Rent: Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 16)

Not my favorite of the series.

Easily the worst in the series. Pointless sex, angst and violence. No story (it seems to abruptly stop in time for a boring cliche ending.) I don't know if Ms. Hamilton is thumbing her nose at her (former) fans or just couldn't be bothered. If you've read every book (like me) please be warned that you'll be disappointed unless you a.) wait for the paperback, b.) buy the hardback at a used bookstore (they should be flying into them soon) or c.) check it out from the library. That I paid for this book is the real horror.

I, like most of the people writing a review, loved the early Anita Blake books. Even her last book seemed like a return to some of her earlier form. This recent book however was boring. My wife and I are both felt this was just a way to make some extra money with little effort. She seems to be coming out with old comics, novella's, anything that can be expanded into a book that she can make extra money on.

Please Ms. Hamilton,return to your old form and write for the enjoyment of writing, not to eek out some extra dimes. You started me on Urban Fiction and I want to see a return to your early form.

I've been a vocal minority about the poor quality of LKH's work for some time now but have been booed and called names for my lack of support. Finally, others are coming forward. I don't know what LKH has done with Anita but I hope she comes back eventually. I loved the first 8 books and even sifted through the Merry Gentry series but now lay them both to rest. I'll miss the originality of the series but just can't stomach the mind-numbing writing anymore. As long as she's making money, however, I doubt we'll see any changes. Farewell.

The Anita Blake started off so strong. It is a shame that the author lost interest. Money changes things I guess.

I really LOVE Anita and her "gang". And I also like that LKH takes the time to explain the complicated feelings all the central characters have for one another. Because it IS all so very complicated. But we have come so far with SO many characters for so long, it seems to me that some of them (ASHER!) need their own series.

My main criticism is that the story line does NOT seem to advance. In the last several books, things happen in such a compressed period of time (and usually place) that true character development AND story line advancement can't really occur.

So, I'd also like to see the story line move forward a bit faster. Because I really like so many of the supporting characters in this series, I would like to see some short "back stories" on some of the characters - perhaps published separate from the main story line.

Like Belle Morte - come on, I can't be the only one who secretly admires the ole gal. I'd love to see the Traveler cause some more trouble.....

I, like most of the people writing a review, loved the early Anita Blake books. Even her last book seemed like a return to some of her earlier form. This recent book however was boring. My wife and I are both felt this was just a way to make some extra money with little effort. She seems to be coming out with old comics, novella's, anything that can be expanded into a book that she can make extra money on.

Please Ms. Hamilton,return to your old form and write for the enjoyment of writing, not to eek out some extra dimes. You started me on Urban Fiction and I want to see a return to your early form.

I've been a vocal minority about the poor quality of LKH's work for some time now but have been booed and called names for my lack of support. Finally, others are coming forward. I don't know what LKH has done with Anita but I hope she comes back eventually. I loved the first 8 books and even sifted through the Merry Gentry series but now lay them both to rest. I'll miss the originality of the series but just can't stomach the mind-numbing writing anymore. As long as she's making money, however, I doubt we'll see any changes. Farewell.

The Anita Blake started off so strong. It is a shame that the author lost interest. Money changes things I guess.

I really LOVE Anita and her "gang". And I also like that LKH takes the time to explain the complicated feelings all the central characters have for one another. Because it IS all so very complicated. But we have come so far with SO many characters for so long, it seems to me that some of them (ASHER!) need their own series.

My main criticism is that the story line does NOT seem to advance. In the last several books, things happen in such a compressed period of time (and usually place) that true character development AND story line advancement can't really occur.

So, I'd also like to see the story line move forward a bit faster. Because I really like so many of the supporting characters in this series, I would like to see some short "back stories" on some of the characters - perhaps published separate from the main story line.

Like Belle Morte - come on, I can't be the only one who secretly admires the ole gal. I'd love to see the Traveler cause some more trouble.....

There is barely any plot and not much action in this book.
I actually was a fan of Narcissus in Chains and Incubus Dreams. In NiC and ID, I liked seeing seeing Anita start to settle down a bit with Micah, Nathaniel and Jean Claude. However, in this book, Anita's whining about having so many men is beginning to wear extremely thin. Plus, LKH keeps reminding us that Anita and Jason are not sweeties. They are just friends with benefits. That makes it a lot less romantic. I kept hoping that Ms. Hamilton would just develop a few of the more important relationships instead of constantly shifting focus to a new casual lover or friend with benefits. In addition, having Anita remain so commitment phobic and uncomfortable with her permanent sweeties after 24 books is just ridiculous. Finally, Richard makes his obligatory appearance. Ms. Hamilton should stop beating the dead horse of the Richard/Anita relationship. The fans know that Richard and Anita are bad for each other. Personally, I think Richard should be either be killed off in a noble tragic death and somehow the triumvirate is safely dissolved or Richard should be given his very own monogamous lover and Richard and Anita should just be friends. I am definitely tired of hearing about their toxic relationship over the last four books.

