Okay. Okay. Okay. So, Anita Blake and I have beefed back and forth for years. I stopped reading the series for a few years, jumped back on, stopped again, and recently decided to jump back on to catch up on Blake’s (and Hamilton’s) latest offering with 2020’s Sucker Punch and 2021’s Rafael. I had some deep, ripping issues with 2018’s Serpentine; I welcome you to find the video in which I shared my concerns.

Nevertheless, my continuing to read Hamilton on and off is driven chiefly by the state of nostalgia her work generates. Summer of 2007. Just discovering how the urban fantasy/action woman stories stretched outside Buffy meant everything during that time. Not to mention how incredible the first nine Anita Blake books were (though I’ve gradually become accustomed to the tone change after book nine).

Anyway, enough of that. These omnibus limited book club editions of the first ten books have always had the most fabulous covers (I particularly love the rendering of Blake on Club Vampyre; Luis Royo is the artist behind all four). I’ve always wanted these books. To me they capture the absolute best of Blake during all her early-to-late 90’s glory days of vampire hunting and zombie raising. Also, as a fan of 80’s horror and specifically Night of the Comet, they just look freakin’ desirable. The original mass market covers featuring character renderings are my favorite as well.

Nonetheless, when you attempt to purchase these rare books online through resellers, you need to know what condition they will actually arrive in. That has been my biggest hesitation.

So despite the blistering negative-something-degrees cold this Friday before Christmas, I was going to have a day out to myself and made it to 2nd & Charles after a Walmart run. And mannnnn, was I shocked to find all four of these rare Anita Blake omnibus books on the shelf in GREAT condition. Did they come from someone’s estate collection? Or did somebody’s partner make a spiteful-ass move on an ex and gave this collection away as a getback. They have obviously been read, but were well taken care for. Even down to the freakin’ dust-jackets’ spines being virtually trauma less. Regardless, there was no way I would overlook this opportunity. Whether I’m beefing with Anita Blake or not.

They were grabbed. They were paid for. They were brought to my collection with little hesitation. Maybe after fifteen years it’s time to reread the early Anita books…

December 27, 2022 0

My Favorite Books of 2020

OUT OF 72 BOOKS READ IN 2020, EH!

“SNAP! BHAM!”

NON-FICTION (RELY ON IDENTIFY):

FICTION (#READSOULIT READ-ALONG PICK):

MYSTERY (OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY, RIGHT?):

FANTASY (FELL IN LOVE WITH THESE TWO SERIES):

SCIENCE-FICTION (CONTEMPORARY ALONG WITH A CLASSIC)

GRAPHIC NOVELS (MY LIFE-BLOOD EITHR WAY YOU CUTE IT):

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE’S TO 2021 BEING BETTER ALL AROUND FOR US ALL!

December 31, 2020 0

Goodreads: My Year in Books 2020

December 30, 2020 0

Tales of the Slayer | Buffy Goodness

As one of those debut episode, long-living passionate Buffy, the Vampire Slayer fans, it goes without saying I watch the series year round. Episode after episode (except season three’s obnoxious Xander-driven “Zeppo” episode). Season after season. I’m there. I used to run through the DVD boxsets, then indulged in the convenience of watching the damn show on Netflix. Bandwidth be damned.

I’m currently on the last four episodes of my favorite season–which would be season three. And we all know the theme of this season: good slayer versus dark slayer. And sure, I would love to dive into all the complexities, context, and other conversations (ha, 3 c’s) about the topic. But it’s been done time and time again. Nevertheless, my longing interest on the topic reverted back to the whole slayer mythology. I’ve always, always been interested in slayers past–particularly Nikki Wood. First, she’s a black slayer. Second, every single thing about her was ripped out of Pam Grier’s rampaging performances in 70’s Blaxploitation films. Seriously, it’s a sub-genre of film sworn to Queen Grier, and certainly an immediate source to fulfil my thirst in the black female action hero. As opposed to her many counterparts.

But I digress.

My point is, while pondering about slayers, I realized I had the Tales of the Slayer books to go back to re-familiarize myself with many of their stories. However, some stories I remember perfectly. Even after years of finishing her story in one of the volumes, imprints remained. So with a little dusting, it would be nice to dive back into the slayer fray for a tale or two.

No, for real. These books have been shamefully in a tote for over ten years. Sick. I know.

Nonetheless, let me see if I can flip through and recall some of my favorite slayer stories. Or at least the ones better written. Because some of the writers… well… suffered to tell a decent slayer story. And yes, somewhere after volumes three my interest faded over the years; I never went back to get volume four. Pitifully. But now’s the chance to reconnect and order that SOB. Especially because that’s the volume featuring slayers facing the Cruciamentum (those who know understand what the hell that ridiculous test is).

So. Anybody got a favorite Slayer out there? Comment below.

May 16, 2016 0

#MarchMysteryMadness: The Preparation Book Haul

I’ve been a Barnes and Noble member for years and recently found the benefit of using the member card online. FREE SHIPPING! Where have I been? (Oh, I’ve been on Amazon where they upped their free shipping price margin.) Nonetheless, with #MarchMysteryMadness coming up, I needed to stock books to fulfill the upcoming mystery reading challenges. So those, and some books I’ve collected from a couple of used bookstores, are featured in this haul post. Many are from familiar series I plan on tackling #MarchMysteryMadness with–furthering my excitement for the challenges next month.

1. Finally got a copy of Burn Marks. It’s book six in Sara Paresky’s V. I. Warshawski private-eye, hard-boiled series. Now I’ve passed this particular 3rd edition hardback many times at the used bookstore. Until now. It’s right where I’m at with the series, so I went ahead and grabbed it. The book is in great condition. For a 1990’s release, the pages are super clean and crisp. All that aside, this one has got to be a winning chapter in the Warshawski series. You see, another one of Warshawski’s distant relatives is coming back in the picture. And she’s all set to hire her niece to solve a murder. (For more on my Sara Paretsky reviews, see the LABELS at the bottom of the post.)

The other three books will feature on my #MarchMysteryMadness TBR video…

2. A Fever in the Heart and Other True Cases by Ann Rule

3. The Secret of the Old Clock/The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

4. Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely. Blanche is back! I’ve had the third book since forever, but since I have to read a series in order, it has sat on my shelf awaiting book two. Until now! A black, domestic housekeeper solving murders makes a boy’s dreams come true! (Visit Barbara Neely LABEL below for my thoughts on the first book in the series.)

5. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, book four in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series. YAY! It’s finally in my hands! Bookstore after bookstore I’ve searched, after reading The Red Herring Without Mustard [book three]. Actually, I would have to drive over the mountain to another Barnes & Noble in the valley to get a copy of this book. Though I couldn’t see myself attempting so with a recently replaced crankshaft, and a cracked axle boot. I feared my car wouldn’t pull the hill. So I’ve ordered the book instead and can’t wait to continue with Flavia and her murder-solving mischief. (For those unsure of what I’m even talking about, click the Alan Bradley LABEL below for all things de Luce.)

6. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. Always, always wanted to give this book a go. With all the acclaim and praise, it slammed onto my reading radar. I was curious, and finally found this crisp copy for $4 at my public library’s bookstore. With it in hand, I drew the attention of a staff member who stopped to gloat her love/hate relationship with the book. This, naturally, fueled my excitement.

7. No Rest for the Wiccan. Another “I been to bookstore after bookstore” book. Book four in Madelyn Alt’s Bewitching Mystery series required an online order as well. I have a soft spot for this cozy mystery series about a witch solving local murders. But I’ll digress for now. (Click the Madelyn Alt LABEL for my thoughts on the previous book.)

8. Two copies of Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles cozies. That’s entry two [Witches’ Bane] and three [Hangman’s Root]. I’ve craved these hard-to-finds after discovering the first book while browsing the used bookstore. And loved it. (For my thoughts on the first book, click the Susan Wittig Albert LABEL below.)

Well, that’s it guys. I’ve been hauling the hell out of books so far this year–and can’t wait to get into them all. I have a copy of Buffy Season 10: Old Demons on the way also. And in an attempt to use my Kindle more, I ordered/downloaded Marcia Muller’s Ask the Cards a Question. It’s book two in Muller’s Sharon McCone series.

So basically I’m back in my reading playground. Cozies. Female sleuths. And murders. With a splash of literature on the side. Anyway, happy reading and all that jazz!

February 25, 2016 0

2015's 6 FINAL READS ~ PART 1

It’s time to go ahead and tidy 2015 and my fluxing reading ADHD on up. So what I want to do is a rundown of the final six books I’ve read this year–unless I can squeeze in one more. (Another Rita Mae Brown Mrs. Murphy mystery is looking mighty good right about now.) Some of these books I’d like to dedicate an entire post toward. And they really, really deserve one. But this will have to do, as there are more books and posts ahead for 2016. So let’s get started. Let me share with you the six books I’ve unofficially wrapped the year with.

1. Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

Calling from the highest mountain to the deepest sea, this books deserves a full post. I finished it mid-November where it immediately fell into my favorite reads list of the year. Published in 1968, it’s an autobiography of the author’s experience growing up in rural Mississippi. As well as how her childhood turned her into a prolific Civil Rights activist.

To elaborate, Anne Moody came from tenant farmers on a Mississippi plantation. Not one to find comfort in her upbringing, she had unconventional expectations for herself. Many of which she expressed to the point of becoming problematic to others. Still, she had enough drive for better for her family and the African-American community. And she would see the drive realized.

The first half of the book chronicles Moody’s growing ambition for change. She takes readers on her journey through her humorous and desperate childhood. Then moves into her high school years and college life, where you get her relatable life events. I found this half of the book builds the identity of Moody, molding her leader and activist nature. Though I found her just a touch self-absorbed underneath some subjects of conversation. Particularly her academic comparisons with other students. Nonetheless, her childhood and young adult journey provides the foundation for the remaining half of the book. Because the second half showcases Moody’s immense contribution to organizations such as NAACP and CORE.

Years seeing this picture, I never knew the story of the courageous
woman (and others) behind this sit-in. My mouth dropped.

And it’s interesting because the second half’s direction was almost unforeseen to me. The book switched focus, with nuggets of Moody’s personal life sprinkled between her activism. When I picked up the book, I had no prior knowledge of how prolific the author actually was. I would even wager to cry “blindsided.” But moved by the intimate story behind her voice. It’s so easy to recognize Civil Rights leaders such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King. So how often do we recognize those who took action in smaller (though no less powerful) integral efforts? Moody withstood protests, sit-ins and death threats. She rallied for Mississippi residents to vote and start political change. Even as an entire community appeared petrified of retaliation from empowered white leaders circling their community. She questioned her resolve a number of times–to the point of collapsing. Yet, she kept going.

Just an all-around intense, courageous, and emotional read; powered by historical black leaders and events. One day I’ll have to go back and fully flesh out my thoughts on the book. In the meantime, a “thank you” will suffice if this book hasn’t hit your radar yet. (More on ANNE MOODY’S biography)

2. Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (Midnight, Texas #2)

Book two in Harris’s Midnight, Texas Trilogy. I started on its May release, but didn’t actually complete it until November. Why? Because I was so bored with it. Or I couldn’t snap into engagement mode all the way. When I made the decision to dedicate myself to Day Shift, I enjoyed it enough to breeze right through happily. Now I can’t say it was all that exciting by its end, and I can’t say it was all that uninteresting. God. I’m really up and down about this one.

Anyway, what I will say is I’m still a fan of Harris’s work and do look forward to the final book in the Midnight, Texas Trilogy. I wish I had more to share. Yet, I think that five-and-a-half-month break kind of took whatever glory or upset I have. I just can’t pick the book apart. I’ll make up for it when the third book comes next May. In the meantime, maybe its Goodreads page can serve you some interest. Sorry, guys. I have nothing.

But take this one thought with you: An eccentric cast of characters with secrets and murder on the mind.

3. Tempted Champions (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5 #3) by Yvonne Navarro

Okay. We know I live and breathe for Buffy. TV show. Comics. TV tie-in books. I’m there for it all. Eighteen years (where the HELL did time go?) and counting. Sadly, I wasn’t there for this book. It’s another book that took me five and a half months to complete. Sad, sad days. What made me pick up this book in particular had a lot to do with Buffy facing a vampire who once was a slayer named Celina. I’ve always, always wanted to ride into that avenue of discussion. What would the vamp-slayer be like? How would Buffy take her on?

Now I like the character of Anya all right. I really do. We’re alike in more ways than one. But as it concerns this book–which dropped loads of angst of her pondering death versus immortality–I just couldn’t Anya anymore. Adjacently, I just didn’t care for Buffy’s struggles after awhile. I laugh at the thought, but seriously found myself gurgling along with this one. I will say Buffy’s final confrontation with Celina made up for much of my disinterest. During their heated battle, I was living for the barbs and shared introspection. While trading blows, the two squared with what it took to be a slayer/hero versus the darker colors of a predator.

I’ve recognized this in the past but, having spent time shifting through these tie-ins, I only enjoy the Buffy-centered books. The books where her slayerness–in some form or fashion–is addressed in a new, challenging way. Those books that really look into what it means to be a slayer, through Buffy. This book served, but it was that damn Anya storyline (no hate or shade to her) that irritated the whole experience.

All right my friends! Stay tuned for the second half where I share the last (unofficial) three books I’ve tied the year over with. What were the six or so books you left 2015 with? Leave all your comments below!

December 27, 2015 0

Buffy Volume 3 Gets Personal

Romance. Romance. Romance. Repeated romance. That is–though nowhere near wholly true–what Buffy, the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 3 contains. Just glancing at the cover art above, you can guess who all couples this volume’s romance. So, yes. That’s Buffy and Spike getting back together. A touch, touch-touch old and echo-ish from their blossoming (and tumultuous) relationship from the TV show. I would even stretch to tag it as (fan?) service for those die-hard aggressives who ‘ship the two. The only reason I wouldn’t is because of the characters’ history. So it only seemed appropriate these two finally just… well… committed! It’s the current situation, and unfolded in classic Buffy on psychological-trekking psychedelics style. Obviously that’s the selling point/highlight of this volume.

Only, that’s not all the bustling romance.

Xander of Dawn’s relationship comes to another tier or resolution. The ghost of Xander’s former, Anya, continues to make her “psychoanalysis” appearance via Xander’s consciousness. So that web of character commentary and growth comes together leaking from the show.

The same goes for Willow’s lighter situation with a demi-god. Andrew continues to come to terms with his sexuality–I think. Something about him seems back-and-forth. Didn’t he recognize he was gay before? Or maybe that’s just us watchers/readers picking up the signals.

Aside–but not-so aside–the romance comes the reemergence of Olivia’s character. A character in which I want more from. And has since she appeared on the TV show. As a woman of color, I ask the writers move her into the inner circle pronto!

As it goes for Season 10’s story arc, Buffy and the gang are still working out their issues with writing the rules of magic. Despite the arc’s motion taking a slight backseat in this volume, it’s still present and carrying the characters’ motives. To me, I still find season ten’s arc contained and undeviating. Unlike a few aggravating moments in seasons past where the writers threw chum buckets filled with plot threads out to sea (see what I did there?). No ma’am. Season 10 still makes sense! Thank God these guys got a grip on its reins.

Nonetheless, adjacent to Buffy and friends’ quest comes a new super bad seeking the rights to magic. Along with another demon connected to vampires in a way I refuse to give up as a spoiler.

Buffy Season 10 still f’ing ROCKS! Demons. Gore. Comedy. Character. And romance. God bless the child.

December 23, 2015 0

Buffy & Roberts. Do They Clash? (Weekend Haul)

After another needling week at the 9-5, I enjoyed a little quiet time at Barnes & Nobles Saturday. First, I had to make myself move and get off my ass to get there. Driving on the freeway to avoid construction gives me the chance to talk myself out of the trip. Each time. Second, I usually avoid quiet times at the bookstore on weekends. My Barnes & Nobles connects to a town center, which is always flooded with shoppers on the weekend. That couldn’t be more evident when I stood in line for damn near fifteen minutes to buy a Redbull out of the conjoining Starbucks. Eventually, I settled down with the laptop and updated my Zazzle shop (new notebooks and phone cases) while trying to keep it cute. For a good two hours I sat at peace before meeting up with friends to finish up the night.

So with two 20% off Barnes & Nobles coupons burning in my pocket, I finally cut the $18.99 price of Buffy Season 10 Volume 3 down to $14.50. Very, very necessary.

In this volume Buffy and friends are still going on about rewriting the rules of magic. However, a new enemy has arrived. He’s named the Sculptor. He uses human flesh to sculpt and create monsters. As always, Buffy’s personal life comes into the situation as well. She continues to juggle around her relationships with others, particularly Spike. We’ll see how this goes. So far, Season 10 hasn’t disappointed!

To further my Nora Roberts kick; later I grabbed a copy of her latest trilogy-opener, Stars of Fortune. That inner compelling voice kept begging me to buy this book. And I followed it. Hope it leads to something great. I’m in the middle of the second book in her Key Trilogy and will have to force myself not to use Stars to interrupt. In the meantime, check out Amazon’s synopsis…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the legendary fire star, part of an ancient prophecy. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

When a dark threat looms, the six must use their combined powers—including trust, unity, and love—to find the fire star and keep the world on course.

————————-

Here’s to continued reading success. Or something like that. Anyway, I’m sure Buffy will close out this week as my work schedule continues to throw salt all over my weekday reading. Ugh. Nonetheless, if you’ve read any of the two, share your comments and thoughts below.

November 22, 2015 0

Find My Kill Switch | Surviving Dead Ice

I’ve been meaning to get back to you guys on my experience with Laurell K Hamilton’s twenty-fourth Anita Blake not-so adventure, Dead Ice. The truth is I had to cleanse my reading pallet with something else in the meantime. Now if you will, think wasabi level pallet cleansing. Anyway, this particular entry didn’t take months to read, so score one for energy drinks and those pulled pork sandwiches I mentioned in a previous post. Nonetheless, it took damn near two weeks for me to finish. Insufferably so? Yes, mostly toward the middle and end. Though it suffered from the standard uselessly overtaxing furry politics and relationship soap operatic melodrama–that continuously killed the crime thriller buzz–it didn’t totally shrivel up and suck. But it didn’t collect any prizes either as it continued to circle the drain. I have a wagon full of things I want to snark about; foot jittery to serve you with them all. However, to try to sum a bit of it up, Hamilton’s camel clutching way of making her readers undergo Anita’s solar system size ego (which doubles as bloating insecurity) remains one. Also, Anita continues to talk a very good game, but is mostly dense at the end of her barking. The many vampires, aliens, poltergeist, zombies, and animals in her life remain noncommittal. Seriously, I can’t think of one of Antia’s lovers who sparks the slimiest sense of concern or welfare inside of me.

However, I do believe the character of Asher is now the punching bag the character of Richard once was. Which is lame because his “issues” are obviously pulled out of somebody’s ass just so Anita can have someone to fuss with, while pumping page counts on the tired subject. The details are hardly worth getting into, as it’s just daytime TV types of drama anyway. With a supernatural spin, of course. Nevertheless, that doesn’t shake off the weariness it creates.The truth is every male character’s life only revolves around Anita’s conjecture and vagina (or milky breast, or throat pulse, or whatever). Even so, in the general, I’ve long conceded that this series has turned into the author’s high school fantasy gone wild. I just can’t seem to see it any other way. I’ve also long since learned to unhook myself over the majority of the relationship mumbo-jumbo-gumbo-humbo-dumbo-tumbo.

There’s no need to get invested; all roads of angst, politics, and quarrels on sex/relationships lead simply to Anita’s vagina monologues. Again and again. And in the infamous words of Cyndi Lauper–though nowhere near as ingeniously expressed and told–”time after time.”

Nevertheless, I keep reading. It’s a thing where the real joy comes from the post snarking. What I can say is Dead Ice kind of did a throwback to my favorite book in the series (back when it was engaging, for me anyway). That book would be book number two, The Laughing Corpse. That, I will say, was a nice touch despite long overdue. So in keeping with all I’ve said, I’m not going to go any further. The truth is if you’re familiar with this series, you either share pieces of my view or don’t at all. And if you’re new to this series, I would suggest you not even bother getting to this point. So no sense in my trying to hearten anyone.

Eventually, you’ll probably find yourself like me; jade, unconcerned, and still wondering what happened to the series after book nine.Now! This post is for those who found themselves rolling their eyes through the majority of Dead Ice. God people, I though I was going to have to get my eyes checked after this one! And the way Hamilton repeats everything to the reader page after page did not help the situation. Not to mention her obsession with gyms and fitness.Anyway, let’s get to where I rolled my eyes, shared through a few lines taken from the book…

*Activating Kill Switch*

I fought the urge to sigh. If you’re a cop and a woman, never date a celebrity; it ruins your reputation for being a hardass. I was a U.S. Marshal, but ever since we’d gone public with our engagement I’d become Jean-Claude’s fiancee, not Marshal Blake, to most of the women I met, and a lot of the men. I’d really had hopes that the FBI would be above such things in the middle of crime-fighting, but apparently not.

Two pages into the book and this ever so common subject comes up right on time. Why does the author always–and I mean always–have to bring up Anita’s obsession with gender role constructs and the this-versus-that of being a woman in her career field. A field, which I believe, she should be removed from because of potential bias in the face of her assignments. The truth is she does sleep with all the vampires and wereanimals in the city of St. Louis. She’s involved in their power plays and politics. She’s, essentially, the center of the supernatural communities’ attention. Yet, she gloats about the FBI needing her to kill supernatural creatures case after case, year after year. Meanwhile, her vagina is up on the table (often pimped out by the city’s master vampire, Jean-Claude) should any supernatural creature need a power boost. Somebody, fire her!

‘She said, these rings would be worthy of Helen of Troy, another raven-haired beauty [indicating Anita Blake]’

‘Raven-haired means black hair,’ Lisandro said. [Duh, dude. Duh.]

‘Are you saying she compared me to Helen of Troy?’ [Asks Anita Blake]

Nice try!

You are not Helen of Troy, Anita. Cease this degree of madness, Hamilton. Anita’s not on that kind of level and never will be.

‘I can’t imagine a world where I didn’t get grief for looking the way I do as a man.’

The insipidity boring (not to mention emasculated) Micah character states this because he’s so short and so “beautiful.” Needless to say, the cringe for me was so real. This line seemed shot straight out of somebody’s fantasy delusions.

‘But the only reason I’m with Jade is that she’s my black tiger to call; we’re metaphysically tied to each other. We didn’t exactly choose each other. I’m all full up on vampires.’

Is that a fact?

‘I did, because what if by refusing to risk screwing up my own happily-ever-after, I cause the Great Evil to rise again and destroy not only you, Nathaniel, and Jean-Claude, but everyone and everything? The destruction of civilization as we know it seems a high price to pay for not wanting to add another person to our commitment ceremony.’

Did you just read the same thing? Micah states this, and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that he irritates me more than any of Anita’s other were-posse members. Evidently, Anita has to add two were-tigers to her harem in order to keep the Mother of all Darkness–or the reportedly mother of vampires–from reviving. That, of course, means finding two tigers for Anita to sleep with so that the Great Evil doesn’t destroy civilization and mankind via some joke of a cosmic prophecy. Really. Just step back and really, I mean really, digest Micah’s statement. It sums up the series beautifully. I actually went to clean my bathroom after this one. Priorities, man. Priorities.

‘I’m sleeping with all of you, so sex with all of us would work, but we’re talking about a lot more than just sex.’

I vanquish you and your petty lies in the name of truth and justice!

‘Lazarus was dead only a few days. You’ve been dead a lot longer than that, Mr. Warrington. Do you truly believe that Anita can do what our Lord and Savior never dared?’

First, resurrecting and raising zombies are two different things. Resurrecting is bringing someone back to life. Zombie raising is waking one’s corpse up from the grave. Now, obviously Mr. Warrington is a zombie Anita raised. So let’s look at it, though. According to this piece of dialogue, Jesus couldn’t resurrect the dead over an extensive period of his or her death. As it concerns this dialogue, he wouldn’t dare try. However, Anita’s power is suggested as having the strength and ease to do so? To, quite implied, step into realms of resurrection that Jesus wouldn’t even touch. Just let that shit marinate for a second. Got it yet? Great. So is Hamilton trying to use her Anita avatar to square with Jesus now? That’s only slightly not weird.

