Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #9)

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Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #9)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 33,350 ratings · 871 reviews

Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake

In the early '90s, Laurell Hamilton delighted horror fans and lovers of all things preternatural when she first introduced Anita Blake, vampire hunter extraordinaire. Now this tough-as-nails but highly feminine necromancer is back for her ninth showing in Hamilton's hardcover debut, Obsidian Butterfly, as twisted a tale as any of its predec

...more Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake

Few writers can bring a fictional world to life the way Hamilton does, creating an alternate earth where magic, monsters, and myriad forms of the living dead are as common as cornflakes. And in the wisecracking, thick-skinned, yet sometimes softhearted Anita, Hamilton has created one of the most unique and unforgettable characters ever to walk the pages of fiction.

This time out, Anita revisits an old acquaintance, Edward (a.k.a. Death) the monster hunter, a coldhearted and seemingly soulless killer whose ruthlessness makes Anita look like a pussycat. Edward calls in a favor Anita owes from some time back by asking her to travel to Santa Fe to help him investigate a monster unlike any he's encountered before. Anita readily accepts because although Edward scares her enough that she doesn't want to turn her back on him, she's also intrigued by the man to the point that she can't wait to get a closer look at his life. And his hedging and lack of details regarding the murders pique her interest as well.

Though Anita thinks she is prepared and there is no way Edward can shock her, he proves her dead wrong right at the start. On the heels of this revelation, Anita is shaken even more when she finally learns the details of the murders Edward is involved with. The crime scenes are sites of unbelievable carnage, with bodies that have been violently torn apart limb by limb, their entrails ripped away. But even more horrifying than the dead are those who have been left alive, each of them skinned from head to toe, their tongues ripped away so all they can do is scream.

Edward has brought in a couple of other questionable assistants, two men who challenge Anita in ways she is ill prepared to handle. Throw some misogynistic cops, a bevy of strange and powerful creatures, and plenty of sexual tension into the mix, and Anita finds herself facing some of her biggest challenges ever. Before all is said and done, she will be forced to face some painful truths about herself and confront one of the most evil and powerful monsters in existence.

Obsidian Butterfly is a scintillating journey to a world where the inhabitants are all fascinating, death isn't always final (and far from the worst thing that can happen to you), and unimaginable horrors are terrifyingly real. Hamilton seems to weave a few spells of her own by crafting a powerful story even as the harsh realities make you want to look away. For gourmands of Hamilton's prior works, Obsidian Butterfly provides yet another tantalizing course in this highly fulfilling meal. Those sampling Hamilton for the first time will likely find it the perfect appetizer, an irresistible introduction to a promised feast of delights.

Beth Amos

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Mass Market Paperback, 585 pages

Published October 1st 2000 by Ace

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Oct 15, 2012 Crystal Starr Light rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, urban-fantasy, you-did-not-just-go-there, so-bad-it-s-horrible, read-at-your-own-risk, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue, idiot-protagonist, i-whine-therefore-i-am

Obsidian Butterfly: A Review in Two Parts

Anita Blake returns home to a phone call from Edward. He's calling in a favor and needs her to come to Albuquerque, NM to assist him in a job. She goes to find that there have been several gruesome murders, the victims left horribly maimed. Who is performing these crimes and how far will Anita go to stop them?

NOTE: I have VERY DIVISIVE feelings about this book. Therefore, I have split this review into two parts. One part will probably appeal to those who...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Tilly Slaton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews-completed

I really wasn’t excited about this book. All I wanted was to skim over the paragraphs so that I could get to the next book of the series, Narcissus in Chains as quickly as possible! And then it hit me … mutilated bodies and Olaf. You need to read this book to understand just how messed up my opinion is of his character. He’s dangerous. He’s deadly. And Blake is just his victim type. I like him! Total turn on .. go figure.

Obsidian butterfly is a fantastic book filled with torture, essence sucking...more I really wasn’t excited about this book. All I wanted was to skim over the paragraphs so that I could get to the next book of the series, Narcissus in Chains as quickly as possible! And then it hit me … mutilated bodies and Olaf. You need to read this book to understand just how messed up my opinion is of his character. He’s dangerous. He’s deadly. And Blake is just his victim type. I like him! Total turn on .. go figure.

Obsidian butterfly is a fantastic book filled with torture, essence sucking vampires, sociopath serial killers and monsters that apparently can rip the skin from a human’s body without leaving any tool marks. Eww.

Edward wonders why I’m so sympathetic to monsters. The answer is simple. Because I am one.

Anita alienates herself, putting as much distance as possible between herself and her lovers. Working with a witch to build stronger barriers in hopes to withstand accidental intrusions, Blake is pulled into Edward’s world of gore as he calls in the favor that she owes him.

Surrounded by centuries old delusional vampires claiming to be gods, werewolves enabling a psycho necromancer dwarf, Anita really has her hands full.

There are several scenes in this book that are to die for! Pun intended ..

There is one scene that doesn’t get any easier with every reread. A skinless corpse searching for food in a hospital.. and a nursery. Absolutely disgusting, completely heart-shattering, this scene haunts me with nightmares. It is the most gruesome and heart wrenching scene I have ever read. Violent, action filled and brilliant .. Yet I still wanted to vomit. Double thumbs up on the intense description and detail put into that scene.

