Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
Hardcover, 352 Pages
2008, Berkley Hardcover
ISBN: 0425222195
Series: Book 16 of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
Synopsis
A favor for Jason, vampire hunter Anita Blake’s werewolf lover, puts her in the center of a fullblown scandal that threatens master-vampire Jean-Claude’s reign—and makes her a pawn in an ancient vampire queen’s new rise to power.
Review
While I love the Anita Blake series, I fully admit these books often have problems. Blood Noir is like the perfect storm of the usual Anita Blake issues. It was as though the issues of many previous novels came together in this one book in an effort to test series fans ability to read past the bad and find the tiny shreds of plot beneath.
I'll focus on the sex first, as that's how the book begins. After an entire first chapter of awkward sex discussion (that wasn't supposed to feel awkward at all), Anita, Jason and Nathaniel get right to the sex in chapter two. Follow this by three full chapters of sex between the trio with nary a plot line in sight. The book abstains for about 100 pages, then be are treated to multiple false starts as Jason and Anita attempt more sex. Two full chapters of foreplay leading into serious discussions about pointless things that do nothing to further the plot. Then more foreplay, then more interruptions, again and again until the big plot twist - which was sex.
I love Jason. He's one of my favorite characters in the series, so when Anita travels alone with him to visit his dying father, I expected a great book. Unfortunately Jason is acts out of character for the entirety of the book. Perhaps the author was attempting to show Jason's hidden depths, but he really just came off as whiny and depressed.
While waiting for something (anything, really) to happen, I noticed how poorly Anita dresses. Who wears jeans, a red t-shirt and a suit jacket to a bachelorette party? Even if you don't want to go, can she seriously not even make an effort? This may be nit-picky, but there really wasn't much else to focus on in the book. Anita has yet another encounter with the Mother of All Darkness, argues with Richard again and has more sex with strangers (tigers this time). By the end of Blood Noir, nothing major had changed and the entire trip, and book, seemed to be a waste. Blood Noir is definitely the least enjoyable Anita Blake book for me so far.
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