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xandira's review
1.0
Got bored and couldn't finish it. I might try again later though. It was alright, if slow.
caffeinatedbibliophile's review
2.0
I was really not impressed by this. It had serious potential, but there were just too many things going on, not enough explanation and I personally hated the writing style and found it difficult to follow.
kateminasian's review
2.0
I'm not really sure how I feel about Guilty Pleasures. I feel like I should have liked it. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. I felt like I was coming in at the middle of the series, when I know this is the first book. It seemed that there was a lot of background missing, holes in the back story that were somewhat confusing for me.
I also had a hard time believing in Anita Blake as "The Executioner." She seemed a little dense at times, and was described many times as small and while in shape, it was made clear she couldn't take on anybody bigger than her. How had she managed to kill so many vampires if that was the case?
All in all, I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series. The only draw would be to discover what Anita's relationship with the master vampire would turn out to be. It was clearly left as a cliff-hanger, and was the most enticing part of the book, even though it was not a main focus.
I also had a hard time believing in Anita Blake as "The Executioner." She seemed a little dense at times, and was described many times as small and while in shape, it was made clear she couldn't take on anybody bigger than her. How had she managed to kill so many vampires if that was the case?
All in all, I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series. The only draw would be to discover what Anita's relationship with the master vampire would turn out to be. It was clearly left as a cliff-hanger, and was the most enticing part of the book, even though it was not a main focus.
caitlin_bookchats's review
1.0
Trigger Warning descriptions of torture (vague), clunky discussions of "junkies" (for vampirism), and there might be other things I just don't remember well, but what I do remember is it's alluded to that one male character is the survivor of a traumatic childhood attack by a vampire. Said attack seemed analogous to a violent sexual assault and said character is not handled with any delicacy or nuance.
Read this for KissWAds bookclub. It was... not good. I think maybe back in 1994, when this was kind of pioneering I can see how it was something! different! But today it reads as a more objectifying version of later supernatural detectives with poorly developed characters. (Well, their appearances and muscles, etc. are well developed, but they all feel like cardboard cutouts or something.)
ALSO, the mystery was pretty easy to figure out, tbh. The big bad ye olde female vampire who felt very much like the predecessor of Jane (of the Volturi) was pretty legit though and it was nice for once that the female characters weren't the TSTL ones. Although I really don't like that trope in any sense.
I was disappointed with the way many characters were handled without any real nuance or delicacy. Particularly one character who seemed to be analogous to a male survivor of violent sexual assault as a child but was portrayed as some kind of "broken" vampire-loving "freak" who was more or less TSTL. I was really disappointed by this.
Read this for KissWAds bookclub. It was... not good. I think maybe back in 1994, when this was kind of pioneering I can see how it was something! different! But today it reads as a more objectifying version of later supernatural detectives with poorly developed characters. (Well, their appearances and muscles, etc. are well developed, but they all feel like cardboard cutouts or something.)
ALSO, the mystery was pretty easy to figure out, tbh. The big bad ye olde female vampire who felt very much like the predecessor of Jane (of the Volturi) was pretty legit though and it was nice for once that the female characters weren't the TSTL ones. Although I really don't like that trope in any sense.
I was disappointed with the way many characters were handled without any real nuance or delicacy. Particularly one character who seemed to be
iygatac_reads's review
4.0
Solid, enjoyable. I used to be a reviewer of many words but now I feel short on them. Kind of waffled about 3 or 4 stars because I'm getting a little stingy on stars these days. I guess after I read a little more of the series I might come back and adjust the stars in relation to the rest, because sometimes I do that.
I enjoyed Anita and I liked reading about all the characters, even the characters I didn't like. This had like that blush of that whole sex and vampires thing without it being too much, ya know. Which maybe seems a weird thing to say when there's like a vampire-run strip club thing in it, but really even so, I didn't come out of this thinking the sex was the main thing you know. Like it was there enough to be interesting/to be part of the world, but not overwhelmingly or annoyingly so.
I enjoyed the mystery too and totally did not guess the "who" of the "who did it" !
I enjoyed Anita and I liked reading about all the characters, even the characters I didn't like. This had like that blush of that whole sex and vampires thing without it being too much, ya know. Which maybe seems a weird thing to say when there's like a vampire-run strip club thing in it, but really even so, I didn't come out of this thinking the sex was the main thing you know. Like it was there enough to be interesting/to be part of the world, but not overwhelmingly or annoyingly so.
I enjoyed the mystery too and totally did not guess the "who" of the "who did it" !
ranaelizabeth's review
2.0
I read all of these a long, long time ago but I recently got slammed into a pretty deep reading rut and I thought these might fit the bill for cheesy brain candy. I also, ahem, thought that they were ALL full of sexy sex. Woe is to me when I read the author's note at the end of this first one and turns out the sexy sex doesn't happen until book five. Looks like I've gotta keep reading then!