Odd moments shared between Edward and Blake. Weird? Totally awkward, a must read!

I recommend this book to adults only! Do not read if you have a weak stomach or strict line of moral code on what is and is not acceptable. This book pushes the limits of imagination and gruesome disgust. Extreme violence. Some sexual content. Rape. Shocker, right?

Do not read this book out-of-order. Start with Guilty Pleasures!

~Happy Reading!
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Aug 02, 2008 Jeremy Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the last Anita Blake novel worth reading, primarily because of Edward. The rest of the series has been garbage (including Edwards' return. Seriously, what was his body count in the Harlequin, one? Maybe?). I don't have a problem with the sex - no matter how pluralistic, kinky, or gay it gets - but Hamilton has sacrificed that literary device thingy called 'plot' in order to pack the pages with smut. Something happens, they have sex for five hundred pages, then the Ardeur snaps it's fing...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-uf, available-audio-phili, audio-also-listened-to, listened-to-audio-only

ETA: I ended up moving this up to 4 stars desipte my criticism below.

This book would have been 4 stars if not for the repeated cultural and geographic mistakes. It was definitely a horror and gore filled book, not for the light hearted -- includes child abuse and murder. Seeing Edward and getting to know more about him made this book for me. He is now a favorite.

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Mar 13, 2013 Caglatasdemir △ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okumaktan yoruldum resmen...Yani o kadar sıkıcıydı ki...Ama son 200 sayfa daha az sıkıcıydı denebilir.Olaf'tan hoşlandım dersem beni yanlış anlamayın lütfen.Katil ama ne bileyim Anita'ya bıraktığı o sapkın mektup hoşuma gitti.Mazo-sado ve benzeri huyları olanlardan nefret ederim.Ama ne bileyim hoşuma gitti.Of!!! İnşallah St.Louis'e gelir ve Anita öldürür demeliyim yada başka birşey demeliyim aslında.
Edward'daki değişimler hiç ama hiç hoşuma gitmedi.Ama bu kadar içinde duygu olup bunları bahsetme...more

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Sep 26, 2012 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, horror

Finally, it's Edward's book!

A 4 1/2, not quite a five because Anita's badass attitude grates here and there but so much better than the books focused on the triumvirate (sp?) and sexy times. Obsidian Butterfly is all business, no sex. This is the book the Edward fans were clamoring for and it was worth the wait. This book lets us in on Edward's secret life when he calls in Anita to help out with a series of grisly murders. She learns he's living another life where he is known as good old boy "Te...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Lisa Mason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This wildly popular author often has interesting titles and this, I think, is one of her best titles for one of her best books in the Anita Blake series.
Obsidian Butterfly is the poetic Aztec euphemism for the knife priests used to carve out the beating heart of a sacrificial victim and/or flay him/her alive.
The Aztecs dominated Central America, conquering and enslaving weaker aboriginal tribes, and used prisoners of war as sacrifices (though sometimes they sacrificed their own children). Yes, t...more This wildly popular author often has interesting titles and this, I think, is one of her best titles for one of her best books in the Anita Blake series.
Obsidian Butterfly is the poetic Aztec euphemism for the knife priests used to carve out the beating heart of a sacrificial victim and/or flay him/her alive.
The Aztecs dominated Central America, conquering and enslaving weaker aboriginal tribes, and used prisoners of war as sacrifices (though sometimes they sacrificed their own children). Yes, they really did commit such atrocities. On a regular basis. That’s what the vaunted Aztec calendar (which I’ve seen) in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is all about.
Jared Diamond, in Guns, Germs, and Steel, indignantly tells the tale of how the Spanish literally wiped out the Aztecs in a matter of days by (mostly inadvertently) infecting them with smallpox, a disease to which the urban-dwelling Spaniards had developed an immunity. The genocide was a terrible thing, true, but I for one shed few politically correct tears for a nasty gang of psychopaths.
The gruesome Aztec culture is the backdrop against which LKH (as she’s known to her fans) sets her gruesome tale. Anita Blake, a U.S. marshal charged with hunting and exterminating vampires, is called away from her native St. Louis to Santa Fe to help stop a supernatural, Aztec-influenced killer who is torturing and killing people en masse.
Anita is the quintessential urban fantasy heroine: profane, sarcastic, violent, sexual, fearless. In later books, apparently, she acquires supernatural powers, but in this book she’s simply human. Virtually every male character lusts for Anita, which sometimes feels overly self-aggrandizing, and she’s portrayed as a sexpert. Self deprecation is not in her vocabulary.
Other readers have noticed that Anita scorns, disparages, or competes with virtually every female character. Or she thinks the character is a lesbian lusting for her. Though she occasionally refers to feminism, Anita comes across as oddly misogynist. As an author who has written about friendship between women (in Summer of Love, The Gilded Age, and The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria among others), I find that off-putting.
Be forewarned that the book fearlessly treads on taboos: there is homosexual torture and sex, sexual child abuse, child torture, torture as a glamorous nightclub act. If you can tolerate that, you’ll find a complex and twisty plot and vivid writing.
Lately readers have complained that LKH’s considerable authorial skill has declined. It’s possible that, after 20 books in 20 years (in just this series; she’s got others), the author may be a bit burned out.
I can think of another possibility. Obsidian Butterfly is probably 150,000 words; the recent works clock in at around 80,000. I have it on good authority that LKH’s Big Publisher no longer publishes works of more than 80K words. It’s possible, therefore, that LKH is at her best when she can stretch out in a book like Obsidian Butterfly, with its plot complications and colorful descriptions. And that she’s not as comfortable writing at a shorter length.
Why, you may wonder, would a Big Publisher rein in an author, force her to arbitrarily chop down a work, to her critical detriment? To economize on the cost of paper and ink, of course. Would a Big Publisher do that? The answer is Yes. It happened to me and Pangaea (the cost of paper and ink was the excuse handed to me, but that’s another story).
As for the answer to the first question, bear in mind the Big Publisher doesn’t take the heat from disgruntled readers and reviewers; the author does. Like the Aztec priest wielding his Obsidian Butterfly, the Big Publisher just doesn’t care.
So there you have it, my friend. If you require gore and shock value in your reading entertainment, this is for you.
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Nov 14, 2012 Onefinemess rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A nice change of pace with much less sex than usual (yay!). Don't get me wrong, I like sex, but man is it freaking overkill in some of these books. MMmm author fantasy fulfillment much?

