Blood Noir: Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 15

katie-louise

at 12:39 pm

I had high hopes for this book but in alll honesty it just wasn’t any good. For me this series has just become a farce. It seems like Hamilton has totally lost sight of her original characters and is, instead, using them to act out her own fantasies. I had a feeling the series would go this way when she introduced the ‘ardour’ and I really wouldn’t mind all the sex scenes if the plot was more substantial.

Blood Noir’s plot hinges on a very thin premise: the idea that Jason looks exactly like a pair of twins. Which leads to all sorts of confusion. Oh, and for the need to him to prove to his Dad, who is on his death bed, that he is not gay. Ummm…okay, is that really all this successful author can come up with?

After reading the previous books (cough, Danse Macabre)I am just so sick of the constant sex scenes. It seems like everything, and I do mean everything, revolves around Anita’s sexual interactions. Hamilton involves Anita in scenes that, perhaps, are meant to be quite shocking but, in fact, I find them the complete opposite now! And they are not even well written. The same phrases and words pop up throughout the book which becomes very annoying, for example, ‘he brought me’ (cringe). To an extent this is unadvoidable in a series this long, however, I believe that the editor was too afraid to do his/her job properly with the book relying on phrases like this to bulk it up.

Oh and I do actually like Richard as a character but he has changed so drastically from the person he was first presented to be and I think that is a shame. You cant help but wonder to yourself why he even wants Anita anymore? Their ideals are worlds apart and if he was as strong a character as Hamilton makes out he just wouldn’t put up with it, or rather her.

I really wanted to like this book so I am trying to find something positive about it…ummm. Oh yes, there was a bit at the end with the bad guys and Anita kicking some butt which was slightly reminiscient of the earlier books, except for it lasted approximately two or three pages.

Hope this helps.

Rating: 1 / 5

Gareth Wilson

at 4:36 pm

To be brutally honest I have to say that this time Laurel was quite restrained with the sex. Why? She waited until page 13 before starting to give the readers a 10 page sex session. What really infuriates me about this is that it appears that Laurel really can’t write anything that doesn’t end up with an orgasmic session sacrificing the plot on the alter of nepotism.

Whilst this may work with an immature audience, we the readers who helped her establish herself have been thrown by the wayside in order for her to indulge her vanilla sexual fantasies. But wait, whats that? In this book there’s reference to… SHOCK HORROR, BDSM. At times I do wonder if this author knows anything about personal relationships as its completely ridiculous. Anita would earn more cash flat on her back than she seems to make doing anything else plus the way things are going it’s a case of any excuse to make the beast with three, four or five backs. Also throw into the mix the lack of mental stimulous and Anita really should be a case book study for any number of psychologists as the human brain really does need more stimuli than is actually presented to the character.

Anita must obviously be suffering from at least one brain injury now that is turning her into a sexual addict as it seems to be her only answer to anything. “What your Dad’s dying? Quick jump into bed with me and lets have sex.” “What do you mean that your dog died yesterday, you know what helps you get over it? Lots of sex.”

Whilst I’m not coming over as a real fan I’ve more than paid my dues to this author and so I want to lay down a challenge. I want her to write a book that whilst it can have the occasional sexploit within, rests purely on plotline with characters that we care about that have real hooks in them, where sex is there as an aid to the plotline and allows a relationship to develop rather than the “flat on her back for “vanilla” sex with all and sundry.” After all Laurel appears to be a one trick (and yes, I do realise the irony of that statement) pony. The challenge is set so lets see if she can attempt to create such a book however should this turn out to be the mythical white whale, I really do think that Laurel should personally have to repay all her long suffering fans every penny they’ve spent on the dross that is so dire it cant even be classified as “literoritca.”

Rating: 1 / 5

slayra

at 6:58 pm

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.

Rating: 2 / 5