Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)
5 journalers for this copy...
I discovered Anita while browsing Barnes & Noble during a stop-over in New York. I bought the first book of the series - Guilty Pleasures - and got immediately hooked. It took me about three days to finish the book. Then I stormed the next bookstore I could find to get all the sequels available. :-) Yes, I like Anita Blake that much! :-) I had to read all the following novels because I just NEEDED to know what's happening in Anita's life! :-) And it got juicier and juicier with every book...
Review found on amazon.com which really wraps it up great:
""Cerulean Sins" begins in a relatively low-keyed manner. Leo Harlan, a new client whose job description reads "assassin" meets with Anita and hires her to raise a dead ancestor for genealogical purposes. Hah! That same evening she has cemetery duty, to reanimate a man thought to have been a suicide. For insurance purposes, Anita needs to interview the corpse with a judge, insurance agent, former wife, and various others as witnesses to determine whether the family is entitled to receive insurance money. Vampire Asher, second-in-command to Jean-Claude, arrives as the zombie-raising ceremony is concluding. A major emergency has arisen - so what else is new?
Belle Mort, the 2000 year-old fountainhead, "le sourdre de sang," of Jean-Claude's and Asher's bloodline, and member of the all powerful Council of Vampires, had scheduled a visit to St. Louis for three months in the future. The Master of the City, and everyone connected to him, are responsible for wining, dining, (she thrives on blood, sex and fear), and doing everything possible for La Belle Mort and her entourage. Displeasing her could mean death or serious long-term torture. However, no one is allowed to harm this Queen of vamps - no matter what she does. She is their mother and their liege lady. Mussette, one of her lieutenants, has arrived early, on purpose, to wreck havoc. Mussette has some unreasonable demands, (of course), including the return of Asher to Europe and La Belle's lair. The only way he can be saved is for him to become the third member of a menage which includes Anita and Jean-Claude. Hmmm. What will Anita, the former Miss Priss decide?
On another front, a series of hideous murders are being committed in St. Louis, and although Anita has been called to work the case, her longtime mentor and former dear friend Lt. Dolph Storr, seems to hate her for her intimate contact with the preternatural set, especially the vampires. Then problems arise with Richard, and the allegiance of his werewolves, whose back-up is especially needed during the visit of Belle Morte and Mussette. The action is totally non-stop, as are the multitude of conflicts and dilemmas Anita must confront in her personal life.
Laurell Hamilton is one of the best storytellers around. I have now read eleven Anita books, and I rarely read series novels. The plots are spectacular. The labyrinthine vampire and lycanthrope politics makes US election brouhahas look like child's play. The characters are some of the most fascinating and complex that I have encountered in fantasy fiction. They have all grown and changed tremendously since book #1. The author's humor is often dark, but hilarious. I can't wait to read "Incubus Dreams," the 12th and last published Anita Blake novel. On the other hand, I am reluctant to begin it, because the 13th book won't be out until 2006. I highly recommend "Cerulean Sins," and every other book in this extraordinary collection."
Review found on amazon.com which really wraps it up great:
""Cerulean Sins" begins in a relatively low-keyed manner. Leo Harlan, a new client whose job description reads "assassin" meets with Anita and hires her to raise a dead ancestor for genealogical purposes. Hah! That same evening she has cemetery duty, to reanimate a man thought to have been a suicide. For insurance purposes, Anita needs to interview the corpse with a judge, insurance agent, former wife, and various others as witnesses to determine whether the family is entitled to receive insurance money. Vampire Asher, second-in-command to Jean-Claude, arrives as the zombie-raising ceremony is concluding. A major emergency has arisen - so what else is new?
Belle Mort, the 2000 year-old fountainhead, "le sourdre de sang," of Jean-Claude's and Asher's bloodline, and member of the all powerful Council of Vampires, had scheduled a visit to St. Louis for three months in the future. The Master of the City, and everyone connected to him, are responsible for wining, dining, (she thrives on blood, sex and fear), and doing everything possible for La Belle Mort and her entourage. Displeasing her could mean death or serious long-term torture. However, no one is allowed to harm this Queen of vamps - no matter what she does. She is their mother and their liege lady. Mussette, one of her lieutenants, has arrived early, on purpose, to wreck havoc. Mussette has some unreasonable demands, (of course), including the return of Asher to Europe and La Belle's lair. The only way he can be saved is for him to become the third member of a menage which includes Anita and Jean-Claude. Hmmm. What will Anita, the former Miss Priss decide?
