Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter

Burnt Offerings is one of the best action packed books of the series. Some of the earlier ones focused more on the police work and this does too but it also gets really into Anita's personal life (and relationships) and has some moments where you wonder who's going to make it. Great as always, Laurell K. Hamilton! Absolutely loved it and can't wait to get the next one.

This book was a hot mess. The first books in this series had the monster of the week. They were suspenseful and exciting. The characters were like-able and sometimes humorous. But the last book turned dark. And this book was even darker. Anita who was a chaste church goer becomes a sex crazed pervert. Twice she has sex in front of a group of people. Everyone including Anita knows she shouldn't be dating Jean-Claude. But all of a sudden she is obsessed with vampire sex . School teacher pacifist Richard becomes an out of control, violent whiny soap opera star. Jean-Claude, the master of the city, is weak, useless and boring. The story is full of rape, torture, perversion, post rape trauma, being burned alive, lots of angst and super dark characters including Anita and Richard. I really liked the first five books. So I will give book eight a chance. But but if the story is like this one, I am done with this series.

I have the entire series and i think of all of them this is the most disappointing. It was still a great book and I couldnt put it down unitl I was done reading it but it just was missing something the other books had. Or maybe it had too much. To begin with it seems like all the werecreatures are wimps and they all get raped or tortured. Personally i dont like the rape thing. Ok, i can deal with one or two creatures getting raped but it seems like all the characters in the book either get raped or have been raped in thier past. Also its like the only person who ever does anything in the book(or any of the books) is Anita. Cant anyone do anything without her there to hold thier hand? Shes also seems to get a kick out of discribing her every article of clothing and exactly where all her weapons are located. Hamilton takes more time describing Anitas wardrobe then she does anything else. It gets old after a while. Other then this the book was great and i hope there will be more from this series.

A forced finish. I'm done with Anita Blake for a while maybe forever. I'm not sore I'm just over it...

If I am a bit sore its because i feel the series turned on me. Apparently LKH had a sexual awakening somewhere in these first 7 books. The biggest problem is I personally dont find rape and sexual violence a turn on and I'm beginning to feel like its intended to be part of the erotica. When I set out reading this series it was far from erotica, I feel a bit mislead.

More thoughts...

First and foremost, I'm more of a vampire gal than a werewolf gal. There's just too many shapeshifters and shapeshifter activity/scenes for me in this book. Even though their paths often cross, vampire books and werewolf books flow differently. Vampires are sexy and sensual, werewolves are hot and horny. Vampires are formal balls and werewolves are college beach parties. Intellectual vs animal instinct. Chess to romper room. This has definitely turned into a werewolf series.

Anita's amazing, i don't know if she could get anymore amazing. She's the protector of all, willing and capable. She's the master of the city's girlfriend, she's the lupa, and now she's leader of the wereleopards. She has intervened and literally taken out every bad guy all but single handedly! (Bad boys being multiple master vampires in this installment). Crap I got awesome sauce in my eyes when I was rolling them.

One more thing, or two... I know it's the 90's but LKH has seriously bad taste in clothing! Everybody looks ridiculous or worse! It's very distracting.

It's interesting how all the humans in Anita's life are rallying for Richard. I wonder if they would feel differently if they read the books. Am I suppose to be rallying for Richard? I don't care who she's having old movie marathons with, Jean-Claude goes above and beyond for her in every way, yet she seems to see Richard as her calm in the storm.

LKH's Kinsey scale is too far to the right for me! i can be openminded but does everyone have to exhibit bisexual tendencies. Call me old fashion but i like my book boyfriends completely heterosexual.

Anita is so lustful, I'm embarrassed for her, she seriously might need a hormone shot. And that was before the munin, after the munin is introduced she straight up becomes a soft porn star.

We got to see Larry again, and he hadn’t really changed much from last book. He was still a little new to the whole vampire executioner thing, and he still had that odd sort of naivety about him. We got to see that he was slowly starting to learn from his mistakes (never leave a vampire alone even if you think he is held down), and I also liked how he was trying to imitate Anita’s badassedness (combo word: 3 points). His refusing to take painkillers, and not stopping to drive until he just couldn’t put up with it anymore, was nice touch of hero worship.

I really liked the Zane character. He’s that type of character, who tries to be strong for others, and he cares enough to try, but when it really comes down to it, it’s just not his style. I really felt his relief when he told Anita that he was so relieved that he didn’t have to assume that position or that persona anymore. I think he is one of the more neutral characters in the series, who are semi cannon fodder but go out of their way to make sure they aren’t.

I also adored Nathaniel. I knew he was going to be a big part of the series since he was introduced in this book. Laurell K. set it up so that Nathaniel would constantly be coming back as a little annoyance for Anita, by forcing her to try to make him a little bit more independent, and making her deal with the fact that she kind of likes (and needs) a more domestic pet/partner in her life, who doesn’t put any demands on her. Most of all I think I am looking forward to seeing his journey in the story, and how he grows and Anita’s part in that.

For the rest of this review, go to: https://theribbonmarker.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/book-review-burnt-offerings-by-laurell-k-hamilton/

"Why does everything with you have to be so [darned] serious?"

A fire chief approaches Anita Blake to let her know about vampires going up in flames. She notes that then heads off on a date with boyfriend and Undead Master of the City, Jean-Claude. But Anita never can have a date without a million things going off at once. Richard is off his rocker and creating a vacuum in his pack, one that Anita as his lucoi must fix. Jean-Claude is being pressured to join the Council--or face being destroyed. People are getting raped right and left. Can Anita save the day once again?

This is probably one of my more favorite of the Anita Blake books. That said, pretty much every single problem I've had with the previous books in the series remains.

One of the things I liked about this book was the interesting story elements. The combustible vampires. The appearance of the Council. Anita having to keep her pack together. The new, highly fascinating character, Asher. Even the tendrils of reconciling between Anita and Richard (whom I think have amazing chemistry and actually FEEL like lovers, not just people in lust) were fascinating. There are some really great ideas in this book, ones that most definitely kept my interest.

Which is why it is so frustrating when LKH gets in the way of her story with the usual suspects:

1) Anita Blake. What a misogynistic, hypocritical b!tchy woman! I swear to God, there is no pleasing her! If people ignore her, she is upset at how she isn't the center of attention. But when Tammy tries to befriend Anita, Anita brushes Tammy off as a person only interested in the zombie raising aspect of Anita's life.

As for Anita's rampant misogyny, I'll let her speak for herself:

"Women are just not designed to look tough."

"No, I was not in tune with my feminine side."

"It made me feel girlish in the worse way."

And then some random character makes the absolute stupidest remark I've ever heard:

"'What a man you would have made!' I'd spent enough time around macho guys to know it was a compliment, a sincerely meant one. They never understood the implied insult."

I work in a male-dominated field. Before that, most of my classmates in college were men. NEVER have I heard ANYTHING so sexist.

The other thing I can't stand about Anita is her raging hypocrisy. She tries continually to sell us that she is "in love" with Jean-Claude, but then she makes statements like this:

"I had to trust him. Trust him not to hurt me. Trust him not to do something awful or embarrassing. I realized that I didn't trust him. That no matter how much I loved his body, I knew he was other. I knew that what he thought of as okay, was not necessarily okay at all."

What does Anita love about Jean-Claude other than his body or his seduction techniques? There is absolutely no reason for her too. But when Ronnie attempts to call Anita out on this, Anita becomes snippy.

What's even worse is that when either Ronnie and Louis or Larry and Tammy act like a couple, Anita immediately jumps to the conclusion that they are in lust with each other and probably not in love. Honestly, I see more examples of love in Ronnie and Louis' relationship than I ever had in Anita and Jean-Claude's.

2) Clothes, clothes and more clothes! LKH can't go a few pages without detailing everything that a person is wearing--or not. Because LKH's entire male cast pretty much goes commando in the entire series:

"The pants were black linen, clinging smooth and perfect to his body, so form-fitting that I knew there was nothing under the pants but him."

LKH makes it even worse by having Anita stop in the middle of a scene where people are seriously injured to detail all the flowers she planted in her yard. Yes, people, flowers.

3) Too much in too little time. LKH has no sense of pacing. Instead of giving her characters breaks or time to process events, she pretty much has them facing one crisis after another. Which is why for most of this book, Anita is wearing some stupid dress that would flash her @$$ if she attempted to reach her gun hidden in a belly band and ridiculous 3" heels (that she b!tches about endlessly--honestly, Anita, if you hate them so much, wear something else!). Anita goes from the office to a date, to several posturing events with vampires, to rescuing some of her weres, to a shootout at her house, to Dolph calling her to a crime scene--it's TOO BUSY. It's like eating an entire package of Double-Stuf Oreos in one sitting: SICK and BLOATED!

4) Constant arguing. As usual, most of the "investigating" occurs in long dialogue sessions. And during these sessions, people of course have to argue with Anita for half a lifetime. It's so bad, that when someone DOESN'T put up a fight with Anita, she has to mention it:

"Truthfully, it was a damn relief not to have to argue with anyone. No debate--what a relief!"

You gotta wonder, doesn't Anita ever perhaps notice how SHE'S the one involved with all these super-long, drawn-out, excessive talky scenes?

5) Rape, rape and more rape. My God Almighty, is there rape in this book. I swear, everyone gets raped or sexually assaulted. Nathaniel, Sylvie, Jason, even Anita (though Jean-Claude "helpfully" tells her to turn it into "enjoyment" to make it "more tolerable"--instead of, I don't know, KILLING the guy who is assaulting his girlfriend?). It's just...disturbing.

6) Good Old Fashioned Misogyny. There is no other woman in this book whose name isn't "Anita Blake" that A) can rescue herself, B) isn't a victim, C) isn't an evil biotch, or D)isn't hated by Anita. Ronnie resolves into a puddle of tears after shooting a guy; Sylvie is raped and must have Anita enact revenge on her killer (although Sylvie is a shapeshifter). Vicky is a horrible woman who tried to kill a vampire and lied about sexual assault. Yvette abuses Jason and makes him rot while taking pleasure from him. Anita views Tammy as a slut who sleeps with Larry to learn more about Necromancy and questions Tammy's shooting abilities, even though Tammy is a cop. The female fire officer is killed. Other than Anita herself, there are no strong, capable women in this series that aren't psycho or evil and who are at least respected by Anita. It's sick. It's disturbing.

7) Sex. Already, I can see how sex is beginning to be a more dominant force in the book. I have no problem with it cropping up in Anita's romantic life. My problem with it is this: LKH is starting to use it to solve problems. To heal people. To feed vampires. Anita basically gives Nathaniel a lap-dance, but she is in a dating relationship with Jean-Claude that seems pretty steady. She does something similar with Asher when he demands to be fed (after a billion years of arguing about it, of course). In the previous books, Anita would have rolled up a sleep and slit her palm, and the vampire would have fed off her blood. Slowly, that is going away. And it seems a bit odd, since it hasn't been established in the past.

If you are a fan, you'll probably enjoy this one just as much as the others, maybe a bit less because of the Jean-Claude vs Richard or because of the increasing sex. If you are brand new and wonder if this is indicative of the previous ones: yes and no. Yes, Anita pretty much acts like this in the previous books; no, the previous books had less sex.

My personal opinion: there are probably better vampire hunter books out there, with better action, better plots, better romantic interests, and better heroines. You could do worse, of course, but there is better. I'll be hanging on to the ride, because there are bits I'd like to see how they are addressed in later books.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

OMG...Ms.Hamilton!!! Jeez. Talk about wanting to bang your head against the wall. I'm so over these characters. It's official, I am putting this series on the back burner...for a long while. I may pick this up again if I'm desperate and there's nothing else to read. Seriously, I can already see the beginning transformation of this series and I'm not sure I'm liking it. Again, same as with the last book, I had a hard time deciphering exactly what the actual plot. It's so much going on, almost too much. In the end the story was tied together, but barely.

Anita is clearly getting further and further away from her roots of Zombie raising. Instead, she's running around town trying to protect everyone which she considers "her people". She's the head of the werewolves, the werepanthers, and the vamps! She's Richard's Lupa, she's Jean Claude's human servant, she's a 1/3 of their weird power trio...it's all too much. In the next book will she be in charge of the wererats too? I have no idea how one Necromancer can save everyone and be at the top of the food chain for every supernatural being in St.Louis. Ridiculous. Then to top that off, the whole "I love Richard still, yet I'm grossed out that he ate people". Then in the next sentence, "I may love Jean Claude, but I'm grossed out that he's dead"....LOL...again, too much relationship angst for a grown ass woman. I'm sure in no time she'll be having three ways with them both, then there won't be a need for that ongoing inner monologue about her relationships. I don't want to know! Lol!

This series is definitely crossing into the world of Horror for me. In addition to the killing, there's dominance, rotting vampire corpses, humiliation, rape, torture, etc. This whole book seems centered around Anita and Jean Claude making deals to try to keep the members of the Council from harassing and raping Vamps, and all the types of Were's, men and women alike. Yuck. Then the never-ending power struggle between Anita and Richard, who has turned into a completely different character by the way, it just one more thing that made my eyes roll. I'm a little mad that Richard's no longer any better than that Jean Claude. Oh well.

I listened this on audio and Kimberly Elise is good as always, but the story line takes over and it's almost a mute point if she's a good narrator or not. Personally for me, this series has gotten a little bit worse with each book. I'm stopping now before I'm at the point of not liking them at all.

All good things must come to an end. This was probably the last book before the series went downhill to the point of no return.

Anita and Jean-Claude are enjoying one another, but it's pretty short lived as his bitter former lover, Asher, comes to town. Once as beautiful as the brunette master vampire himself, Asher is horribly scarred from holy water attack, marring his impeccable visage. Richard is out of the picture yet again, much to my happiness; though Anita is still overseeing the werewolves. Jean-Claude needs the help of "[his] petite" to handle the vampire council that has some to town to confront Jean-Claude about his ability to kill a council member from the prior books. They are all about self-preservation and want to asses what kind of threat he can be to their organization. Anita must also track down a pyromaniac of sorts, continuing to incorporate the supernatural mystery aspect that we've come to expect with every installment.

This book wasn't at all racy like the prior book, and it reminded me of a "calm before the storm" because after this book, the series turns into paranormal erotica rather than urban fantasy. Hamilton's still got a sizable readership, so a number of people still like it. I'm just not one of them. Of course, it took me until book 19 to finally give up for good. Even still, this book wasn't quite as exciting plot wise like the prior few books, so I had to take a little off for that, but it was still entertaining enough of a read.

