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| Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher: Orbit
Category: Book
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £9.49
You Save: £6.50 (41%)
New (24) Used (7) Collectible (1) from £5.11
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 7371
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 184149691X
EAN: 9781841496917
ASIN: 184149691X
Publication Date: June 5, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Lost the plot? June 15, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Oh, Laurell. I enjoyed your earlier books so much, but whatever happened to the storylines? The charismatic characters? No murders to solve? No searching among the dead for truths? This great series has just morphed into a catalogue of Anita's sexual romps with the different characters in the name of assuaging the ardeur, and this latest - I hesitate to call it a story - is almost an insult to us regular fans and a bitter disappointment. The problem with Jason's look-alike cousin is not even resolved, in fact we never get to confront him, so he remains a kind of mythical character from Jason's past. LKH may be a money-spinner for the publishing house, but for her sake and that of her readers, they really ought to exercise more editorial control and say if a book needs more work done on it, like including a gripping plot.
 Read between lines June 12, 2008
11 out of 24 found this review helpful
I think people are being harsh about this series, I'm not a fan of constant sex scenes, but this book doesn't concentrate on sex, i found it hard to put down, finishing this book in just over a day. Anita and Richard's characters develope in this book as does Jason's. I'm not thebiggest fan of the Nathaniel and Micha relationship, so it was nice to have a book without them. I like where the plot is going and can;t wait for the next book. My advise - if you don't like it, don't read it and stop trashing the books for everyone else
 Better than many! June 11, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book about Anita Blake is well written and very entertaining perhaps because of rather than despite the lack of the usual large cast of characters. It lets us into the lives of Anita and Jason and we learn more of their earlier lives. It is also better due to a lesser emphasis on marathon sex sessions. There is sex, but it takes second place to the story, which is as it should be and the story benefits from it.
However, that said, it is Anita lite, the plot what there is of it is interesting but there was not enough of it. It is, obviously, setting the scene for the next book in the series it might have been better to have shortened this book and amalgamated with the next one. I personally do not like our author's habit of using an entire book to cover very short periods of time, I would prefer a faster pacing of story lines.
That all said this is a reasonably entertaining book and you should enjoy it.
Not the worst of her latest books, but still quite weak plot-wise June 10, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Federal Marshal and Vampire Hunter Anita Blake goes with her werewolf friend Jason to his hometown so that he can visit his dying father. Once they get there Jason is confused with a distant cousin of his, which brings all sorts of problems for the duo.
Blood Noir, book 16 of the Anita Blake series is similar, in style, to the more recent novels. The flare of the first few books, where Anita Blake, vampire hunter was a though-as-nails heroine and actually killed some dark creatures is definitely gone.
In this book, much like in previous ones, there is little mystery and detective work but much talk of relationships and feelings. The Anita Blake series is now more your average "chick lit" where angst and sex abound and women worry if they are making the right choices than "urban fantasy".
That said, this book is a little better than previous installments like Incubus Dreams, Cerulean Sins or Danse Macabre (I must confess to not having read "The Harlequin" yet). While there were too many descriptions of clothes and appearences and too much small talk (of relationships and anger and love and feelings) once you get into the book, it's not so very hard to read.
The plot, as described above, revolves around one of the many characters of the Anita Blake books: Jason the werewolf stripper. Of course while the story is supposed to be about Jason it ends up being about Anita Blake.
Now while this plot is a little overused (Sweet Valley High, anyone?) it could have gone somewhere if properly explored. But Hamilton doesn't do it. She is quickly sidetracked by her little creation, "the ardeur", and lets this plot thread drop as if it were nothing. The real plot, of course, is Anita Blake's sex life, Anita Blake's doubts, Anita Blake's new powers; so there isn't much story aside from that (to clarify, most of the book takes place in a hotel room).
To be fair Hamilton picks up this part of the story (the "mixed-up" between Jason and his cousin) again in the last few chapters; but in the meanwhile there is no investigative work, no Anita tracking bad guys, no real development... Blake gets her info from a phone call and the matter is resolved in the last two, three chapters. Not what I'd call a well developed plot.
In terms of writing, it is clear that an editor is needed to weed out scenes that can be reduced in size or incorporated into other parts of the story. The first few chapters come to mind. Also there are a few too many grammatical errors and the author seems to favor some "phrases" she overuses throughout the book, to the point where we wish said expression won't come up again. Ever.
Overall, Blood Noir is definitely a step in the right direction. While still resolutely in the same tone than Hamilton's latest books (from Narcissus in Chains to Danse Macabre) Blood Noir adds a little to the general plot. Still, like everything else in this series, the main plot moves slowly.
I wish Ms. Hamilton would move on with the story to the most expected showdown between the two super-females in the books. Or, if she insists on doing things slowly at least put in some real mysteries that would add more spark and action to the books... there is only so much girl-talk a reader can handle and frankly I believe most readers expect more from this series than just endless relationship problems or how Anita Blake will manage to "juggle" all "the men in her life". I'd buy typical, honest-faced romance novels/chick lit if I wanted that.
Oh Dear June 10, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of this series since I first picked up Guilty Pleasures but I do feel that the author has lost her way. This book just did not work for me- the plot was weak, the sex was ridiculous and all of the interesting plot cliff hangers from the end of the last installment were ignored in favour of a focus on Jason (sorry, but he is not a well developed or meaningful enough character to warrant a whole book)
I do not mind some sex scenes but I don't want them at the expense of a meaningful storyline and in the case of this book it was clearly an either or. I suspect that the author is under pressure to turn these around in record time and it shows. I want to know what is happening with Haven and the Lions, what has become of Valentina? Did the Cape Cod Master Vampire have to kill his wife? What of Malcolm and the church? So frustrating to pick up the series and have none of the investment made in the last few books paid off
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