Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

" My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me The Executioner. What I call them isn't repeatable.Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars... But now a serial killer is murdering vampires -- and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer. "

Description of the Berkley Trade edition:

Published over ten years ago by Ace, Guilty Pleasures marked the debut of a series that was destined to grow from cult favorite to a major New York Times bestseller. Now, for long-time Anita Blake junkies and newfound fans, Guilty Pleasures makes its trade paperback debut. Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead. And how she met Jean Claude, the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover...



My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Genre:Urban Fantasy, Paranormal (Zombies, Necromancers, Vampires), Romance


Paperback, 272 pages 
Published October 1st 1993 by Ace Books




MY REVIEW:



When I started reading Guilty Pleasures, it was an act of impulse as I was in a very gloomy mood and I wanted something entertaining to cheer me up. I 've heard lots and lots of critics about these books, some positive and some others negative, but what had freaked me out was the fact that in these series, there are 23 freekin' books! The number' s purely discouraging. 

Even if this series is going to never end, Guilty Pleasures was a good start. Anita Blake's paranormal world is consisted by vampires, zombies, necromancers (who raise the zombies) and several cults which are either vampire lovers or vampire haters. Humans are supposed to be aware of the fact that they coexist with those individuals, which gives some sort of a... post-apocalypse feel? I 'm not sure if it fits, but that's how I felt it. Wrapping it up, this book was packed with action, had a strong sexual - not romantic - tint, and a pretty much predictable ending, not a happy ending and not a cliff-hanging ending either. I think that 3.5 stars are more than enough. 

The narration is from Anita's POV, a fact which has pro's and con's: Con's are that it was like if I was reading the diary of the vampire slayer, instead of following the vampire slayer around. Even in the scenes that must have been adrenaline filled, there was nothing exceptional, like if she was giving me a chocolate-cake recipe. Pro's are, that Anita is a character that makes a statement, absolutely bare, the kind that "doesn't give a fuck". In other words, I didn't even do the eye rolling thing, not once! Another thing I liked is that the narration is sort of conversational, like if Anita knows her story is read, and is dropping comments here and there that are directed to the reader. 

I have to say that I generally liked Anita as a character, because she is brave, honest and cold. She has debunked all false pretenses people tend to live with, and I find that her theory of life fits mine through and through. All the other characters where a bit raw, but I have a feel that I will meet them better if I read the sequels. 

I would recommend this book to people who like the old-school definition of the term "Vampire" - you know, those guys who sleep in coffins and are happy to create a splash art with your blood. I would also recommend this to all fans of Vampire Academy as Anita reminded me a grown up - and colder- version of Rose Hathaway. 



PS: A Small Angry Rant:



1. "Nikolaos" is a greek name, and to be precise, a greek MALE name. Why the fuck Nikolaos is a girl?  I am sure this was not done on purpose, and I know that Google wasn't around those days, but.... 

2. No, Anita, you can't have them all. Even if you are the owner of divine beauty, hourglass proportions and the dirtiest stare possible, you cannot make every male fall in love with you. Sexual attraction, yes, I get it, but not love. No, not that.