This book is all about Anita and her getting more and more powerful. There's not too much of a plot here, the one that is there is a bit thin.

Mostly this book is used to tie up loose ends with Anita and her boyfriends (Richard and Jean Claude). Learning how to use her new-found powers. Oh yeah and how she's not only the Lupa of the werewolf pack but also the leader of the wereleopards to. Hmm perfection and power. Everything is just a little too perfect for her, in terms of power and abilities. She's a little less cruel in this book but just as heartless. Things don't always add up in terms of how Anita reacts in situations. A book or so ago she would have shot someone, on the spot, for raping a person she thought to be under her protection (no matter the consequences) and in this book she let's him go until later.

Anita Blake, a vampire hunter and animator, is trying to survive when the Vampire Council comes unannounce to St. Louis. Jean~Claude is terribly afraid of Council and what they can do to all of their people. Anita wants to go in guns blazing but that will not help any of them survive what is to come. Jean~Claude is stunned upon seeing Asher for the first time in centuries. Asher has come with Council to see that Jean~Claude knows the meaning of pain like he's know all these years. Anita and Jean~Claude must use their wits and control their emotions if everyone is to survive these next few hours alive into safety. They meet Council members one at a time each more scary than the next. Damian has been injured during the fight with one of the Council's toady. It's up to Anita and Jean~Claude to keep Damian from true death. They survive the night but more danger awaits them. Someone is trying to recreate the Vampire's Inferno or Day of Cleansing leaving very few clues to who or why it's happening. Pete McKinnon wants Anita's help in preventing more arson from happening. Anita's not sure how she can help him but she gives it a shot anyway. What does having Vampire Council in town mean? Who are the Council members? Will Asher get his revenge? Can the arson's be stopped? Your answers await you in Burnt Offerings.

The Anita Blake series is a guilty pleasure of mine. I just don't know why, but I enjoy reading them. I like to see main character Anita struggling with herself and her countless "I'm bigger and badder than you" enemies. I like the horror side of the series. Ms Hamilton definitely has a sick mind sometimes, but it works.

Burnt Offerings was perfect for satisfying my Anita Blake fix. I'm glad Anita is still (kind of) monogamous in this one, from what I've heard she won't really stay that way. The infamous vampire council comes to town, which brings a big bunch of amazing characters like the tortured Asher and another triumvarate.

Anita, as always, runs around waving with her gun and generally kicking ass. She's getting some very interesting powers with Richard and Jean-Claude behind her. But I see a bit of a change in this book; she's mellowing down a bit. Don't take me wrong, she still has attitude problems. But she knows when a person needs a bit of comfort, and she doesn't shy away of giving it.

There was a lot of plot going on in Burnt Offerings. Anita has to deal with the vampire council, an arsonist on a rampage, two kinds of shifters that vie for her attention, and a jealous boyfriend. I wasn't completely satisfied by the way everything wrapped up. Probably just because I wasn't expecting it to be that way.

The Anita Blake series is one that you can't recommend or discommend. You either hate it, or love it. Some people love the early books, but hate the latter. There is just one way to find out to which team you belong, and that is to try it. I personally know for sure, I'm not done yet with Anita.

This whole book seemed to revolve around how Anita is cooler than everyone else, mortal or otherwise. She's more powerful than EVERYONE for this reason or that... it seemed a little too much for me at times. However, I guess this is her series so she can be queen of everything. She's queen of the wolves and leopards, she raises and controls the zombies, she's more powerful than the vampires... even the most powerful of them all. And if she can't out-power them, she bests them by petting their face or appealing to their sense of ... ug, you get the point. Over at GoodReads, one reviewer said she gets tired of how Anita "level's up", and man, how true that is... 'Oh look, I have another cool power'... blinks, 'Oh look, here's another one'. We get the point, you are super awesome.
I liked this book, I'll just say it wasn't one of my favorites. There were a few in this series that I really didn't like, then a few that I loved. This is one that I just "liked"... It kept the series going, showed how powerful she is, and introduced some great characters. I really liked the Asher possibility for future usage. And there were some characters from previous books that were given more depth here. I really liked that.

My favorite thing about this book, though, is the continued humanity and humility that Anita's facing. Not the power-up thing, that's getting droll... but her getting rid of the whole prude, holier than thou, don't touch me, and you suck personality. I actually like her, again.

I was really hoping not to be disappointed by this book, especially after I really enjoyed The Killing Dance. It was quite good, but not as good as that particular book. Burnt Offerings was great, though.

The Council coming to town added a little flair that the series hadn't really had before, though the added violence, especially the increase in the number of rapes and rape attempts, was a bit disconcerting. Other than the issue of the number of rapes, the biggest problem that I could find with the book was the overwhelming amount of subplots. I understand that there is a need for some subplot action, but this book was almost too tedious to keep up with because you had to remember so many different twists. It seemed way too busy, like there was something that was missing and Laurell K. Hamilton was trying to make up for it.

I know that Richard was hurt in the last book, but his character wasn't very sympathetic, even when you take into account what he'd been through. (I don't really get how he thought that Anita was cheating on him, even though he knew that there was always a possibility of her having sex with Jean-Claude because of their dating arrangement.) He seemed to be a bit too angry and too edgy and lost even more of the potential good guy vibe that he'd originally started out with.

Learning more about Jean-Claude and his past with Asher and Julianna was really a great aspect of the book. I like that the author has taken the time to explore his past and give more explanations for what has gone on throughout his history.

Anita was a lot more of a sympathetic character than she has in books past. She was a lot more human, even with her escalating powers. The fact that it seems that so many of her friends are pulling away from her made her even more of a likable and admirable character. She's gone from being practically a sociopath and/or bully to having a more vulnerable underdog stance.

Even though it wasn't as great as the previous one, I felt like it was definitely a worthwhile read and like I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Burnt Offerings Anita Blake Vampire Hunter #7 review

Again this was another good book in the Anita Blake series, however, I found this story to have a slightly different feel then the rest of the books. Definitely not a bad thing though! What I've really enjoyed in this series is how the characters seems to develop over time after different events have happened. Anita's values have changed since book one based on the events that occurred which is nice to see because it gives the stories an element of reality, even though it deals with vampires and other cool creatures.

The vampire council comes into town and causes quite a stir for Jean-Claude and his vampires. They seem to have one purpose and one purpose only, kill him and Anita, since they were responsible for killing a council member in an earlier book. Asher, a new character comes into play and helps provide some more back story for Jean-Claude. I found this particular story line fascinating and I'm hoping to find out more about in up and coming books. It looks like Jean-Claude has been "marked" or tied to other before which intrigues Anita. Richard also comes into play. His hatefulness towards Anita for how thing turned out makes part of the story really annoying (not in a bad way). It causes your view of Richard and the situation that happened with him and Anita to change.

Throughout the book, Anita learns new powers and goes up against the vampire council with force, but honestly who expects less from her :)

5/5

Burnt Offerings introduces Anita Blake fans to the vampire council. Mr. Olliver's death in Circus of the Damned caused an open on the council Jean-Claude is expected to fill. And no one disappoints the council, except for Anita, of course.

I love the way the vampire council is portrayed in Burnt Offerings. We aren't shown the entire thing, but just a taste in the form of two visiting members along with various lackeys. We meet The Traveller and Master of Beasts, two very powerful vampires who have abilities that go well beyond what we've become accustomed to seeing in this series.

While the council visits, Anita is wrapped up in a preternatural arson case. She, along with law enforcement, must rescue vampires trapped in burnt out, caving in buildings. With the hostility law enforcement feels towards the vampire community, fireworks are inevitable.

Anita continues to collect preternatural creatures she must protect, which brings her head to head with Richard. While Anita and Jean-Claude's relationship hurts and enrages him, he begins to see the need to work together for the benefit of his wolves. The three continue to test their metaphysical bond, to many interesting ends.

Burnt Offerings ties Anita's hands in many instances. While working with the police, she is unable to threaten to kill or even wound. While dealing with the council, she must do the same and play their power games in order for her and her people to survive. Seeing Anita in situations where she's can't just shoot first and deal with the aftermath later allows us to see the range of what Anita can and can't handle.

Burnt Offerings is a spectacular addition to the Anita Blake series, expanding the world of the vampires while continuing the deal with the results of the angsty love triangle situation. One of the very best so far.

Looking for a good vampire book after reading Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn, I dove headlong and joyously back into Anita Blake. This one was excellent, again, though it moves more into the long-term action of a series, rather than a one-shot stand-alone as the first books were. Being an epic fantasy fan, I prefer this kind of thing, because it helps keep the characters moving and growing and changing, but doesn't have to have them do it at too frenetic a pace, as happened in, say, Rachel Caine's Weather Wardens series.

This book focuses on three long-term plot threads, one past, one present, one future. For the past thread, it closes the circle started in the third book, Circus of the Damned, because Anita and Jean-Claude have to answer for killing the Earthmover, Mr. Oliver. The rule is that whoever kills a member of the vampire ruling council takes that council member's seat; since the only way to get on the council is to kill one of the current members, only Jean-Claude can take Oliver's place. However, he doesn't want to, and even though he declares it is because he knows he isn't strong enough and would only become the main target for anyone itching to get a seat (which is certainly true), I think his main reason for not wanting it becomes clear almost immediately after we meet two of the council members, the Traveler and the Master of Beasts. Jean-Claude doesn't want to be on the council because these people suck. They are horrid. They are cruel, they are obnoxious, they are arrogant beyond all measure, and worst of all, as Anita points out, they are petty: they worry overmuch about small issues of precedence, they take umbrage at any word that is not purely sycophantic, they attempt to dominate and control and degrade anyone and anything around them. They are the ultimate bullies, but sadly, they have the power to back it up -- power they waste almost completely, because all they do with it is run their petty little games and try to get a leg up in their eternal squabbles. This is the perfect example of the corrupting influence of power.

It was fun to read because Anita has a very salutary effect on the council members: she intimidates one, and manages to find and bring out a shred of decency and honor in the other, and she keeps them from doing too much harm to the supernaturals in Jean-Claude's domain -- which might as well be called her domain, as she continues to take on the role of protector for more and more of the supernaturals, which is the second major long-term plot thread this book follows. She becomes the official leader of the wereleopards, and takes on more of the role of lupa for Richard's pack, a role that gives her the power to fight off the council and be of some use to the werewolves when they need her. And they need her, because Richard has finally turned completely into a petty, vindictive shrew. Okay, okay, she dumped you. She wouldn't sleep with you, and she slept with another guy, a guy you don't like. It hurts, I understand. But come on, already! Richard is so bitter that he is enraged by everything that has to do with Anita; he keeps trying to flaunt himself in front of her -- one of those, "See what you're missing, baby?" posturing things -- and yet the slightest hint of Jean-Claude in her life throws him into a complete hissy-fit. He can't stand the idea of anyone trying to help or control his pack other than himself, and yet he is not capable of handling his pack, because he can't face his own beast and he's turned into such an angry, screaming rhymes-with-witch that he is a terrible leader. One who uses cruelty to get his way, despite all of his high morals, because he is taking out his own pissiness on everyone around him -- I feel bad for the students in his class. The future plot thread sets up the theme of Richard trying to deal with his role in the triumvirate, although all he really tries to do is make them hate him so much that they'll throw him out of the triumvirate and he can go wallow in his self-pity forever and ever and ever. It's pathetic. Anita actually helps him deal with his beast at one point, and she tries again and again to deal with his immaturity, but he won't let her, and he won't let go of any of his rage. Frankly, I can't wait until he is put in his place. They seem to be leaning towards replacing him, which would probably make everyone happy -- except Richard, of course, who will never be happy, never ever ever because Anita didn't sleep with him and that ruined his whole life -- but for that to happen, Richard would have to leave St. Louis or die, since I can't see the triumvirate including any were other than the leader of the pack (vroom vroom) and that has to be Richard, who can't handle either his responsibilities as pack leader or as Jean-Claude's wolf. Unless Richard abdicates -- which he won't, the arrogant putz -- or gets killed. Which would certainly make things easier.

But then, that is one of the most attractive things about this series. Things are not easy. It's kinda like real life, that way. So, here's to Anita, and I hope she muddles through. And personally? I hope Richard gets put down, hard. But I want him to live, shamed and humbled and broken. I want his outside to be as weak and childish as his inside. But maybe I'm just being petty. Oddly, I don't feel bad about that.

Laurell K Hamilton certainly has a way with words - her books draw you in and the reader never knows quite where the story is going next. These books are all very unpredictable with unexpected events unfolding and an ever-widening cast of characters.

The ever-widening epithet also describes Anita Blake's powers and responsibilities. Not content with 'merely' being a necromancer, as the books in this series have unfolded she has gained position as a lupa (female alpha wolf), leopard pack leader, vampire human servant and more. However this reader has found that the more this series continues, the more abstract and distant Anita Blake seems. In the first few books it was possible to identify with her as a woman trying to hunt monsters and not to become one. However at this point in the story I have found that Anita has become someone fairly unlikeable with her idiosyncratic set of rules that just don't work for this reader.

This story contains all the complexity of the previous stories, if more. The love-triangle is settled for the moment so more time is spent on the difficulties of Anita's life as she juggles her varied tasks. She is asked to investigate a possible supernatural firestarter, she finds herself getting involved with were-leopard and werewolf politics and her lover, Jean-Claude, needs her help with the European Vampire Council. The level of violence in this book seems rather over-the-top at times and some aspects of the plot seem rehashed from previous books, plus I have serious doubts about Anita's sanity and her self-awareness as to her limits. The author's skill in telling the tale lift this book above many in this genre but I didn't feel it was a patch on the first four in the series.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

Anita Blake is involved in vampire politics in Burnt Offerings. She meets the vampire council and its quite unconventional methods. The council, especially Yvette, wants Jean-Claude to replace Oliver (from Circus of the Damned), but for sinister reasons. To make matters worse, a pyrokinetic (someone who can call fire physically) has burned various people and vampire establishments with the hope of illegalizing vampires again. Anita and Jean-Claude have to put a stop to this before it is too late. But first Anita has to deal with Fernando, a wererat and son of a sadistic vampire. Fernando is the kidnapper and rapist of various wereleopards and other shape shifters. In order to protect the leopards Anita has to become their leader and protector -- something that does not sit well with werewolf ex-boyfriend Richard. He decides to make her as miserable as he has been since she broke up with him. Her hands are quite full. Will she be able to save the monsters, even those who aren't worth saving? There various twists throughout the novel...

