Book: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter

[Sapphire]

Bah! It looks like I actually have to go to the bookstore to read Noble Dead, so I shall start with Kim Harrison. XD

(You guys srsly have to read Moning >[)

[Yukimura]

Heh, I started with Dime Store as well, we sure are similar Ryl.

Anyway I went to the bookstore and read the first three chapters of No Humans Allowed. I must say I was very underwhelmed. I just wasn't sucked in by Jamie's frumping about getting older and wishing to be TV star. The high point of the three chapters for me was when Jeremy called and talked about Clay and Elena. It just felt like most things supernatural were taking a far back burner to Jamie's personal and professional issues, which still turned me off.

For contrast I opened up the newest Harry Dresden series novel (by Jim Butcher) and planned to only read three chapters just to compare. However Dresden had me hooked by chapter one and by chapter three he'd already killed a faerie assassin, beaten off two others and received two black eyes and a broken nose. I couldn't even put it down till chapter 7 or 8, I guess I just need more action nowadays then some authors like to provide.

[Ryllharu]

I got hooked pretty early on with No Humans Involved, but I bought a Jim Butcher Dresden novel before because one of the staff there who is big into these kinds of novels too recommended it, given what I was buying at the time (Noble Dead, and a Kim Harrison book).

As the saying goes, it bored me to tears. I couldn't get too far beyond the second chapter. It sits on top of my bookcases, collecting dust.

Guess we aren't that much the same after all...

[Sapphire]

We're only human, after all.

I haven't started Harrison yet, but I will start now..

Edit: Page 12. I'm in love.

Double Edit: Page 12. But I don't know if I could ever enjoy reading again! I so desperately and wholeheartedly adored Anita that I happily saw no other. And see what happened then! Now I feel like I can never love again so dearly as I loved AB. ):

[Sapphire]

Well I just finished Dead Witch Walking, but I'll hold off discussing it for now because I'm too lazy and I want to finish the rest.

[Ryllharu]

I just read Armstrong's Personal Demon. It was a big disappointment. The ending was really great, but the majority of the book just comes off really jumbled and disjointed. The narrative switches between Lucas and Hope (half-demon who first showed up in No Humans Involved). It seems like she wanted to write a book about Lucas, but had to tie in a female lead character. Part of it comes from me having absolutely no interest in the character of Hope at all.

But the ending was great. Once it actually becomes clear what the hell was going on the story is a lot more interesting. Even with that, it is by far the worst of the series.

[Sapphire]

SPOILERZZZ

Last night I finished Every Which Way But Dead. The book was pretty awesome. LOL AT NICK. wtf @ jenks? I could see how he'd get pissed, but that was a little overboard. Well not really. I'd have pixed her and left. Okay so I hate Nick, but I want him to come back because he is such an asshole. And I think Kist was better when he was a spunky sex machine rather than a cold disturbed entrepreneur. Now I'm kind of bored of him. And Newt comes along. He's pretty badass. I'm a bit weary of his power though. If Harrison didn't throw in those 'lesser demons' I'd think that demons were extremely freaking powerful. I think her situation with Newt was funny. Al is still awesome though. Actually right now I'm at the beginning of Fistfull of Charms. I could have sworn when David was introduced he was unattractive, fat, and balding? Now he's a muscled hunk in leather? lolwut? And Yuki hates Trent and thinks he's evil so maybe he does something messed up in awile, but right now he's being portrayed as 'good'. Like.. I was just about to say a spoiler haha good. (A character who you think is an evil killer for a long ass time but then you just find out he's doing it to save lives and you're like wut?!) Lee was cool until the end. He managed to slink his way out of dying and look good while doing it. He was kind of ruthless towards the end though. It's funny when Rache gets tipsy. Harrison's magic, humor, characters and action are amazing, but her romance/eroticness has room for improvement. I forgot all the other stuff I was going to talk about.

I laugh when I think of AB. Then I cry.

/rant

[Sapphire]

~Spoils.

*cough* I just finished Fistfull. The climax of that novel left me writhing. Her and Peter was so profound, I practically wanted to cry. Ivy's always annoyed me a little, so no change. Nick definitely lived up to my expectations. Win. Jax sucks. WHY DO PIXIES ONLY LIVE TO 20-0-0-0-0. Yuki thinks I get over excited. But hey, if you can't get a thrill out of reading a book like this, where's the fun? (Perhaps I am a little like Rachel in this aspect)

On to ..the demons one. I like Newt. I like him a lot.

[Ryllharu]

*Spoilers*

No love for Ceri? She and Ivy are probably my favorite characters.

[Sapphire]

I think we all know this is SPOILZ LOL
I love Ceri, but Harrison is portraying her as more and more irritable/snippy as the series goes on. But how she just described Ceri was pretty awesome. Freaking the hell out over Newt and creating three circles. I sorta like Ivy, but she seems way too weak. I don't mind her being controlling and selfish, but her "struggle" with her inevitable self in the novels is creamed on a bit too heavy for my tastes. XD But only Rache and Ivy could bear living with one another, haha.