And ya know what? These books are not good. They are poorly written, poorly edited, and are not aging well at all. But jesus, they are fucking addictive. I've already made it to book five (SEX! FINALLY!) but I am not going to rate them all because they are all the same. COmpltely and utterly the same. Even the same phrases are repeated over and over again, they suffer a bit from the Sweet Valley Disease (bonus points to those who get that particular matching gold lavaliere necklace-shaped reference).
These books are fine; they are scratching an itch and that's all I needed them to do.
(PS: I did almost call the whole thing off when it was revealed that Richard got lycanthropy because of a batched vaccine. I might have actually snorted and said out loud "for fuck's sake.")
And ya know what? These books are not good. They are poorly written, poorly edited, and are not aging well at all. But jesus, they are fucking addictive. I've already made it to book five (SEX! FINALLY!) but I am not going to rate them all because they are all the same. COmpltely and utterly the same. Even the same phrases are repeated over and over again, they suffer a bit from the Sweet Valley Disease (bonus points to those who get that particular matching gold lavaliere necklace-shaped reference).
These books are fine; they are scratching an itch and that's all I needed them to do.
(PS: I did almost call the whole thing off when it was revealed that Richard got lycanthropy because of a batched vaccine. I might have actually snorted and said out loud "for fuck's sake.")
imzadirose's review
3.0
I know this is a big author and bit series, but I wasn't overly impressed. It was good? I guess. I'm not a vampire fan, but I don't mind it if it's interesting enough. This wasn't interesting to me, it was just kind of dull. I didn't feel anything for the characters, definitely was bored with the bad "guy". Just not impressed.
Will read one more, because I did want to get to the poly relationships that come later in the series, but if I don't care for the next one, probably won't read any more.
Will read one more, because I did want to get to the poly relationships that come later in the series, but if I don't care for the next one, probably won't read any more.
nytephoenyx's review
4.0
The necromancy in this book is so good.
The vampire stuff, though, is not great. But it's not the worst ever. To be honest, I actually like Guilty Pleasures. I've read it a few times. I really like Anita Blake as a character and while the series lost me after a while, the early books make good stories. Anita is still an animator and the necromancy scenes are so gruesome and well-written. The sex is super limited. The first handful of books are great.
However, this is the first time I have listened to the audiobook... and good god y'all. If this was my first read-through, I'd've stopped here and now. The narrator of this first book does Anita no justice at all. Anita is a four-foot-something spirited necromancer and vampire hunter, with a sharp sense of humor and ruthless attitude. In the world of paperback paranormal romance, Anita sets precedents by defending herself, drawing lines, and being totally kick-ass without melting at every pretty face. This narrator makes her sound like a two-dimension lusty woman. It's just sad, because reading this book is loads of fun. Listening to this book was boring and disappointing.
I think she'd do better narrating historical fiction, or something a little less snarky and humorous. All the jokes fall flat.
Beyond all that, I still can't get past how much I genuinely like this book. It's sneaking around the corner of "out of my genre" but the world is really well formed. There's a scene in the middle of the book where Anita is helping Zachary raise a zombie, and the way it is written is so poignant and stunning, you're draw right into the cemetery.
My main complaint would be that the characters outside Anita are a bit flat. Nikolaos definitely comes off better in the books, but she still feels a bit like a Claudia (a la Interview with a Vampire) clone. The boys in particular are really flat, and that's an issue that continues throughout the series. I do find Edward interesting, but he's a barely-contained serial killer.
Overall, I do still like this first book. I think it's much better read than listened to, and it's a relatively short book, so it's an easy weekend read. For anyone interested in paranormal romance (like the Kate Daniels books or Sookie Stackhouse), I'd definitely recommend Guilty Pleasures.
__________
2012 REVIEW
This review comes from a different perspective than many of my other reviews because I have read this book before - not once, but three times.
I was introduced to Anita Blake by a faraway friend who thought that with my love of (traditional) vampires, I may enjoy it. He was right. I argue though that it may not have been appropriate reading material for a 16 y/o, but what happened happened and I loved not only reading this series in high school, but passing the books around in my group of friends. Guilty Pleasures is the second-most tattered book I own, and that is saying something considering the fact that I love to keep my books looking shiny and new.
I love, and always have loved, Anita's cattiness and witticisms. I think she is delightful in a sort of I-am-so-glad-I-don't-know-her-in-real-life-but-I-love-reading-about-her sort of way. Of the series, I will endlessly argue that Guilty Pleasures is the best because it has (to me) the most substance. My personal downfall as the series goes further is that Hamilton's focus switches from the supernatural to supernatural sex, which is well and good for some readers, but not really my forte. I love Animators, Inc and the way Hamilton has crafted Anita's necromancy abilities into a sort of business. I love her ideas and her writing as well... I don't often get into first person but Anita has so much passion and so much life, how can you not gobble the story up?