It was a nice change seeing Anita almost totally out of her element. The rather unexpected character development for Edward was a nice touch too, and I hope to see it address again in the future. Especially the molestation thing... AGAIN: DID THE CHARACTER REALLY NEED TO BE RAPED/MOLESTED? I see what the author w...more A nice change of pace with much less sex than usual (yay!). Don't get me wrong, I like sex, but man is it freaking overkill in some of these books. MMmm author fantasy fulfillment much?

It was a nice change seeing Anita almost totally out of her element. The rather unexpected character development for Edward was a nice touch too, and I hope to see it address again in the future. Especially the molestation thing... AGAIN: DID THE CHARACTER REALLY NEED TO BE RAPED/MOLESTED? I see what the author was doing, but it seemed kind of out of place, especially considering the molester was just some human chic who we didn't even know had a predisposition to do this kind of thing.

I figured out in this book (I know, I know, I'm slow sometimes) what we, as readers are supposed to be feel threatened by. I mean, obviously Anita isn't going to die, so we can't worry about that, her love life isn't going to suffer - it's only going to prosper - so we can't worry about that, we can't worry about damage to her vagina from giant horse penis anymore - book 10 showed that she can take that.

So what are we left fearing for? Her humanity. With each book she trades away a new piece, sinking (if you view it as a negative) further and further away from what is "normal". And, we as readers, can see why she rationally made each choice. But with each choice, and each boundary crossed, she is a little (or a lot!) less like the readers. So I think that's what we're supposed to worry about - what will she trade this time to save those she doesn't really like but will risk (not life and limb!) but soul and sex for?

As a result, we (or me at least) find less and less to identify with her as a character about. So instead of reading a story where we're sort of riding along with the character, now I'm just kind of sitting back and watching the train wreck. Don't get me wrong, it's fascinating, but I really wonder how Hamilton is going to end this. Because she really should at some point. Maybe after Anita takes out the whole Vamp council and sits in charge of pretty much every supernatural being in the world?(less)

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Feb 26, 2008 Jeri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 31, 2011 Willy Wonka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: soprannaturale, orrore

L'ho riletto anche in italiano perchè in inglese non me lo ricordavo molto e poi tendo a saltare un sacco di pg .
La violenza e la crudezza delle scene non mi ha granchè impressionato: prima cosa so che è finzione e quindi, come nei film dell'orrore, l'effetto speciale è molto difficile che mi faccia paura; mi terrorizza molto di più un aspetto psicologico approfondito e ben fatto o un'atmosfera; seconda cosa le scene in questione le ho trovate comunque giustificate nell'economia del libro. Il c...more L'ho riletto anche in italiano perchè in inglese non me lo ricordavo molto e poi tendo a saltare un sacco di pg .
La violenza e la crudezza delle scene non mi ha granchè impressionato: prima cosa so che è finzione e quindi, come nei film dell'orrore, l'effetto speciale è molto difficile che mi faccia paura; mi terrorizza molto di più un aspetto psicologico approfondito e ben fatto o un'atmosfera; seconda cosa le scene in questione le ho trovate comunque giustificate nell'economia del libro. Il caso doveva essere tanto orribile da sconvolgere persino la Morte e la tortura dei ragazzi doveva toccarlo negli affetti per cui non le ho trovate fuoriluogo.
So che molti disprezzano Donna e sinceramente non capisco il perchè: perchè si è messa a piangere quando i cattivoni minacciano lei e la sua famiglia? Ma una persona normale che ha reazioni normali e che non piscia cubetti di ghiaccio è così deprecabile? Per il resto mi sembra una donna piuttosto comune, innamorata e che fa del suo meglio in una situazione difficile. Più che lei gelosa di Anita vedo molto Anita gelosa di lei. I figli sono carini: più Becca che Peter che trovo un po' bimbominchia.
A me il chit-chat tra Anita ed Eddy sulla loro vita amorosa non è dispiaciuto, mi ha fatto abbastanza ridere. Un botta e risposta sul genere cencio dice di straccio...anche gli ormoni allo stato brado di Anita mi hanno fatto ridere: ma fatti una scopata o comprati un vibratore ragazza!!!
Bernardo è un bel manzo ma abbastanza dimenticabile, Olaf un caratterista ben congegnato, Ramirez sta lì solo per ricordare ad Anita quello che sta perdendo o che più probabilmente non ha mai avuto: la possibilità di una vita normale.
OB è molto fica, mi è piaciuta la sua ambiguità e il suo credersi divinità: il discorso del perchè nutrirsi così è divino me lo sono spiegato con la credenza degli atzechi nei sacrifici umani etc. Gli dei si nutrivano del sangue dell'energia e delle parti del corpo dei malcapitati (per cui comunque era un onore finire a quel modo) e anche gli uomini credevano, mangiando alcune parti del corpo, di poter assorbire la forza e lo spirito dei loro nemici più valorosi. Il potere di OB mi pare vada molto in questo senso.
Il fatto che Anita si scordi di Seth mi sembra molto in linea col suo carattere: ci posso far qualcosa? No. Allora saluti e baci.
Il vargamor e la moglie mi sono piaciuti, li ho trovati molto pulp, mentre Marito di donna rossa alla fine mi è sembrato un pò ridicolo nel suo orgoglio ferito di Dio respinto. Anche la fine che fa è un po' indecorosa, ma forse se la merita
Il pezzetto con Jean-Claude è molto carino, la parte allo specchio mi ricorda un po' Jareth con Sarah in Labirinth.
Riassumendo: non è il mio libro preferito ma rimane uno dei buoni della serie.(less)