I think I will give Anita Blake's next "adventure" a pass and move on to better written series. If you want some well written and fun vampire/werewolf/dragon romance novels, then try Kresley Cole or Katie MacAlister instead.

I liked this book. I thought it was well-written and refreshingly brief compared to "Danse Macabre" and "The Harlequin". Jason's near-identicalness to a local "bad boy" strains suspension of disbelief at times, but it isn't too bad, as literary devices go. Bringing back "Mommie Dearest" and including weretigers in the story also makes things interesting. Weretigers have not gotten much ink in this series, so it's good for them to be more involved in the main plot.

I mostly skimmed the sex scenes; I just don't care enough about them to criticize them. What I'm really annoyed with is Anita's continuing to delay taking the 4th and final mark from Jean-Claude. IMHO, she ran out of excuses and rationalizations about 2 books ago. I'm pretty sure that LKH is prolonging this drama in order to write more books. It's really irrational and unncessary, and I'd like to see this plot point dealt with ASAP. 'Nuff said.

I picked up this book with really low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. I read it in one day. LKH lately was writing plot-light sex escapades. I was surprised she toned it down. It was sexy without being gross and over the top. I also want to congratulate her on restraint between chapters 40 and 41. I just knew I was gonna get a description of a blow by blow orgy. Thank god she didn't. The plot was decent. Jason is a great character and I wish he featured more prominently in the story than Richard. What would an Anita Blake book be with out her arguing for a few chapters with Richard (Sigh). Only complaint is the ending. More explanation would have added at least another 50 pages, but LKH seems to have that James Clavell style of writing "the rode off to their destinies" sort of thing. She really has to stop the whole recovery after major battle quick endings. You know the whole will I was in the hospital this happened, no dialogue. After I got out that happened, no dialogue. She did better this time. There actually was somewhat of a resolution. There even was a tense shift, from first to third. She may have started the genre but other writers have perfected it. Check out Jim Butcher, Charlene Harris, Patricia Briggs and Kelley Armstrong just to name a few.

I love how LKH will take a book and make it about one of the characters you don't know much about. I know a lot of people want to give bad reviews don't like the sexual content etc. So don't read the series!! By book 16 you would think someone would know what the book will contain. I only wish this book had more of Jean Claude & Anita time in it. That is my only issue but not one that makes a difference. She puts out an Anita book every spring. I don't want to wait that long!!

Ok, i understand people are kind of annoyed about this book, then again ever since the ardeur showed up people have been b'ing about the books. Personally, i LOVED this book! I ended up reading it in one sitting because i couldn't put it down. Granted, i'm a HUGE lover of Jason ( and Nathaniel ) so i did adore that he was in it so much. It did have a novella feel but not so much that it was distracting. Now, i'm not a fan of the ardeur...i'm not. I haven't liked it since day one, HOWEVER, i think she did a great job of explaning it in the last book so i do understand it more. Do i wish it was gone? um, ya. Does it stop me from loving the series and waiting for each next beek with eager anticipation? um, NO. That's just my two cents, i ususally don't write reviews as you can tell but i just had to share that fans of the series who've stuck with it so far will love it.

I just picked up my copy last night at Borders and finished it last night. The book in itself is very short. Anita's personality is changing, and not in a direction that I like. Surrounding herself with all of these needy and dysfunctional people is starting to rub off on her. When the heck is Anita going to go back out in the field? The series has turned from a sci-fi/ mystery/ suspense series to romantic suspense. There is no depth any more. When is there going to be another Obsidian Butterfly? Pretty much all of the books after that novel have been down hill. Anita's character is full of rage and all we see is "la di da... Anita is frolicking in a field with the men she loves, skipping about" with the occasional killing of the bad guy within the last 50 pages of the book.

What I want to know is, what Hamilton has to say for herself. I've gone to her websites and all of the criticisms from her fans, she ignores. We invited Anita into our lives, have followed her through good times and bad; Cried when she's cried, raged when she's raged... and this is what you give us. It's like Hamilton thinks her fans love Anita's character so much that they will continue to take the morsels she is offering and then say she has given us a full meal. After finishing the first books in the series, I was satisfied. There were things left to question, but it didn't make the story incomplete and let you anticipating the next book. There has been no satiation in Hamilton's recent books. I wonder if she'll finally listen to the majority of her fans and examine what she is doing with Anita.