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Micah and Strange Candy
MICAH'Raising the dead is easy. Love is hard.'There are lots of reasons to raise the dead - some private, some public. In this case, the feds have a witness who died before he could speak on the record. They want him raised so his testimony can be taken.So here I am, Anita Blake, necromancer, on a plane to Philadelphia, flying off to do my job. But I'm not Micah, head of the St Louis wereleopards, is with me. I'm happy to have him at my side. Until he mentions that this will be our first time alone together. Just me and Micah.And all my fears and doubts...STRANGE CANDYFantastical fairy tales that will leave you craving from the woman who marries into a family of wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, readers will revel in these unique visions.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
33 people are currently reading
1013 people want to read
About the author
Laurell K. Hamilton
423 books25.8k followersLaurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 23, 2012
I haven't read any Anita Blake books since Book 12. It used to be one of my favourite series, but something happened along the way and I just couldn't handle the path Anita is headed in. So I stopped reading her stories. I borrowed this from the library with the intention of reading the short stories only, so I skipped Micah.
THOSE WHO SEEK FORGIVENESS: This is actually an Anita Blake story, and I loved it! It's got everything I originally loved about Anita and her world. It focuses on a case that seems pretty straightforward--a standard reanimation--but ends up in a pretty bad place. It was great!
A LUST OF CUPIDS: Um... not sure about this one. It was a little too light and fluffy, I think. Even the description of the cupids, lol. And the ending was a little... meh.
THE EDGE OF THE SEA: Oooh, I liked the atmospheric feeling of this story.
The night Adria wakes up nervous and with a feeling of doom, she finds her best friend and housemate dead on the beach. Shortly after a man was taking advantage of her, and then disappears into the sea. Distraught and grief-stricken, she starts to hear a strange song inside her head, while other women turn up abused and dead on the shore. Soon, she finds herself in the same danger... but she might be strong enough to save herself and put an end to this monster.
Although the subject matter of this one was very dark, I liked the style of the story. I really got dragged into the middle of Adria's confused and haunted state of mind. Besides, I've always thought the sea to be super creepy.
A SCARCITY OF LAKE MONSTERS: Oh, I think this is my favourite story so far!
It's set in a world where lake monsters are actually real, and a wife and husband team take care of one in particular in the Enchanted Forest National Park. His name is Irving, and he's got quite the sense of humour, plus really likes his human caretakers. However, the night some assholes take their boat out on the lake and pretty much butcher the poor lake monster, Mike and Susan are distraught, but also discover something fascinating about these sea monsters.
I loved this story.
SELLING HOUSES: This is a short story set in Anita Blake's world, but starring a realtor. Abbie is trying to sell the house of a recent family massacre, but this isn't your average murder house. There's a really dark and evil stain left on it. Dark enough that some pretty heavy supernatural cleansing needs to be done before it can be sold. Lucky for her, other creatures of the night happen to be interested.
A fun and tension-filled story that I really enjoyed.
A TOKEN FOR CELANDINE: An interesting fantasy story about an elf, a healer, a demon and the quest to cleanse the healer. I really enjoyed this one!
A CLEAN SWEEP: This is a silly story that I didn't like. At all. :/
THE CURSE-MAKER: I just couldn't get into this one... DNF.
GEESE: Another fantasy story, but one that I really couldn't get into. So, in the end I read the beginning, skimmed the body, and read the ending. That's it.
HOUSE OF WIZARDS: Another fantasy story. Didn't bother with it.
HERE BE DRAGONS: Now, this was a great, psychologically insane story. In a totally screwed-up way. Wow. It hooked me in from the very beginning and I just had to read it in one sitting. It's a very powerful story set in a world filled with very dangerous, psychic children. Yikes! It made my skin crawl, and I agree with the editor LKH mentioned at the beginning--I feel unclean now.
WINTERKILL: This is another fantasy story, so I decided to skip it...
STEALING SOULS: ...and this one too.
THE GIRL WHO WAS INFATUATED WITH DEATH: Y'know, it wasn't until Jean-Claude entered the scene that I realised I'd already read this story, lol. Still, it's an Anita Blake story and it managed to hook me in once again. So, I just kept reading until I got to the end.
This was an interesting story, another one that reminded me how much I used to love Anita and her world. :/
Well, there it is. This book was a strange mix of short stories. Some I REALLY enjoyed, some I had to skim, and a few I decided to skip. Still, I'm glad I read this collection.
