I was given these books by a lovely bookstagrammer who traded me a whack of what she called “sexy vampire books” for a whack of what I call “sexy books my grandma read” which, as you can imagine, is why I was getting rid of them.
Laurell K. Hamilton is a major contributor to the literary urban fantasy genre, which includes any novel set in “modern” society with supernatural elements. Urban fantasy shows have cropped up in a major way with shows like The Order, Supernatural, and Teen Wolf, and movies that range from Ghostbusters to Twilight (though some contest this classification).
The Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series consists of 21 books, most of which I now possess. I was cautioned by the Goodreads community that the books take a massive downturn around book 8, where they morph into smut instead of the murder noir vibe, supernatural, action-adventure books fans had come to love. I took this advice with a grain of salt, but now that I’ve completed book 7, I know in my soul that it is true. There is already too much weird sexual happenings in the ones I read. Can’t imagine how much worse it gets. And I don’t want to.
The series revolves around the protagonist, Anita Blake, who is short, angry, and kills basically anybody she feels like. She has some guiding principles in the first couple of books, but those are slowly put by the wayside, which causes some problems with the police force with whom she does contract work. In this world, supernatural creatures are accepted by the general public and Anita Blake raises zombies for a living, while also staking vampires after receiving the appropriate warrant. While it sounds ridiculous, the book is written in such a matter-of-fact way that the reader doesn’t have much time to question it. The writing, while overzealous in the descriptions of clothes, is snappy, and the plot moves along at a good clip. I was impressed that the story rarely dragged. These books are like a good tv show - every episode has its story, but you’re really watching for the overarching character development. Each installment had an exciting supernatural caper, but I wanted to see how Anita’s thoughts on the “monsters” changed, and if she would keep her resolve to hate Jean-Claude, a charming vampire obsessed with her.
These were fun books. Anita can be a bit draining with her constant grumpy ways, but the supporting characters are distinct and take the edge off. The mysteries with which she finds herself involved are imaginative and exciting, and there is a lot of violence, which is new for me. I typically shy away from blood and gore on the screen, but reading it makes it better. Maybe my imagination just takes the worst details and forgets to play them out.
Without spoilers - I am disappointed enough in Anita’s decision-making and the erotic turn the books have taken that I don’t think I will be continuing; however, the first 7 were so good that I want to keep them. If you know me, you know I don’t keep many books. Most end up in a box in the closet to be donated to offenders. If a book hits the shelf when I have already read it, it must be good.
4.5 stars for the first 7 Anita Blake novels. No comment on the rest.
Thank you, Diane, for facilitating the trade!!!
Happy reading,
Holly
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