Does Anyone Else Still Enjoy Anita Blake?

[Nia]

If we're singing the praises of Anita Blake, count me in for a verse! That was the series that started me on supernatural/mystery romance stories. Best book I've had in a while. It also led me to Ilona Andrews' books. Tons of fun for everyone.

[Margo - Putting the Mmmmmm back in Menage]

I don't mind all the sex in the books. I can live with that. What I cannot live with is LKH recycling plots. The latest few books remind me far too closely of the plots of previous books. Write something new. Right now I can re-read the old book and save my money.

I also think it's time for Anita to get over some of her daddy issues. For example, she's always looking for approval from the police and goes to extreme measures to get it even when it's to her detriment and/or the detriment of everyone around her.

I've been wanting to kill off some of her men for years now, but I finally realized my real objection is not the actual number of lovers. Anita keeps adding men b/c she is unable to have one healthy relationship with any of them, which is not their fault. The issue is internal to Anita. She keeps adding men as each one provides a piece of what she thinks she needs in a relationship. When Anita meets a man who can threaten her skewed relationship view, she emasculates him so she doesn't have to grow up.

If the series is really to go on and continue evolving, then some major changes need to take place. There are certainly things Anita could do to step up and grow up. How about going home and facing her father and stepmother? How about cutting loose Micah and Nathaniel? All they serve as is her woobies, blankies, etc. I would love to see Jean Claude step up and grow a pair. His balls have been missing for far too long. Any or all of those things would breathe life into a character and series that is languishing.

[Candice]

Margo (DamesUnrestrained.blogspot.com) wrote: "I don't mind all the sex in the books. I can live with that. What I cannot live with is LKH recycling plots. The latest few books remind me far too closely of the plots of previous books. Write som..."

Here here! I think you've pretty much encapsulated my vague feelings about the whole thing right here lol

[Margo - Putting the Mmmmmm back in Menage]

Candice wrote: "Here here! I think you've pretty much encapsulated my vague feelings about the whole thing right here lol "

Thank you! Glad to not be alone in my views. :)

[Rae]

As someone who is polyamorous, I'd be keen to read this series. Though by the sounds of things, the writing gets worse as the poly increases, and the portrayal of poly isn't that great. I don't want to end up throwing my Kindle at the wall. :P

[Sarah]

I like the first 5 books but my favorites are definatly after book 5. Cerulean Sin (with the intro of Asher), Micah and The Harlequin. I love the early characters of course, even thought Richard can ware on ones nevers, but I also love the evolution of Wicked Truth, Nathaniel and Haven. The only thing that has bothered me really with the last couple of books is less Jean Claude. I hope to see more of him and the changes to his relationship with Anita in the upcoming books.

[Elisabethanne]

The woman needs to add an index to the back so that we can just read once what everyone looks like and possibly do a diagram or something to explain relationships. Then she could get rid of a lot of repetition and spend more time on the story. Honestly, after more than 20 books I know what the people look like and generally how they like to dress and I really don't need to be told over and over what color eyes they have or what they are wearing.

[Margo - Putting the Mmmmmm back in Menage]

Elisabethanne wrote: "The woman needs to add an index to the back so that we can just read once what everyone looks like and possibly do a diagram or something to explain relationships. Then she could get rid of a lot o..."

Bwah hah ha ha! Funny AND true.

Has anybody read the latest release? I opted to not buy it b/c I just couldn't read the same annoying crap over and over. I am curious to see what other people are saying about it though.

[Sophie]

I read the newest. I loved her books in the beginning, but then, like Felicia notes (all the time) they did get to be basically orgies about 2/3rds into the series. However, the last two or three novels have kinda pulled out of that and are again becoming more about kicking butt and raising zombies and chasing bad guys, which I love. I'd say if you read through most of the books, keep going till you get to Hit List, that's when it starts to take a turn again. I love all the books though.

Now that you mention it, I could do with a little less description of the characters, I know what they look like by now. However, her writing has always revolved a lot around what people look like, especially the men in Anita's life. The explanation of the relationships though, it kinda changes each book, and I feel like a recap is necessary for those of us that haven't read the books in the 6 months/year between them being published.

[Nancy]

Just read Affliction. it's so much better than the last few books in the Anita Blake series. I've read them all and found the last few to be lacking. this one was back to having a story line and a lot of character driven dialogue. As well as a large part for Edward. I liked it.

[Leslye]

I have grappled with continuing to read this series but I so loved these books that I have stuck with it. I have recently read Kiss the Dead and finished Affliction last night! Affliction is the best Anita book in years. LKH has gotten back to writing the way she was in the beginning of the series. There is still some sex but it is not to overdone and it even feels as if Anita is not even in to it as much since she has to do it to feed the ardeur. I think Anita would live to simplify her love life a bit down to just her "main squeezes" but LKH may not be able to this far into the story. She reeled me back in with this novel.

[fantasybookworm]

I loved the Anita Blake series up until just after Obsidian Butterfly. I do still continue to read the series, but it's not nearly as enjoyable for me. The constant sex and the lack of, or extremely slow character development in Anita, as well as her huge issues with sex have practically ruined the series for me.

Now it's not that I hate having sex in a book, the Meredith Gentry series has quite a bit of it, but the two series do it completely different. Meredith is relaxed about sex and sees nothing wrong with it as long as everyone is consenting adults. It's also a major part of the plot from the beginning. Anita, however, is forced into having sex, the plot focuses on it, and she has huge issues with casual sex and pokes at every working relationship she has.

I own most of the first half of the series, but since then i relied solely on the library to read them, they just were not very good books in my opinion, especially considering where the series started.

[Melonie]

Affliction felt like some of the plot lines had been recycled in a few places, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it (and Kiss the Dead) much more than I have the books in the middle of the series. It will be interesting to see where things go for Anita from here.

[Rebecca]

I still enjoy her books and she will always be one of my favorite authors.

[Bec]

For me, Jean-Claude was what pretty much kept me going in the series. He's pretty much one of the sexiest characters I have ever read. Anita irritated me as a character, I found her too judgmental and her over the top feminism really bugged me. The guy opens a door for you, he's being nice, no need to act like a bitch.

In saying that I did love them up until it became basically porn, with little to no story that actually engaged me.

I do still love those first ones, and Jean-Claude is on my list of fictional characters I would do.

[Cas]

I wanted to chime in about why I personally stopped. I think I stopped after 6. I may have tried 7. I don't know. I know sex was slow but I never cared. I think the reason I loved it so much till then was what she did. And she was a bad ass. I see, or saw in the past, a ton of hate for her because she was a "bitch" but ...every book I like generally the character is. And it could be me, but to the point. I think I grew tired of the indecision. Granted, it's been like a year or more since I read them and I read a ton so it's kind of hard to recall. I felt like she was calling the shots too much, you know? I like some alpha. Maybe I am ill in the head but towards the end, I think it was more me saying... WELL that's not Anita. I think we can outgrow a series and I did. But I still love her, I just couldn't read the next book because I felt like that love would lessen if anything else happened that I didn't enjoy reading. I'm kind of a romantic, or okay, REALLY a romantic. And I think sex ruined it for me in a way that 's shocking because sex should solidify things and make me go, "AHHA!" or something? Like I said, I have a crappy memory but I do know that I lost interest because of her love life. I kind of want to try her other series, though. So maybe!