However unsatisfied I am with this series, I think I will always keep coming back for more out of sheer curiosity. The Anita Blake early days were great. You knew what she was all about: fighting supernatural bad guys, using a lot of guns, and sometimes using a little bit of supernatural powers to save the day. Then came the sex and the ardeur, and that was fine, until it simplybecame too much. The most recent books feel like it's all about Anita's polyamorous relationships, no matter what bad guys seem to be hunting down innocents.
At least Affliction does have some decent fight scenes and police work. There isn't even a sex scene until a good couple hundred pages. However, there's a lot of talk about Anita's sex life and her numerous (20+!) sweeties. The repetition and the explanations are getting old and frankly you can almost guess who she'll sleep with next and how the book will end.
One aspect of the book that's new is that we travel to Micah's hometown. As one of Anita's main sweeties, I think it was about time that we learnt more about the wereleopard king. I enjoyed meeting Micah's family, and getting more information about his back story. He's always been a little bit of a mystery, even thought he's been in Anita's life for quite some time. It's sad that we only get to meet his family now, under bad circumstances, as his father lays dying in a hospital bed. And because they aren't exactly sure what supernatural force is killing him, Anita feels it's her duty to investigate and find out exactly what is making bite victims like Micah's father, rot from the inside out.
For me, this series has always been a guilty pleasure and I'm not ready to give up on it yet. Most characters are pretty great and I love reading about them. Despite the book being 500+ pages, it feels like not very much happened. A lot of it is filler, descriptions of all the pretty men in Anita's life, about who works out the most in the gym and whom can outfight or outgun whom. There's also a lot of law enforcement posturing and Anita refuting her "reputation" for being a bad ass executioner and a polyamorous lover. I'm going to cut this review short because ultimately, whether you read this book or not, nothing much in the Anita-verse will have changed. Read at your own risk!
Although I stopped reading the Anita books a long time ago, I still enjoyed reading your review. I loved the early books but I see nothing wrong with a guilty pleasure. At least you know what you're getting.
ReplyDeleteI actually find very few books at 500 pages plus that aren't too wordy. Sounds like that is the case with this one with no real character growth.
ReplyDelete@dino0726 from
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It's been a while since I've read an Anita Blake story. They are a guilty pleasure of mine too. I think I need to catch up soon, just to learn the few this that are new. ;)
ReplyDeletei am quoting this series after I DNF Dead Ice. I love Anita Blake and the vast majority of the characters. I was never bothered about the amount of sex that was in the books. However, the talking about the sex and the partnerships all the time, I feel like I'm in couples therapy when I read the book. I had actually forgotten how much she talks about the workouts, too, but you're right there also. Great review.
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