My faves were: Those Who Seek Forgiveness and A Scarcity of Sea Monsters. :)
THOSE WHO SEEK FORGIVENESS: This is actually an Anita Blake story, and I loved it! It's got everything I originally loved about Anita and her world. It focuses on a case that seems pretty straightforward--a standard reanimation--but ends up in a pretty bad place. It was great!
A LUST OF CUPIDS: Um... not sure about this one. It was a little too light and fluffy, I think. Even the description of the cupids, lol. And the ending was a little... meh.
THE EDGE OF THE SEA: Oooh, I liked the atmospheric feeling of this story.
The night Adria wakes up nervous and with a feeling of doom, she finds her best friend and housemate dead on the beach. Shortly after a man was taking advantage of her, and then disappears into the sea. Distraught and grief-stricken, she starts to hear a strange song inside her head, while other women turn up abused and dead on the shore. Soon, she finds herself in the same danger... but she might be strong enough to save herself and put an end to this monster.
Although the subject matter of this one was very dark, I liked the style of the story. I really got dragged into the middle of Adria's confused and haunted state of mind. Besides, I've always thought the sea to be super creepy.
A SCARCITY OF LAKE MONSTERS: Oh, I think this is my favourite story so far!
It's set in a world where lake monsters are actually real, and a wife and husband team take care of one in particular in the Enchanted Forest National Park. His name is Irving, and he's got quite the sense of humour, plus really likes his human caretakers. However, the night some assholes take their boat out on the lake and pretty much butcher the poor lake monster, Mike and Susan are distraught, but also discover something fascinating about these sea monsters.
I loved this story.
SELLING HOUSES: This is a short story set in Anita Blake's world, but starring a realtor. Abbie is trying to sell the house of a recent family massacre, but this isn't your average murder house. There's a really dark and evil stain left on it. Dark enough that some pretty heavy supernatural cleansing needs to be done before it can be sold. Lucky for her, other creatures of the night happen to be interested.
A fun and tension-filled story that I really enjoyed.
A TOKEN FOR CELANDINE: An interesting fantasy story about an elf, a healer, a demon and the quest to cleanse the healer. I really enjoyed this one!
A CLEAN SWEEP: This is a silly story that I didn't like. At all. :/
THE CURSE-MAKER: I just couldn't get into this one... DNF.
GEESE: Another fantasy story, but one that I really couldn't get into. So, in the end I read the beginning, skimmed the body, and read the ending. That's it.
HOUSE OF WIZARDS: Another fantasy story. Didn't bother with it.
HERE BE DRAGONS: Now, this was a great, psychologically insane story. In a totally screwed-up way. Wow. It hooked me in from the very beginning and I just had to read it in one sitting. It's a very powerful story set in a world filled with very dangerous, psychic children. Yikes! It made my skin crawl, and I agree with the editor LKH mentioned at the beginning--I feel unclean now.
WINTERKILL: This is another fantasy story, so I decided to skip it...
STEALING SOULS: ...and this one too.
THE GIRL WHO WAS INFATUATED WITH DEATH: Y'know, it wasn't until Jean-Claude entered the scene that I realised I'd already read this story, lol. Still, it's an Anita Blake story and it managed to hook me in once again. So, I just kept reading until I got to the end.
This was an interesting story, another one that reminded me how much I used to love Anita and her world. :/
Well, there it is. This book was a strange mix of short stories. Some I REALLY enjoyed, some I had to skim, and a few I decided to skip. Still, I'm glad I read this collection.
My faves were: Those Who Seek Forgiveness and A Scarcity of Sea Monsters. :)
October 28, 2025
favorites
[edit]
I like Anita Blake and really enjoy Meredith Gentry, so I thought I should try reading Strange Candy. This to me was a really good collection of short stories. The cover was totally inappropriate given the subject matter of the book. I guess it was just for shock value. The comments that preseeded each story was totally unwanted. I think Hamilton was just trying to get a dig in to people who rejected her which is petty an immature. It would have been better if she had tried ot be grown up about people's differing opinions. That said, I enjoyed the stories, especially the one about the Goose girl and the rapid cupids :)
I've re-read a number of times, but haven't always made a note when. But I remembered the story of the wizard who brings a wife without magic to make his happiness complete - and read the story out to my OH. I love the concept, but reading it out loud did bring home how bland the writing actually was. That said, I still love the book and the stories - her imagination is fabulous, even if the writing isn't of the highest calibre. But, I don't mind. This isn't literature, but fun, interesting entertainment.
