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What are readers saying about Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 17)?
| Reviews of Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 17) - Page 1 of 4 |
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-01 05:07:17.
(Language: English)
  
I was pretty dissappointed in certain aspects of this book. First off, she couldn't even devote a paragraph to what's going on with say...Micah? Nathaniel? Damien? Where are they? She can't even call them? Secondly...MAJOR badguy dies and she hardly even bats an eyelash about it, after how many books have been devoted to this particular bad guy, I thought Anita would be throwing a friggin party! Usually she ties up her books with neat little ribbons in the epilogue, every question answered. I was left with a whole catalog of questions at the end of this one. Very dissappointing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-30 04:48:26.
(Language: English)
Anti Climactic acquisition of further metaphysical power by Anita Blake. I'm starting to wish that some vampire will turn up and bite her ass now.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-22 02:08:11.
(Language: English)
I totally enjoy this book, as I was expected with Edward, Bernardo, Olaf & Anita it have more action. The only thing that dissapoint me a bit was don't see Vittorio's end in a blaze of gun fighting with this three. The way he goes was interesting but I would have love to see Edward and the gang in it. That is why in some way the ardeur doesn't make it for me because it doesn't involve guns and fighting. But I have to admit that Vittorio's end with all the thing and the ardeur was kind of an poetic end. I also hope that next book Jean-Claude comes back, I having JC withdrawals. ;-( But I totally enjoy the phone conversations in this book with him. I really enjoy reading it, all the thing with the Swat team was interesting and the powers of the team was cool. So, looking forward to the next book and crossing fingers Jean-Claude have a lot parts in it. Lol!
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Carrie posted a review at 2009-06-06 12:54:40.
(Language: English)
I loved this one as much or more than the rest of the series. It was great to get back to being The Executioner for a change and to get a break from the love triangle. I did miss the guys though. The addition of the new characters was great. I hope to get to see more of Victor in the next book. I don't know why but he kind of stuck with me. Maybe he will be a part of the story line for here on out. It was wierd and GREAT to get to see a little softer less maniac side of OLAF. And Edward OMG need I say more. Too bad he already has a lady love. Him and Anita whoo that would be a real page turner. LOL. Another great one... Only one down side to this book. Have to wait too long for the next one. I should have paced myself better. I can't wait...
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-30 08:33:01.
(Language: English)
Wow, was I disappointed! I have bought and read all of this series, the 1st 12 books all in a row! There were little things that really got on my nerves, that I hoped would be better with this book. The endless description on clothes & weapons got better, and Anita wasn't constantly saying, It just flat does it for me. But the earth revolves around Anita conversations are still going strong. All the men either love her or hate her, and all are high maintenance about it. "What does that mean? (frown) What do you mean by that? (frown) Define sex. (frown) Define kiss.(frown)" Can't ANY of the men be a little more masculine, or have a little more pride, or self respect?! I wanted to hum the book across the room in frustration! I won't give anything away, but the stuff that goes on with Mother of all Darkness? You can't get much more anti-climatic than that! Forget about knowing what kind of reaction or effects come of that situation! I say cut the droning conversations in half at least and put back in the action, sarcasm, magic, intrigue, mystery, and everything else that had me addicted in the beginning!!!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-06 03:34:44.
(Language: English)
Skin Trade was absolutely amazing! The characters just keep getting deeper and behaving more and more like... people - especially the ones you never expect to see having wordly virtues... Anita Blake is just as tought as ever, with a little more loss of control of the things going on inside her - but as always, she handles is much better than... I could! It's a perfect addition to the series and... dare I say it? One of the best yet!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-22 07:48:11.
(Language: English)
Hamilton is finally *almost* once again writing books with plots, not just senseless erotica (which is fine if you want that, just her first few books were so promising...) skin trade brings back edward (yay) and olaf (erk) and also bernardo, for a kinda replay of obsidian butterfly. (which was, imo, almost the last book she wrote that wasn't flat erotica.) the friendship between edward and anita, two nice killers who just respect the hell out of each other, is fun to read. i hope this book means hamilton is turning a bit away from the erotica and back towards what she started out writing. (though the scene with wicked and truth almost makes me want to say erotica is ok. almost.)