‘I’m sorry, Susannah, really sorry; that must have been awful.’ And just like that I had my lesson. I shouldn’t assume that every woman a man bashes gave him a good reason to do it.

Girl, what!?

Cringe! Anita states this. Are we reading this correctly? Is she saying that if a men beats on a woman it’s usually with good reason? Yikes!

‘I don’t understand any of this.’

She and everybody else says this a lot! And I mean a lot! It’s actually a recurring answer within the past 5 or 6 books. “The wall is painted purple.” “I don’t understand any of this.”

I studied his profile, because he was the only one looking away now. ‘So, you’re not apologizing for almost killing him, really; you’re apologizing for accidentally almost killing him.’

Get the hell outta here with this nonsense!

‘Don’t apologize for not being little; you’ll be able to lift weights that I can’t even imagine lifting.’

This is Anita talking to a damn lycanthrope of some sort. Or shapeshifter. Anyway, it’s a creature that can shift into a humanoid version of an animal. So why oh why is this conversation necessary? I can only guess Hamilton’s gym obsession again. Otherwise, I hardly see why a shapeshifter should concern him or herself with building muscle. Or is that just me?

‘Your eyes better stay on my face, Benito, because one rule across all were-animal cultures is that if someone is just nude and not trying to be sexy you’re suppose to ignore it.’

Anita and her mouth again. She knows she likes the attention and she knows she wants it. Who is she kidding? A housefly? Something in which she’ll never sleep with. It’s attitudes like this that really screws with the inconsistent of Anita’s already cruelly flawed character, from a developmental standpoint. She demands and obsesses over her need for adoration, praise, sex, attention, and every golden sparkle she wants; however, she loathes and gets snotty by the backwash. If this was explored correctly in Anita’s development, I would accept it. But since it’s just a key-in-a-hole-to-turn piece of impulsive Mary Sue drivel, I can’t. Even the whole “rule across all were-animals” is pretty dumb when you consider they all fight to have sex with one another as power plays, and sleep naked in groups. Per this series world-building, of course.

‘The hell you’re not; you come in here threatening to kill one of your own people because your lover chose him over you. If you were all human, that would be first-degree homicide. You threatened to kill Asher so that Jean-Claude will agree to you becoming my hyena to call; it’s like threatening to kill someone unless a woman agrees to marry you. Again, that’s a crime; marriage under duress isn’t legal, and threatening to kill people, well, the cops frown on that, too. Then you threaten to pull out all of your hyenas and go to another city, knowing that we didn’t have enough muscle to protect the city from other preternatural baddies without our guys unless we play with you. That may not be illegal, but it’s still not honorable. But wait, there’s more, you threaten to use all the soldiers at your beck and call to declare a preternatural war of a scale that hasn’t been seen in this country since the 1800s. Dozens, maybe hundreds, would die, and threatening shit like that is what makes gang task forces bust your gang up and take the leader off to jail.’

Oh, dear. So self-righteous when it conveniences her.

‘Sometimes, but it’s more you are so powerful psychically that you just bull your way through everything, so subtle energies are lost to you because you give off so much of your own energy it makes you blind to other practitioners.’

So basically Anita is so powerful and wonderful that she overshadows everybody else in her business. So much so that even she only sees herself. Heh.

‘I think they need to kiss everybody, not just me, to see if there’s a spark, because I do not want to have another woman in my life who doesn’t work with the men in my life.’

My blood pressure at this point.

‘…The longer we keep him on [a video chat line], the better chance we have of our techs tracing this to its source.’

‘You mean where they’re filming?’ I asked.

Nooooo, Anita. Where they’re quoting scripture and eating cold hot dogs. Like, WTF? Of course where they’re filming–Ms. Badass Federal Marshal! This dumb question coming from the necromancer whose power overshadows everyone else’s.

Enough. I’m done.BOOM!

July 2, 2015 0

Tag: Buffy

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