[edit]
I like Anita Blake and really enjoy Meredith Gentry, so I thought I should try reading Strange Candy. This to me was a really good collection of short stories. The cover was totally inappropriate given the subject matter of the book. I guess it was just for shock value. The comments that preseeded each story was totally unwanted. I think Hamilton was just trying to get a dig in to people who rejected her which is petty an immature. It would have been better if she had tried ot be grown up about people's differing opinions. That said, I enjoyed the stories, especially the one about the Goose girl and the rapid cupids :)
I've re-read a number of times, but haven't always made a note when. But I remembered the story of the wizard who brings a wife without magic to make his happiness complete - and read the story out to my OH. I love the concept, but reading it out loud did bring home how bland the writing actually was. That said, I still love the book and the stories - her imagination is fabulous, even if the writing isn't of the highest calibre. But, I don't mind. This isn't literature, but fun, interesting entertainment.
Read
May 29, 2011I have seperate copies of Micah and Strange Candy.
February 5, 2018
10/20. 2* for Micah, 3.5* for Strange Candy. Other reviewers mentioned Micah being a short novel bulked up to 245 pages with large type etc., well the edition I read was 116 pages long. Filler story about the most pointless story in the series, really should have been part of another novel but at least there was only time for 1 sex scene. Give Micah a miss unless you love the series. Strange Candy is a collection of Hamiltons short stories included to bring the book up to a reasonable length. The Blake universe stories (seek forgiveness, selling houses, infatuated with death) were pretty good and I really enjoyed the nightseer universe stories (winterkill, token for celandrine, stealing souls, curse-maker) while the other stories vary from the really good "Here be Dragons" to utter rubbish like " A Lust of Cupids". Definitely worth a read if you're a Laurell K. Hamilton fan and want to see what she was like as a writer before she decided it was easier to fill a book with sex and forget about plot and character.
July 4, 2017
THIS IS NOT ONE BOOK!!!!
This book consists MICAH, a novella that follows on from Incubus Dreams, and STRANGE CANDY which is an anthology of short stories/ ideas that never happened. Not all of these short stories are set in Anita's world. Because of this I'm gong to go through the individual parts that make up this book, for the simple reason that I wouldn't give them all the same rating (It will also explain how this is on both my Favourites shelf and my Not-My-Kind-Of-Book shelf). I felt that Five stars overall was to generous, as there were some shorts that I didn't like, and yet three stars seemed to harsh as I didn't feel the it was just okay overall.
Micah. - 5 stars.
This is just over a hundred pages long and follows on from Incubus Dreams. Anita has to go out of town to work, and due to having to feed the ardeur needs to take someone with her. Micah is that someone. It gets pointed out that this is the first time that Anita and Micah have been truly alone together with none of their other friend around them. This means that Anita is forced to face up to exactly how she feels about Micah and it is also where we learn what the story of his past is.
I really enjoyed this short story. I feel that after reading it we have a better understanding of who Micah is as a person and what motivates and drives him. It also shows exactly how much that Micah cares about Anita, as well as highlighting how little they know about each others past.
It's worth picking this book up for this novella alone.
Strange Candy - Overall 4 stars. - contains 14 short stories all around the length of a an average chapter.
Those Who Seek Forgiveness - This is set in the world of Anita Blake. It could easily earn itself 4 - 5 stars. This shows how different the series could have been if Laurell K Hamilton hadn't tweaked the originall idea. It's about a zombie raising that doesn't go to plan. A very enjoyable short story.
A Lust Of Cupids - This is an idea that didn't go very far. Again I'd give it 4 - 5 stars. A very light hearted, enjoyable short story. Cupids go around hunting down people over the age of 30 and make them fall in love whether they want to or not. I would have been interested to see where this idea could have gone.
The Edge of the Sea - A very dark story in contrast to the previous one. I loved this and it could have made a good full length novel in my opinion. Definitely a 5 star story. A mysterious man that comes seemingly from the sea and lures people to their death.