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-09 08:21:19.
(Language: English)
The rating would have been higher if Anita didn't have sex with a 16-year old boy. WTF, Laurell K. Hamilton, WTF? Naturally it was due to the Mother of all Darkness, who is quite possibly one of the lamest villains in fantasy fiction. Magically forcing people to have sex isn't scary, just tacky. Up until that point I actually enjoyed the novel. There was something resembling a plot and there was seldom a complaint from Anita about all the men in her life.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-12 10:33:30.
(Language: English)
This was not one of Laurel K. Hamilton's best efforts. The story seemed to drag on, and most of the action happened in the last 30 pages! What did the picture on the cover have to do with it? Nothing. I love Anita Blake, but most of her men weren't in this book. Except for Edward, who's cool. She always has this mind-blowing sex with five or six guys. You wouldn't think that would get boring, but it kind of does. Let's get some better monsters & less personal soul-searching.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-14 10:41:14.
(Language: English)
One of the best in a long time. If you were a fan of Obsidian Butterfly (or like Edward and Olaf in general), this one is in that vein. I like that Hamilton trying to balance the sex scenes with more of the old murder solving stuff that the series was built on in the beginning. I do like the sex... I mean you can't read this series and not, and this one does not disappoint, but she got the mix right on this one. A white knuckle book all the way to the end.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-08 02:42:35.
(Language: English)
I love the Anita Blake series. Skin Trade was better, but again the problem with the Anita Blake is, there needs to be some conclusions to some things. There is way too much going on, and there are too many character, not in the actually in the stories but alluded to, which can make the storey to complicated. Granted, that much pressure on someone with that many guns, I can’t see how she’s not eaten one of them. I love Laurel K. Hamilton and all of her writings. I just want to see some closure with some things in Anita’s life. Need to streamline the story, but keep that gut wrenching passion she has.
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Alberto posted a review at 2009-11-29 08:07:23.
(Language: English)
I haven't and probably will not finish this book. I have read more interesting and cohesive stories by third graders. Her story is wallowing in stupidity and repetitiveness that makes me wonder if an editor actually read it or if they just submitted the writers first draft directly to print. The writer rehashes the same ideas of the Anita Blake having sex with pretty much anyone as a constant reminder to who? The reader or the writer? Maybe Mrs. Hamilton does this in hopes she can pique her own interest in the story. It doesn't work though.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-08 03:58:00.
(Language: English)
I'm a huge fan of the series and I have my favorites. This one is a lot like Obsidian Butterfly in that it takes place outside of St. Louis. The positive of that is that there's more of Edward and Olaf and new characters to play around with. The negative is that there's barely any Jean Claude and no Micah who balance Anita out and are familiar territory. There's so many bad guys in Anita's life that I like have the constants around. That being said, the story is great with fast action and interesting plot. There's humor and the attitude which is completely Anita. The psychic police force in Vegas is a big part of the story which is sort of an untapped reservoir for this series so I'm interested in seeing where Hamilton will go with it in future books. I like the addition of the scary new monster, even though I'm not sure it's completely convincing when all is said and done. It's a fun, graphic, intriguing story--the kind I've come to expect from Hamilton; yet, I feel like it was missing the core element of Anita's "normal" life. And that core is what keeps me coming back.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-08 03:59:29.
(Language: English)
Ok so I took some time away from other things I have been doing to pick up the newest Anita Blake book and as usual tore through it like some kind of addictive candy. Laurell K. Hamilton seems to be returning to the form of the earlier books in this series where the story and characters come before the sex and arent there just to set up gratuitous sex scenes. The last couple of books had been getting closer to that norm but now we see Anita more back in her real element that made her so damn interesting and fun to read. Supernatural nastiness, vampire serial killers, strange alliances and even stranger character developments all add up to a damn enjoying read that reminds me of the days before Narcissus in Chains and the general weak plots that accompanied that period of time. What it boils down to is Anita Blake is back as bad ass as ever and is just damn fun to read. Plus Edward (aka Death) is back and come on when the Executioner and Death get together you know that the supernatural community is gonna be crying itself to sleep in a little ball under their beds... or coffins or whatever. If you like Anita Blake then go pick it up, if you don't but like stuff by Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, and Charline Harris then go pick up Guilty Pleasures cause this is right up your alley and you have 17 books to catch up on.