Several interesting things happen in the seventh installment. The most important part is that there are a few new characters. The ones that I think will play important roles in the other novels are Asher, Jean-Claude's former best friend and nemesis, and Nathaniel, a wereleopard with submissive tendencies. Asher is the one that intrigued me the most. Hundreds of years ago, he and Jean-Claude had loved the same woman. Asher blames Jean-Claude for Julianne's brutal death. This is a great subplot -- one that I hope Ms. Hamilton delves deeper into in the other novels. I wonder if this love triangle foreshadows the future of Anita, JC and Richard. Asher is gripping, almost as sexy as JC, and I look forward to reading more on him. I don't yet know what to make of Nathaniel. I'll have to wait and see how he develops, though I must say that I'm not crazy about him thus far. Another good thing about this installment (other than Asher and his subplot) is that we are reacquainted with some of my old-time favorite characters, like Larry and Dolph. Though others were notably absent (I missed Edward!). And, of course, I was happy to read that the relationship between Anita and Jean-Claude has solidified into something loving as well as sexual. They're so cute together! The restaurant scene is adorable. Also, there are a few semi-erotic scenes in this novel and I think I know where LKH is headed. Burnt Offerings is another great installment, but it didn't grip me the way the previous six novels did. There are things that I did not like about this one. The thing that bothers me most is that this book has far too many subplots. I felt that LKH was going around in circles, not really stopping to delve into a particular subject. The story was hard to follow at times. Also, I don't like the direction the characters Richard and Dolph are headed. Richard is understandably hurt and angry with Anita, but his ranting and whining are too over the top for me. And since when did Dolph become a vampire hater? His attitude with Anita has changed since she started dating Jean-Claude. I do miss their friendly banters. Other than that, this is another great Anita Blake novel and I look forward to reading the next one.

I admit it. I'm hopelessly addicted to the Anita Blake series. I just can't read them fast enough.

At the onset this book seemed like a bunch of unrelated events. Vampire Council coming to down, wereleopards getting maimed, an arsonist burning buildings, but if you've any experience with this series you know that nothing's unrelated.

I like the fact that along with the Anita Blake character growing with each book, so do the complexities of the various preternatural sects that inhabit Blake's universe; vampire politics, lycanthrope pack mentality, etc.

If you're reading this review then you've probably already read the previous books in the series so you know about the whole relationship dynamic between Anita, Jean Claude and Richard. I can honestly say that I'm STILL pissed about her choice in that whole boyfriend matter but it does make for great reading. I'm glad that none of those characters have been abandoned. I also admit that I'm still hopeful for Richard (because I still think vamps for the mostpart are unworthy of trust, especially jean claude and even Anita can't seem to trust him most times) and Anita, although I doubt that will happen. The better man (or monster as the case may be) never seems to win in these stories! Even other characters in the book mention the same thing to Anita more often than not, but I digress.

Even so far in to the series, it's still fresh and enjoyable and that says alot about Hamilton and the cast of characters she's invented and the stories she's woven. I wish I discovered this series sooner but I'm glad I have a lot of them to discover in the near future!

I realize I'm a ways behind here -- I've found that if I read these
without a few months break between books, I get vampire-overdose.
Anyway, the previous 3 or 4, while good, didn't blow me away.

So I'm pleased to report that Anita Blake is back to full voltage, with
more complex plot and characters and a (somewhat) lower body-
count. The Grand Guignol's still here, as is Hamilton's ability to
make a fundamentally silly premise into a great story. Bet you can't
read just one....

In this outing, the Vampire Council's come to town from Europe,
on suspicion that Jean-Claude has gotten uppity after killing
councilor Earthmover (aka "Mr. Oliver" in the last book) -- not
realizing that J-C's human servant (& girlfriend) Anita is the one
who pulled the trigger. Moving at the usual breakneck pace, Anita
becomes both acting-alpha werewolf and leoparde-lionee' for the St.
Louis Wereleopards. Thankfully, Rafael narrowly (by the skin...? er,
no.) keeps his throne as King Wererat -- for a while it looked like
Anita would win the Triple Crown. I know this sounds silly -- and it
is -- but the mixture of silly with serious -- giggles with gore -- is one
of Hamilton's signature -- and best -- story-devices.

Add the well-researched police- (and, this time, firefighter-)
procedural, and the snappy tough-girl dialog: Dolph, her boss on the
Regional Preternatural Investigation Team, is admonishing Our
Heroine:

"Try not to kill anyone this month, Anita. Even in clear self-
defense..."

"I haven't killed anyone in over six weeks -- hell, nearly seven. I'm
cutting down."

I suppose by writing up Anita Blake #7 I'm preaching to the choir --
if you're new to the series, this *isn't* the place to start (go all the
way back to #1, Guilty Pleasures; all are in print) -- but whathehell, I
write these things mostly for my own amusement. Good thing, too --
be tough to make a living (or even much spare change) writing book
reviews. Anyway, I'll soon be caught up to Hamilton's newest, and
be reduced to impatiently waiting for the next new Anita, just like
all the rest of you guys....

Review copyright 1999 by Peter D. Tillman

After Anita Blake finally made a choice between Jean-Claude the Master Vampire and Richard the Werewolf in the previous volume, I was expecting there to be a let down of some sort in Laurell K. Hamilton's next book in the Vampire Hunter series. Certainly, "Burnt Offerings" tries to top what has gone before, as several members of the Vampire Council arrive in St. Louis intending to deal harshly with Jean-Claude. Remember back when Anita killed Oliver, the ancient vampire who wanted the U.S. to strip away the rights given to vampires? Well, it seems Oliver was a member of the Council and Jean-Claude has refused to take his place as custom dictates. Plus, the triumvirate established between our heroine and her two paramours is also potentially threatening to the Council. Then there are a couple of vampires with mondo grudges against our little group. Meanwhile, there appears to be a pyrokinetic arsonist running around and the anti-Vampire groups are escalating their attacks.
This seventh volume in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series continues the recent trend of providing graphic sexual violence as Hamilton continues to up the horror ante. But her novels continue to end the same way, with Anita discovering she is more powerful than she or anybody else thought and turning the tables on the bad monsters at the last minute. Each time this trick gets turned it becomes less and less impressive, and if Jean-Claude or Richard or someone else were to save the day once it would not be a bad thing since it would break what is becoming the standard formula of these novels. The political intrigues of the Vampire Council are quite interesting, and the powers of the Traveler and the Master of Beasts suggests bigger and badder vamps yet to be met. Or maybe, horror or horrors, Anita's dad will show up (he is not at all happy about Jean-Claude). In the end, "Burnt Offerings" is an average book in this series, which remains the premier horror series of our time. Of course, you have to be sure you read these in order.

I'm reading these books in order, and what I really like about them is that they are in no way formulaic. Each instalment differs from the previous ones in an interesting way, and the structure changes rapidly. I don't want to spoil it, but this one has a different final scene from the usual, which usually has Anita outgunning or outsmarting insurmountable odds. There is an element of that here, but there is also a lot more subtlety. Just as we have learned a lot as we go through this series, so does Anita.
There is very little of Richard, the werewolf non-boyfriend in this instalment - it's all about Anita, Jean-Claude, and the vampires. We learn a lot more about the vampire hierarchy and history, and as always, there is an interesting new monster to learn about. In particular, you get to meet the world's most powerful and senior vampires, with all their nasty kinks. Even more than in the real world, you don't get to be number one vampire by being a nice guy!
My one criticism of this book is that it winds up a number of plot lines very rapidly at the end. I suspect that this was done to keep the book the same length as the previous ones. The author has said that she writes a lot more, and then cuts it down. She does it well, so you don't feel cheated, but I am a greedy person, and would love to have had more. If the Harry Potter books can keep on getting longer, as there is more to write about, then why can't the Anita Blakes?
You probably shouldn't start the series with this book - I'm sure you could if you put your mind to it, but you would feel like you were missing out on something. Do yourself a favour - the books are cheap, you can start from the beginning, and enjoy the full experience. The only problem is, the books are very hard to put down, and you may find yourself neglecting other parts of your life, as you keep on reading "just one more chapter".

I must say that Anita has mellowed since I first read Guilty Pleasures, but with every book I found that I still like her. I loved Burnt Offerings because it explored more than just the paranormal. I know that people will disagree with this, but I wonder what would happen if Anita lets go of her inhibitions for a couple of pages and just have an all out sexfest with Richard (get him out of her system & yada, yada, yada). It would be an experience to see Jean-Claude's response to this. (Maybe he would want to watch or with their strong connections, he would maybe experience it also). Just a thought. I also loved the fact that even the oldest and most powerful Vamp fears Anita. That is pretty powerful. I really enjoyed this book because it shifted away from her necromancer skills and explored her relationships with the shapeshifters, vamps, ratmen and her human counterparts. I love the intimacy she has with Jean-Claude, being a romance freak, I understand the little intimacy of being a couple. I mean she gives a little as far as his requests goes, only if she's in the mood though. The little touches and the little couple things they do is totally hot, while the hint of respect and fear he feels for her is still under the surface. I understand about missing Edward, but if you rememberd from Bloody Bones, her necromancer in training was missing so I think that Laurell is exploring each relationship on a different level. Edward was not needed in this book. Him being in it would take away from her exploring her powers as lupa and part of the triumviarate (correct my spelling please). I hope that the next edition of Anita Blake will whet and quench all the appetites of the loyal readers of this series. I am waiting, as usual, very impatiently for the next installment. Keep up the good work Ms. Hamilton.

About a year and a half ago I discovered the Anita Blake books. I have been buying them ever since and loaning them out to friends. I have the entire collection and they are now looking very worn.
Of all of the books, Burnt Offerings is not the best. I do agree with many other people on that, but I think it had great potential.
My problems with the book are not too numerous, and probably not as important to anyone who was not an english major. But here they are.
As anyone who has read the books will know, every title has been taken from and building in the story, as it was in Burnt Offerings, but what purpose did Burnt Offerings actually have to the story. Which leads me to a point which many others have mentioned, the numerous plots.
Jean-Claudes trouble with the Vampire Council shoudl have been the only, or at least more central plot. I believe that it was the the primary plot but it got a little lost in places. Hamilton tried, and did a good job, to realte allof the plots and tie them together in the end. I just thought the ending was a bit rushed.
Everything is settled (Except the ongoing things, like Richard and Jean-Claude) at the end. Hamilton does this often, and I do not mind usually, but in this case I felt the book just ended too soon.
Even with the minor troubles of Burnt Offerings I would recomend it, along with the rest of the series, to anyone. The writing is fantastic as is the research Hamilton must put into her stories.
Hamilton and her wonderfully realistic characters have become favorites to me. I am captivated by the books and story lines as much as the characters. I hope the series and Hamilton will go on for much longer.

On an Earth not much different than our own, monsters are real, sharing the same rights and freedoms as humans. It was about four years ago that the Supreme Court ruled that vampires should have equal treatment under the law. This judicial ruling makes police officer Anita Blake's job as a vampire executioner (as well as a zombie raiser and necromancer) much more difficult to accomplish if she wants to make a legal kill.
Anita's life turns more complex when she allows the master vampire of the city to become her lover. She chose him over the gentle, kind-hearted Richard, a werewolf. Humans, including her co-workers, do not look at Anita the same way they used to before she hooked up with a nosferatu. This proves troublesome when Anita is assigned to deal with a psycho kinetic arsonist and a reckoning with the feared vampire council. Even Anita wonders if she has become more like the monsters than the humans she has been sworn to protect.
BURNT OFFERINGS is a delicious addition to the enthralling Anita Blake series. The characters' personalities have cleverly evolved so that they are different from their first appearances. Although the mystery is quite complex and exciting, it is Anita's growing relationship with Jean-Claude that is the heart and soul of this work. From an entity she expected to kill because he (in her mind) was an evil monster, she has gone to sharing her bed and perhaps her heart with him. Is she becoming one of the monsters or is the vampire becoming more humane? That is the question Anita (and us readers) have to decide.
Harriet Klausner

This is only the second "Vampire Hunter" book I've read. The first was "Bloody Bones" and I was immediately captivated by the premise and the idea of on-going characters - most of whom I immediately liked.
Perhaps I liked the other book so much that I set myself up for a let down... Tho' I did like the more indepth look into the past of Jean-Claude - the Vampire Prince and Anita's boyfriend - which showed the reader where he came from and what made him the "vampire" he is today, there didn't seem to be much point to the rest of the storyline. What's all this business with 'Weres? and for someone who has a job as a Vampire Hunter and Necromancer - the main character "Anita" doesn't seem to spend much time hunting & slaying vampires or raising the dead...
Maybe if I hadn't missed the book (or books)in between "Bloody Bones" and this one I could have gotten into it more - but as it was I found it long and going off into directions I didn't care to (or couldn't easily) follow. With the first "Anita" book I read I didn't need to have read any of the other books before it to follow the story - but with this one I felt somewhat lost...there were characters who had no clear intoduction and plotlines from previous books you had to be familiar with to fully understand and/or enjoy.
And without having read the previous books I totally missed extreme changes in the relationships of the main characters - Tho' I liked the Vampire Prince of the City I also liked Richard and was somewhat surprised Anita dumped him especially for a "vampire"! And Richard's characterization seemed to have changed too drastically from "Bloody Bones" to "Burnt Offerings" he goes from the strong silent but likeable werewolf type to an irritating wimp. So, if I had read all the books or perhaps none of the previous books I might have enjoyed this one more... maybe?
Even so, I so thoroughly enjoyed the first book and loved the characters (yes, even Richard) that I plan to read the other books in this series - hopefully, IN ORDER - so perhaps then I can re-read "Burnt Offerings" and more fully appreciate it and offer it a better review.

Whilst not quite as good as The Killing Dance, Burnt Offerings picks up all the dangling threads and weaves them into a credible continuation, although it does come to a rather abrupt end which is rather unsatisfying. Ms Blake's dilemma over her two men still doesn't seem to be over, despite her having chosen Jean-Claude, but it is completely understandable she went with him rather than the more stable (and some might argue suitable) Richard. I also liked her friends' (both human and "monster") reaction to her lover, although I'm not sure I'm convinced by Ronnie's new boyfriend... An interesting idea that will definitely be developed in later works is the fact that the triumvirate is theoreticaly entwined forever, and there is no way that Richard could keep bitching that long and survive!
My criticisms are few and not really very major: Hamilton's tendency to describe Blake's clothing in minute detail, as well as certain stock phrases which reoccur with irritating frequency (e.g. "Edward stopped hunting humans. They were too easy" which obviously wasn't a problem with this book. Although I enjoy Edward as a character, he would definitely have been too much of a distraction and superfluous to this story).
Nevertheless, this is heartily recommended - but only if you've read the other books in order first; you'll miss out if you don't!

Burnt Offerings is yet another brilliant book in Laurell K. Hamilton's series about vampire hunter Anita Blake. Anita has experienced a lot, she is tough, she carries not one weapon but many weapons - and she knows her way around the monsters in her life. Or does she? Richard has left town (St. Louis) to lick his wounds (no pun intended) after Anita chose Jean-Claude instead of him. Jean-Claude and Anita are getting to know each other, having lots of intimate moments and things are looking good. Or at least they are until the ancient vampire council shows up in St. Louis. No one really knows what they are doing there, but they leave a trail of blood and violence and torture. Jean-Claude suspects that they are here to challenge him, and he prepares Anita for the violence to come. At the same time it seems like a crazy pyromaniac is roaming the streets, and Anita has to help the police. Her friends in the police force are starting to look at Anita in another way after she started dating the monsters, and it is going to be interesting to see what happens in the next book. Some of the other characters from previous novels re-appear in this one like Larry, the vampire hunter trainee and Anita's girlfriend Ronnie.

It is a great read and it will make you want to jump right into the next one in the series.

I loved the introduction of the council and vampire politics. The pack drama was also great. The mystery takes a back seat to the everything else, but it is integrated into the overall plot, so it wasn't too out of place. I could read about vampire issues and were squabbles all day and night, Laurell K. Hamilton makes it so interesting. Another great installment into a great series. The series starts to get a bit sexual here. Anita may not sleep with more than one person, but she will make out with plenty, and consider doing more. She even gains a new roommate at the end! My only problem is Richard. Having started with book 11 in the series I wasn't planning on having to read about Anita and Richard's relationship drama constantly. Unfortunately every page in this book that Richard appears in annoys me and irritates me. He is definitely one of the most frustrating characters in any series I have ever read. I don't think I've disliked any character more that I dislike him. If you think Anita and Richard's issues are over, you are definitely wrong. Look forward to hearing about it all the way to the latest book Blood Noir, and maybe even after that!

I find this book to be extremely intricate and so very divine--much like Jean-Claude. *Smiles* It is the most facinating book yet, for once, I can find nothing wrong with it. It does not have limits, it follows the previous lines in the story, but it goes beyond. It is wild, if you will...it tells the reader, no SHOWS the reader, what Jean-Claude's little friend Asher is like--almost an evil image of Jean-Claude. It ties so many things together and explains it to where if the reader thinks, they understand. If they do not have imagination, then they do not. It is not hard to understand, you merely need to be open-minded. I love this book, and couldn't put it down for days! Even now, I look back to it for little things here and there. Quotes or thoughts, concepts or what not, Anita Blake's got it all--pace, flair, and style. This is such a good book...such an enticingly beautiful one. If you loved the books before, this is THE ONE TO BUY! If you could understand any of the books before, then you shall surely love this one. I know there are many critics out there, but I think that perhaps they were just not very open-minded...because I've read this one over and over, and I still love it, every little speck of it.

Hmmm, I noticed that many of the reviews here don't go into any sort of plot description here. I couldn't figure it out at first but now that I've finished rereading this I get it. There isn't one.

Well, that's not quite true. There were threads of plot, the vampire council has come to town to rape and pillage the beasties, but really this book is all about Anita gaining power, dealing with her two lover boys and gaining new puppy doggies and kitties who follow her every command. It's bloody, it's sexual but mostly in a vile, violent way and it's so not my favorite of the series. I think I need a break from these books now. I found myself getting grouchy and bored with the oh-so-perfect and all-powerful Anita. I want tomboy Anita The Vampire Executioner back and as much as I complained about the Nike swish descriptions in the earlier books I'd give anything to have them back. If I have to read another description of a whored up Anita outfit I'm going to gag.

LKH has done it again! She has introduced us to new characters that bring out more of Anitas personality and we see Anita thrown into a "mothering" role which is new to her. For most of the book, Anita finds herself acting as lupa to the werewolf pack since Richard is away. They are no longer dating but she is still lupa until she is replaced by Richard. She is also needed as protector of the wereleopards since she killed thier leader in another book. Anita is having to learn to deal with her personal life with Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city and her boyfriend, and the question and comments that friends are making about the pair.
In the middle of everything, Jean-Claude's home is overrun with council members from the Vampire Council which "governs" vamps worldwide. They think Jean-Claude is a threat to the council since he was able to kill one of the more powerful council members (from an earler book). Anita tries to help and finally wises up towards them and starts to turn the members "games" against them. How does she do it?!
In this book we learn more about certain were animals that we have been seeing in other books. It makes those characters more loveable and/or likeable.

"Burnt Offerings" is the seventh book in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, and it is just too much fun to miss! Hamilton takes her readers on a non-stop, action-packed thrill ride that will captivate readers from the very first page. This book is immensely entertaining - filled with heart-pounding action and suspense and highly erotic romance. Not for the faint of heart, readers will find this book to be a truly satisfying read.
The book begins as Anita, tough-as-nails necromancer and animator, agrees to help the police find a psychic firestarter. She is also policing the local werewolf pack, acting as their lupa, despite her split with Richard, the pack's alpha. In addition to this, Anita suddenly finds herself as the protector/leader of the local wereleopard pack (Anita killed their alpha, Gabriel, in an earlier novel).
Then Anita's boyfriend Jean-Claude, the city of St. Louis' super-sexy Master Vampire, has his home invaded by the immensely powerful and frightening Vampire Council, the ruling body for all vampires. Anita and Jean-Claude confront them together, and must defend themselves against wild accusations claiming that Jean-Claude is a threat to the hierarchy, planning to set-up his own rival council. They also must explain how they were powerful enough to destroy a Council member some months ago.

The Council members present, the Traveler, who inhabits the bodies of those around him, and Padma, Master of Beasts, and their many violent and twisted associates have been torturing and raping Jean-Claude's people. Tensions run high as Jean-Claude and Anita barter for the safe return of all their people and from that point on, the action and violence escalates.
Anita and Jean-Claude aren't exactly sure what the Council wants from them, but they aren't too sure they'll get out of this alive. Richard arrives to assist them, though he is hurt and angry with Anita and the world in general. But these three must find a way to get along, because the only way that they are going to keep from getting killed is if they work together!
Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is highly passionate and actually very touching. Jean-Claude accepts all of Anita, the light side of her nature as well as the dark, and his devotion to her is really lovely. Anita and Jean-Claude's scenes together are full of passion and sensual delights for the readers.
Hamilton does an amazing job of portraying all of the characters, monster or human, as rich and real individuals. Half the time, the monsters show more compassion than the humans, and Anita begins to wonder who the REAL monsters are. The character development is a strength in this book, as we learn more about not just Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard, but also the new and interesting secondary characters.
Reading these Anita Blake books is pure pleasure for me! For a few hours I get to join a wild and wonderful world of shape-shifters and vampires, and pretend for a little while that I am a part of it. Hamilton so skilfully portrays her deep and vivid characters, that it is easy to forget that they aren't actually real people. So buy this book today, I guarantee you won't regret it!

I'm new to the Anita Blake series, which I have discovered was ripped off by the Sookie Stackouse series, and I find this alternate world of monsters far more frightening and realistic. But this 7th entry is a stalled effort with too many plot lines that never actually pan out.So much takes place but nothing really happens.

Perhaps it's because a third of the book is spent with Anita explaining why she has to wear a belly belt holster for her gun because Jean-Claude makes her wear a skirt with longs slits up the side, and she worries about appearing immodest should she have to defend herself. I'm not kidding. Several pages are devoted to this. Remember when Anita didn't care what she wore and actually did things? This is just one of the long scenes of exposition that take place and disrupt the action. I believe the plot was supposed to form around a pyrokenetic vampire or human who was targeting vampire businesses and homes, but this never goes anywhere.

There were two good things: we are introduced to the Council, the vampire ruling group who are there to force Jean-Claude into taking Oliver's place. Second is a tense, frightening and very well-written scene where Anita and a group of fire fighters enter a water-filled basement to rescue sleeping vampires before the house collapses and exposes them to the sun. As expected, vampires are cranky when they have to get up early.

I think this book was just a vehicle to introduce us to the Council and explain why Anita is now the defacto leader of the were-panthers. Richard is a whiny creep, and Jean-Claude is so mellow it's hard to imagine why Anita was frightened of him to begin with.

As the local expert on vampires, it is logical that the cops would seek the aid of Anita Blake in tracking down the arsonist who is targeting all vampire-owned businesses in St Louis. With the mysterious arsonist seemingly intent on recreating the infamous "Inferno" that occurred centuries ago, which killed hundreds of vampires, once again it is Anita Blake to the rescue. But who is going to rescue our feisty heroine from the Vampire Council?

In the vampire world, there is a law stating that whoever kills a member of the Vampire Council must take their place. With Jean-Claude's refusal to take his seat in the council raising everyone's suspicions, not to mention their fear that he is getting too powerful, two of the most powerful vampires have arrived in St Louis demanding the truth behind Mr. Oliver's death (Book 3, Circus of the Damned). But as part of the triumvirate, they also have their sights set on the petite necromancer whose defiance and inhuman-like powers pose a threat to the vampire hierarchy, and also on Richard who is proving to be a very powerful Ulfric, werewolf king. Can the newly-formed triumvirate win over the council? And what new powers will they discover along the way?

Towards the end of the last book (THE KILLING DANCE), we knew that it wouldn't take long before the Council makes an appearance in St Louis. And what a scary introduction it was, too! From Padma, who can control any animals, to Traveler, who can inhabit any body, down to their servants who take such perverse pleasure in torturing and raping the weaker shapeshifters. As you read those scenes, you know that there is a hell of a lot to pay and you'll be waiting for the final showdown between the triumvirate and council members.

BURNT OFFERINGS proves once more that Hamilton knows how to mix horror, supernatural theme, romance and humor brilliantly. Just when you think that the series would soon struggle, the author adds another complex twist to Anita's already complicated life, as seen in her new status as werewolf Lupa and wereleopard Nimir-Ra, not to mention having to deal with the guilt over Richard's heartache. This is another fantastic addition to the series!

Although the beginning of the book (like most of the preceding novel)jumps around like a Dungeons and Dragons adventure -- something worse awaits beyond every corner -- by the time Anita finally gets rid of that split-side dress things get back to normal for an action-packed Anita Blake novel. From the relationship point of view there's still hope for Richard, although it seems like the final settlement will be a menage a trois. But the most important point is that the real Anita returns with this book in temperament. Whereas before she was building to shooting anyone for the most minor of reasons, now she's controlling herself better; her trigger finger isn't nearly so itchy. The bad news is that her powers are too strong and need to be tempered by her triumvirate in future stories. But the fun, the gore, the titillation -- and Larry, the Executioner-in-training -- are all back. Hopefully future books will concentrate on the world of Anita and inhuman rights as well as the Blake family. With this book, I'm determined to keep on reading future installments of the series.

So, Anita's minding her own business just trying to come to grips with dating Master of the city, vampire Jean-Claude. You get a delightful sense of what they might be like as a couple without any one else's intervention. And then, ofcourse, they have a problem. The Council, governing powerhouse of all vamp kind, is still having problems with their story of how the council memeber known as the Earthmover died by their hand in book three, Circus of the Damned. They have come to put Jean-Claude and Anita threw some scary tricks to figure out if Jean-Claude really has designs on their power.

Having to save the rat king, a pack of werewolves, a pard of messed up leopards, a city full of vampires, and themselves is no easy feet. Especially when the council members are a lycanthrope/vampire hybrid known as the Master of Beasts, his evil rapist son who's a wererat, a scarily powerful vampire who can steel the bodies of other vamps known as the Traveler, a rotting corpse and her Templer sidekick who just happens to be pyrokinetic, and Asher - Jean-Claude's former beloved in a menage a tois who is now horribly scarred and holds him responsible. Up against those kind of enemies, Anita's going to have to pull off something extra spectacular. She'll also have to keep her Master vampire and her Werewolf king from killing each other.

This book has a lot of signifigance for the series. We meet future love's Nathaniel and Asher for the first time. And Anita is forced to raise Damian once again, this time to save his life, but it starts to bind them through the rest of the series.

If you liked this book you'll love the others in the series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

The Circus of the Damned

Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cravings Anthology

Cerulean Sins

Bite anthology

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The story centers around the Vampire Council and the legalities of vampires as citizens, and uses a lot more of vamp and lycantrope politics. As much as I like seeing more of lycantropes *other* than werewolves, the fact that Anita is the shining hero for them too just annoyed me to no end. 5 stars of 5 for all characters except Anita, 3 stars of 5 for having to put up with the Superwoman Lead Character.
As much as I like the series, Anita Blake is the most annoying, superwoman, I can outdo everyone around me, hypocritical, hyper-feminist character I've ever had the displeasure to read. I was starting to root for the bad guys to take her out. However, I kept reading because I really like Jean-Claude, Edward, Larry, Dolph, Jason, Stephen, and other supporting characters, and wonder about what happens to them, even if they don't have enough sense to tip Anita in the nearest tar pit and move on with their lives. If the series gets any more Anita-Worshipping, I may have to periodically gag in between chapters. The friend who got me started warns me that it does, and that after the next two novels, I should give up rather than continue to read the author's worship of Anita.
As you can tell, there are NO strong female characters allowed in these books, other than Anita herself. Any female who seems to be a dominant character soon meets an unfortunate demise or fate worse than death, usually at Anita's hands because of course, she's the Ultimate Evil of the novel. The only recurring female supporting character is Ronni, Anita's best friend. Despite initial promise in the early books, Ronnie is little more than a puppet for her so-called best friend to dangle about when she needs to have girl-talks. And the men all seem to be joining Anita's harem, which is annoying, since she's a rather hypocritical wench when it comes to the bedroom.
*bah* If my friend hadn't promised me that the book after the next is an Edward centered novel, I'd give up on this series while I was ahead. Edward, for those who haven't read it, is a sociopathic assassin. Scary that he's more truly heroic as a character than Anita Blake, isn't it? ;-)

The main reason I am giving Burnt Offerings only 3 stars, where I have given all the rest in the Anita Blake series 5 stars, is because it took me so long to read. I'm talking months. This is because I would read a chapter, then go on to a different book, then come back to it a few weeks later and read a few more pages, then abandon it again, and so on and so forth. I'm not saying I did this because the book was bad (it isn't that bad, really) - it's pretty much just because nothing that exciting happened. Throughout the last installment, The Killing Dance, I couldn't wait to get to the next page to see what would happen (especially between Anita and Jean Claude), but I never felt that way with Burnt Offerings. It felt like more of a chore to read it than a pleasure. The same old stuff is happening here: Anita is having major problems in the love department; she is having major problems with the Wereamimals; and she is having major problems with the vampire council. And once again, every male character in the book seems to want to sleep with her. Nothing new here. Despite the summary on the back of the book, this installment seems to have more to do with the Pack than vamps - which is okay, I guess, but I can only take so much of the Wereamimals.
Call me crazy, but my two favorite characters in the series are her mysterious "friend" Edward, and her sometimes partner-in-training Larry - both 100% human. Larry appears in the novel only briefly, and Edward not at all, which is a shame if you ask me. As much as I love Jean-Claude and Richard, I think Anita should start spending more time with her fellow humans. Maybe then she won't have so many problems. Then again, we also wouldn't be getting any more new books from Hamilton. If you have read the entire Anita Blake series thus far, you should definitely still read this one (you wouldn't want to skip one, no matter how much you may not like it). If you have never read any of the books in the series, do not start with this one - it most likely will not get you hooked. Start with Guilty Pleasures and work your way up. It's a great series - and even the best series have at least one in the bunch that's not as good as the rest. Be warned: this is it.