A Scarcity of Monsters - This was again, a story that could have made a very good full length novel (dare I say series) this is about sea monsters. I really liked this story 5 stars hands down.
Selling Houses - 4 - 5 stars. This s set in Anita's world. However Anita nor any of the other characters, main, secondary or otherwise are in this short story. This looks at how the whole Vampires being legal thing effects people in other, more mundane lines of work, such as real estate. It was certainly interesting to see things from a different perspective.
A Token For Celandine - This was set in the world of the Nightseer. This is a book that I haven't read, and therefore I am unfamiliar with the world that it is set in and who and what the characters are. Because of this I found it really hard to get into the story that was trying to be told and therefore I didn't finish this short story. I would probably give this only the 1 star, simply because I wasn't drawn into the story and fond it really hard to understand the characters. I don't know whether this would still be the case however if I had read the main book in which this short story is set.
A Clean sweep - This was a cute superhero story that we all wish could be true. I feel that 3 stars is fair for this story. Its about a superhero that cleans your house. This is fairly sweet and enjoyable.
The Curse-Maker - This was also set in the world of Nightseer, though I managed to finish this story, I really had to force myself to do so. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the world that it was set in. Its about a Bard that has had a death curse placed on him and the other characters (with their talking sword) are against the clock to find the right person to lift the curse. I would give this 1 star, maybe 2 at a push; it's just not my kind of story.
Geese - This seemed promising at the start, but this was another story that I just didn't click with and lost enough interest in, that I didn't finish so it only gets 1 star from me. It's about a girl that has shape shifting magic and changed changed into a goose. It has something to d with her past; but I can't really tell you anymore as I never read enough.
House Of Wizards - I loved this story. I think that this could have made a good, funny series. This easily get 5 stars. It's about a wizard that brings his new wife that has no magic to meet his powerful magic using family and how she has to win them over. Very enjoyable.
Here Be Dragons - 3-4 Stars feels fair. This is a Sci-Fi story. I think that it could have done with a little more in the way of a back story to explain things a little more clearly. This was very dark story that revolved around a Government project that dealt with people (kids) that have the power to kill you in your dreams.
The next two stories Winterkill and Stealing Souls were both set in the world of Nightseer, and as I hadn't enjoyed the previous two short stories that were set in this world I decided not to read them. I therefore can't review or rate them.
The last story in this anthology is The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death.- This is set in Anita's world and takes place before Narcissus In Chains. I would give this 4 stars as I found it quite enjoyable to read. Basically it's about a 17 year old girl that has disappeared with a vampire so that he can turn her and her mother has come to Anita for help. We also get a bit of Jean-Claude in this. Good story.
This book consists MICAH, a novella that follows on from Incubus Dreams, and STRANGE CANDY which is an anthology of short stories/ ideas that never happened. Not all of these short stories are set in Anita's world. Because of this I'm gong to go through the individual parts that make up this book, for the simple reason that I wouldn't give them all the same rating (It will also explain how this is on both my Favourites shelf and my Not-My-Kind-Of-Book shelf). I felt that Five stars overall was to generous, as there were some shorts that I didn't like, and yet three stars seemed to harsh as I didn't feel the it was just okay overall.
Micah. - 5 stars.
This is just over a hundred pages long and follows on from Incubus Dreams. Anita has to go out of town to work, and due to having to feed the ardeur needs to take someone with her. Micah is that someone. It gets pointed out that this is the first time that Anita and Micah have been truly alone together with none of their other friend around them. This means that Anita is forced to face up to exactly how she feels about Micah and it is also where we learn what the story of his past is.
I really enjoyed this short story. I feel that after reading it we have a better understanding of who Micah is as a person and what motivates and drives him. It also shows exactly how much that Micah cares about Anita, as well as highlighting how little they know about each others past.
It's worth picking this book up for this novella alone.
Strange Candy - Overall 4 stars. - contains 14 short stories all around the length of a an average chapter.
Those Who Seek Forgiveness - This is set in the world of Anita Blake. It could easily earn itself 4 - 5 stars. This shows how different the series could have been if Laurell K Hamilton hadn't tweaked the originall idea. It's about a zombie raising that doesn't go to plan. A very enjoyable short story.
A Lust Of Cupids - This is an idea that didn't go very far. Again I'd give it 4 - 5 stars. A very light hearted, enjoyable short story. Cupids go around hunting down people over the age of 30 and make them fall in love whether they want to or not. I would have been interested to see where this idea could have gone.