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Michael posted a review at 2009-12-02 12:33:02.
(Language: English)
I've been a die-hard Anita Blake fan for years; recently, however, I'll admit to being disappointed with the last few books in the series (starting with Incubus Dreams), as the books moved away from mysteries and became more about Anita's sex life, so while I still bought and read them, they weren't always a priority on my TBR pile. A friend of mine urged me to start this one because it was more like the first books of the series -- and I am happy to say that the old Anita is back, stronger than before, but still trying to gain control over her growing powers. How long before the books revert back to the bed hopping, only the author knows. But enough of that, on with the book. The books opens with Anita receiving a unique present while at work -- somebody care enough about her to send her the very best, a severed human head. Turns out the severed head belongs to a fellow vampire hunter who worked in Vegas. Obviously, what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. Along with the head, there's a note so Anita knows who to thank for this lovely gift. Turns out Vittoria, a ruthless vampire serial killer, is back, and he wants Anita. Is it revenge, as Anita has had a run-in with him in the past, or is it something more? Anita contacts the Vegas authorities, feeling the need to let them know exactly what they are up against. Things turn out to be worse than she expected, as there were eleven law enforcement officials slaughtered at the same time as their local vampire hunter, and it was done through supernatural means. As a Federal Marshall, Anita sneaks off to Vegas on her own (which Jean Claude is not happy about), without any of her entourage that will help her control her growing powers. In Vegas, she teams up with fellow Marshalls Edward, Bernardo, and the unpredictable Olaf, who scares Anita more than some of the Uber Monsters she has gone up against. Being without the Men in life, Anita faces the possibility of losing control of the ardeur, the one power that has proven to be the most unpredictable, and the one power that has turned her into the equivalent of a living vampire. As if that wasn't bad enough, there is also the threat of the Mother of All Darkness, the Mother of All Vampires, who has the habit of attacking Anita when she is at a disadvantage, and she does not disappoint. I was surprised when I read it. The book is 486 pages, and with each page I turned, I cringed; I was waiting for Anita to lose control of the ardeur and have to have sex with the nearest available man in order to sate it. It was with some relief that she did not need to feed until the book was near completed (somewhere in the 370s/380s), and then it was not painfully drawn out. My only problem with the book was the ending. Without giving it away, I found the ending to be rushed and anti-climactic. There was also one incident that takes place that caught be totally off guard, as it totally blows out of the water where I thought Hamilton was taking the series. All in all, the ending aside, I was more satisfied with this Anita Blake adventure than I have been in a long time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-15 04:12:29.
(Language: English)
A very refreshing lush exciting novel this time around from LKH. I have been a fan for years and have kept reading despite a few hits and misses. I love how this one got back to the essence of what made us all love Anita in the first place. I liked seeing more of her commrades in arms I'll say, Edward, Olaf, etc. Though the thing that made me truly like this is that Anita really asked herself the tough questions without the whining/running away. Acceptance is what this novel seemed to surround us with, the true coming of age for Anita and everything she has become and the true acceptance of her situation/life. The perfect crescendo to an awesome series. Can't wait for the next one!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-21 12:32:18.
