Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 1)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Guilty Pleasures.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3673)
Read in July, 2008
If I read "naw" one more time, I'm gonna have to slap a bitch. That has to be, to me, the least intelligent-sounding word to come out of anyone's mouth--doubly so if you're answering your own rhetorical questions, Anita, as though the reader is too stupid to realize that no, the vampire probably won't let you go.
Anita's a stone cold bitch; in all three hundred pages I think the only real concern she had was for a character we barely met whose name I've forgotten. (In fact, this rev...more
Anita's a stone cold bitch; in all three hundred pages I think the only real concern she had was for a character we barely met whose name I've forgotten. (In fact, this rev...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
The engaging start of a wonderful series that morphs into erotica partway through.
If you like V.I Warshawski, Kinsey Milhone,and other female gumshoes, and you like some fantasy, you will definitely like this series in the beginning. Normal world, normal woman, except that vampires (and other supernatural critters) are real, some have civil rights and coexist with humans more or less peacefully, and the protagonist is a 5'2" gun toting butt kicking necromancer. Her day job is raising t...more
If you like V.I Warshawski, Kinsey Milhone,and other female gumshoes, and you like some fantasy, you will definitely like this series in the beginning. Normal world, normal woman, except that vampires (and other supernatural critters) are real, some have civil rights and coexist with humans more or less peacefully, and the protagonist is a 5'2" gun toting butt kicking necromancer. Her day job is raising t...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
I never really had any intention of reading this series, but a close friend of mine insisted that I buy the first novel when we were roaming the shelves at Barnes and Noble. Yes, the book grabbed my attention, but I'll painfully admit it was because of the subject matter rather than anything truly engaging that the author wrote.
The truth is I don't really care for Anita Blake's character. Anything she takes any time in describing is pure agony reading. Her continuous lectures on guns is ann...more
The truth is I don't really care for Anita Blake's character. Anything she takes any time in describing is pure agony reading. Her continuous lectures on guns is ann...more
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
no one, and I don't say that often
I finally got around to reading Guilty Pleasures, the first Anita Blake book, and can at least see why they're not in the Romance section: it's gory and the author doesn't seem to like vampires at all.
I know Hamilton's very well established and has a huge fan base, and I know there are lots of other people who don't like her books, so I feel pretty confident I'm not going to get lynched by saying I'm glad I only spent $2 on this book.
I really didn't like it. This is partly because...more
I know Hamilton's very well established and has a huge fan base, and I know there are lots of other people who don't like her books, so I feel pretty confident I'm not going to get lynched by saying I'm glad I only spent $2 on this book.
I really didn't like it. This is partly because...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
17 comments
Read in June, 2007
This book was engaging in the way one watches a crash in slow motion on the news. You can't look away. Anita Blake is not a nice woman, she's a scared woman. Her dialogue is frequently mean-spirited and more blunt than is probably wise. Then what do you expect of a woman who works with the dead? A likeable personality? There's a reason she avoids live people.
The plot, while barely making sense, barrels along dragging Anita into one desperate situation after another, sometimes stopping long en...more
The plot, while barely making sense, barrels along dragging Anita into one desperate situation after another, sometimes stopping long en...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
I had trouble connecting with the main character, Anita Blake, especially at first. I also kept poking holes in the back story that somehow it wasn't illegal to be a Vampire when they were pretty well always invading your mind and feeding off blood to survive. I understand that some mortals were volunteering to be servants and they were feeding from them, but still I wonder how we got to legal point we are at when the book starts.
The 'Executioner' piece of it also bothers me. If it's lega...more
The 'Executioner' piece of it also bothers me. If it's lega...more
Like this review?
yes
4 comments
Well. I'd made the mistake of picking up one of Laurell K. Hamilton's later Anita Blake books and reading it first. I had to stop halfway because to be frank, it sucked. It really, really sucked. I couldn't believe people were paying money for that garbage. But many of my friends insisted that the first few books of the series were actually pretty good and not quite so wlsh fulfillment-esque. So I read the first book.
... it wasn't bad. In fact, it was a much better scale...more
... it wasn't bad. In fact, it was a much better scale...more
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
add a comment
(This is a massive pan. Just a heads-up.)
I've finally given up on this series, though I'm embarrassed to say it took me about ten books to get there.
This is another of those books where I loved the premise, but the execution made me gag. Anita is insufferable, self-centered and judgmental, and her self-justification for her transformation from noli me tangere virgin to super-slut is laughable. (God apparently told her directly that it was okay. Whatever.)
The appeal for me w...more
I've finally given up on this series, though I'm embarrassed to say it took me about ten books to get there.
This is another of those books where I loved the premise, but the execution made me gag. Anita is insufferable, self-centered and judgmental, and her self-justification for her transformation from noli me tangere virgin to super-slut is laughable. (God apparently told her directly that it was okay. Whatever.)
The appeal for me w...more
Like this review?
yes
(4 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
For those of you who haven't heard of Anita Blake, let me give you the rundown: Anita Blake is an animator. She has an affinity with the dead - all dead. She raises zombies for a living, but also carries the title of The Executioner. She kills vampires for the court. And she is very good at what she does.
In this, the first Anita Blake novel, the thousand-year-old master of St. Louis is gunning for Anita. Someone or something has been killing vampires, and has already managed to take out two ...more
In this, the first Anita Blake novel, the thousand-year-old master of St. Louis is gunning for Anita. Someone or something has been killing vampires, and has already managed to take out two ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
recommended to Heather by:
Sammirecommends it for: supernatural fiction readers, vampire buffs, snarky people
I liked it well enough to keep reading the series, though I hope the writing gets better, showing evidence of the author's increase in skill as the series grows. I like the concept, the characters, and the overall story. It could be the next Law & Order series-- L&O: Paranormal Division.