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Feb 25, 2009 yellowbird rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

This is the book where Laurell K. Hamilton lost me as a reader. I love the early Anita Blake books, because they are police procedurals set in a fantasy world. But somewhere along the way, the menage a trois between the three main characters (a necromancer, a vampire, and a werewolf) overspread the pages like a nasty rash of suspicious nature. In the books after Obsidian Butterfly, Anita is having sex with every were creature available, the detective elements have gone out the window, and I coul...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Miraphora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampiri

Dopo Edward: niente più Anita Blake.

E così la mia esperienza con Anita arrivò alla fine. E fine migliore non potevo scegliere. Ebbene sì, dopo di Edward...il nulla. Dopo OB non comprerò più i romanzi della sciura Hamilton. Per due motivi: non reggo più Anita e la nuova piega della serie non fa per me. Quindi mi fermo, qua, con Edward.
Ho letto il romanzo anni fa, in originale, e mi ricordo che mi era piaciuto immensamente però purtroppo non ho tenuto conto il fattore tempo che ha cambiato radic...more Dopo Edward: niente più Anita Blake.

E così la mia esperienza con Anita arrivò alla fine. E fine migliore non potevo scegliere. Ebbene sì, dopo di Edward...il nulla. Dopo OB non comprerò più i romanzi della sciura Hamilton. Per due motivi: non reggo più Anita e la nuova piega della serie non fa per me. Quindi mi fermo, qua, con Edward.
Ho letto il romanzo anni fa, in originale, e mi ricordo che mi era piaciuto immensamente però purtroppo non ho tenuto conto il fattore tempo che ha cambiato radicalmente la mia sopportazione nei confronti della protagonista. Quindi niente voto pieno per OB, ed è tutta colpa della HamHam e del suo alter ego più magro, Anita. Le sue menate morali erano perfette nei primi libri e assolutamente comprensibili man mano che si impegolava con i mostri, ma dopo un pò il pesce puzza e arrivare al nono romanzo di una serie con una protagonista che si tromba un licantropo e un vampiro, resuscita i morti, è Lupa, Nimir Ra, cacciatrice di vampiri, spara a destra e a manca e nel mentre ci propina tutte le sue seghe mentali stile 'sono un mostro? ho perso un pezzo della mia anima?' blablabla è di un pesante da farti passare la voglia di leggere. La HamHam sta rovinando pian piano un ottimo personaggio, volendo per forza farle avere due piedi in due staffe diverse. O sei con i mostri, o non lo sei.
In questo romanzo Anita è lontana - per fortuna - da Richy il Peloso e JC lo Zannuto e da tutte le loro marionette annesse. L'unico personaggio che ricompare è Edward, co-protagonista praticamente da subito. Che OB fosse stato scritto proprio per approfondire il personaggio si era capito...ma che la HamHam lo avesse fatto 'bene'...è un altro. Edward l'assassino ha una famigliola felice composta da Donna (la smidollata) mamma/vedova new age con due figlia, Becca la bambina del Mulino Bianco e Peter lo stereotipo dell'adoloscente incazzato. Insomma, la fiera dei luoghi comuni. Lasciamo stare la copertura, che può anche starci per quanto sia irritante, la cosa veramente fastidiosa è Anita che appena scende dall'aereo comincia a blaterare le sue solite cazzate 'Non puoi fare questo, Edward' 'Ti ammazzo se non li lasci, Edward' 'Sei un mostro, Edward' 'Io sono Miss Integrità morale, Edward' e porca miseria ma non l'ammazza nessuno sta' rompicoglioni? Per la serie da che pulpito viene la predica. Oltre a questo atteggiamento da maestrina la cosa irritante è che per tutto il romanzo ha i suoi monologhi interiori sulla salvezza della sua anima. Che palle, NO! LA TUA ANIMA E' ANDATA A FARSI BENEDIRE! TACI! Grrr. Ovviamente salva tutto lei, è brava, veloce, spietata ecc...solo lei. Pure Edward è finito nell'elenco degli inetti per colpa della HamHam e delle sue manie di protagonismo indiretto. Il Killer con la K maiuscola che esce di scena sul più bello per un paletto ficcato nella spalla. Ma mi prendi per il culo? Per tutto il romanzo Edward è stato l'ombra passiva di Anita 'Vorrei cacciarti, ma sei la mia anima gemella' 'Sei meglio del mio amico serial killer' 'Ti metto alla prova' ecc...basta. Niente viaggio al centro di Edward. Di lui, alla fine, sappiamo qualcosa di più ma non abbastanza, perchè ancora una volta la HamHam si è persa nei meandri delle menate di Anita. 'Si, sei un vamp millenario, ma io sono più forte e più furba' Ma com'è che tutti i vamp che lei incontra sono degli imbecilli? Stà Obsidian Butterfly è pure convinta di essere una dea, povera creatura, idem per il Marito della Donna Rossa. Bha...che fantasia. E il mostro mangia uomini? Sparito. E Olaf? Sparito. Va bene...per lo meno la trama aveva un senso e c'erano un botto di scene d'azione. Almeno quello...meno male che c'era Edward, altrimenti la situazione era tragica. Perchè se non c'era Edward: 1. non compravo il libro e 2. nel caso contrario il mio malsano tentativo di autoinfliggermi una dose di Anita mi avrebbe fatta stramazzare morta annoiata prima della fine. Quindi, basta, per me niente più Anita Blake. Non la sopporto più.
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Nov 19, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While Blue Moon brought some shocks and surprises in Anita's love life and brought to the surface more of her humanity, Butterfly takes a complete departure from her normal setting.

