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I read this in the car on the first leg of the roadtrip - the part I'd seen before and was kind of bored with.
It was an 'Edward' novel, which I tend to like. It generally means that she's going back to the original mystery format and I really enjoyed the first five or six novels.
I had a friend that I tried to get into the series because she shared similar tastes to mine in reading. She really liked Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison so when she asked about more books I recommended LKH. I mean, it is a pretty natural fit and not a stretch at all. I gave her the first book in the series and when she finished it she told me that it was okay, but that she wouldn't read anymore becuase it was too intense for her and had really freaked her out.
Now the first book is probably like the tamest one in the series and I was kind of glad I hadn't given her any of the others because that would have totally freaked her out. But with this book I was totally feeling her on the too intense. It was kind of freaking me out. I mean, there was a point where I was reading it where I was so disturbed that I pretty much thought that it would be the last Anita Blake book that I read. And despite how much I haven't liked the constant sex of some past books, I've never felt that way before.
Olaf is highly, highly disturbing. I know Anita has standards and morals etc. but I think if I was her I'd ask one of my less moral vampire sweeties to make the dude dissapear. Not her style I know, but he is highly, highly disturbing. That whole storyline is.
I do have to say that I really love her relationship with Edward and the way that it continues to grow and develop. I think it's cool that their relationship is almost sibling like. It's pretty awesome.
On the pro side, LKH definitely seems to have heard her fans pleas for less sex in the books. It was almost to the end before she got to it. I don't have any particular objection to it. It wasn't anything to graphic or kinky or weird or anything like that. I don't have a problem with it. I guess it just felt unnecesary and a little mechanical. Like she realized that she'd gotten to the end and there was no sex, so she had to throw some in to keep her readers happy. I don't know. Despite the craziness of Anita having several dozen boyfriends, I guess I do like it more when she actually has feelings for the men that she sleeps with. Or something. I'm not against meaningless sex, but maybe pointless sex? I don't know if that made sense, but that's just kind of how it seemed to me.
What I would love to see and have been hoping to get for quite, quite some time now is a Jean-Claude novel. The closest thing we've gotten to that recently was Harlequin and even that wasn't really. I'll be honest, he's my favorite of all of Anita's men. I think that he's probably the best match for her, barring Micah who's a little to perfect for my literary tastes. If it was a series just about her relationship with Micah, it'd be boring as all hell. But Jean-Claude is kind of perfect for her. He makes her work at the relationship, but isn't Richard either. He has a certain ruthless practicality that she needs in her life. He understands her and he's strong enough to be her equal and help protect her when she gets in over her head. He also knows when to back off and when she doesn't even need his help. But I digress. He only had one seen. More Jean-Claude please? I can haz it?
The end of the book seemed a little bit rushed to me. Like it all came together too quickly and honestly, easily. I am curious to see more about some of the personality and character changes that Anita has been going through. The Anita of the first few books would not have performed oral on some guy just to get the bad guy to let one of the hostages go. She wasn't willing enough to bend. So I'm definitely intrigued, but it almost feels like too much change, too quickly. I really hope that the Mother of All Darkness isn't actually dead. Because that would be really anti-climactic. She's kind of the perfect character for Anita to struggle against - like the dark mirror of herself, and the over-arching thread of that has really been tying the books together and giving them focus so I do hope she really isn't dead. Too easy. No way.
Over all, not a bad addition. Despite being majorly squicked by all parts Olaf and highly disturbed, I will be back for the next book. I like the general direction that the series has been going lately and despite few nitpicks and wishes, I think it's fairly cool.
It was an 'Edward' novel, which I tend to like. It generally means that she's going back to the original mystery format and I really enjoyed the first five or six novels.
I had a friend that I tried to get into the series because she shared similar tastes to mine in reading. She really liked Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison so when she asked about more books I recommended LKH. I mean, it is a pretty natural fit and not a stretch at all. I gave her the first book in the series and when she finished it she told me that it was okay, but that she wouldn't read anymore becuase it was too intense for her and had really freaked her out.
