. Perhaps they will get better with time.

Awesome read, Not What I expected

Customer Rating:

I picked up this book sort of on a whim. I really enjoy vampire novels, and I was looking for a new series to start in on. What made me pick this book up was seeing the comic book adaptation in my local shop. So, I thought I would give the acutal book a shot. I was told by my co-workers that the author, Laurell K. Hamilton, was known for soft core erotica, but I was undeterred. I'm glad I picked this up. It's one of the best vampire books I've read. The novel introduces readers to intrepid vampire hunter, Anita Blake. She is not just a vampire slayer, but also an animator, meaning she can raise the dead. Anita seems to have a colorful past with the undead, there are scars on her body, that are never fully explained. She works for a detective agency, Animators, Inc. The book begins with master i.e. very old and very powerful vampires being murdered in Anita's home turf of St. Louis, MO. Did I forget to mention that vampires and all sorts of horror creatures are real and accepted in the novel. The police are on the case but bring in Anita for her expertise. Having no love lost for the undead, Anita doesn't think much of the murders. That is until she is blackmailed by the city's master vampire, Nikolaos to take the case and solve the murders. This is just a brief synopsis of a densely plotted, well paced thriller. It did everything it needed to do for the debut of a series, I care about the characters and I'm excited to find out what happends next. Highly recommended.

great read	Customer Rating:
I bought this book to be given as a gift, only after I had read it a few months ago. It is an enthralling, fast-paced book that I thoroughly enjoyed, as well as all of the other Anita Blake books that I have read. Highly recommended!

Zilch on romance

Customer Rating:

This book was suggested to me as a Vampire romance erotica so I was disappointed when I realized quickly this book did not fall under that category. I think Hamilton does a fairly good job of defining her characters but I must say, I found it difficult to get my head around her characterization of Nikolaos. The fact that she was an ancient vampire in a child's body spewing all this hatred and destruction almost seemed comical. I just kept seeing a child in a temper tantrum. Now, I've got to mention Rafael the Ratman er, the Rat King of the wererats who by the way wear cut-off jeans. What was up with that? The mental image of a "man/rat" body was just too subterranean for me, and one of the "woman/rat's" was a doctor with a little doctor bag? OK, just too silly for me.... I'm assuming she was a doctor because the other ratettes wore maternity clothes and obviously were going to need professional help. When she emerged in the aftermath of battle, her medical bag in claw.. hoof.. whatever, I couldn't help but wonder if she was wearing her white lab coat and white crocs. Nah, this just wasn't the high octane, action packed, simmering sex romance I had hoped for. I guess I'll keep looking for an author that can deliver like R J Ward.