There were, however, some points at which I had to read a page again because I was confused about what was going on, and about 4 times, she uses the word proverbial incorrectly. That's probabl...more
There were, however, some points at which I had to read a page again because I was confused about what was going on, and about 4 times, she uses the word proverbial incorrectly. That's probabl...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 1995
recommends it for:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fans
I love the early Anita Blake books and this is one of the best. The fast paced narrative, told in first person by Anita, really keeps the story moving. Laurell K Hamilton’s writing style initiates you into Anita’s world with ease. It is a book to savour because it’s not a lengthy book and once you start reading it you don’t want the story to end.
You just can’t help yourself from liking Anita. She lives in a world of monsters, where she has to make decisions that make her wond...more
You just can’t help yourself from liking Anita. She lives in a world of monsters, where she has to make decisions that make her wond...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in February, 2004
How much do I love the Anita Blake series? My ex introduced me to these books because she knew I love vampire stories. I started with Guilty Pleasures as the first one, and in 4 weeks I had read every single Anita Blake book that had been written. I was hooked! If you love vampires, shapeshifters, necromancers, witches, voodoo priestesses, romance, intrigue, mystery, CSI type stuff, and so much more, you will love this series set in modern day times. If you haven't read her books you have t...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in July, 2008
recommended to adventurat by:
Kaylarecommends it for: Vampire fiction fans
Laurell K. Hamilton is a good writer. Her characters are interesting and individuated (although the caboodle of vampires and their pals did start to blend together in my head after a time), her world where vampires and ghouls and zombies and raisings-from-the-dead are not just a reality but a tourist attraction is complex and consistent and interesting, and her protagonist is the kind of person you can really like, and hope for good outcomes for.
The villain of this piece is appropriately vi...more
The villain of this piece is appropriately vi...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2007
Guilty Pleasures is the first of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series. It’s filled with cool concepts (vampires as citizens, vampire strip clubs, freak parties, the inner-working of a zombie) and catchy descriptions (“silk” and “velvet” adjectives make me happy). But I doubt I’ll continue with the series. It’s described on the cover as a mixture of horror and romance…genre aside, it has too little tension to be scary and too little sex to be sexy.
I also never understood why ...more
I also never understood why ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who likes supernatural content
Not an intellectually difficult read, none of the books in the series are really, but it's highly entertaining (they all are). This is the first book in the series and introduces you to Anita as well as Jean-Claude. It sets the background for the rest of the series and introduces you to a world not all that different from ours, this one just happens to include vampires and werewolves and witches etc etc. Basically, it's a "what if vampires, werewolves, and all that sort were real and in ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Ok, the writing is really pretty atrocious. English majors, beware. Lots of cliches repeated, and more of that to follow through the series.
So why do I give it 4 stars?
Vampire hotness.
Anita's pretty cool, too.
Seriously, though, the author does an excellent job conveying Anita's thought processes, and the battle scenes don't screw around with any squeamish people. It gets right down to the nitty gritty. She's got personality. She kicks some serious tail. And she's a size 7 with...more
So why do I give it 4 stars?
Vampire hotness.
Anita's pretty cool, too.
Seriously, though, the author does an excellent job conveying Anita's thought processes, and the battle scenes don't screw around with any squeamish people. It gets right down to the nitty gritty. She's got personality. She kicks some serious tail. And she's a size 7 with...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Props to Hamilton for having such a strong voice. Her situations are fascinating and her characters kick butt. Plus, I'm betting you could pick her writing out of a crowd every time.
Though, it is about vampires.
But the ghouls are cool.
Still, it's about vampires and a vampire slayer.
But I did enjoy Buffy.
And there were a lot of characters to keep track of. This is probably my biggest issue with this particular book. Not the story--that was fun. Not the action--there was pl...more
Though, it is about vampires.
But the ghouls are cool.
Still, it's about vampires and a vampire slayer.
But I did enjoy Buffy.
And there were a lot of characters to keep track of. This is probably my biggest issue with this particular book. Not the story--that was fun. Not the action--there was pl...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2007
Guilty Pleasures is my first Anita Blake novel, though I've been a fan of LKH for awhile. I have to say that I didn't really enjoy the story that much, and while I can usually finish a book in a day or two it took me nearly a week to get through this story. First of all, Guilty Pleasures is nothing like LKH's new work. This story is all horror/mystery with no hint of the paranormal romance that is a trademark of her newer novels. Anita is a tough-as-nails animator/vampire slayer whose strong and...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This book, the first in the Anita Blake series, is a fast paced thriller that leaves you craving more monsters of the night. Laurell K.'s seductive and sensual writing leads you by the hand down dark corridors and undead undergrounds into a tangled web of culture and vampire politics that leave your head spinning. I love how dark this series is. Sometimes reading books with vampires or other preternatural creatures, I find that the sinister side of the creature is romanticized. I like that Laure...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
I thought the book was pretty good and I would definately recommend it to everyone. Although reading other reviews about the book, I can see where they are coming from. Looking back, the writing wasn't that great and the main character Anita Blake is a total sarcastic bitch. But if you think about it, if that was your line of work, wouldn't you be the same way. I know I would be.
But putting that aside, I really liked the book and the storyline. The only real thing that bothered me w...more
But putting that aside, I really liked the book and the storyline. The only real thing that bothered me w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment