January 31, 2015
The Hollows 13: The Witch With No Name
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Admittedly I put off reading this for a long time because I knew it was the last book in the series and I didn't want to end it yet. Didn't hurt that I got sucked into some re-reads of other series I enjoyed which kept me preoccupied.
Originally I was a really big Kisten fan; I still am. I have to admit to gradually being able to get on board with Trent though. He has grown on me, especially after he started taking a stand for things other than greed and power. Really liked how he worked with Rachel this time around. The two of them make such an easy team that it's hard not to like them. The only problem is Rachel's constant self-doubts and second guessing way before it's necessary. Trent has obviously thought of all the same potential obstacles and isn't giving up, so she shouldn't have been so bent on destroying the happiness she had prematurely either.
Of course Rachel had to get forced into things beyond her scope and the world had to get turned upside down in the process. There were several times where it looked like the book might end up going down the road of Hamlet - everyone dead. With the exception of Ellasbeth still being in the picture (because she is a vindictive and manipulative brat that I would have happily seen the last of several books ago) I liked where this story ultimately went. A little bit of the perfect pairing off at the end, and it might have been nice to have seen Trent's version of their future come true instead of being their last discussion going into the "future." Aside from that, it resolved everything nicely with a new shift in balance that made sense and ultimately felt a lot healthier for everyone in the long run.
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 7: Burnt Offerings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is as far as I'm allowing myself to go in the re-reading adventure for now so I can get back to my to-read pile.
This is the first book where we really get to interact with Asher, who admittedly is one of my favorites. Perhaps because he has all these flaws and emotions from the start, he begins as being one of the more humanized monsters instead of being wholly on one side or the other.
Anita also starts learning what it means to be queen of both the wolves and leopards on top of vampire human servant and necromancer - the titles just keep racking up. Manages to solidify her standing as a friend of the rats in the deal as well. If there is one thing going for Anita, it's that she is loyal. Sometimes stupid when it comes to personal choices, but loyal. Once you are on her protection list, you'd have to do some pretty heavy betrayal to get off of it.
The Traveler was interesting as far as the council members went. He also seemed the most sane and reasonable of the bunch. Warrick might have been interesting if he'd stuck around. Yvette and Padma are just pure anger, terror and fear. Given the situation, Anita was right to take Fernando instead of Padma, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't mind seeing him on a kill list if it wouldn't put their triumvirate and those dependent on them in even more danger.
Anita and Richard also start pulling some interesting rabbits out of their collective hats. This is the first time that we see Raina as a munin, and the first time the ex-couple really starts melding their powers for a purpose. Of course it was a dying situation that got Anita to join the triumvirate officially anyways and Jean-Claude had been shielding them from each other since then. These two obviously still have a lot to learn, including how to both live with the wolf inside Richard before it eats them both alive.
So much that went wrong and so much that went right. I'm glad Asher stayed and that he's talking to doctors about his scars since they are such an obvious source of insecurity and pain for him. Jason is starting to grow into a likable character at this point instead of the easy going pervert. Nathaniel is an interesting twist in to mix with his obvious need for a "keeper" beyond just an alpha. The dynamics just keep shifting and the group keeps growing... now would have been a good place to stop and keep the main characters that are already on deck.
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January 30, 2015
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A large dose of history with a lot of comedy and just the right touch of family and relationships to make for a thrilling ride all the way through that keeps you wanting more. Mr. Peabody is not what you would expect from an average dog, and he's raising his human son, Sherman, to just as high of an expectation, much to Penny's dismay as she obviously does not enjoy being shown up in history class. A rather wild ride and some brain tests later, Penny learns just how serious history can be and makes a lasting relationship with this odd duo that is likely to lead to many more adventures down the road. Now if they can just keep the social worker with a vendetta and an attitude out of their way.
The Book of Life
The Book of Life (2014)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The art is a little different and takes some adjustments as the characters are drawn more like dolls with many hinges and joints than actual people. Perhaps that is to show that the story is being told with dolls in the museum and not happening live, but it is still odd. They are very blocky as a result, though you get used to it as the story progresses. Probably makes it easier to play with all the bone makeup since the majority of the story takes place on The Day of the Dead. Spirits meddle in human lives and two friends are both after the same girl (who conveniently seems to be the only girl in town their age). Manalo is a rather determined romantic though, and doesn't seem to let anything keep him down for long if at all. Admirable as it gets him through quiet the adventure so everyone comes out on top at the end. Overall a very fun and vibrant film with a unique style that makes it stand out from previous ventures.
January 29, 2015
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 6: The Killing Dance
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Pros: This book is very action packed, more fast paced and keeps you jumping from one scene to the next.
Cons: Anita is as wish-washy as ever while now being irrevocably tied to two "loves" of her life - one whom now hates her.
It seems as if Anita has finally chosen Richard. All that's left is for her to see him shift and the pack in action. Que a complete 180. Now not only is Jean-Claude not the resistible dead boyfriend she's been worried about dumping, but he's the actual lover and shield against angry now ex-boyfriend werewolf. Anita willing takes on the vampire marks again, despite often repeating that she would rather die first in previous books. Now she, Jean-Claude, and Richard make a rather useless and unhappy triumvirate. Just in time for them to take out the only other triumvirate seen to date that they might have learned something from. While I did not like either Dominic or Sabin, I did like Cassandra, so it's too bad she had to side with the loonies. Edward also shows more of his actual friendship with Anita this time around as he turns down a job to kill her in favor of protecting her instead. He's still scary and more than a little unstable (given his obvious love for hunting things that could kill him easier than he can pull his gun's trigger), but he does make an oddly fitting friend for Anita.
We also meet Damien and a few more of the wereleopards in this book. Something to take note of given their larger roles later on the series.
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 5: Bloody Bones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Re-reading this for the first time in years, it doesn't hold me as much as it did the first couple of times through. Then again, I loved the series a lot more in general back then, where now I'm bordering on dropping it altogether because of the way the writing and characters have gone.
This is the first time that we see Anita go out of town for any reason. Her job this time around is supposed to be a simple zombie raising with her trainee, Larry, along for the ride. Of course it just wouldn't be a normal early book without Anita getting pulled into a police investigation and/or vampire hunt - in this case, both. Serephina has to be the scariest vampire seen so far. Between the number of master vampires she controls that she shouldn't have been able to, Magnus, and then Rawhead and Bloody Bones, not to mention the ghosts.... she is one scary lady. The first vampire in awhile that Anita hasn't been able to meet eyes with, let alone that's been able to roll her so easily. Even Oliver, who had Jean-Claude spread on a sacrificial alter, didn't actually manage to get him so close to true death. This is also the first big hunt that Edward does not show up for. Instead, Jean-Claude and Jason are the lonely duo out to ride to the human's rescue. This scene also is the first real introduction into the world of the faeries.
Jean-Claude and Jason are both portrayed as more human than monster this time around, along with showing a myriad of weaknesses that seemed non-existent previously. In the end, it's the humans that save the day. An interesting change of pace from the usual secret monster showdowns.
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January 28, 2015
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 4: The Lunatic Cafe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The first book where Anita is really in a committed relationship on both sides. Too bad Jean-Claude is determined to ruin it for her... if her own insecurities about the true nature of lycanthropes doesn't do the job first. Despite all her knowledge and being long-term friends with werewolf/reporter Irving, Anita has never really seen what the were-world looks like from the inside or how they truly behave until now. Turns out Richard can try to be "human" all he wants; he still fits in with the monsters too (outside of being the only one who refuses to kill and seems to have a problem with others doing it as well). In this one regard, Anita actually fits in with the supernatural rules and blood lust better than her would-be sweetie. Unfortunately for her, a jealous vampire (Gretchen) and her engagement to to our favorite werewolf (Richard), put her at Jean-Claude's mercy to keep them all alive when he demands an equal opportunity to date her. As the saying goes: out of the frying pan and into the fire.
While all this personal upheaval is going on, Edward is back in town for another hunt (he's a regular at this point despite not being local) and Anita has bitten off more than she can chew between a police investigation and a personal job for the were community. Lucky for her they dovetail nicely into a resolution keeping most people happy... though maybe not so lucky if the damage to her personal life and the number of hospital visits made is any indication.
Not so much on her personal power front other than the power flare between Jean-Claude, Richard and Anita in her apartment - a precursor to the triumvirate days. There are references to her being "on the job" for Animators, Inc. More often though, it's complaining that the cases she's given are out of her experience/requirement level. Guess you can't be raising the dead all the time, even if it is the mains means of your living.
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 3: Circus of the Damned
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is where the series really started picking up in the action and fleshing out the relationships more and more. Enter Richard, the "perfect" human match for Anita... only he's not human. We get a little taste of the friendship Edward and Anita share aside from their work personas. Jean-Claude comes across as just a little bit desperate in his bid to consolidate his power (especially bringing Anita to heel), but that's not overly surprising considering he's getting challenges from all fronts and is just starting to get some backing from the local werewolves (conveniently also his animal to call). While all this is going on, there's Alejandro and Mr. Oliver. Oliver seems too perfect to be true, but his "ideals" match up to Anita's perfectly.... at first. Turns out there are worse monsters out there than the ones our favorite Executioner is currently allied with. As usual, Anita puts her life on the line rather literally to fix her own mistake and save the city once again from monsters. Her views towards the end of the book don't seem as black and white (aka human vs. monster) as they originally were. The upside of all this drama? Anita is finally free from Jean-Claude's vampire marks - something they didn't think was possible short of full death.
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January 26, 2015
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 2: The Laughing Corpse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The re-reading kick continues. Despite Anita's obvious tie, and attraction, to Jean-Claude, this book is largely her avoiding him while he tries to bring her to heel (stupid decision) and she deals with a bunch of zombie mayhem. It is curious that her being near Jean-Claude amps up his own power now that she's his human servant, no matter how much she protests. Can't help but wonder if the reverse is true or if she really has just been in that much denial and delusion about her own abilities. There are slight hints of a softer side to Anita, event though she is still very much in the "survive first, ask questions later" mentality. With the way the series progresses, it's easy to forget how much I enjoyed the main duos little game of cat and mouse as they really learned about each other.
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 1: Guilty Pleasures
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every now and then, something sets me off on a re-reading kick. This time, it was the nostalgia for the earlier books with less sex and more story/character development. The hammering at the poly-amorous views makes a little more sense now that I've found LKH is poly-amorous herself, though that doesn't make me enjoy the later books any more.
Despite Anita and Jean-Claude being such a large focus of this first book, it surprised me to recall just how small of a role Jean-Claude plays (given he's locked away the majority of the book). Edward's role, especially with his interaction with Anita, is much more business only and lacks a lot of the real friends input that you get later in the series.
Really, this books only true focus is Anita. Her powers, her job, how she views the few relationships she does have. I wonder if her line at the end of this book, "I am The Executioner, and I don't date vampires. I kill them" has come back to haunt her considering the position she ends up in. Her stubborn streak shows a bit more in this early part of the series, though there is also a certain amount of naivete that seems to have melted away the more she lives in the world of the dead. She also has realized the difference between being an animator or a necromancer at this point, which made a big difference in her own perception of her limitations and own abilities outside of her mystical ties.
One has to wonder if the only reason Jean-Claude marked Anita so early truly was her title as The Executioner. It certainly doesn't seem like they would have had enough interaction between a few rare police cases and Catherine's bachelorette party to warrant his apparent obsession with her otherwise. Anita hasn't pulled enough unique "rabbits" out of her own power hat yet to really make her stand out from other animators or seem worth the trouble otherwise.
It's interesting the things you pick up or focus on when you go back over an old favorite years later.
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January 25, 2015
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 8: Blue Moon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was easily one of my favorites of the early series, despite it's focus on Richard (who is very often not one of my favorite characters). I think part of the reason I love this book so much is Anita's interaction with the wereleopards and her interaction with Asher (who often is on my favorites list). Anita does a lot of learning and discovery in this book, despite her obvious conflict of interests with the triumvirate and her control over Damien. That doesn't even factor in the munin and the dangerous disasters that adds into the mix. Nice to see her owning up to some things and learning to control her own power instead of always saying it's because of the other "monster" in the room. Despite the constant conflict and obstacles to scale, there is something easy going about this book and the way the characters interact with each other that just feels more right to their roles and personalities than in some of the later books. I miss this mission-focused learning and advancement stage of the series.
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 23: Jason
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I've always found Jason amusing, so I hoped a book focusing on him would be fun. Instead all we got was sex, sex, sex, and more sex. The only plus was that because the book was so short, there wasn't room for them to wander all over the place, so it's very focused. I just really miss when Anita focused on her core relationship and job as an animator/vampire hunter. It seems like all the books are about now is how much sex and how many partners she can fit into her life instead of actually progressing the story line or developing the main cast. We see so many of the outskirt characters, that the main ones who made us fall in love with the series seem to fall by the wayside. There have been a few moments recently that made me hope that was changing. This one fell way off the mark though.
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January 1, 2015
The Interview
The Interview (2014)
My rating: 0.5 of 5 stars
Really, it's more like outright 0. This had to be the most outrageous, stupidest film I have ever seen. I get it's a specific type of comedy, but holy cow was it outrageous! Neither one of us really get what all the big fuss was about over it that cause all this drama because quiet frankly: it's horrible! Don't bother paying the rental fee; it isn't worth either the cost or the amount of time it takes to watch it.
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