Edward calls in his favor that he felt Anita owed him after she killed his 'backup' in self defense from several books ago. This favor takes her to New Mexico where a series of VERY disturbing murders is happening. The cops think it's a person, Edward thinks otherwise and could use Anita's expertise. Upon arriving, Ed...more While Blue Moon brought some shocks and surprises in Anita's love life and brought to the surface more of her humanity, Butterfly takes a complete departure from her normal setting.

Edward calls in his favor that he felt Anita owed him after she killed his 'backup' in self defense from several books ago. This favor takes her to New Mexico where a series of VERY disturbing murders is happening. The cops think it's a person, Edward thinks otherwise and could use Anita's expertise. Upon arriving, Edward has a very shocking surprise for Anita while he lives out his alter ego of Ted Forrester. If you want to know any more of that, you're just going to have to read the book!

While I say this is a departure from what's been developing over the previous books I state that while admitting that yes, there are vampires and yes there are shapeshifters...just not the ones we have been introduced to and that have been developed over the course of the series. Anita has taken a break from both Jean Claude and Richard. In the time line of the series it's been about 6 months since she's seen either of them. That means not only is there no Jean Claude or Richard, there's also no Asher, Damien, Jason, Nathaniel or any of them.

I admit I've grown fond of her interactions and dilemmas involving her two very different 'families'. This book makes mention of some of them from time to time but they don't appear in the book. Maybe that's why, while I enjoyed the book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have the previous ones. But a departure from the norm is good for any character and I can hope it moves the series onward and upwards.

I still enjoy the character of Anita but that doesn't mean I don't have problems with her. The fact that she's becoming more like Edward, the cold calculating killer is a little disturbing, but she realizes this so all is not lost. She's still a wanton ball buster and she's still a shoot first ask questions later kinda gal, both figuratively and literally speaking. Sometimes she expects everyone to be as tough as her. This is just a sign that she's losing her humanity with all she's gone through over the course of the series. Sometimes her interactions with 'normal' people, while keeping in the spirit of the character she's become, can still just make you want to hate her but that's generally the exception, not the rule. Sometimes you feel as if you want to hate her more often than not but her more human side, the person she was before all the involvement with vampire counsels and lycanthrope pack interactions always comes through and you realize why you like the character in the first place.

Anita's character flaws are what make her interesting and fun to read. Butterfly's no exception. And this one is ACTION packed with some imagery that's downright disturbing to the core.

Another solid book in the series, just a slight departure from what's been building recently.(less)

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Oct 19, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those With the Self Discipline to Stop Here

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: Crystal

Shelves: fiction, horror, fantasy, novels, mystery

Among those who have followed the Anita Blake books, Obsidian Butterfly stands along the great divide. This is the last book where Anita really is a Vampire Hunter, and uses her brains (and guns) rather than... another part of her anatomy to solve her problems. For me the series doesn't just drop in quality, it falls into an abyss after this book and it becomes a completely different series, with an entirely different focus in characters and themes. So for me this is the last good book. For some...more Among those who have followed the Anita Blake books, Obsidian Butterfly stands along the great divide. This is the last book where Anita really is a Vampire Hunter, and uses her brains (and guns) rather than... another part of her anatomy to solve her problems. For me the series doesn't just drop in quality, it falls into an abyss after this book and it becomes a completely different series, with an entirely different focus in characters and themes. So for me this is the last good book. For some it's their favorite.