On another front, a series of hideous murders are being committed in St. Louis, and although Anita has been called to work the case, her longtime mentor and former dear friend Lt. Dolph Storr, seems to hate her for her intimate contact with the preternatural set, especially the vampires. Then problems arise with Richard, and the allegiance of his werewolves, whose back-up is especially needed during the visit of Belle Morte and Mussette. The action is totally non-stop, as are the multitude of conflicts and dilemmas Anita must confront in her personal life.
Laurell Hamilton is one of the best storytellers around. I have now read eleven Anita books, and I rarely read series novels. The plots are spectacular. The labyrinthine vampire and lycanthrope politics makes US election brouhahas look like child's play. The characters are some of the most fascinating and complex that I have encountered in fantasy fiction. They have all grown and changed tremendously since book #1. The author's humor is often dark, but hilarious. I can't wait to read "Incubus Dreams," the 12th and last published Anita Blake novel. On the other hand, I am reluctant to begin it, because the 13th book won't be out until 2006. I highly recommend "Cerulean Sins," and every other book in this extraordinary collection."
Books #5 - #13 in the series will be made into a book spiral.
Bloody Bones (Anita Blake #5)
The Killing Dance (Anita Blake #6)
Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake #7)
Blue Moon (Anita Blake #8)
Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake #9)
Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake #10)
Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake #11)
Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake #12)
Micah (Anita Blake #13)
Some guidelines:
1. Please journal the book when it arrives (so we know it's safe and sound with you), once you read it (to let us know how you liked it) and when you ship it off (so we know it's on its way to the next reader).
2. Please PM the next person in line before shipping the book off, not only for the adress, but also to ask if they are still interested in the ring! (please do that ALWAYS before shipping anything off, even if it's a book spiral!)
3. Try not to take longer than eight weeks to read the book. But we all understand that sometimes life (and bookrings...) just happens. :-) In that case, please make another journal entry to let us know that the book is not forgotten.
4. Surface shipping is perfectly acceptable.
5. And the most important thing: Have fun!
Here are the participants so far:
cathepsut (Egypt) / Intl.
sunlightbub (UK) / ???
sweetf (UK) / Europe
mikime (IT) /
CandyDarling FI / intl.
adeps (SE) / ???
Ulrika (SE) / ???
joasik (NL)
Rianonne (AT) / Europe
Bloody Bones (Anita Blake #5)
The Killing Dance (Anita Blake #6)
Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake #7)
Blue Moon (Anita Blake #8)
Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake #9)
Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake #10)
Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake #11)
Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake #12)
Micah (Anita Blake #13)
Some guidelines:
1. Please journal the book when it arrives (so we know it's safe and sound with you), once you read it (to let us know how you liked it) and when you ship it off (so we know it's on its way to the next reader).
2. Please PM the next person in line before shipping the book off, not only for the adress, but also to ask if they are still interested in the ring! (please do that ALWAYS before shipping anything off, even if it's a book spiral!)
3. Try not to take longer than eight weeks to read the book. But we all understand that sometimes life (and bookrings...) just happens. :-) In that case, please make another journal entry to let us know that the book is not forgotten.
4. Surface shipping is perfectly acceptable.
5. And the most important thing: Have fun!
Here are the participants so far:
cathepsut (Egypt) / Intl.
sweetf (UK) / Europe
mikime (IT) /
CandyDarling FI / intl.
adeps (SE) / ???
Ulrika (SE) / ???
joasik (NL)
Rianonne (AT) / Europe
Journal Entry 3 by Morgaine77 at Book Spiral in Book Spiral, Book Spiral -- Controlled Releases on Friday, February 23, 2007
Released 17 yrs ago (2/23/2007 UTC) at Book Spiral in Book Spiral, Book Spiral -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Travelling via Scotland to Cathy in Egypt. Enjoy! :-)
Travelling via Scotland to Cathy in Egypt. Enjoy! :-)
Received today. Finishing off another ring and will then turn my attention straight over to Anita...
From Amazon:
"Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, is not quite as human as she once was. Consumed by both the lusts of the vampire and the primal hungers of the wereleopards, her desires must be sated. When she is asked to reanimate the body of a long-dead corpse, it seems like just another case to Anita.
Although the emphasis is once again less on the mystery and police work that made the earlier books so enjoyable, there are still plenty of developments in Anita's life that lead one to believe that, unlike a lot of her adversaries, her character has a lot more potential..."
