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BLOOD NOIR
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley, May 2008
352 pages
$25.95
ISBN: 0425222195


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Anita Blake, Vampire Investigator, executioner, vampire lover, werewolf, were animal, international beauty and the heroine of this series, is helping one of her lovers to see off his dying father. She does this as she works hard to protect and nourish her main lover, vampire Jean-Claude, Master of the City of St. Louis. Primarily , she accomplishes this by having sex with as many beings as she can. And this is easy since all and every being who sets eyes on her, or who even senses her, falls totally in lust with gorgeous Anita. All, and I mean all who are near her would lay down their lives just to spend some sexual time with her. Anita, though, has to follow a myriad of rules as to whom she should, could, might, and must have sex with. She also needs extra time to satisfy her closest lovers and to worry that the ancient vampire matriarch Mother of All Darkness might wake up.

OK, I haven't read much of and haven't been a fan of this series, which is over fifteen novels long so far. All I can really say is that the writer, Laurell K. Hamilton, has somehow made a success of this, but exactly how that happened I have no idea.

The main thrust of the book seems to be that Anita has to follow a whole bunch of rules about the many different types of vampires, were animals and humans she can sleep with. Some she has to sleep with, some she wants to have sex with, some she shouldn't sleep with but would like to, some she shouldn't let touch her for fear of breaking a rule of some sort. That problem of whom to have sex with fills every page, except when Anita is actually having sex or is about to have sex or is thinking of breaking a rule to have sex or is being tempted to have sex. As I said, I am a newcomer to this series and the whole rule thing is something the writer has worked out long ago and has to remind the readers of time and time again - in between sexual moments.

I found this book to be just about the worst I have tried to read in a very long time. Anita and her entourage are all completely beautiful specimens of their types. Some are totally human, some not one bit, but all, including Anita, are gorgeous beings who seem to survive only to ask one question - who to have sex with next?

I was bored from the first page to the last and have no idea whatsoever how this series became as long-lived and as popular as it is said to be. The writing is just barely readable and it all reminds me of a confusing dream about how the most popular person in the world might act if she were also totally powerful and completely adored and respected by every creature she meets. It is the worst kind of Romance book with too much evidence of a writer gone wrong.

I understand that long-time fans of this series will probably buy and read this book no matter what I say. I can't understand it, but many things about life doesn't make much sense to me. But I warn all newbies that it is probably best not to start reading this series at all, but if you must, start at the beginning. There may have been a few moments at the start of the series that would explain the details about Anita's life that didn't make any sense to me when I read this latest installment.

If you adore Romance books and sex scenes, and anything starring a Mary Sue, also with sex scenes, BLOOD NOIR is for you. If you like good solid stories, interesting characters, and plots that make sense, take a pass on Anita Blake.

Reviewed by A.L. Katz, October 2008

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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