[Yukimura]

Ceri rocks, she's a fallen princess, so I can get why she's so snippy being a regular person now that she's free. She also really needs to get laid. I don't hate Trent I just think he's pretty pathetic (just like Rachel seems to at the end of For a Few Demons More) in addition to being an asshole. Nick is lame and I'm glad he's gone. But Rachel's taste in relationship partners is really annoying. Nick is a deadbeat, Kisten is a poser, Big Jenks is not only married, but looks like a teenager. The only decent relationship choice she has is Ivy, even though she's a bit emo. Hopefully Rachel will works some more of that out in the Outlaw Demon.

Anyway, Newt is badass. Sanctity? What sanctity? I'm Newt bitch! BOOM!

Sapphi send me The Outlaw Demon Wails if you have it.

[Sapphire]

Found it Yuki!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/v768tt

But my .lit converter won't show up in my Word program, so I have to give it to you as html and .doc..... I'm still trying to get my .lit converter to work. I'm sure it's on Mininova, but Mininova is down. *Cannot continue reading For a Few Demons More until I obtain .lit version of this book* lol that was a bitch to find without Mininova, but I'm sure it's worth it. (If that's real >.>)* When I find/make a .lit version I'll link it.

[Yukimura]

What are the advantages of this Microsoft reader thing? I've never seen or heard of it before now.

[Sapphire]

It can go fullscreen which is way less distracting than trying to read it on Word or Firefox or something. And you can read the book page by page, conveniently, by just pressing space or the page down button.You can close it at any time and it automatically opens to the page you were at. You can leave bookmarks and easily copy/paste sections. Didn't you ever open all the other stuff I sent you?

[Ryllharu]

I read manga on my computer, but you two are insane to read full novels on a computer screen. (Unless you are using a Kindle or the Sony Reader.)

I read enough 300 page documents off a screen at work...

[Sapphire]

It helps that I use a projector, lie on a mattress, and have it on full screen.

Edit: Um. LOSS OF WORDS. Just finished for a Few Demons More. THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME. WHY KRISTEN? OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGG

PS - I want to have Ceri's babies. And Marian is freaking awesome LOL. And. Um. Al is awesome too. >.>

PPS - I have the .lit version of Outlaw finally, if anyone wants it. I went through hell back to obtain it, but starting on sixth book later. :]

[Yukimura]

Damnit Sapphi you're not allowed to pass me! Start reading some other book instead!

And who the hell is Marian?

[Ryllharu]

And who the hell is Marian?

I'd like to ask that question myself. I read Outlaw Demon Wails a month or two ago, and I can't seem to remember anyone with that name.

I know about Alice, Rachael's Mom, and agree she is awesome, but I don't remember any Marian.

[Sapphire]

Okay maybe I said his name wrong, it starts with an M and he's Newt's caretaker. A total mystery (of what the eff happened to Kisten) was set up in the last book, so yaay. I am still pissed they killed off Kisten. But so much for 'feeling the thrill' lol. I never would have guessed that Harrison would have actually punished her character for that. The whole being possesed by a wolf thing scared me, because we all know how that turned out with AB, but it ended up for the better. <33 I don't know if I can even get into this next book because it was so freaking awesome! Oh well, if she kills off Kisten, that means she can have sex with Minaes or Marian or whatever his name is, or even Al. Now that should be fun. >.>

~Badass demon quotes

M, after being stroked up by Rache: "If you touch me like that again.. I'll rip your fingers off"

Newt: "Sometimes I don't remember the past right. Or maybe they simply change it and don't tell me"

Newt: "Do you want to live forever?"
Rache: "No."
Newt: "I didn't either. And then I tried it."

Al: "I haven't laughed since the turn. We all laughed at that"

(I am a nerd for memorizing this.)

If you guys were in 'The Hollows', who/what would you be? I'd wanna be like.. Newt. Now that sounds awesome.
--
Mysteries that haven't been solved yet:

Does Ceri hook up with Trent/give him a sample
How is Nick/Jax
Who is the cult guy
Who killed Kisten and how
What exactly killed Rache's dad and how does Kensing/Keaton/Kisling (or w.e) know
How much longer is Ivy going to mope about blood balances
How fast is Rachel going to hook up with someone else (hopefully a demon)
Do Jenks and/or Matalina die
Ivy's mortality

[Ryllharu]

It's Minias, and he's totally boring. Newt is by far better, because she's absolutely insane. Even Al is more interesting, because Rachel keeps kicking his ass and outsmarting him.

But definitely, no one beats Ceri in terms of generalized awesomeness. Like Yuki said, she has that high bearing of royalty (which she is), but is not afraid of doing what she has to. She's muscle around anyone but Al, and I really love when she snaps at Rachel for being such a big baby about all these things.

A decent amount of your questions are answered in Outlaw Demon Wails, but there's no way I'd ever say which ones...

...and there will be a lot more to add to that.