I enjoyed this, again. I don't think that newcomers to the series would get any kick out of it. They should definitely start at the beginning of the series. Little plot, emphasis on sex and Anita's personal development. Belle Morte and vampire politics figure large. And a shapeshifting serial killer. The synopsis on Amazon about a corpse and a long-ago crime is rubbish. To be ignored! Yes, Anita at the beginning is asked to raise a corpse and the "why" will become apparent later on in the book, but it has little to do with that corpse. Dolph's character is developing into a disturbing direction and I don't quite get why. It doesn't make sense to me. I understand the reason, but not his extreme reaction. I like Zerbrowski being around more and also the development of all the shapeshifting characters. Can someone please kill Richard, he is going on my nerves....
Checking address for the next participant...
"Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, is not quite as human as she once was. Consumed by both the lusts of the vampire and the primal hungers of the wereleopards, her desires must be sated. When she is asked to reanimate the body of a long-dead corpse, it seems like just another case to Anita.
Although the emphasis is once again less on the mystery and police work that made the earlier books so enjoyable, there are still plenty of developments in Anita's life that lead one to believe that, unlike a lot of her adversaries, her character has a lot more potential..."
I enjoyed this, again. I don't think that newcomers to the series would get any kick out of it. They should definitely start at the beginning of the series. Little plot, emphasis on sex and Anita's personal development. Belle Morte and vampire politics figure large. And a shapeshifting serial killer. The synopsis on Amazon about a corpse and a long-ago crime is rubbish. To be ignored! Yes, Anita at the beginning is asked to raise a corpse and the "why" will become apparent later on in the book, but it has little to do with that corpse. Dolph's character is developing into a disturbing direction and I don't quite get why. It doesn't make sense to me. I understand the reason, but not his extreme reaction. I like Zerbrowski being around more and also the development of all the shapeshifting characters. Can someone please kill Richard, he is going on my nerves....
Checking address for the next participant...
Journal Entry 6 by cathepsut at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (5/10/2007 UTC) at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
On the way to England, enjoy!
Received last week and read it straight away. Another enjoyable and entertaining read. Not as good as some of the earlier books, but definitely good enough to keep me hooked. I agree with a lote of Cathepsut's comments about Dolph, just don't think his character would have gone that far off the deep end so quickly, and I enjoy the interaciton between Zebrowski and Anita. And I really wish Richard would sort his issues out, it's getting really tiresome.
Will contact CandyDarling as Mikme doesn't need this one now
Will contact CandyDarling as Mikme doesn't need this one now
Cerulean Sins came in the mail today, thank you sweetf! I'm looking forward to reading this, and I love the cover!
I read Cerulean Sins this spring, and enjoyed it just like I've enjoyed every Anita Blake novel so far. Non-stop action, a focus on Anita's personal development and lots of sex characterize this novel. A new addition to Anita's bed is Asher, although Anita is again guilt-wrecked by her own "sluttines", and insists that they didn't have sex, because there was no penetration. I complain about the same things every time I write a review of an Anita Blake novel, but I would really want Anita to get over her squeamishness, and enjoy herself. Being forced to do things sexually that she doesn't want to do really puts a damper on my enjoyment of these books.
The plotline with Belle Morte trying to awaken the ancient vampire, "The Mother of Darkness" was interesting, I wonder if we will hear more about that. The banquet scene near the end, which lasted forever, was executed poorly. The action stopped to accommodate so many conversations that it felt very contrived. Cerulean Sins was an okay book, but not among the best Anita Blake novels.
I'm currently reading Incubus Dreams. Sorry for holding up these rings!
The plotline with Belle Morte trying to awaken the ancient vampire, "The Mother of Darkness" was interesting, I wonder if we will hear more about that. The banquet scene near the end, which lasted forever, was executed poorly. The action stopped to accommodate so many conversations that it felt very contrived. Cerulean Sins was an okay book, but not among the best Anita Blake novels.
I'm currently reading Incubus Dreams. Sorry for holding up these rings!
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent the book to Ulrika in Sweden, enjoy!
Sent the book to Ulrika in Sweden, enjoy!
It's here. Thank you CandyDarling!
Happy to see more of the new player in Anita's life. Will be interesting to see how this works out with the rest of the triumvirate in the future.
Sorry it has taken me a while to read this, but I'll send it on as soon as I can.
Sorry it has taken me a while to read this, but I'll send it on as soon as I can.
It's in the mail going home!
