Customer Reviews

Obsidian Butterfly

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Great Book, ive read all the books in this series and wait for the release off all the new ones cant wait for new book and wiill be ordering it from here again/ may get first three books and finish my set.

I am a big fan of Laurell Hamilton's work so she didn't had to win me over with Obsidian Butterfly. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I especially appreciate this novel. First, the author give some depth to Edward cold-blooded-killer without actualy betraying the character (which is a VERY annoying author habit, wouldn't you say?). Second, the reader witness changes in Anita's issues with her new found powers and therefore her close link to Ridchard and Jean-Claude. Finaly, I realy enjoyed the introduction of Olaf, Edward's psychopathic backup. I've found his wicked creepyness deliciously scary.

After reading Blue Moon I really didn't have high expectations for this book. I thought it was going to be loaded with crap and passed off as a novel written by the talented Laurell K Hamilton. Ms Hamilton is an excellent author though I never understood why she wrote such a lame book. When I started to read Obsidian Butterfly it caught my attention from the very first page. This really does show the quality work Ms. Hamilton is capable of.

If you are an avid reader of Ms. Hamilton you will know more details about Edward. Edward is and will always be a cold-hearted murder, or, as he would say a hit man. He started to kill lycanthropes because people were too easy. Edward can put on an act that would have critiques showering him with Oscars. Edward is a complex character and that is shown throughout the story. What meets the eye isn't what it always seems. More of Edward is displayed through the story. And we come to love the character we meet so often in the series.

Anita owes Edward a favour. I wont give away the other stories if this is your first Anita Blake story. She owes him a favour and is surprised when he calls in that favour. He asks her to reach Mexico and help him solve a case he is working on. As a surprise for her he keeps the gory details to himself. Anita and him have this kind of contest. Who is tougher? Edward or Anita? On this case you really do find out.

This book is excellent and has the making of an excellent but gory movie. But please don't take my word for it. READ IT. It is excellent. And if you want that old Ms Hamilton books READ THIS. But words of advice don't read this over breakfast, lunch or dinner because you'll lose it. GO MS HAMILTON, you got your knack back, without the intense sex scenes!!

I've read all the previous Anita Blake books, and I have to say this book gave me a pleasant surprise after the crap that was "Blue Moon". Blue Moon was the previous book and had so much sex and porn inclinations in it, that I was skipping whole sections at one go. Now I'm just a regular guy who loves the occasional porn, but Blue Moon really went overboard. In Obsidian, the story was interesting, and there was surprisingly little sex. It felt like Laurell finally woke up and concentrate on writing a good story instead of trash. Well done!

When I first started reading this series I enjoyed it. But up to this book I started to find Anita very annoying and this book seems to cultivate all her annoying characteristics into one rollercoaster ride. Basically Anita has turned into an overly aggressive teenager with a mine is bigger attitude. Which makes you hope one of the monsters would just eat her and get it over with. The story line is still predictable and the dialog is weak. I'm not sure what happened to the series but I hope the next book is better.

This is my favorite book of the series. The action and detail are outstanding. Anita's moral dilema, accompanied by a perplexing mystery and disgusting murders, make this book very absorbing.

It's not for the faint of heart however, so be carefull. Some of the scenes, one in particular involving children, are very disturbing.

All in all a good read.

This is my favourite of the entire sequence, and a bit of a departure from the others in that all the characters are unfamiliar (apart from Anita and YAY! Edward).

There a couple of standout action sequences and being removed from Richard & Jean Claude meant that Anita concentrated more on kicking ...

On the down side Edward's 'romance' is rather impractical and unconvincing, but that's love I guess. Also it seems impossible for Anita to make it through a whole book without obtaining ANOTHER superhuman power.

The new character Olaf was great, maybe the series needs a few more humans, and the twist at the end was both funny and menacing.

This book feels separate from the rest of the Anita Blake series in that Jean-Claude is missing. He has been one of the "red threads" in the series, and although Edward is fascinating, it was a bit too much Edward at times. This book also had the most blood and guts to it. I started the series with the 11th book "Cerulean Sins" because it was available to me, and then read in mixed order through the rest of them. My favorites are "The Killing Dance", "Narcissus in Chains" and "Cerulean Sins"; primarily due to the involvement of Jean-Claude and Richard. Although it's best to start from the beginning, each story stands well enough alone that you can read them in any order and still follow along.

Obsidian Butterfly is one of those books you pick up and can't put back down until it's over, and even then with much regret. Laurell Hamilton knows how to keep her readers turning the pages. For those new to the Anita Blake series, here's a quick overview: The setting is present-day America, and the heroine is Anita Blake, the tough, sexy, and smart vampire executioner. She raises the dead for a living, quite legally, for such purposes as settling will disputes. Vampires and werewolves (aka lycanthropes) are legal citizens, only to be killed if they commit a crime. Anita actually has both a vampire lover, Jean Claude, and a werewolf boyfriend, Richard.
In Obsidian Butterfly, Anita leaves her hometown of St Louis to pay back a favor to her friend Edward, who is an assassin. He needs her help solving a string of murders, which were likely committed by something non-human. They team up with the local cops, the FBI, and Edward's mysterious accomplices to find the monster before it can mutilate yet another helpless family.
I would recommend this book to all fans of the Anita Blake series, even if many of the usual main characters are missing. You learn more about Edward and Anita, as well as the nature of her bond to "the boys".
It also goes well alone, precisely because there are not so many pre-introduced characters.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a smart, well-written plot that is a combination of horror, suspense, and mystery with a little romance mixed in. Anita's constant sarcastic thoughts and witty comments keep the mood light throughout the story. The characters are extremely well-developed and draw you into their world of magic, witchcraft and a constant good vs evil battle that will keep you turning pages all night.

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the best books I've ever read. The book is about Anita Blake's newest adventure. She is called by Edward to help him solve a mystery in New Mexico. "I was running full out and skidded on my high heels, grabbing the receiver as I slid into the wall and nearly dropped the phone. I yelled into the receiver as I juggled the phone, "Edward, Edward, it's me! I'm here!"' (p. 2) Edward needed her help since she's a necromancer and has solved murders before with the St. Louis police.

The theme of the book is really about Anita finding out about herself. She didn't know much about herself, but in this book she finds out more than she ever thought she would. I do agree with it in the fact that everyone needs to find out about themselves. It doesn't relate to my life lately, but I used to try to hide information about myself from myself. I realized, after other people told me, that I can't do that.

I would recommend this book, simply because it's one of the best books I've ever read. Granted it's a bit unusual, but it still is the best book of this series. Don't read this book without reading the rest of the series, but it's an awesome series to read if you like magic, Vampires, Werewolves/Werelepords/ect, and a female good guy beating the bad guys.