I recently bought this book for a friend with similar tastes and she told me, halfway through, that "something seemed not quite right about it" and as I reread it, I think I understand what she meant. Despite the fact that at the end, I still want to pick up The Laughing Corpse, in the middle there is a lot of information and people and yet nothing is happening, and the stuff that happens, you wonder why. As a reader, I try to push past knowledge out of my mind so I can enjoy the book without already knowing the ending but that's almost impossible. I think that maybe the reason that Hamilton changed the plot of her books is simply there was too much - vampires, were-animals, sex, zombies... a girl can't have everything.
I would still recommend this book because despite the fact I have stopped reading her books, I love Hamilton's writing style and I think she is worth a read to anyone who enjoys fantasy, urban fantasy... and seriously, any fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series.
The vampire stuff, though, is not great. But it's not the worst ever. To be honest, I actually like Guilty Pleasures. I've read it a few times. I really like Anita Blake as a character and while the series lost me after a while, the early books make good stories. Anita is still an animator and the necromancy scenes are so gruesome and well-written. The sex is super limited. The first handful of books are great.
However, this is the first time I have listened to the audiobook... and good god y'all. If this was my first read-through, I'd've stopped here and now. The narrator of this first book does Anita no justice at all. Anita is a four-foot-something spirited necromancer and vampire hunter, with a sharp sense of humor and ruthless attitude. In the world of paperback paranormal romance, Anita sets precedents by defending herself, drawing lines, and being totally kick-ass without melting at every pretty face. This narrator makes her sound like a two-dimension lusty woman. It's just sad, because reading this book is loads of fun. Listening to this book was boring and disappointing.
I think she'd do better narrating historical fiction, or something a little less snarky and humorous. All the jokes fall flat.
Beyond all that, I still can't get past how much I genuinely like this book. It's sneaking around the corner of "out of my genre" but the world is really well formed. There's a scene in the middle of the book where Anita is helping Zachary raise a zombie, and the way it is written is so poignant and stunning, you're draw right into the cemetery.
My main complaint would be that the characters outside Anita are a bit flat. Nikolaos definitely comes off better in the books, but she still feels a bit like a Claudia (a la Interview with a Vampire) clone. The boys in particular are really flat, and that's an issue that continues throughout the series. I do find Edward interesting, but he's a barely-contained serial killer.
Overall, I do still like this first book. I think it's much better read than listened to, and it's a relatively short book, so it's an easy weekend read. For anyone interested in paranormal romance (like the Kate Daniels books or Sookie Stackhouse), I'd definitely recommend Guilty Pleasures.
__________
2012 REVIEW
This review comes from a different perspective than many of my other reviews because I have read this book before - not once, but three times.
I was introduced to Anita Blake by a faraway friend who thought that with my love of (traditional) vampires, I may enjoy it. He was right. I argue though that it may not have been appropriate reading material for a 16 y/o, but what happened happened and I loved not only reading this series in high school, but passing the books around in my group of friends. Guilty Pleasures is the second-most tattered book I own, and that is saying something considering the fact that I love to keep my books looking shiny and new.
I love, and always have loved, Anita's cattiness and witticisms. I think she is delightful in a sort of I-am-so-glad-I-don't-know-her-in-real-life-but-I-love-reading-about-her sort of way. Of the series, I will endlessly argue that Guilty Pleasures is the best because it has (to me) the most substance. My personal downfall as the series goes further is that Hamilton's focus switches from the supernatural to supernatural sex, which is well and good for some readers, but not really my forte. I love Animators, Inc and the way Hamilton has crafted Anita's necromancy abilities into a sort of business. I love her ideas and her writing as well... I don't often get into first person but Anita has so much passion and so much life, how can you not gobble the story up?
I recently bought this book for a friend with similar tastes and she told me, halfway through, that "something seemed not quite right about it" and as I reread it, I think I understand what she meant. Despite the fact that at the end, I still want to pick up The Laughing Corpse, in the middle there is a lot of information and people and yet nothing is happening, and the stuff that happens, you wonder why. As a reader, I try to push past knowledge out of my mind so I can enjoy the book without already knowing the ending but that's almost impossible. I think that maybe the reason that Hamilton changed the plot of her books is simply there was too much - vampires, were-animals, sex, zombies... a girl can't have everything.
I would still recommend this book because despite the fact I have stopped reading her books, I love Hamilton's writing style and I think she is worth a read to anyone who enjoys fantasy, urban fantasy... and seriously, any fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series.
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