The Edge of the Sea - A very dark story in contrast to the previous one. I loved this and it could have made a good full length novel in my opinion. Definitely a 5 star story. A mysterious man that comes seemingly from the sea and lures people to their death.
A Scarcity of Monsters - This was again, a story that could have made a very good full length novel (dare I say series) this is about sea monsters. I really liked this story 5 stars hands down.
Selling Houses - 4 - 5 stars. This s set in Anita's world. However Anita nor any of the other characters, main, secondary or otherwise are in this short story. This looks at how the whole Vampires being legal thing effects people in other, more mundane lines of work, such as real estate. It was certainly interesting to see things from a different perspective.
A Token For Celandine - This was set in the world of the Nightseer. This is a book that I haven't read, and therefore I am unfamiliar with the world that it is set in and who and what the characters are. Because of this I found it really hard to get into the story that was trying to be told and therefore I didn't finish this short story. I would probably give this only the 1 star, simply because I wasn't drawn into the story and fond it really hard to understand the characters. I don't know whether this would still be the case however if I had read the main book in which this short story is set.
A Clean sweep - This was a cute superhero story that we all wish could be true. I feel that 3 stars is fair for this story. Its about a superhero that cleans your house. This is fairly sweet and enjoyable.
The Curse-Maker - This was also set in the world of Nightseer, though I managed to finish this story, I really had to force myself to do so. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the world that it was set in. Its about a Bard that has had a death curse placed on him and the other characters (with their talking sword) are against the clock to find the right person to lift the curse. I would give this 1 star, maybe 2 at a push; it's just not my kind of story.
Geese - This seemed promising at the start, but this was another story that I just didn't click with and lost enough interest in, that I didn't finish so it only gets 1 star from me. It's about a girl that has shape shifting magic and changed changed into a goose. It has something to d with her past; but I can't really tell you anymore as I never read enough.
House Of Wizards - I loved this story. I think that this could have made a good, funny series. This easily get 5 stars. It's about a wizard that brings his new wife that has no magic to meet his powerful magic using family and how she has to win them over. Very enjoyable.
Here Be Dragons - 3-4 Stars feels fair. This is a Sci-Fi story. I think that it could have done with a little more in the way of a back story to explain things a little more clearly. This was very dark story that revolved around a Government project that dealt with people (kids) that have the power to kill you in your dreams.
The next two stories Winterkill and Stealing Souls were both set in the world of Nightseer, and as I hadn't enjoyed the previous two short stories that were set in this world I decided not to read them. I therefore can't review or rate them.
The last story in this anthology is The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death.- This is set in Anita's world and takes place before Narcissus In Chains. I would give this 4 stars as I found it quite enjoyable to read. Basically it's about a 17 year old girl that has disappeared with a vampire so that he can turn her and her mother has come to Anita for help. We also get a bit of Jean-Claude in this. Good story.
December 6, 2019
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I enjoyed the short stories enough but they felt out of place because it's put in the Anita Blake #13 slot and aside from a novella sized story about Micah and two short stories the rest of the book is random stories. I just felt that it shouldn't have been bound together or at least have Anita short stories so it fits with the series.
February 3, 2019
All of her books are good yes they are a bit out there , but I read the first one and got hooked as I have all of them. Waiting for her last book that has been out last summer , and time to read it.
May 26, 2023
love this book
Love the insight Micah gives to Antia and Micah’s relationship, and how it expands on how they fit together in the wider world. Strange Candy gives a fantastic insight into the authors other works and how her mind works
Love the insight Micah gives to Antia and Micah’s relationship, and how it expands on how they fit together in the wider world. Strange Candy gives a fantastic insight into the authors other works and how her mind works
January 9, 2011
First off, doesn't that book title sound a bit, well, odd, even for an Anita Blake novel? Especially when you consider that until now, all the titles are named for places found within the book.
But here's the thing, Micah is the name of Anita Blake story and Strange Candy is the name for the collection of short stories that Laurell K. Hamilton has written over the years.
As you can probably ascertain then, Micah is not a full novel in its own right; it's a novella named after the only other major character in the series who is in the book (Nathaniel's in their but only has a cameo appearance) other than, obviously, Anita herself.
Despite the fact that it is a novella, there is still everything that readers have come to expect from the Anita Blake series id est, character exposition, sex, violence and death. Whereas normally, there would be chapters given to each, the same is not true here as everything happens in such a short period of time at quite a frenetic pace that it draws you along for the ride.
One can't help wonder if LKH can do this with this one book, whether the same could be done with others as even I'll admit, fan that I am, some of them do go on just a bit too long. However, I think it only works precisely because the sheer amount of world building that has taken place in the previous books.
After all, at this stage, we know who Micah is don't we?
As for Strange Candy, this is the overally title for a collection of short stories that have been published in various magazines or anthologies. Some are set in worlds already created such the Nightseer world or Anita's world but some are also just one offs.
Whilst the stories themselves are good, I personally don't like short stories because just when I'm getting into the story, it's over. They are useful if you have an anthology with different authors as it presents a chance to read something by someone I might not have considered before, but as all these are by the same author which negates that. As such, I probably wouldn't have bought Strange Candy on its own so the fact that it came with Micah is a bonus for me.
But here's the thing, Micah is the name of Anita Blake story and Strange Candy is the name for the collection of short stories that Laurell K. Hamilton has written over the years.
As you can probably ascertain then, Micah is not a full novel in its own right; it's a novella named after the only other major character in the series who is in the book (Nathaniel's in their but only has a cameo appearance) other than, obviously, Anita herself.
Despite the fact that it is a novella, there is still everything that readers have come to expect from the Anita Blake series id est, character exposition, sex, violence and death. Whereas normally, there would be chapters given to each, the same is not true here as everything happens in such a short period of time at quite a frenetic pace that it draws you along for the ride.
One can't help wonder if LKH can do this with this one book, whether the same could be done with others as even I'll admit, fan that I am, some of them do go on just a bit too long. However, I think it only works precisely because the sheer amount of world building that has taken place in the previous books.
After all, at this stage, we know who Micah is don't we?
As for Strange Candy, this is the overally title for a collection of short stories that have been published in various magazines or anthologies. Some are set in worlds already created such the Nightseer world or Anita's world but some are also just one offs.
Whilst the stories themselves are good, I personally don't like short stories because just when I'm getting into the story, it's over. They are useful if you have an anthology with different authors as it presents a chance to read something by someone I might not have considered before, but as all these are by the same author which negates that. As such, I probably wouldn't have bought Strange Candy on its own so the fact that it came with Micah is a bonus for me.
June 22, 2022
Part 1 Sub-story with Micah and Part 2 Great Short Stories Collection in Strange Candy
Took me awhile to get to this one, but while waiting on 29th adventure of Anita Blake I got this one to do some catch up. Part 1 is an adventure with Anita and Micah and combined with Part 2 with a selection of short stories. What a treasure throve of tasters of new characters and adventures from the amazing imagination and storyteller, hard to pick out a favourite as enjoyed them all and love how Laurell has a great attention to detail that allows a connection and real character experience.
I am big Anita Blake fan since hooked with first adventure of Guilty Pleasures all those many many years ago. I took a break near the middle as found myself lost, confused and uncomfortable with the direction and felt overwhelm by the sexual content and less action. However, after returning to re-read the books with the plan of letting them go as I declutter and making most of lockdown time I got rehooked. Could be a combination of my dealing with my own internal demons, personal development and/or reaching the second spring of life, but fell back in love with Anita, her men and her adventures. Love the strong female character of Anita that Laurell has developed over the years and enjoying the rollercoaster of emotions as feel I grow and overcome much like Anita's journey from a single woman, living alone, devoted to her work and natural talents with her attitude to dating and sex to where she now finds her life. Been a true adventure when you start at the beginning of first meeting Anita to last two books of Sucker Punch and Rafael.
Laurell never ceases to surprise with each book taking you on an unexpected journey with Anita as she experiences her continually changing world.
Cannot recommend enough 'Strange Candy' as a great selection of stories from the magical imagination of Laurell K Hamilton. If you read and love the stories, you will love Anita Blake series.
Took me awhile to get to this one, but while waiting on 29th adventure of Anita Blake I got this one to do some catch up. Part 1 is an adventure with Anita and Micah and combined with Part 2 with a selection of short stories. What a treasure throve of tasters of new characters and adventures from the amazing imagination and storyteller, hard to pick out a favourite as enjoyed them all and love how Laurell has a great attention to detail that allows a connection and real character experience.
I am big Anita Blake fan since hooked with first adventure of Guilty Pleasures all those many many years ago. I took a break near the middle as found myself lost, confused and uncomfortable with the direction and felt overwhelm by the sexual content and less action. However, after returning to re-read the books with the plan of letting them go as I declutter and making most of lockdown time I got rehooked. Could be a combination of my dealing with my own internal demons, personal development and/or reaching the second spring of life, but fell back in love with Anita, her men and her adventures. Love the strong female character of Anita that Laurell has developed over the years and enjoying the rollercoaster of emotions as feel I grow and overcome much like Anita's journey from a single woman, living alone, devoted to her work and natural talents with her attitude to dating and sex to where she now finds her life. Been a true adventure when you start at the beginning of first meeting Anita to last two books of Sucker Punch and Rafael.
Laurell never ceases to surprise with each book taking you on an unexpected journey with Anita as she experiences her continually changing world.
Cannot recommend enough 'Strange Candy' as a great selection of stories from the magical imagination of Laurell K Hamilton. If you read and love the stories, you will love Anita Blake series.
July 22, 2014
The only reason I gave this book 3 starts was because of the short stories at the end of the book. They were interesting but I haven't read them all yet so I can't give a good review on them and at the moment I am not really interested in them so I may come back to it at a later date.
I love reading anything to do with Laurell K Hamilton, couple this with the fact the whole book was about my favourite character in the series (Micah if you haven't guessed) then I thought this book would be perfect. Truth is it was rather bitter sweet. I loved the Micah story but most of the book is occupied with the anthologies of short stories and these are all well wrote but I just want to read more of Blakes life.
The book gives an insight to the domestic Blake and some more Micah time which I will never say no to but I was left wanting more. I enjoy the character ensamble that is present in the books but more characters does mean less screen time (Well page time) for the ones we love and more for the ones we don't love as much.
The book itself doesn't seem to add that much to the overall plot but it is well worth the buy if you like Micah
I love reading anything to do with Laurell K Hamilton, couple this with the fact the whole book was about my favourite character in the series (Micah if you haven't guessed) then I thought this book would be perfect. Truth is it was rather bitter sweet. I loved the Micah story but most of the book is occupied with the anthologies of short stories and these are all well wrote but I just want to read more of Blakes life.
The book gives an insight to the domestic Blake and some more Micah time which I will never say no to but I was left wanting more. I enjoy the character ensamble that is present in the books but more characters does mean less screen time (Well page time) for the ones we love and more for the ones we don't love as much.
The book itself doesn't seem to add that much to the overall plot but it is well worth the buy if you like Micah
August 26, 2016
I nearly gave this 4, simply because Anita does something other than have reluctant sex with multiple beasts. Yep, that's right folks, she raises a zombie again at last! I totally gave up on this series a few years back after trying to read Incubus Dreams. Having had a gap I found that I missed bad ass Anita. She is back for just a fleeting moment or two in this novella, and it was enough to give me hope that one of my fave series was getting its mojo back after the last few disastrous offerings. Hmmm, I started Danse Macarbe immediately after and let's just say my hopes have been dashed completely! LKH should devise some masterful destruction of the overly flooded cast and reset this whole series, and please, for the love of plot lines, kill off this ardeur shit, it's ruined this series
October 10, 2011
I didn't read the Micah part of this book as I have the seperate copy of it already and will read it where it fits in the series as I go through the books. I bought this copy for Strange Candy so it is the short stories that I'm reviewing here.
I'm not usually a fan of short story anthologies but this set was good. I wasn't as keen on the stories set in her Nightseer world as I didn't enjoy that novel though I did like the personality of the blood blade. It reminded me of a bloodthirsty Peeves in Harry Potter! The Anita Blake short story was particularly enjoyable, showing her when she was still raising zombies for a living.
Well worth a read. I'll review Micah when I read it.
I'm not usually a fan of short story anthologies but this set was good. I wasn't as keen on the stories set in her Nightseer world as I didn't enjoy that novel though I did like the personality of the blood blade. It reminded me of a bloodthirsty Peeves in Harry Potter! The Anita Blake short story was particularly enjoyable, showing her when she was still raising zombies for a living.