In this book Anita works with Edward her fellow US Marshal--a sociopath--to investigate a series of supernatural attacks. Especially in this book, Edward reminds me of Dexter. Here he shows another side as a family man, as someone who does have a side that wants something normal. Ordinarily though he's one scary son-of-a-bitch. The thing is though, there's a lot of Edward in Anita. This book examines that, and I think that's why some name this as their favorite book. When we first meet Anita in Guilty Pleasures she was a woman who drew several moral bright lines, despite some impulsiveness and often disregard for rules. Vampires and weres were monsters to her she put down without remorse, now she's in love with--well, one of each. So up to this book, the theme of the books were, who's the monster? And the thing is in this book, the ordinary humans like Edward and Olaf (a creepy sociopath that makes Edward seem warm and normal) are definitely the scariest.

Maybe. Because of all the Anita Blake books, and I read until book 18, Flirt, until giving up on them, this is the one with the big bad I remembered the best. So I have to give props to that. That said, not even fans of Anita Blake universally laud this book. For a friend of mine, this was the last Anita Blake book she could stand. There's a pretty graphic scene in this book involving the molestation of a child. For my friend that finally crossed the line. "That woman is sick." And she meant Hamilton, not the baddie.

That disturbed me. Goodness knows this book doesn't represent too bright a line from what was to come. Too many times in the earlier books--and here--Anita is threatened with rape, and characters around her victimized. There have always been some icky, at times gruesome aspects to this series. But this was the last one that really had a story and where Anita was at all recognizable. The book could have ended, après moi, le déluge.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Danae rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over the past year I have become a big fan of Laurell K Hamilton and this series. Anita Blake has been a recurring theme in my reading list and a series I've enjoyed a great deal until this book. It was just as suspenseful as her others and in that respect I loved it, but I have serious issues with some of the scenes in this one.

I don't think there is ever a need for graphic child rape in a story and I strongly disagree with the author's choice to include it in this one. I feel it was used purel...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anita killed one of Edward’s backups – which means she owes him a favour and he has finally called to collect. Or his alter ego has – reassuring Anita that what he wants in New Mexico is nice and legal. And a holiday away from her love life is probably not a bad idea.

Little did she imagine she’d be plunged into Edwards and that the cold, lethal assassin has a fiancée and she has 2 children – all of which have no idea about the man she’s going to marry.

And while the job may be legal – it’s brutal...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Daniela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great installment ft. Aztecs

I very much enjoyed this book. It was so raw and bloody It made me flinch a few times.
First of all, i think we all agree Edward is super bad ass, hot, courageous, amazing man, so I was upset to c him fall in love with a very ordinary woman. Older woman I must add, with children. And im sorry but Anita seems like a much better candidate.
Throughout the book Anita struggled with mean cops, I don't understand why does she always come across mean uptight cops with...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Grace rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Did you know that once you unfreeze meat, you shouldn't refreeze it? It goes kind of squishy and rotten.

People's faces freeze and unfreeze so much in this book, it's insane. Masks, monsters, blah blah blah. Oh, and there's a giant hulking threatening rapist, so that's good. Anita does her usual routine: show up, act like a total asshole, hit/kick people, threaten them with guns, posture and stomp off, all arrogant and full of herself. This woman should be dead a thousand times over. She is a mor...more

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Natasa Hi Grace

Thanks for such a detailed answer, I was just curious how come you came so far and hated the series almost from the start...but now I know a n...more
Nov 11, 2012 02:03am

Grace Have you ever tried Kim Harrison's Hollows books? My friend who loves Anita Blake also loves those, and while I'm not really into them I definitely do...more
updated Nov 12, 2012 01:37pm

Jun 22, 2012 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nichole

Originally posted on www.yareads.com, reviewed by Nichole

Wow. First, this book was almost 600 pages. It wore me out!
If you haven’t read the Anita Blake books, then you definitely should. They are amazing! The only problem is that they are VERY intense. So intense that I can’t read them straight through. When I first started my Anita Blake kick I read about 6 or 7 of them in a row. Then I developed something that I called “an Anita Blake burnout.” I didn’t pick up another one for almost, if not...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Kascha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People looking for a defining vision of the series

Recommended to Kascha by: no one - loved the title after rifling through the store section at random

This is actually the first of the Anita Blake books I read. I was anxiously looking for a new series to lose myself in while in a Barnes and Noble waiting to see 50 First Dates, and I happened on this one and was really attracted to the title because of the mental imagery the title conjured.

Let's say that the day after I finished it I hurried back to the store and bought the entire series up to this point once I realized what order they actually came in. It was such a page turner; full of intrig...more This is actually the first of the Anita Blake books I read. I was anxiously looking for a new series to lose myself in while in a Barnes and Noble waiting to see 50 First Dates, and I happened on this one and was really attracted to the title because of the mental imagery the title conjured.

Let's say that the day after I finished it I hurried back to the store and bought the entire series up to this point once I realized what order they actually came in. It was such a page turner; full of intrigue and thrills with a plot that was extremely easy to get absorbed in, and set in a world that was similarly easy to fall into. Anita impressed me as very complex and obviously right on the verge of breaking hence her early iron willed control and unwillingness to let go of her own tightly locked down values, but at this point in the series she is already well on her way to metamorphosis into something altogether different from anything she imagined. It was great reading following that.

