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Introducing Anita Blake, vampire hunter extraordinaire. Most people don't even bat an eye at vampires since they've been given equal rights by the Supreme Court. But Anita knows better--she's seen their victims. . . . A serial killer is murdering vampires, however, and now the most powerful vampire in town wants Anita to find the killer.

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

47 people are currently reading
2846 people want to read

About the author

Laurell K. Hamilton

423 books25.7k followers
Laurell 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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5 stars
4,361 (49%)
4 stars
2,479 (28%)
3 stars
1,424 (16%)
2 stars
383 (4%)
1 star
116 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
4,750 reviews71.3k followers
March 19, 2011
I really liked Guilty Pleasures when I first read it (the book, not the graphic novel). In fact, I was a huge fan of the Anita Blake series, until it stopped being about Anita being a bad-ass and turned into a paranormal sex-fest. Anyway, I was hoping to recapture that kick-butt feeling with this, but it just didn't happen. The storyline felt disjointed and weird. It hopped from one strange encounter to another without really explaining anything.
Besides that, Jean-Claude looked just as stupid in his frilly shirt as I imagined he did when I read the book. I really didn't need the visual. What kind of a guy wears lace on his sleeves? Idiot.
Profile Image for CS.
1,215 reviews
October 10, 2014
Anita Blake is an animator and an executioner. She has been approached to work for the vampires to solve the murder of five of their own. But Anita has a policy: she won't work with vampires. Period. But when the Master Vampire wants something, the Master Vampire gets it. Now, Anita must find out who is behind these vampire murders...or her friend may be in danger.

For a long time, I've been told I need to read this series, as it is one of the cornerstones of the urban fantasy/vampire genres. I'd tried to read the paperback novel on which this was based, but it wasn't clicking. So when I saw a graphic novel with some cool art, I thought I'd try it out.

While there were a couple of things that I liked - aspects of the artwork, the vampire/human interactions, and the fact that there is a strong female character - I found myself frustrated with this graphic novel...a lot.

The characters weren't either that interesting or notable. I am not growing too fond of Anita. She just seems to have a huge chip on her shoulder and acts like a know-it-all while not really doing a whole lot (or proving her supposed skills), all while pretending to be a Strong Female Character. Hopefully, I am proven wrong in the novel (Author's Note 7/17: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!) or in later books (AN7/17: Double BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!), because I would very much like to like her. The other characters just don't stand out to me: Edward, Phillip, Ronnie...they are all just names, no personality or character jumps out at me.

The story was nearly incomprehensible. It seemed to jump all over the place. I didn't understand what happened at the bachelorette party in the slightest and what danger Catherine was supposedly in. And why again did the Master Vampire want Anita to investigate so badly...particularly given Anita's hatred for vampires?

But most of my complaints are graphic novel specific: starting with the art. It was weird, how huge Anita and other women's thighs were--bigger than either her waist or her head. I didn't realize that Anita was half-Mexican, because the graphic novel makes it appear she is either Vampire or Scandinavian. And lord have mercy, the artists need to work on her hair. In every side panel, her hair sticks out like a foot from her face. Side profiles are the worst, where her hair literally forms a ball around her head. Not to mention, Anita is supposed to be such a kick @ss women, but in half the panels, she looks like a meek, punished puppy, with big, sad eyes and puckering lips. This does not scream vampire hunter to me. Scars looked like someone had spit all over the characters.

And then, Stacie Ritchie obviously didn't know how to translate a book into a graphic novel (Jess Ruffner-Booth seemed to be better). There were lines of interior dialogue from Anita on nearly EVERY panel, completely disrupting the flow of the story. But even that wouldn't be bad, but most of the time, it was just descriptions of stuff that the panel ALREADY shows or random comments that would have made more sense in the book (such as mentioning her penguin fascination--we can see she wears a penguin shirt in every panel and cuddles a penguin in bed, we don't need her to explain it). There was only one page that really treated the book like a true graphic novel and that was the one where Phillip and Anita rush to the bathroom (towards the end, done by Ruffner-Booth--hence, why I say she is better at adapting).

I've bought Volume 2, so I hope it gets better. I've also got the novel, which I will read, but let me tell you, after reading the graphic novel, I'm not as excited. (AN7/17: AND FOR GOOD REASON TOO!)
Profile Image for Seizure Romero.
511 reviews176 followers
November 29, 2007
OK, those who know me have most likely heard me rail against the Anita Blake novels. This is because they're crap. However, I'm a big fan of comic books and a big fan of vampires so when I saw this sitting on the shelf at the library while I was looking for books by Warren Ellis, I thought what the hell-- pretty pictures can only improve it, right?

Oh, no. No, no, no. Non, nein, nyet, NO.

I suppose some of the blame must fall on the head of the writer of the graphic novel because there were some seriously weird-ass plot jumps from one page to the next, but ultimately the source material is at fault. Putting it in a pretty package is called "gilding a turd."