Now the first book is probably like the tamest one in the series and I was kind of glad I hadn't given her any of the others because that would have totally freaked her out. But with this book I was totally feeling her on the too intense. It was kind of freaking me out. I mean, there was a point where I was reading it where I was so disturbed that I pretty much thought that it would be the last Anita Blake book that I read. And despite how much I haven't liked the constant sex of some past books, I've never felt that way before.
Olaf is highly, highly disturbing. I know Anita has standards and morals etc. but I think if I was her I'd ask one of my less moral vampire sweeties to make the dude dissapear. Not her style I know, but he is highly, highly disturbing. That whole storyline is.
I do have to say that I really love her relationship with Edward and the way that it continues to grow and develop. I think it's cool that their relationship is almost sibling like. It's pretty awesome.
On the pro side, LKH definitely seems to have heard her fans pleas for less sex in the books. It was almost to the end before she got to it. I don't have any particular objection to it. It wasn't anything to graphic or kinky or weird or anything like that. I don't have a problem with it. I guess it just felt unnecesary and a little mechanical. Like she realized that she'd gotten to the end and there was no sex, so she had to throw some in to keep her readers happy. I don't know. Despite the craziness of Anita having several dozen boyfriends, I guess I do like it more when she actually has feelings for the men that she sleeps with. Or something. I'm not against meaningless sex, but maybe pointless sex? I don't know if that made sense, but that's just kind of how it seemed to me.
What I would love to see and have been hoping to get for quite, quite some time now is a Jean-Claude novel. The closest thing we've gotten to that recently was Harlequin and even that wasn't really. I'll be honest, he's my favorite of all of Anita's men. I think that he's probably the best match for her, barring Micah who's a little to perfect for my literary tastes. If it was a series just about her relationship with Micah, it'd be boring as all hell. But Jean-Claude is kind of perfect for her. He makes her work at the relationship, but isn't Richard either. He has a certain ruthless practicality that she needs in her life. He understands her and he's strong enough to be her equal and help protect her when she gets in over her head. He also knows when to back off and when she doesn't even need his help. But I digress. He only had one seen. More Jean-Claude please? I can haz it?
The end of the book seemed a little bit rushed to me. Like it all came together too quickly and honestly, easily. I am curious to see more about some of the personality and character changes that Anita has been going through. The Anita of the first few books would not have performed oral on some guy just to get the bad guy to let one of the hostages go. She wasn't willing enough to bend. So I'm definitely intrigued, but it almost feels like too much change, too quickly. I really hope that the Mother of All Darkness isn't actually dead. Because that would be really anti-climactic. She's kind of the perfect character for Anita to struggle against - like the dark mirror of herself, and the over-arching thread of that has really been tying the books together and giving them focus so I do hope she really isn't dead. Too easy. No way.
Over all, not a bad addition. Despite being majorly squicked by all parts Olaf and highly disturbed, I will be back for the next book. I like the general direction that the series has been going lately and despite few nitpicks and wishes, I think it's fairly cool.
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From:
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The last was a bit disappointing, but I do love Edward, and the last really solid one was Obsidian Butterfly, so if it is a return to that, yay!
From:
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I didn't know either! I just happened to see it in the library the day before I left.
The last was a bit disappointing, but I do love Edward, and the last really solid one was Obsidian Butterfly, so if it is a return to that, yay!
It's definitely an Edward novel. :) I guess I think my biggest quibble is how Anita is changing. I'm glad that she's changing. Don't get me wrong. Her total unflexibility has always bugged me to an extent so I think it's cool that she's growing and changing as a character I just don't get how some of those changes make sense for her character.
From:
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I just couldn't take the rampant het anymore, but I'm glad taht she seems to be moving in a better direction.
Thanks for sharing!
From:
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This is probably going to sound insane, but her girl-on-girl makes me uncomfortable.... I know that makes no sense. I guess I just kind of get this vibe that it squicks the author and the character so it disturbs me? It's like reading dub-con, but more so.
From:
no subject
dub-con? Huh? *completely misses reference*
From:
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Dubious consent. Not quite the opposite of mutual consent, but the consent part is a little bit shady, a little bit more shady than I'm cool with.
From:
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Also, still probably not reading ;p