It is hard for me to decide where this book fits in the hierarchy of the series from best to worst because the ones preceding it were all defining volumes and as such represent a point at which you just knew things would run downhill. I read other reviews where people pan this one and don't understand those, but also see that there are tons of longtime readers who all list this book as the point beyond which the series jumped the shark. It is quintessential Anita Blake in my opinion; containing all the elements that made the series what it once was. It is actually the only book of the entire series that caused me palatable upset. I don't want to spoil anything, but this is a graphic book still true to the original formula highlighting Anita's skill set that lends so heavily to RPIT and her contributions as a marshall, meaning scene investigations, gunplay and "wet work" which is profoundly gory and very intricately described. As a mother, I have had several opportunities to have themes and situations in the story cause unease. But this one reaches a point within where I had an almost primal reaction and actually, I must admit, did break into tears.

There is of course necromancy in spades here as well, but I mention Anita's other skills to form a contrast with the preachy, vamp and were politics laden miasmas that the series got progressively more bogged down with. There is none of that here.

It was this book's ability to make me feel the situations within it that put it at the top for me, but the subject matter also makes it the book I skip when I reread the series. It takes a lot for that to happen because I am good at maintaining distance from fictional situations normally.

All the other characters in the book are well done too. We get extensive time in Edward's world, which is at once even darker and more menacing and mysterious than Anita's because it is so much colder. There is just enough still unknown about Edward even while he's heavily involved in the story to keep him a reason to turn pages madly. So when you add Olaf into the mix and his sick sadism uniquely tuned to Anita you get a completely different feel from the situation. Jean-Claude is of course always trying to possess Anita but it's a much warmer feel than with Olaf. Olaf is like ice cold madness, and it really comes home when it's made clear that even Edward keeps him at arms distance and can't even claim to control him. I spent a lot of time in Anita's shoes feeling like meat to be torn apart by a laughing madman on the verge of the best climax of his life. And shocked at my need to turn pages even faster in response.

If you are a fan of the original ideals of this series, you can't go wrong with this one. It has everything you'll be looking for and does a great job of blending the realities of Anita's job with the realities of what she is becoming esoterically and spiritually, and maintains the balance Laurell used to be known for. Enjoy it, because after this point things change almost violently, and definitely for the worst as the series begins to quickly run off the rails for complete inability to say goodbye to any of an ever increasing cast of "eyeball-creasingly" gorgeous flawed male anti-heroes and the tawdry bedroom multiple-choice tests that abound as a result of the deus ex machina we've come to know and hate as The Ardeur.

Great reading, and does the series proud!(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Anna marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback

I'm not much of a fan of Anita Blake. As the stories progress, book by book, Anita's life just gets so far out of the scope or reality and understanding, but well before Obsidian Butterfly came around, I had mostly surrendered to the inevitability of absurdity.

So, imagine my utter surprise, when all that takes a back seat to tracking down an actual monster, where Anita doesn't have to be the strongest (and no miracle needs to fall from the sky). The story itself actually revolves around a bount...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obsidian Butterfly is #9 in the Anita Blake Series, and is one of the most shockingly gruesome so far. Anita is brought into the life of Edward (her mentor) after he calls in the favor she owes him. Edward's legal, but fake, alter identity is Ted Forrester, a Texan with an accent who lives in New Mexico. "Ted" is a respected bounty hunter, liked by the local cops, and has a reliable, friendly reputation. It is surprising for Anita (and the reader) that "Ted" is engaged to a middle-aged woman wit...more

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Dec 09, 2011 iamjenai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obsidian Butterfly is the 9th book in the Anita Blake series. I was so excited to read this book because I miss Edward sooo much. I was so damn tired with Anita dealing with vampire and werewolf stuff that I thought seeing Anita work again as a necromancer would make me feel great. In this book, Anita had to go down to New Mexico to help Edward solve a mystery. Someone is skinning and mutilating victims and Edward believes that Anita is the only one who can solve this mystery. Anita and Edward b...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Sand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've just finished this and am half way through the next. I've read some other reviews to see if my feelings are shared and it seems they are. I've been reading these one after the other and was pleasantly surprised by how strongly plot driven this one is. Anita is out of her comfort zone and the character development goes hand in hand with the story. The refreshingly clear plot line rather made me blind to just how violent and dark it is, which shows perhaps how much I've been missing a strong...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Diana (Offbeat Vagabond) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, horror

Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2010/10/laurell-k-hamilton-obsidian-butterfly.html

Let me start off by saying, I am a huge Anita Blake fan. There wouldn't be True Blood if not for Anita. Hell, as much as it pains me to say this, there wouldn't be Twilight if. It for Anita. She is the original badass. Now I am aware of how people feel about the series now. But this does not mean I am going to stop reading the series though.
This book is definitely different from the last e...more Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2010/10/laurell-k-hamilton-obsidian-butterfly.html