Well worth a read. I'll review Micah when I read it.
July 30, 2012
I love the Anita Blake series and I have just finished reading Micah and Strange Candy, although this book was up to Hamilton usual standard it was not one of her best.
In my opinion this book was written to give the reader a rest. There are two books in one, the first is about Micah's and Anita's first time outing together without Jean-Claude, Nathenial etc. the second book is just short stories that don't relate to Anita Blake at all and are mainly there just to give the reader a rest from the series.
In my opinion this book was written to give the reader a rest. There are two books in one, the first is about Micah's and Anita's first time outing together without Jean-Claude, Nathenial etc. the second book is just short stories that don't relate to Anita Blake at all and are mainly there just to give the reader a rest from the series.
May 13, 2013
I read these separate and they were OK. Not as riveting as they could have been. I was especially disappointed with Micah. I hd been hoping for a bit of back story and alone time for Anita and Micah for a long while and this failed to deliver. But It was still a good story development book for later stories.
Strange candy... for a stand alone it was ok, as well. It didn't add or detract from the story world. It was like listening in on a bit of daily happenings for the life of our small but fierce vamp manager.
Strange candy... for a stand alone it was ok, as well. It didn't add or detract from the story world. It was like listening in on a bit of daily happenings for the life of our small but fierce vamp manager.
June 16, 2013
A delectable short novel featuring Micah and his relationship with Anita as well as glimpses into his history. Enjoyable.
The second part of the book is "Strange Candy" a collection of short stories from the rich writings of Laurell K. Hamilton. Thus far I had only read the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series and was surprised at the richness and imagination of Laurell's other writings. Definitey wetted my appatite for more of her work. Very good material to let girls read. Laurell has a knack for letting the girls and women be heros and revered masters of their lives. Well done.
The second part of the book is "Strange Candy" a collection of short stories from the rich writings of Laurell K. Hamilton. Thus far I had only read the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series and was surprised at the richness and imagination of Laurell's other writings. Definitey wetted my appatite for more of her work. Very good material to let girls read. Laurell has a knack for letting the girls and women be heros and revered masters of their lives. Well done.
March 17, 2014
If you've read the last few Anita Blake novels then this is just more of the same. Used to be Buffyesque action but more recently it just seems to be vampiric/werewolf sex...constantly. Infact too much. More executioner action and a bit less sex please. It's almost getting silly now.
The other short stories in this collection are pretty good. Possibly because they weren't filled with constant sex. I have been swayed to try one of the authors other non-vampire based books. All good.
The other short stories in this collection are pretty good. Possibly because they weren't filled with constant sex. I have been swayed to try one of the authors other non-vampire based books. All good.
February 15, 2015
Wonderfully silly. Anita is 4 parts varied were-creature, 1 part vamp(ire) and the rest is federal marshall employed as a zombie raiser. Oh and she needs a good boffing at least 4 time a day but luckily lives with her two super lovers (who have intimacy issues but are well hung handsome and loyal).
Haven't laughed so much in ages
Haven't laughed so much in ages
March 28, 2011
I've read most of the Anita Blake books but this was a very short novel.I usually find the books either terrible or okay.This book was okay.The main story "Micah" was not very good at all but I did like some of the short stories.
April 14, 2012
Not a bad little story. The short stories are not bad but they were a bit random. I am glad I got it out of the library instead of pay for it. Full price would have been two much for this little story.
July 27, 2009
I enjoyed the story where the counselor woman got into peoples' dreams... it was strange, but somehow good too!
November 14, 2009
Vampire
October 8, 2010
Micah was good but disappointingly short. I enjoyed the short candy at the back
November 21, 2010
Liked Micah - developing that relationship...
Strange Candy - an odd mix of short stories.
Strange Candy - an odd mix of short stories.
May 1, 2011
Laurell succeeds to describe a more sympathetic Micah.
October 20, 2011
Loved it <3
September 2, 2012
I love everything Laurel K. Hamilton.
March 20, 2012
Too short :-( I really really like Micah, and would have liked for Anita and him to have more time together alone. But the story was good but just too short.
February 2, 2013
In Strange Candy, it was interesting to read other short stories by Laurell that didn't have anything to do with her series'. Micah was sort of a flop for me but then again I'm not a Micah fan.
October 22, 2014
surprisingly good
loved the short stories
loved the short stories
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