I was a big fan of the first few Anita Blake novels, which is surprising since i don't like most fantasy novels, and absolutely hate vampire novels (don't like the erotica in them... which seems to be what all vampire novels written by women are).
But i have to admit, i enjoyed the first few Anita Blake novels. I liked her, like how a small girl can kickass, and eventually even enjoyed how some of the monsters really aren't monsters... but over the past few novels, the books have degenerated into way too much magic that simply seems silly, her sexual relationships with a vampire and werewolf, and plots that are completely predictable (the main reason why i enjoyed her first few books because they weren't predictable).
Hamilton's development of Anita was absolutely fantastic, as well of Dolph and the rest of the characters. But now with Richard, who was developing nicely in the beginning, is just absurd now. Alright, i can understand the fact that he has a plastic Barney the purple dinosaur view of the world, but does he really have to sound and act that pathetic?
And Jean-Claude... who was once a great character who was trying to win Anita and who could set things in motion, is nothing but a boy toy now and doesn't even play any significant role... sure, he's got a lot of lines in the books, but his power is so dependent on Anita, that he's no longer that sinister vampire we were with ulterior motives. Trust me, i can appreciate the irony that Anita, the Execution, fell in love with Jean-Claude, Master of the City... but their relationship doesn't even seem equal now... not even close.
And the love triangle is sooooo old. I guess there's one thing i learned from this series, and it's that some women have similar fantasies as men do: both find physical attraction very important (i am literally sick to death of reading about how nice these guys nippples are... SICK TO DEATH), and the desire to have more than one love/lust (which Nancy Friday's My Secret Garden also seemed to agree with). But this love triangle is getting old, repetitive, and just BORING. And the last few books were nothing but about this love triangle. Really, i wouldn't be surprised if in an upcoming book Anita will have a double penetration night with these two men.

Sturm und Drang

And another series with huge potential that crashes and burns - and I can't decide if it does it in a ball of flames, or a sputter of wet firecrackers. OMG. Let's talk about the characters I used to love. I had SUCH the high hopes that I was going to go through this whole series as happy with the remainder as I was with the first couple in the series. Sigh.

Let's see. Anita is working with Jean Claude, as usual. Things are going to hell in a handcart, as usual, as the `Vampire Overlords" decide that JC and AB are too strong to leave alive. Anita gives her protection, not only to the submissives of the wolf pack (see "The Killing Dance) but also to the Pard - the Leopard pack. Her growing `psychological confusion' (read `doesn't pay attention, think things through, develop anything even approaching emotional maturity, or consider the depth and importance of the responsibilities that she is accepting - these are people's LIVES she is being so cavalier with) ends with the submissives being brutalized, gutted and gang raped. When she finally gets her head out of her backside, and goes to the hospital to try to help "protect" the submissives, she winds up having a hysterical fear fit in front of the most submissive members of two packs. She might as well have rolled over on her back and peed herself. And she is supposed to be protecting - LEADING these poor people?? I wanted so badly for Anita to be the strong, tough, dependable, and yet human and caring person she started out being developed as. Instead, she is decompressing into a nasty, self centred, whiny, fearful, (insert disappointing descriptor here) waste of ink and paper. I am soooooo disappointed!

Richard - while I understand why and how he is going into psychological meltdown, I no longer either respect him, or pity his plight. He hates himself, what he is, and what it is going to require to do the job he has taken on. But he, like Anita, would rather piss and moan than take the necessary responsibility. And pissing and moaning gets people who depend on them killed. He loves Anita completely - but he hates himself so much, instead of setting the stage to show her his wolf in a safe, controlled environment (Killing Dance) he throws her in the middle of Dante's Inferno, in a manner guaranteed to shock and appall her to her toes - to drive her away. In this installment, he continues to torment her, and himself (and every poor soul around them), while have a total burnout and again letting down the people that depend on him.

Hysterics. Nervous breakdowns. Temper tantrums. It is all just too, too middle school. Do none of these people ever GROW UP??? Richard wants Anita. Anita wants Richard and Jean Claude. Fine. Richard and Anita need to just grow the freak up. They are a triad now, so act like one. Jean Claude is used to menage - Richard and Anita need to grow up and realize that if the pull is so strong, it is for a reason, and they should exploit it. Everyone is happy, everyone draws on everyone else's strength, the sex would be incredible (voice of experience - and besides, with their link? And we KNOW that Hamilton's coming `sex party' setup, it would be perfect, and the Sturm und Drang factor could go away, allowing for MUCH MUCH MUCH better character and non homo-sapiens species development) . . . and I don't get a migraine from listening to the two of them bitch and whine and put everyone else s lives at risk so they can have a pissing contest. I didn't expect this to turn into a cross between the "Eclipse" series and the "Clique" series (yes, I know some teenagers). Again, too, too middle school.

I'm tired. I can't even finish this one. The only person I still respect is Jean Claude. I adore some of the new characters - Stephen, the leopards Anita has failed. But it isn't worth the aggravation of putting up with Hamilton turning this into a literal `Circus of the Damned". Hamilton had the opportunity to develop a marvelous series of depth and breadth. She was introducing new characters, in depth profiles of new types of non homo sapiens species. I was quite pleased and hopeful, even though there were definitely some things I could have lived without. But I am tired. Time is precious, there are a lot of books I want to read, and Hamilton has blown it already, with fourteen or so more volumes in the offing and no hope in sight. A crushing disappointment. LOL. Maybe I will have to join the family of fan fiction writers and rewrite this volume myself the way it should have been written, just for my own enjoyment and to take the bitter taste out of my mouth! I could `wrap the series up' for myself in an enjoyable manner, and pretend that this whole screw-up didn't disappoint me so deeply!

If you aren't currently an Anitaficionado, best to start with the first book (_Guilty Pleasures_). Not required, but recommended.
Over the series, we have seen Anita's values shift somewhat. By this book, she has begun to question her basic truths--particularly, her definition of who are the monsters and who are the humans. Specifically, she is increasingly aware that not only may the line between monster and human be blurry--but she may by now be on the wrong side of it, and weirder still, she isn't 100% sure that's such an awful thing.
It is interesting to watch Anita continue to come into her own power, while continuing to give short shrift to monsters who behave monstrously--and get by with it, for the most part. With her romantic triangle about 80% resolved for the moment, we get an interesting view of the vampires' council and some more depth on shapeshifters.
Thus far Hamilton always has something new and interesting for us, and _Burnt Offerings_ lives up to the standard. Recommended in strong terms as a great vampire story or as fiction that goes much deeper than hack-and-slash.

"Burnt Offerings" the latest in the Anita Blake series, was so worth the wait. (dramatic sigh) I just wish that Jean Claude was real! The growing romance between Anita and Jean Claude is the hook that lures me back every time. Although I feel sorry for Richard, Anita's jilted ex, I think that she truly belongs with Jean Claude.
The plot of the novel is lost a bit behind the menace of the Vampire Council's visit, but this is neatly tied up at the end of the novel. I find that Anita becomes more human the more she considers herself one of the monsters....self-doubt and all is very human. I got quite a laugh out of a master vampire's animal being a butterfly, and the humor that was a bit lacking in "The Killing Dance" is back in full force. I was a little disappointed not to see as much of Anita using her own Necromancy powers and more of her 'pack' powers instead, but this just shows the growth of the character.
All in all this was a fantastic book that I will recommend and read again.

I was very disappointed. I miss the old Anita, the confident one of "Guilty Pleasures". I was left confused at all the plotlines, and the book barely tied up any loose parts left in the last book. I missed the explorations of Anita's personal powers as a necromancer. Even more greatly missed was Edward, who I must say is one of the more delightful characters of the series (to tell you the truth, I was rooting for him and Anita to make a couple since the beginning of the series). I guess the book was an average, but I'm worried the old Anita is gone...but not forgotten. I also have to agree with another one of the people reviewing about Hamilton's "fetish" of describing everything down to the Nike swooshes. It irritates me. I was also hoping she would go back to Richard. But can that happen? Nooooo. The situation is the same as at the end of "The Killing Dance", only made worse. I only hope "Blue Moon" will provide more answers.

Sturm und Drang

And another series with huge potential that crashes and burns - and I can't decide if it does it in a ball of flames, or a sputter of wet firecrackers. OMG. Let's talk about the characters I used to love. I had SUCH the high hopes that I was going to go through this whole series as happy with the remainder as I was with the first couple in the series. Sigh.

Let's see. Anita is working with Jean Claude, as usual. Things are going to hell in a handcart, as usual, as the `Vampire Overlords" decide that JC and AB are too strong to leave alive. Anita gives her protection, not only to the submissives of the wolf pack (see "The Killing Dance) but also to the Pard - the Leopard pack. Her growing `psychological confusion' (read `doesn't pay attention, think things through, develop anything even approaching emotional maturity, or consider the depth and importance of the responsibilities that she is accepting - these are people's LIVES she is being so cavalier with) ends with the submissives being brutalized, gutted and gang raped. When she finally gets her head out of her backside, and goes to the hospital to try to help "protect" the submissives, she winds up having a hysterical fear fit in front of the most submissive members of two packs. She might as well have rolled over on her back and peed herself. And she is supposed to be protecting - LEADING these poor people?? I wanted so badly for Anita to be the strong, tough, dependable, and yet human and caring person she started out being developed as. Instead, she is decompressing into a nasty, self centred, whiny, fearful, (insert disappointing descriptor here) waste of ink and paper. I am soooooo disappointed!

Richard - while I understand why and how he is going into psychological meltdown, I no longer either respect him, or pity his plight. He hates himself, what he is, and what it is going to require to do the job he has taken on. But he, like Anita, would rather piss and moan than take the necessary responsibility. And pissing and moaning gets people who depend on them killed. He loves Anita completely - but he hates himself so much, instead of setting the stage to show her his wolf in a safe, controlled environment (Killing Dance) he throws her in the middle of Dante's Inferno, in a manner guaranteed to shock and appall her to her toes - to drive her away. In this installment, he continues to torment her, and himself (and every poor soul around them), while have a total burnout and again letting down the people that depend on him.

Hysterics. Nervous breakdowns. Temper tantrums. It is all just too, too middle school. Do none of these people ever GROW UP??? Richard wants Anita. Anita wants Richard and Jean Claude. Fine. Richard and Anita need to just grow the freak up. They are a triad now, so act like one. Jean Claude is used to menage - Richard and Anita need to grow up and realize that if the pull is so strong, it is for a reason, and they should exploit it. Everyone is happy, everyone draws on everyone else's strength, the sex would be incredible (voice of experience - and besides, with their link? And we KNOW that Hamilton's coming `sex party' setup, it would be perfect, and the Sturm und Drang factor could go away, allowing for MUCH MUCH MUCH better character and non homo-sapiens species development) . . . and I don't get a migraine from listening to the two of them bitch and whine and put everyone else s lives at risk so they can have a pissing contest. I didn't expect this to turn into a cross between the "Eclipse" series and the "Clique" series (yes, I know some teenagers). Again, too, too middle school.

I'm tired. I can't even finish this one. The only person I still respect is Jean Claude. I adore some of the new characters - Stephen, the leopards Anita has failed. But it isn't worth the aggravation of putting up with Hamilton turning this into a literal `Circus of the Damned". Hamilton had the opportunity to develop a marvelous series of depth and breadth. She was introducing new characters, in depth profiles of new types of non homo sapiens species. I was quite pleased and hopeful, even though there were definitely some things I could have lived without. But I am tired. Time is precious, there are a lot of books I want to read, and Hamilton has blown it already, with fourteen or so more volumes in the offing and no hope in sight. A crushing disappointment. LOL. Maybe I will have to join the family of fan fiction writers and rewrite this volume myself the way it should have been written, just for my own enjoyment and to take the bitter taste out of my mouth! I could `wrap the series up' for myself in an enjoyable manner, and pretend that this whole screw-up didn't disappoint me so deeply!

If you aren't currently an Anitaficionado, best to start with the first book (_Guilty Pleasures_). Not required, but recommended.
Over the series, we have seen Anita's values shift somewhat. By this book, she has begun to question her basic truths--particularly, her definition of who are the monsters and who are the humans. Specifically, she is increasingly aware that not only may the line between monster and human be blurry--but she may by now be on the wrong side of it, and weirder still, she isn't 100% sure that's such an awful thing.
It is interesting to watch Anita continue to come into her own power, while continuing to give short shrift to monsters who behave monstrously--and get by with it, for the most part. With her romantic triangle about 80% resolved for the moment, we get an interesting view of the vampires' council and some more depth on shapeshifters.
Thus far Hamilton always has something new and interesting for us, and _Burnt Offerings_ lives up to the standard. Recommended in strong terms as a great vampire story or as fiction that goes much deeper than hack-and-slash.

"Burnt Offerings" the latest in the Anita Blake series, was so worth the wait. (dramatic sigh) I just wish that Jean Claude was real! The growing romance between Anita and Jean Claude is the hook that lures me back every time. Although I feel sorry for Richard, Anita's jilted ex, I think that she truly belongs with Jean Claude.
The plot of the novel is lost a bit behind the menace of the Vampire Council's visit, but this is neatly tied up at the end of the novel. I find that Anita becomes more human the more she considers herself one of the monsters....self-doubt and all is very human. I got quite a laugh out of a master vampire's animal being a butterfly, and the humor that was a bit lacking in "The Killing Dance" is back in full force. I was a little disappointed not to see as much of Anita using her own Necromancy powers and more of her 'pack' powers instead, but this just shows the growth of the character.
All in all this was a fantastic book that I will recommend and read again.

I was very disappointed. I miss the old Anita, the confident one of "Guilty Pleasures". I was left confused at all the plotlines, and the book barely tied up any loose parts left in the last book. I missed the explorations of Anita's personal powers as a necromancer. Even more greatly missed was Edward, who I must say is one of the more delightful characters of the series (to tell you the truth, I was rooting for him and Anita to make a couple since the beginning of the series). I guess the book was an average, but I'm worried the old Anita is gone...but not forgotten. I also have to agree with another one of the people reviewing about Hamilton's "fetish" of describing everything down to the Nike swooshes. It irritates me. I was also hoping she would go back to Richard. But can that happen? Nooooo. The situation is the same as at the end of "The Killing Dance", only made worse. I only hope "Blue Moon" will provide more answers.

I'm pushing my comfort level a bit with all the nasty stuff in Hamilton's books, but if you're a fan of the horror genre, I'll admit she does it very well. Anita Blake has to be the toughest heroine I've ever run across, yet she maintains her humanity, and it's possible to at least somewhat identify with her. You get a lot happening in an Anita Blake book. The pace is frenzied, although this one takes more time between the action than in her other books. I thought that was okay, I wanted to take the time to get to know the characters a little better. Unfortunately there seemed to be a great many characters, and maybe it's just me but I had a hard time keeping track of who was a human, who was a vampire, who was a werewolf, and who was a wereleopard, let alone who outranked who. But we don't read horror stories to analyze them, we read them for immersion in an alternate and macabre world, and the Anita Blake books do a great job of providing that.

Anita Blake's life never gets any simpler. Now that she's decided to date only Jean-Claude, the Master of the City, her ex-boyfriend, alpha werewolf Richard, becomes impossible to deal with. This is understandable, but when Anita interferes in lycanthrope politics to help protect several were-leopards, Richard comes into town in a serious bad mood. Having slain Raina, the werewolf queen in the previous volume, Anita seems to have acquired a supernatural connection with the pack, and is not about to back down. But Richard's absence has hurt the pack and there is much to be undone.
While Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is going well, dating a vampire is never a simple proposition. When a romantic dinner is interrupted by several vampires from Jean-Claude's past, Anita suspects that things are about to get complicated. One of the vampires is Asher, once a close companion of Jean-Claude and now one of his direst enemies. Asher was horribly scarred at the hands of the church and blames Jean-Claude for both his deformities and the death of his human servant.
But Asher is not the worst threat. Several members of the European vampire council have come to St. Louis to demand an explanation for the death of another member of the council at Anita's hands (Mr. Oliver from "Circus of the Damned"). These two are your worst nightmares come true. The Traveler, who occupies the bodies of other vampires as his way of getting around, and Padma, the Master of Beasts, who can control any lycanthrope. Both of these two are far more powerful than Jean-Claude. And far, far nastier. The master of St. Louis is facing the challenge of his unlife, with only Anita and a very reluctant Richard to aid him.
"Burnt Offerings" is vintage Hamilton. With Anita's relationships with Jean-Claude and Richard settled for the present, Hamilton is free to concentrate on her typically complex plot. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of action there. But there's plenty of time for all of the regulars, from Jean-Claude to Irving the werewolf reporter to become more defined as characters. In addition, we are treated to a group of monsters horrific and perverse enough to satisfy the most spoiled of tastes. Prepare yourself for a classic sexy/scary vampire tale. You won't be disappointed.

What I love about this book was the fast paced story telling that Hamilton is very good at. With Anita balancing every aspect of her life, she encounters new problems everyday making her life more complicated yet intriguing.

With multiple problems that Anita is juggling, she still succeeds in protecting and helping her friends as well as allies in a battle between domination and power both in the shape-shifter's side and the vampires. As always, Anita never seems to fail anybody and still demands more from herself to prove her worth to everybody yet still maintains the vulnerable side of her life exposed to others.

Vampire council + conflict between prides and clan + murder scenes + love conflicts = Brunt Offerings. With all that action and drama, you can never have a dull moment reading through 400 pages of Burnt Offerings.

As always, the Anita Blake series is a pleasure to read, largely due to the personality of the main character, which we get undiluted through a first-person narrative. Hamilton does a wonderful job of telling a continuing story, as each book builds on what has gone before while still containing one complete plot within itself. What really makes this book stand out as better than the previous six in the series (which were all quite good in their own right) is that one of the key concepts in this series -- the evolution of the character of Anita as she gains more power (or perhaps simply discovers powers that she had all along but wasn't aware of) and has to struggle against the old "power corrupts" truism, sometimes less successfully than others -- begins to be really obvious in this book, whereas it was only hinted at previously. Anita Blake has, by this time, thoroughly established her "hero" bonafides, and cannot be dismissed as less than that. Still, she begins to find herself in situations that have no good solution, but require a choice between evils, and no matter how much she dislikes compromising her principles she sometimes has to accept that. Being a strong and well-balanced character, she doesn't spend too much time being traumatized by having to make such choices, but she is aware that she is doing things that a short time ago she would have been appalled by, things that some of her non-supernatural friends would definitely disapprove of. It is interesting to see a character established as truly heroic making difficult choices in very difficult situations, making the best ones available, and still losing a little bit of humanity each time she has to accept a compromise of her basic principles. This concept is handled better in this series than I have ever seen before, and better in this book than in any of the previous books in this series, although they were necessary to set the stage for this one.

Nobody's going to mistake Laurell K. Hamilton for Nabokov, but she beats the hell out of Anne Rice, and as this series progresses, we're getting into some more interesting stuff.
I don't mean the soap opera. Oh, sure, I care about Anita's love life. What I'm talking about is Hamilton coming up with more than one compelling character. The scene between Warrick and Anita is menacing...but also oddly touching. Warrick summoning the butterflies is somehow an image that makes you sad for him, and smile at the same time. Also, Larry the rookie vampire slayer has picked up some more interesting aspects, namely "Detective Tammy."
This is a strong entry in the series, and a pretty fun read. Definitely worth taking to the beach or curling up with on a rainy day.

First off let me say I am a big fan of Hamilton's Anita Blake series and I understand that in series some books are better than others. Well, let me say that Burnt Offerings was my LEAST favorite. For some reason this book left me cold. I thought the story was slow and not in keeping with her usual faster paced stories. There were scenes that I felt were drawn out, especially were Anita is helping put out the fires and rescuing the vampires. And even that scene came late in the book, although the cover tells us that this is what the story is mainly about. I think Hamilton was short on ideas for this book and could have easily moved straight from The Killing Dance to Blue Moon WITHOUT this one. The only interesting thing about the book was the introduction of Asher, Jean- Claude's old friend. I thought his character was appealing and I look forward to seeing him in future books. But this one didn't do it for me, but dont' worry I will love Anita Blake no matter what!

I have an absolute passion for strong woman characters, and Anita Blake is a good reason.
The pace of the series picks up with each book- Anita gets so deep in trouble so fast; in each chapter, she grows more violent, and more indifferent to her own capacity for violence. I rather wonder if LH can keep going, without making Anita into a human monster. So far, she is able to stop, to let someone see she is willing to kill, so he or she can back down from the challenge.
Personally, I think her relationship with Jean-Claude will be her salvation; the situation with Richard can't be resolved, given who Anita is becoming. I want to see how the next one is handled.
And where's Edward when you need him?

Laurell Hamilton has done it to me again! BURNT OFFERINGS is the latest book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series that has kept me up reading until the wee hours of the morning (something I rarely do). Although I'm not a vampire buff, the author's premium writing style and deliciously complex characters make this book a page turner. One of the problems that the protagonist faced needed more attention, but the other plot lines more than made up for it. Regarding the firepower: it's nice to see an author that has done their research before incorporating things into a story.
The author's capacity for realism and ability to plunge the reader into a whole range of emotions make this book a must read!!

This is about the second sci-fi book I've ever bought (my first Anita Blake book, though), and now I'm hooked in vampires, werewolves, and the like. I adore Anita, it's about time someone wrote about a heroine who's not a six-feet tall bundle of muscles, Linda Hamilton style; we small women can be real tough, too. The story is interesting and engrossing, although I could do without the parts where hunky werewolf ex-boyfriend Richard is quarreling with Anita, it's totally irrelevant to the story and besides, it should be illegal for exes to behave the way Richard does; no wonder she liked Jean Claude better, he's just divine and doesn't whine as much. Anyway, what else I can say about this book? It's a fun read, toss it in your beach bag and enjoy.

Things I liked:

1. Triumvirate becomes stronger.

2. We meet Asher!

3. Get a look into The Coucil. I think The Traveler is cool.

4. Was afraid that there will be a mob of neighbors trying to get rid of Anita in the last books. Now she has a home away from those innocents.

5. Her best friend is dating a lycanthrope, so she has a chance to be more involved.

6. More Jason!!!

Things I didn't like:

1. A lot of the scenes between Anita and Richard made me want to cry. Why they got to be so mean to each other?

2. She already had enough to deal with, what with the pack and all. Now she has to deal with being in charge of the wereleopards.

3. Where is Larry? and Bert? Need more of them.

4. What? She can call up Raina now? Why? There is no need for that kind of power in Anita. She got enough of it.

At least the reasons I like the book overrides the reasons I don't like the book a little. It could have done without a lot of things, but overall it was great and I can see the series is going to get better.

Burnt Offerings (1998) is the seventh Fantasy novel in the Anita Blake series, following The Killing Dance. In the previous volume, Anita killed Gabriel and Raina. With help from Edward and Harley, she also freed Jean-Claude and Richard from their captors.

In this novel, Anita is hired by Captain Pete McKinnon of the Fire Department to investigate a series of unusual fires. He had been referred to Anita by Sergeant Rudolph Storr, leader of RPIT (Regional Preternatural Investigation Team). McKinnon thinks these fires have all the signs of a firebug, a pyrokinetic arsonist. He had previously encountered such a psychic talent and does not want to repeat those experiences.

After McKinnon left, Anita receives a call from a co-worker asking for a ride. Larry -- a vampire executioner trainee -- had gone to the morgue to stake the bodies of two vampire victims who did not want to rise from the dead. After completing that job, a hospital attendant had wheeled in another body to be staked.

Since the third body did not have the proper paperwork, Larry refused to stake it. While they are waiting for the paperwork to be recovered, Larry went to talk to the medical examiner. When he returned to the morgue, he found the attendant trying to stake the body with his own equipment. He removed her from the body, but then she tried to stake him.

Anita takes Larry home and puts him to bed. Then she returns a call and learns that Nathaniel -- a wereleopard stripper at Guilty Pleasures -- has been hurt by a violent customer. Steven -- a lycanthrope from Richard's pack -- was on Nathaniel's contact list and had called Anita from the hospital.

Unfortunately, Zane -- another wereleopard who is trying to protect the shapeshifters after the death of Gabriel -- is trying to take Nathaniel home. Anita has to shoot Zane twice -- with regular bullets -- to get his attention. She arranges for other werewolves to guard Nathaniel and Steven while they are in the hospital.

In this story, Anita finally gets to her date with Jean-Claude at Demiche's, only to find out that the Vampire Council has sent representatives to Saint Louis. They would like to know why Jean-Claude has not taken the Council seat formerly held by Oliver. Anita meets two of the Council reps at the restaurant and is not impressed, but she does make an impression on Balthasar.

Anita also meets Asher in the parking lot of the restaurant. Although he is now hostile to Jean-Claude, they had been friends before the death of Julianna. Asher had blamed Jean-Clause for her death and now wants revenge.

The Council has also sent the Traveler, a vampire who is capable of possessing other vampires. He moves from body to body, taking over the minds of his victims. But the possessed ones recover when he moves on to another body.

Another representative is the Master of Beasts, who can dominate any unmarked shapeshifter. Padma is arrogant enough, but his son Fernando is a full-blown sadist. Moreover, he believes that his father can protect him from anything. Then he meets Anita.

Later, Sergeant Storr calls Anita about the burning of a vampire at Burnt Offerings, a vampire bar far outside the Zone. The police are holding a woman who set the vampire on fire, supposedly after he had bitten her without permission. Storr wants Anita to talk to her about the incident.

This story tells of the ploys of the Council representatives within Jean-Claude's territory. Their very presence is enough to upset the delicate balance of power in the area. The whole preternatural community is conflicted and confused.

This novel is full of action and violence. It does not have as much sex as other books in the series, but it does have plenty of sexual innuendo. It does not disappoint the reader. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Hamilton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, violent activities, and a touch of lust.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I love the Anita Blake series. Through each book she changes from who she used to be. The world building is incredible. The characters come alive under the writer's pen. They are real people. I'm binge reading all her books.I'll be sorry there aren't more when I'm finished.

This was a much better book than anything I've read by Laurell K. Hamilton in a while.

In this book, Hamilton's lead character has to investigate a series of fires that seem be being set by someone and deal with the "Vampire Council" (who sort of oversee Vampiric affairs worldwide), who have come into the area, generally looking to assert their influence over the vampires in the area.

When I state the plot as badly as that, it might sound a little daft (if I'm honest it is a little daft) but compared to the immediate predecessor books in this series, it makes for a much better read, because it focuses on the story more.

The progression of Anita's character has been natural and exciting.Laurell created a character so real, she immediately became a friend.The other characters--Jean Claude, Richard, Jason, Larry,etc--also bring life to the story. Although, I like the character of Richard, his and Anita's romance could never work. Richard loved Anita for who he thought she should be and not who she was. The type of love that wants to change the person you are supposed to love will never work. Also, Jean Claude is a facination character. He and Anita make a great couple. Laurell, please write more! Soon!

Fires are killing Vampires all over the city which coincides with the Vampire Council coming to the city. Anita and Jean Claude have to deal with the Vampire Council and figure out who is starting the fires. I didn't care for all the political bull but otherwise a great book. Anita is having to deal with Richard again and she's sort of in control of the wereleopards now which was very interesting. There are just so many things going on in this book. All I can say is that once you start the series you just can't help being sucked in and find out what happens.

My housemate and I are reading the books in tandem - it kills me to have to wait till she is done before I can talk about them!
This is the fastest that Anita has gotten neck-deep in aligators - and it is non-stop. From the first, she is busy rescuing and kibbitzing and nudging - all things she does so well. This is both good and bad; the plethora of plotlines was not something I had a problem with - the fact that everything happens in about 48 hours was something that bugged me. Not only that, but she doesn't ever go to sleep during the entire book. Now, in previous books, Anita would kvetch about being tired, but no mention is made here... I am left feeling as if this *might* be a result of the vampire marks, but there is no clue given about that.
I think her necromancy powers were wonderfully explored - she raised dead in more ways than one. I suspect her ... newfound 'lupa ability' (I don't want to spoil it) has as much to do with her affinity for the dead as her being part of the pack-gestalt.
Anita is DEFINITELY loosening up, even if she feels herself to be a 'slut' for it. My housemate and I keep speculating on exactly *what* will make her break down and finally integrate Richard into things - we suspect that Asher is going to have a strong part to play in that. And it is clear that Jean-Claude and Asher used to play footsie, as it were - if Jean-Claude can tell that Anita is doing something, she will be able to tell when he lets loose with Asher...
WHEEEE!!! Problems with the book: Too compressed - the action should have taken a week. Anita never sleeps - no explanation. They SHOULD have saved Warrick; he was too delicious. What IS Dolph's problem, and why is HE in charge of the Spook Squad? I expect that to be revealed in future books. The firefighting stuff should have been more in-depth. Richard and Anita and Jean-Claude still being a problem - get it TOGETHER, girl! Richard looking for a new lupa... and being a DORK about Liv's activities with Sylvie.
Delights: A! sher, and how Anita brought him over. Anita finally realizing her main problem with the pack is fear of her own darkness. Jean-Claude as a person, with REAL character development. Richard apologizing, AND Richard playing himself up - he needs to be less of a boy-scout! Yet Another Triumvirate!

In closing - I think that if Anita is still alive in, oh, 30 years - The council should invite her in as a member. With Jean-Claude as the FLUNKY!

_Burnt Offerings_ is the seventh book in the Anita Blake series, and its main focus is the vampires of St. Louis. Members of the vampire council have come to St. Louis from France, and Anita and the gang have some territory and dominance problems. The mystery was overshadowed by the further character development and new developments in Anita's arsenal of power. As always, the supporting characters are seductive, charming, endearing, and generally wonderful, and Asher is a great tortured anti-hero-type character. Read the other books first, though.

Somebody has decided that vampires are toasty, or good to toast, or burn prettily. Anyway, vampire torchings are what Anita has to investigate in this book.

It is also becomes public that she is doing the head vamp of her city.

Because she bumped off their boss, Anita becomes responsible for the wereleopards in town, as if she doesn't have enough to do.

Yes, she is now a vampire hunter/necromancer/vampire servant/female werewolf leader/wereleopard queen.

She still has a fuzzy penguin, though.

I like the author and the book, I don't do spoilers. Read it yourself funny enough this series was told to by a librarian in her sixties in a conservative town lucky for the us readers she doesn't believe in censorship.

Coming off such a strong entry (Killing Dance), I was disappointed with this 7th book of the series. Is Laurell running out of ideas? Nothing really happens in the first 125 pages. I can only read so much pretentious bragging and threats made by the vampire council before I'm just not scared by them anymore... an neither, apparently, is Anita. Some sloppy editing and writing make this the worst in the series. For instance, Chapter 16 uses the word "cool" FIVE times in the first paragraph. Maybe Laurell should concentrate more on quality and focus less on cranking out her yearly deadline.

Anita Blake is a monster. I like her this way, a refreshing change to innocent girl. Maybe not so innocent. I'm glad that she didn't get with Richard, he was getting on my last nerve, and I was ready to slap him silly. The plots, though are getting weirder and stranger. The regular characters are missing, like Edward. He was a piece of work. Will he and Anita work together again? Hope so. Should Hamilton put Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard together next time and make them work out their differences? Could it work?

This is a great book for people who enjoy reading about strong heroines and undead people with raging sex drives. Frankly I wasn't particularly impressed with the first book in this series (Guilty Pleasures) but the books are getting better and better. It should be noted that Ms. Hamilton is not particularly adept at developing an original plot - her books generally follow a predictable course. 1) Anita Blake is called in to help with a case involving gruesome murders and mutilations. 2) Anita Blake meets unbelievably powerful supernatural beings (with or without master vampire sidekick). [Note - the order of these events may be reversed] 3) Anita Blake impresses the hell out of everyone she meets and/ or pisses them off. 4) Anita Blake kills time by searching for clues and/ or schmoozing with master vampire/ alpha werewolf. 5) Anita Blake confronts/ is attacked by Evil People. 6) Anita Blake and (at least) one sidekick get hurt. 7) Anita Blake gets Angry. 8) Anita Blake kills all Evil People. [Note: Bouts of angst appear at strategic moments in novel.]
Was that a bit harsh? Sorry! I don't pull my punches. Now let's get to the good bit. The main reason I liked this novel was that the relationships between Ms. Blake and her friends/ lovers are explored well. I really enjoyed the playful dialogue between Jean-Claude and Anita and the way her relationship with the shapeshifters is developing. I liked the humour and the new characters who were introduced. I really liked the sexual tension in many of the scenes. I'm not sure I like the way Anita is becoming all-powerful but that is just a small annoyance. What is interesting is that it becomes clear in this novel that Jean-Claude (unlike most male characters in this genre) is weaker than Anita and that his current elevated standing is due more to his foresight in picking Anita and Richard as his partners than to raw power. Lastly, Ms. Hamilton is leaving open the possibility that Anita will eventually be involved in a cozy threesome with Richard and Jean-Claude, which I would really like to see happen. That outcome is more than hinted at in this novel with the appearance of Asher (who shows that Jean-Claude has had prior experience with a three-way relationship), Jean-Claude's own statement that it is in his best interest to keep Richard happy and a suggestive bit of dialogue between Padma and Richard near the end of the novel. All in all, a very good installment of the series. I urge you all to read it and am eagerly waiting for more.

If you haven't read all the Anne Rice Vampire books, you probably won't be bothered by some parallels. However, I was annoyed because the similarities I found were the things that annoyed me in the Rice books as well. For instance, The Tale of the Body Thief was this drawn-out Rice tale in which Lestat is able to float from Body to Body, taking over not only the bodies of other vamps, but of humans as well. It was terrible. Suddenly Laurell Hamilton has this character, The Traveller, and guess what this vamp can do? Inhabit bodies. Or there's the mournful tale of Jean-Claude and his traveling companions from centuries ago, Julianna and Asher. Due to various reasons, Julianna died (centuries ago) and Asher blames Jean-Claude. Can we say Claudia, Louis, and Lestat? Aaaaaa! There's other things too, but those really jumped out at me. My other complaint about this book is that she's got a million complicated little plot lines going at once. I think she should have written two books, as this book could nicely have been pulled apart into Burnt Offerings, and perhaps something entitled Challenge or something to that effect, as that would take care of the other plotlines. Despite all my complaints, I started the book last night and am now left with about 4 chapters to go. So it's quite readable, and definitely better than the last one, but I think the first books in the series were the best. Regardless, I will buy the next book in the series too. I may not be thrilled with this Offering, but I am loyal.

I usually don't read vampire novels! However, I must say that Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is one of the best reads I've had in a long time. It's not just engaging sensationalism. The sense of sarcasm is flawless, and the books appeal on many many levels--I believe this is the first chick series to truly appeal to "men" (in the generalized and somewhat unfair "macho" sense of the word). This series is part romance, part horror, part mystery, part dark comedy, and all sexy.

and so is Anita Blake. Burning with desire. She's taken a vampire as her lover...and that's the good news. The bad news is buildings are burning, a bunch of very old vampires are in town to question her lover, and if she thought regular vampires were sometimes scary, well, Anita was wrong. The vampire council gives scary a whole new name. It's up to Anita and Jean-Claude to put things to right--the problem is she's not sure what's right and what's wrong any more.

Is it even possible for Laurell Hamilton to write a boring book?
"Burnt Offerings" was absolutely wild!! I loved this!!! Just when you thought you had a little breathing room..bam!! Something else would happen..the non stop action is addictive. Jean-Claude and Anita are fabulous...as are the rest of the gang. This is definitely a series Id recommend..it is unputdownable..I have lost so much sleep staying up late reading, but oooh is it worth it!!..Buy it!

Laurell K. Hamilton just keeps getting better and better. If you haven't read all her books featuring Anita Blake I suggest you start at the beginning. You can see her story telling getting better with each book. As usual Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is interesting, hot, and sexy, at the same time this Necromancer comes to his rescue. Without Anita Jean-Claude would not be as powerful. What I dislike is the way Richard is such a whiney incompetent werewolf and man. He should die or something and let Jason take over as part of the triad. It makes me angry just reading about his angst. Anita and Jean-Claude and her police friends on the paranormal unit rock.

I've read all the books in this series and I couldn't put ANY of them down. I read Burnt Offerings (can't underline) in just two school nights! It was my most favorite because it had even more characters than the previous ones. Each creature was developed to capture the reader; grip him/her and pull them into a whole other realm of pleasure and fantastic possibilities. Never was there a book that swallowed me into a whole new dimension as this did. Jean Claude is enrapturing. He's everything a vampire was meant to be! Richard is enchanting. He's the man of many a fantasy. Anita is the key to everyone who ever wanted to stand up for themself or for someone else. She and Hamilton are my newfound heroines. Hamilton seems to be able to take all I've ever been interested in (read my mind) and write about each creature with great depth. I found every one of her books absolutely enthralling!! She's an asset to the entire writing profession. She is inspiring and entrancing. All of my friends want to snatch my books away and I just tell them to go buy their own copies (because I can't go without rereading the entire series later-I know they'll try to keep them). Burnt Offerings is my favorite (that's saying a lot). Blue Moon was absolutely awesome. For the first time with any book, I have absolutely NO criticisms for the sequels written after the first! I have got to get on my knees and plead for Hamilton to write more...She's the best author I've ever encountered after years of excessive reading! One could say that she's the one I've been searching for. I recommend this to anyone who loves adventure, loves romance, has an excellent sense of dark/witty humor, loves myth/gore, and loves realistic sci. fi./fantasy type sci.fi. I know if you love gory movies with actual plot you will love Laurell K. Hamilton's entire series. If you're not the "series-type reader," I recommend Burnt Offerings as your number one choice...But, good luck trying to force yourself not to buy the rest of the series-That'll be a chore!

This book was the turning point in my affection for Anita. I enjoyed all the books previously for their suspense and character interplay. Now I find myself slogging through several story lines and the climax happens in a page or two with everything ending in peaches and cream no matter how much of a stretch. Anita was better when she was not all powerful.

If only there were a 100 Laura K. Hamilton's, nay a thousand. You've done it again Laura, i waited a whole nail biting year and more. I wanted to know what would happen with Richard, Jean Claude, and Anita, and so much more. You are in my opinion the best. Read Burnt Offerings you wont be let down, (first things first. Read all her books that have come before if you havent, then read Burnt Offerings.) Keep on rocking Hamilton....

This is the first Anita Blake novel I have read and, while I found that it was competently done, there was little in the way of real atmosphere or suspense. Maybe it's just me, but I found it was just another generic genre fantasy novel (I was expecting something more horror than fantasy). This would probably appeal most to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer crowd or those who enjoy those massive multi-charactered series novels.

I can't argue that Ms. Hamilton is a great author. I couldn't put the book down until the end, even though it didn't go the way I wanted it to. I missed Edward's presence in the book and I didn't especially like the change in Richard, although it was to be expected. I guess I still hold a grude because of the guy choice that Anita made so I was just a bit grumpy, but I still love the series and can't wait to read the next book!

Half of this book was good. The beginning scenes with Jean-Claude were enjoyable. When the trouble began, I enjoyed seeing the two of them portrayed as a solid team. The trouble was even initially interesting. But the second half was simply annoying. The tension with Richard was irritating. I stopped liking him in the last book and I just detest him now. The "mystery" faded away in an excuse to have the "bad guys" try to torture the "good guys". Anita, who previously was impressive due to her ability to think, bluff and power her way through impossible situations, now apparently only has to make out with people to defeat them. Jean-Claude, who used to be seductive and a little scary, and who then morphed into even more seductive and likeable, is now moot. He seems to exist solely to provide Anita with the vampire marks that allow her to run rampant over everyone. <Yawn.>

I think I will stop reading this series at this book. This series started out great -- a wonderful mix of mystery, fantasy, horror and erotica. But as the series progressed, the heroine has become increasingly unbelievable and unlikeable as she seemingly has the ability to do *everything*. What was previously the story of a plucky heroine with special abilities is now the story of a woman who can tame everyone through sex and a little sprinkle of apparently unlimited necromancer power. The mystery, fantasy and horror elements have all but faded away. Looking at the reviews of the books after this one, it appears the downward slide continues in force. I will stop here while I still have some respect for the books.

I was dying to get Burnt Offerings, and reading it was at the top of my to do list...which makes my dissapointment so strong. I've read every other book in the series(all of which were so perfect)but the basic elements in Burnt Offerings were different than those in the others. Characters I've grown to love changed substantially, and some, like Edward, dissapeared all together. Also, Anita seems to be getting weaker instead of stronger. I mean, she uses violence for all her problems, making the series cartoon-like. I do love Laurel K. Hamelton's other works, I'd die if she ever stops writing, but I could have lived without Burnt Offerings. I would love to see Edward be a vampire, that would explain his secretive manner. I'd also like to see the character Richard developed more. In spite of it all, I can't wait for Blue Moon, I'm sure it will be supurb.

As someone who was not originally a fan of the Anita Blake series, I am glad I stuck it out. Each book seems to be getting better and better and Anita's character is growing and becoming more likable. Monsters or not, they have their all too human strengths and weaknesses. Jean Claude is delicious. I hope their relationship continues to grow. Can't wait to read Blue Moon next.

Incredible "Bad Guys",,,, quite scary, (NOT for the squeamish) & worse very sexy. Power is the theme, & those who wield it. Most of these "People" seem to be crazy, is it their centuries & age or the corruption of power. Interesting to watch Anita is being force to explore her new power & is fighting to control it. I'm in love with the new Vampire Asher, wow... makes me breath heavy... enjoy.

Despite the side stepping into the vampire council issue, this book continued to evolve the characters and their relationships. Richard has turned into a spoiled brat in regards to Anita and JC. Makes you wonder how he would have been if they had gotten together. Would he have thrown a temper tantrum every time he didn't get his own way?? JC has continued to be more "human" in his relationship with Anita. It was interesting to learn of his relationship with Asher & Julianna. I missed not seeing or hearing about Edward. I hope he is in the next book. Oh by the way, does this woman work anymore?? Not one mention of work in this book, although Larry is briefly mentioned. I also found it very interesting that Anita is keepin up with both the werewolf pack and the wereleopard pack. Hmm!!

I have the entire series and i think of all of them this is the most disappointing. It was still a great book and I couldnt put it down unitl I was done reading it but it just was missing something the other books had. Or maybe it had too much. To begin with it seems like all the werecreatures are wimps and they all get raped or tortured. Personally i dont like the rape thing. Ok, i can deal with one or two creatures getting raped but it seems like all the characters in the book either get raped or have been raped in thier past. Also its like the only person who ever does anything in the book(or any of the books) is Anita. Cant anyone do anything without her there to hold thier hand? Shes also seems to get a kick out of discribing her every article of clothing and exactly where all her weapons are located. Hamilton takes more time describing Anitas wardrobe then she does anything else. It gets old after a while. Other then this the book was great and i hope there will be more from this series.

This book has a lot of plots and a lot of characters, but it's excelelnt. Anita has chosen Jean-Claude over Richard, though, of course, she can't just walk away from Richard altogether. It's never easy for her. A visiting council of vampires has come to town to investigate Jean-Claude and his group, including Anita and Jean-Claude. I loved that this book ended some storylines but also took things in new directions.

I love the series, like so many others, but have lately felt let-down by the character development, or rather character degredation, of Anita. With Richard it felt like she had a chance at happiness, not the typical marriage and 2.5 kids, but definately not a nose dive into the true human monster, as she seems to be headed to with Jean-Claude. Blue Moon sounds like a big make-up session for them, and I can't wait. Also, I find Hamilton's descriptions of the weres intriguing, and it makes the vampire community boring in comparison. The weres are more like lost souls, looking for comfort, family, love, and understanding, while the vampires (with some exceptions-Willie McCoy, the new Asher, and on occasion Jean-Claude) sound like a broken record - Blood! Sex! Violence! POWER!! are their only words. I'm hoping that Hamilton will Finally tie some ends up and move on to new ones, but overall I still enjoy rereading all the books and will devour the ones to come!

I loved this latest Anita Blake book. After I finished reading The Killing Dance, I wondered what would happen next. I love the contnued development of Anita, Jean Claude, and Richard. I also really liked Asher. I had wondered if Asher might make an appearance. Throughout the series Anita has developed more and more powers. I wonder if she has become too powerful, but then again her victories are all situational. The only problem is that there are a few too many plots. Ms. Hamilton deals well with tieing up the ends, but it feels as if the connection is kind of sudden. Ms. Hamilton really makes her characters live. I too wish Jean Claude were real. He is a marvelous, manipulative, sexy, and caring vampire. Ah Well. My advice is read the whole series from beginning to this latest book. You will probably find yourself reading them through a second time.

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Strong female characters, plenty of action, mystery, and romance keeps you turning pages till the end. I'm a newcomer to the series so I can't compare it to the others, but I'm definitely hooked. I can't wait to backtrack and discover more of the history of the characters (how Anita and Jean-Claude met, etc.)

I work in a book store and I recommend these books to anyone remotely interested in Vampires. Anyone who tries the first book,GUILTY PLEASURES, comes back for more. Point for me. They can't help themselves because they get sucked into a fast-paced, fingernail embedded, knock-down, drag out, pissa story. Point for Ms. Hamilton. Just read em, ma petite.

From the first chapter of "Guilty Pleasures" I found myself sucked into the world of Anita Blake. Simply, "Burnt Offerings" is a wonderful character study - as such, it is my favorite book in the series. The arcane complexities in her relationships with Richard - whom she loves in a sweet, idealistically childlike way - and Jean-Claude - whom she lusts after and trusts with her life and soul - are fleshed out and come to a head. Beautifully. Plus, "Burnt Offerings" has one of the strongest side characters Hamilton has come up with - Magnus. Nathaniel and Steven and Edward are wonderful, but Magnus has an aura about him. He's mesmerizing from the instant his presence worms its way onto the page. For him, and the pursuit of Jean-Claude, I adored this book.

Hamilton makes the story interesting with all the different stories converging into one spectacular masterpiece. The stroy wraps the reader into the world of Anita Blake. It is like the Never Ending Story... You keep wanting to give adivce to the main character. You feel her lust and pain through Hamilton's words. Absolutely Captivating.

Finally, Anita and Jean-Claude, I have been waiting for so long for them to be together. I can't wait for the next book to come!! If you know the next Anita Blake series, please contact me. Thank you. What is really interesting is that the Council is afraid of her, or Jean-Claude would say cautious of her. Even though they wouldn't admit it.

Laurell Hamilton seems to be making her major male figure Jean-Claude less powerful than her female is now. The real fun was in the first two books when it was a real power struggle. In this book the sub-plots were much better than usual, though Ms Hamilton is really geting a bit too Clive Barker goo/perverse. (Unless you really, really like a lot of it) I really dislike the other male/wolfman. He's a whiner. Wish she would get rid of him. However, this is one of her top three books. The various plotlines are terrific.I do keep hoping that something just a little different will begin happening as her books seem to be repeating themselves a bit. Still I love them.

This is the best book in the series so far. I found it a bit hard-paced, true, and a bit involved with the "relationship" side of things. Nevertherless the revelations are interesting, the monsters are cunning, the characters are four-dimentional, and the story is involving. I do hope there's more coming. And soon.

Since The Killing Dance I have been wondering if I really want to continue reading this series. I would now have to answer YES!! Richard's attitude was understandable, and I personally would have chosen the werewolf over the corpse with fangs anyday! All in all, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!

Anita Blake is a heroine like no other. She is spunky and full of attitude. Plus, she's dating the super sexy Master Vampire, Jean Claude. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels read very quickly. So quickly that I am sad they are gone so fast! Fantasy and vampire fiction readers will adore the Anita Blake series.

I read Burnt Offerings a while ago...Along with the other seven books whose titles I can't rememeber offhand...I absolutely LOVE Laurell K. Hamilton...Her character growth is superb, and I love the way Anita deals with Asher. I can't really pinpoint anything about specific about the book, since I did read all eight in the series almost a year ago...But I can say that if you read this book, definitely read the others. Hamilton's description in delicious, and she really gets into her characters' minds...Perfect for readers that love to lose themselves in literature!

I read this book in one sitting. It kept me compelled to find out how Anita would deal with the elders, and what was the status of her love triangle. How will Anita resolve her difficulties with Richard? I gues we will just have to wait until the next book.

Way too much. The way I had it, the plot was too condensed. The time line was screwed up, and Edward was missing! While okay, I hope LK isn't going to start suffering from overkill (pun intended). It wasn't up to her usual stuff.

Laurell Hamilton is one of the premier writers of the gendre of our times! She is funny, thoughtful and keeps my wife and I intrigued at every point. It is sad, then, that we both feel Blue Moon was a terrible, disappointing book. We have read all her books with rapt attention-could not put them down. This was a major disappointment. The sudden change in personality, moral values,etc. was not in keeping with the character. The excessive,rambling,(and quite frankly, boring) delving into the "pack" behaviour served no purpose to the plot and left us feeling empty and disappointed. While I could relate to where the author was trying to go, the execution was pitiful. We will purchase the next book, but this one goes in the trash. We sincerly hope Laurell K. Hamilton is not offended by our review; she is extremely talented! I am sure she feels that this is not her best work. Sincerly, Frank & Pam Cannon

I have all of the anita blake series and my only complaint is, there aren't enough of them to keep me happy. No other vampire or wereanimal book can come close. Hamilton is an outstandinding author. I hope that she writes more.

This is the first Anita Blake book i have ever read-its really great! The book isnt a wonder of literary masterpieces-its not trashy and poorly-written either. Its your basic vampire hunter type book-not a deep huge plot, but enough plot. Anita can be a little annoying-why not share blood? Or join Richard naked in the shower? I couldnt put the book down-the characters are rather chilling--"you smell like pack" will haunt me for a while. A good book!

The characters, especially the undead, go on and on and on about how powerful they are, but never really do anything. Everyone seems to act so powerful with all their threats, but in the end, nothing seems very impressive. In only a few books, Hamilton makes it appear that Anita is as powerful as the vampire council... which is ridiculous. I won't be giving this series another chance...

There are few series that have gripped me as much as this one. I must confess there are few books where I want desperately for the author to change their minds. Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series is one (I actually wrote the author, complaining when he killed off my favorite character). This is another. Please don't dump Richard! I actually had to stop myself from mentally shaking Anita for making the 'wrong' choice. I am anxiously awaiting the next book to see if she wises up.

I've read all the other LH books and must say this is the best one yet! The ending was rushed, but the many different plotlines I can relate to. How many people have only one problem at a time? It's like having final in five different classes, but not studying until the night before. Oh, and about the not sleeping thing -- she was knocked out for a day, how much more sleep do you need!!! Well, I read it twice since I got it (a week ago) and it's great!!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Burnt Offerings, the best of the series so far. I really loved the Vampire Council especially the Traveler and the scene in the waterlogged basement with the vamps was chilling. Would make a great cinematic moment. Exciting!

I think this book was great! I couldn't put it down however I am always upset with Anita for picking Jean Claude over Richard haha it seems I have gotten attatched to the characters because I seem to get mad at her whenever she doesnt make the choices i would! However this book is full of twists and new plot developements and LKH is a wonderful author as always KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

I liked this book because she finally had to put Richard in his place. He needs to embrace who he is or he is going to get everyone killed. I love the teasing that Jean-Claude does to Richard since he takes everything so personally. Richard needs to take some lessons from Anita in how to deal with the real world. Other than that I really liked the book and can't wait to meet Laurel when I get my book signed in July.

This is the book where you start to see Anita's power's emerge. Anita and Jean claude are both powerful and strong, together their better than ever. I hope there will always be something between them, their an exciting couple. I read guilty pleasures an up and loved each one. Laurell K. Hamilton pulls you in as a writer so that you can't wait to read whats next.

I have read all of Ms. Hamilton's Anita Blake books and of all of them this was my favorite one. Anita is a highly intelligent, tough-as-nails, sassy woman and I love her to death! It's about time a heroine did more than cry and faint. Anita makes MEN faint. In this book she helps Jean-Claude take on the Vampire council, the one entity that even Master Vampires fear! All Anita Blake fans should read this.

I've read all the other LH books and must say this is the best one yet! The ending was rushed, but the many different plotlines I can relate to. How many people have only one problem at a time? It's like having final in five different classes, but not studying until the night before. Oh, and about the not sleeping thing -- she was knocked out for a day, how much more sleep do you need!!! Well, I read it twice since I got it (a week ago) and it's great!!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Burnt Offerings, the best of the series so far. I really loved the Vampire Council especially the Traveler and the scene in the waterlogged basement with the vamps was chilling. Would make a great cinematic moment. Exciting!

I think this book was great! I couldn't put it down however I am always upset with Anita for picking Jean Claude over Richard haha it seems I have gotten attatched to the characters because I seem to get mad at her whenever she doesnt make the choices i would! However this book is full of twists and new plot developements and LKH is a wonderful author as always KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

I liked this book because she finally had to put Richard in his place. He needs to embrace who he is or he is going to get everyone killed. I love the teasing that Jean-Claude does to Richard since he takes everything so personally. Richard needs to take some lessons from Anita in how to deal with the real world. Other than that I really liked the book and can't wait to meet Laurel when I get my book signed in July.

This is the book where you start to see Anita's power's emerge. Anita and Jean claude are both powerful and strong, together their better than ever. I hope there will always be something between them, their an exciting couple. I read guilty pleasures an up and loved each one. Laurell K. Hamilton pulls you in as a writer so that you can't wait to read whats next.

I have read all of Ms. Hamilton's Anita Blake books and of all of them this was my favorite one. Anita is a highly intelligent, tough-as-nails, sassy woman and I love her to death! It's about time a heroine did more than cry and faint. Anita makes MEN faint. In this book she helps Jean-Claude take on the Vampire council, the one entity that even Master Vampires fear! All Anita Blake fans should read this.

For those of you who liked the Anita of old (the one who drowned in the bathtub at the end of the Killing Dance), don't read Burnt Offerings. The mystery is, for all purposes, nonexistant, the amount of violence is obscene, and the drastic changes in Anita's character will make you cringe. Your time will be better spent re-reading the first three or four books of the series.

Unbelievable! Tht is the only word that can describe Laurell K. Hamilton's latest masterpiece. Not only does Anita have to discover who's setting fire to abandoned buildings in St Louis, she also has to worry about two of the Vampire COuncil members who came to town about Mr. Oliver from "Circus". ANd we thought WE had problems.

I just recently bought my first Anita Blake, vampire hunter book, I absolutely love them!!!!! I ran out and bought the rest of the series and read them all back to back. They are absolutely wonderful.

STARTED READING SERIES WITH 'THE KILLING DANCE', AND COULDN'T WAIT TO GET THE REST OF THE SERIES. BURNT OFFERINGS, THE NEWEST ANITA BLAKE,VAMPIRE HUNTER NOVEL; DID NOT LET ME DOWN. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE. A MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY MYSTERY, ADVENTURE, AND FANTASY WITH A TWIST.

I love this series. But this book was a serious disappointment.

If you haven't read the previous book, Anita chose Jean Claude and now are openly going out. Well a friend of Jean Claude drops by and brings friends, the vampire council, after they're introduced, I found the plot a little unbelievable and kind of bleh.

I found it painful to read and Anita, not Anita.

Anita seems to be getting more wreckless with her line of work. She needs to stake Jean-Claude and get back with Richard. Burnt Offerings is the worst book that Hamilton has written in this series, but it is still good. I hope she gets a new one out that is even more action-packed and bloody than any one before.

i have found, laurell hamilton's, vampire series to be the best. With excellant plots that keep you on your toes.If you havent read them, you dont know what your missing.Looking forward to more of her books!!