(Language: English)
Spoilers beware - Pros: 1. NO MICAH! 2. There was a tangible bad guy! 3. The sex was more of a background story! 4. There was Edward! 5. My least favorite bad guy in the series is no more! (in a boring way, but still). 6. Otto was still KIND OF creepy...not as angry creepy as in the past. 7. She's starting to get control of herself again!!! Cons: 1. Too many characters. She collected more men. UGH! Thankfully I think Requiem is leaving the series...hopefully...one gone, fifty to go. Bernardo, Haven & Requiem didn't have to be there...and there were too many people on SWAT...and did the Wiccan priestess SERIOUSLY have to have a daughter? That could have been whittled out as well. 2. Too much dialog...they didn't get to the main witness until the book was almost over. 3. The destruction of the targeted vampire was kind of silly and anti-climatic. Was she hunting whacked out psycho Gargamel with a fetish or the Father of Daylight/Father of Tigers/Mommy Dearest's ex? 4. Edward is becoming more like Ted than Edward. He is losing some of his edge.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-20 08:21:50.
(Language: English)
Cons: 1. It took a long time to get into...there was too much dialog and not enough action in the first 11 chapters. 2. Vittorio's ending seemed too easy and weird for someone of his "power." 3. She collected more men. I can't keep track of the ones she has already. 4. I think Edward is getting a bit soft. The appeal of Edward is his ruthlessness. I think he's turning more into Ted than Edward. Ted is okay, but he's not the dude that will threaten your life one day and back you up the next. 5. The plot lines are getting a little tired. The Wicked Truth made a similar promise Anita made Edward make a few books ago as if it was a new thing. 6. She's lost her knack for the hunt. I need more than sex scenes and mysogenists to keep me entertained. It takes them FOREVER to follow up on the Wiccan priestess lead. 7. Her books are getting crowded. Bernardo wasn't needed. Haven didn't have to be there. There were too many on the psychic squad. I couldn't keep track of everybody and how they ranked. Victor was underdeveloped and was Domino SERIOUSLY needed...as well as the blue tiger kid & the red tiger? Why was that necessary? Pros: 1. I'm glad Mommy Dearest is dead because I hated that plot line. 2. The sex was more background than foreground! 3. No Micah - he has to be one of the most boring characters in the series. Even his character study was blah. 4. Anita's starting to gain some control on her powers so she can kick butt again. All this "power" she's been gaining has made her an extremely weak character. 5. There was a plot with a tangible bad guy!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-19 04:56:49.
(Language: English)
LKH started her "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series with GUILTY PLEASURES and I was hooked from the start, but somewhere along the line--I think around NARCISSUS IN CHAINS--she started breaking away from plot and powers and focusing on sex, orgies, and more sex. Not that I don't mind a good sex scene in a book, but I'm really glad that she's been getting back to plot in the past couple of ABVH books. The plot and the mystery are present in SKIN TRADE, and let's be honest, who wouldn't want to read more about Edward, Bernardo, and Olaf? But I can't get past the feeling that LKH is alternating characters in each book because Anita just has so many lovers now, and it's just too hard to fit them all into one book anymore. Lose the man whores and bring back the dry humor and the characters who really have a strong personality, please. But keep Nathaniel. Definitely. :)
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-13 03:32:45.
(Language: English)
I think Laurell Hamilton as the top writer I knew and loved in her earlier Anita Blake novels is finally back. I am relieved. This was actually really good and had a pretty good plot and story line to it with some depth again. I didn't think it showed as much continuity from the book before it, Blood Noir, as there were too many threads that weren't tied up or explained well in this story that were begun in Blood Noir, like how the Ardeur is changing to one of feeding from anger for her and what it did to Richard. I think there should have been time made in this book that explores the effects on Anita's, Richard's and Jean Claude's lives since they have swapped so much with the Ardeur now. It will have changed their power base. I guess we will see what she does with it in the next novel. Hopefully she won't ignore it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-03 09:46:15.
(Language: English)
It was a solid book and an enjoyable read with enough Edward, Olaf, blood, guts and sheer creepiness for any Vampire Hunter fan. Better than a "Liked It" but less than a "Loved It" I rate "Skin Trade" 3.5 stars for an enjoyable read that will lure me back to chase down the details. Perhaps I read it too quickly but it appears that the editing team was more aware than they have been in the past. I consider fewer errors a good thing. As for the story itself, I enjoyed it thoroughly. The sex was short and sweet, complete with Anita screaming and clawing her way to release multiple times with men endowed like porn stars. I'm not offended by this, but truth in advertising; if you're interested enough to read this review, I don't want folks surprised. It's a decent story with more insights into Anita and her desire to be both less and more. The growing conflict in her head and heart continues to play a role in this installment. We also learn more about the Mother of All Darkness and the question asked when we first met her: if there is a Mother, who is The Father? is finally addressed.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-10 11:34:50.
