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Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1)

Laurell K. Hamilton

Why we're reading this: Vamps with Bite is exactly what this book, this whole series, is about. Not trying to dish on Twilight bu…more
[close] Vamps with Bite is exactly what this book, this whole series, is about. Not trying to dish on Twilight but these vamps don't freaking sparkle and they make even Buffy's and Sookie's vamps look like docile bunnies.

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Apr 12, 2009 PurplyCookie rated it liked it

Shelves: 1st-in-a-series, book-series, horror, vampire

"Guilty Pleasures" is the first of the Anita Blake series. What makes the series unique is the strong, tough-minded character of the heroine and narrator. Before "Guilty Pleasures" vampire stories rarely had female leads, let alone one with the hard-nosed style of Anita Blake. She is a professional animator (one who raises the dead) and a licensed vampire killer in an alternate earth where vampires have come out of the closet (coffin?) and are active participants in the daily grind of American l "Guilty Pleasures" is the first of the Anita Blake series. What makes the series unique is the strong, tough-minded character of the heroine and narrator. Before "Guilty Pleasures" vampire stories rarely had female leads, let alone one with the hard-nosed style of Anita Blake. She is a professional animator (one who raises the dead) and a licensed vampire killer in an alternate earth where vampires have come out of the closet (coffin?) and are active participants in the daily grind of American life.

Hamilton's vampires are of the Anne Rice genre. There is a steady sexual undercurrent that veers towards sadistic and fetish oriented pleasures. You could say that it is a natural outgrowth of the vampire personality and is as chilling as it is erotic. The Anne Rice genre of vampires are generally hauntingly beautiful, deadly and follow their own code of ethics. The only difference with that of Hamilton's is that many humans have become enthralled with vampires, but many are deeply suspicious at the same time.

"Have you ever wondered what would it be like to feel my breath upon your skin? My lips along your neck. The hard brush of teeth. The sweet, sharp pain of fangs. Your heart beating frantically against my chest. Your blood flowing into my veins. Sharing yourself. Giving me life. Knowing that I truly could not live without you, all of you."

"Welcome to Guilty Pleasures. We are here to serve you. To make your most evil thoughts come true."

To Anita they are monsters who, when they go out of control, must be killed. But U.S. law protects vampires that behave themselves (you actually need a license to kill them). Even so, when someone starts killing the vampires of St. Louis, authorities make little progress. Angered, two of the strongest vampires in the city, Jean-Claude and Nikolaos, convince Anita to hunt down the killer.

Jean-Claude is one of the modern romantic vampires, easy to look at with fine manners and style. Nikolaos, on the other hand, is a thousand year old sadistic horror in the body of a thirteen year old girl. Her powers are unimaginable and dark hungers hide under her innocent looks. The vampiress takes an immediate dislike to Anita's feisty style and our heroine spends as much time dodging Nikolaos' efforts to injure and enslave her as she does seeking the killer. Jean-Claude (the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover) comes under attack as well as he tries to help Anita.

Anita finds herself in a number of hair-raising situations as she seeks to discover the killer. Along the way she is plagued by vampires, wererats, ghouls, other animators, and fellow humans. The plot is fast-paced and intriguing. Its characters capture the reader's imagination. While most of them are not particularly well-fleshed, as it is basically a plot driven book, the main character, Anita Blake, is quite interesting, as well as compelling, and resonates with the reader.

Book Details:

Title Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
Author Laurell K. Hamilton
Reviewed By Purplycookie ...more

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