Let me start off by saying, I am a huge Anita Blake fan. There wouldn't be True Blood if not for Anita. Hell, as much as it pains me to say this, there wouldn't be Twilight if. It for Anita. She is the original badass. Now I am aware of how people feel about the series now. But this does not mean I am going to stop reading the series though.
This book is definitely different from the last eight books. We are not focused on Anita,first of all, we are focused on Edward. Also, most characters that we are use to, Jean-Claude, Richard, Dolph, and more are nowhere in this book. Though Jean-Claude makes a "dreamy" appearance in this book.
Now back to Edward. He scares me and he is a psychopath, yet he is surprisingly likable. He does go for the bad guys (at least I hope he does). But this book starts with Anita starting to pay Edward a favor (after killing his even crazier psycho killer friend, Harold). She goes to Arizona to meet Edward to then find out he has a fiance with kids and goes by the name Ted. I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this, given how Edward is, if his "family" knew what he did, well that would be too much. Anita, of course, knows the catastrophe that this will be and can't believe Edward is doing this not only to Donna, but to her little four year old girl and teenage son (who saw his dad die. Yeah, that bad).
So "Ted" called Anita to help solve a series of horrendous mutilations. People are being skinned alive, but they are not dead. No one can figure how they are alive and why they have been strange occurrences while they were skinned. People just conveniently needed to leave their own homes to walk or something when these mutilations took place.
So while investigating Anita meets Edward's backup. One is Bernardo Spotted Horse, sexy, horny ex Military killer and Olaf. Olaf is big, German, and a rapist who just so happens to target women with Anita's characteristics. I am sure you can imagine this meeting.
They end up meeting the Master of the City and her human servant after a disturbing stage display. If you are familiar with Anita's meetings with other vampires and their entourage, at least one person has their brains shot out. But the meeting wasn't a total waste because she finds out Obsidian Butterfly (the Master of the City) is not the god she says she is and that he cryptic talk leads to a dangerous realization (won't say, read the book).
Anita also meets up with a fellow necromancer. He is as scary as everyone says he is a d has a thing for Anita. He also has a secret. But due to Nicky's stupidity (the other necromancer), Anita and her gang are being followed by Ted's "friends" who want Anita to protect their coward of a leader.
There are a lot of things happening in this book (sorry if my follow up isn't helping much, I don't have the book with me), but it manages to not feel cluttered. It moves in a nice pace. Some books are too slow to get to the drama or the action. This was just fine. I love that we find out the Edward isn't completely soulless. Tge other books really had me thinking otherwise. Now I have heard the complaints about no Richard and (barely) no Jean-Claude, but I think this book was fine without them. It is what Anita needed to get things figured out (but not necessarily straighten). She is attracted to Detective Ramirez in this book, but the thought of leaving her boys completely is a no-go. I honestly would have liked to have seen how Anita would be like dating a human. I love Richard and Jean-Claude for sure, but still.
I have read multiple reviews about this book and have seen the issues, but frankly, I wasn't disappointed. I like the turn this book took. It still felt like Anita. She is still on that line of cop and killer. That is what makes me love her. She doesn't follow the law 100%, but she does what she must to save others. This book kept to that. This book was full of Anita's humor, Edward's new found beating heart, monsters that have done things that I honestly had a nightmare about the other night and strange love (well, I am nit sure love is the right word, hell not even lust is the right word).
Overall this was a great book in the series. I love the new yet old Edward/Ted. I thought this was a great read and like I said, it is the Anita we know and love, just with a different perspective. (less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I have to say that Edward and Olaf are two of my favorite characters. Knowing that this book was about them had me extremely excited to read it. Unfortunately, I was let down. I didn't think I could get more disappointed after Blue Moon, I was wrong.

Edward calls in Anita's favor by asking her to solve the case of the fleshless ones. People are turning up dead with only parts of them remaining, other people are turning up alive with no skin and seemingly in no pain. Anita must find out who is beh...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Mary Grace rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After Blue Moon, Anita continues the adventure with book 9 of the Anita Blake series titled Obsidian Butterfly.

As I have said im my previous review of Blue Moon, I think the series is on a plateau level in a way that it is not as exciting as the previous books that I have read in the series. This novel is centered with the life of Edward, assassin and a friend of Anita, and his life outside the killing industry. We will se a softer side of Edward that we don't see much often.

Hamilton has introdu...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Chinablue_25 West Bostedor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This has been the best one so far!! I was so enthralled that I had a difficult time putting this book down for even the smallest things like eating and using the bathroom!!

One of the things I liked so much about this book is that Edward was in the ENTIRE book. I was always intrigued by Edward in the previous books and found myself thirsty fir more if him. In this book I got it! There have been moments when I thought that Hamilton was taking their relationship into the direction of a sexual relat...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Myvampfiction added it · review of another edition

Reviewed by Ciara

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

This is one of my favourite ABVH books (so far). Anita has taken time out from her complicated love life, and is focusing more on work, so Jean Claude and Richard and all the others are absent from this book.

LKH replaces them with Edward (who Anita describes as … a hit man. He specialized in monsters. Vampires, shape-shifters, anything and everything. There were people like me who did it legal, but Edward didn’t sweat the legalities or, hell, t...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Bookworms rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I as a Jean-Claude fan came not on my costs, but the Richard fans aren’t, too. Since both play no role in this book and are mentioned only on the edge. For it the fans of Edward may be glad, because this book is dedicated to him as the second central figure beside Anita.

She owes to him one favor whom he takes up now. So she travels to him and finds him as Ted. Since Edward leads a double life and has a girlfriend with their two children as Ted. Anita also does not manage this situation at all an...more

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES and continues to thrive with over sixteen volumes to the series and an comic adaptation. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilt...more

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Books by Laurell K. Hamilton

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

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3)

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #2)

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4)

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #5)

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“one of the good things about being a woman is that my level of testosterone poisoning is lower than most men's.” — 176 people liked it

“What is it about her that is so goddamned special?” — 166 people liked it

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Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #9)

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