(Language: English)
This book was not one of my favorites. She has done much more exciting work in previous books with Anita Blake. This story line kept dragging throughout the book. It didn’t have the love scenes that I like so much in her other books; you were almost all the way to the end before she starts to have really good sex scenes. The Twin brothers had an excellent scene. Still from her previous works, this book was lacking drama of story line and sizzling passion. If you are a fan, I would recommend as a library read.
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Jennifer posted a review at 2009-11-16 11:52:49.
(Language: English)
I've been trying to read this book for about two weeks now. Today, merely half-way through, I finally gave up. I had high hopes for the first couple of chapters; after all, we went pages and pages and pages without any sex at all! Yippee! So, I thought (wrongly, but who knew at the time?) this would actually be a good story. The problem? You can't have a good story with such a horrible lack of imaginative plot. Where's Jean-Claude? Oh yeah, he's back home in St. Louis, being moody and maudlin and getting one entire scene with Anita that's done via cell phone. Where's Richard? I have no clue. Nathaniel? I'm guessing at home, too. Micah? Ditto. So, who's in the story? Three of Anita's fellow Marshals - Edward/Ted, Bernardo, and Olaf the serial killer. Now that I write that out, it SHOULD have been exciting. I mean, after all, Anita is traveling to Las Vegas because the Vampire Master Vittorio sent her a human head in a box. Seeing as how Anita can't really ignore that kind of message, off she goes. It SHOULD have been a good story. It COULD have been a good story, except for the small matter I mentioned earlier - there is no plot! Or, if you'd like to call what is there a plot, I'll rephrase my statement into there is no GOOD, IMAGINATIVE plot. There are weird weretigers, a djinn, vampires, Marme Noir, even weirder weretigers, a hint of Belle Morte, a human SWAT team, a fairly nasty Undersheriff, and the marshals. (And just FYI, if I never have to read about a turned-on serial killer again, it STILL won't be enough to erase the disgusting scenes that SKIN TRADE includes out of my mind.) Most of the Anita Blake fans will read this one, or try to. I gave up buying the books forever ago, so I can't really complain that I lost anything more than time since I borrowed this one from the library. But holy crow, I don't even know if I'll bother to try to read the next book in the series. What was once so very, very good is now beyond very, very bad. It's just plain crap.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-23 01:01:13.
(Language: English)
It was a good book. We are back to more of the detailed action books with meaning and purpose instead of dirty lit lol (Dont get me wrong I like some steam but we were getting on the verge of some Jaid Black!) Im happy Anita is back with Edward because I love their relationship. (Hopefully she doesnt get him killed, That would be a twist right...) Sucks that we Didnt get more action with her main men in her life! But now she has a few more lol. Wicked Truth love it love it. Its sad that she realizes how close she is to losing herself and is willing to let these guys have the decideing factor for when she is no longer herself and should be killed off. Now thats trust. I cant wait for the next book if its more down this road. But hopefully we are in St. L so we can read about the men we all love so much! Bravo Hamilton Bravo
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-21 08:25:33.
(Language: English)
It was good to have Edward back. I missed him. This book had the feel of the earlier Anita Blake stories. Lots of crime investigation and gritty, light on the sex. Reminded me of "Obsidian Butterfly". The book also reminded me of why I continue to love this series and why I became a fan in the first place. I did miss Jean-Claude and there could have been more sexual tension, but with Edward and Olaf along, it wasn't a bad trade. Oh, and the Wicked Truth were awesome;) I would not recommend this book as a stand alone (too much history at this point between some of these characters) but I would definately encourage all Anita Blake fans to read this new installment. Enjoy!!
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