Yup. Gold-plated poop.
Profile Image for ♛ Garima ♛.
1,013 reviews183 followers
May 20, 2019
One PNR without any R-omance...not that I can see in sight.

The graphics were lively and vivid but storyline was jarring. Maybe 'cause I never read Anita Blake before -ya sue me but I don't care.

Since #2 is already available in local library, I will read it and see how it goes, but I don't see myself being fan of this series...neither it encouraged me to read the book....
Profile Image for Speedtribes.
121 reviews7 followers
February 10, 2008
Ok. So I can't say I absolutely hated this book. I actually did find it somewhat enjoyable. The problem is that I didn't enjoy it for any of its deeply buried good qualities.

It's like a bad movie night, where you and your friends gather together some of the worst movies in existence, sit about and happily enjoy each others loud company while throwing popcorn at the screen.

The story was nothing to sneeze home about. Perhaps it'd have been lass ridiculous if the art weren't so terrible. The coloring lacked any oomph. The drawing was... barely servicable in parts and in others, paraded the characters about as if the book were a collection of the biggest fashion disasters in all the world. And not a SINGLE person was capable of lifting their chin off their necks. Literally, everyone has to have their head down, and roll their eyeballs upwards to peer through their top eyelids in order to look at anyone else.

Mockworthy, brain gelatinating fun, but nothing beyond that.
Profile Image for Francesca.
2,436 reviews142 followers
July 8, 2011
Very faithful to the novel and the drawings are beautiful... It's a pleasure to read once again the beginning of Anita Blake story, when it was all guns and zombies and vampires, and not all about sex...
Profile Image for Cyndi.
2,452 reviews122 followers
May 5, 2018
I read these out of order but since I’ve read the books numerous times I didn’t have trouble finding my place. A lot of action was left out that happened in the book but the art was very good except for the scars. They look kinda weird to me, but I’m no art critic. I think Picasso looks weird. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Profile Image for Vivone Os.
750 reviews27 followers
March 16, 2021
Bookopoly 2021. - Dark cover
Ispočetka mi nije bilo zanimljivo, pomislila sam da su mi vampiri pomalo dosadili. Ali, kako je postajala napetija, sve sam više ulazila u priču i sad kad je gotova (naravno, s cliffhangerom), sad bih čitala dalje. Nikako mene zadovoljiti. Ilustracije su lijepe.
Profile Image for Amy.
110 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2013
Horrendous.

1. Stop with all the new characters. How many new dudes do we have to meet in this book? I couldn't keep them all straight. Each time I questioned who this one was, but didn't care enough to go back and figure it out so I just kept going.
Remember her friend who was going to get killed if she didn't figure this murder out for them? Yep, she was never in it again. But you know who was? Her OTHER random best girlfriend that was introduced for no reason.

2. There is a difference between setting a scene and going on and on and on about what she is wearing, how many steps she is taking, what she is holding in her hand, how she is walking into a room, etc. Does she need to be climbing the stairs for an entire chapter? STOP WRITING. By the middle of the scene, nobody cares anymore.

3. I'm okay with campy themes - hell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show of all time. However, could you make any of the characters or scenes in your book less cartoonish?

4. Towards the end of this book, you realize the main character is 24. Um, what? No. She sounds like she's in her 40s throughout the entire thing. And maybe we could have some back story about how she got to where she is and how she is so successful at what she does by the age of 24?

5. In the midst of all the useless details, the only foreshadowing that was written to show she was becoming a vampire or that she now has a master vampire? She was hungry before 10 a.m. Yep, that happened.


...good God. Just. Bad.
Profile Image for Natasha.
289 reviews100 followers
January 15, 2010
Anita Blake is a kick ass heroine. I've loved all of LKH's books and characters and I was super happy to find out that she also has her stories in comics/graphic novels. I'm not expert on comics or the way in which they do the artwork but I really like how these are done. The one thing I find odd is that from one graphic novel to the next, they sometimes change the artists? Though, like I said, I'm excalty sure how the process works. So there could be a reason why they change artwork through the series. All the same, I really love the artwork in this one(GUILTY PLEASURE VOLUME 1). It really is how I pictured Anita, well maybe not the cartoon part, but the faces she makes and her overall appearance. I really like how they kept to the books with her clothing, hair and added in her secret love for the penguins! The artwork is great and the over all story is excellent. I have all the graphic novels so far, I'm looking forward to THE LAUGHING CORPSE , VOLUME 2.

So if your a Anita Blake fan, or a graphic novel fan, I'd say this is a good choice to buy. Especially if your a collectibles fan. I know the price of graphic novels(especially the hardcovers) can be pretty steep if your a collector but
for the chance of more Anita, how could I not?

Profile Image for Shannon.
929 reviews276 followers
January 2, 2012
A tale about a mortal female investigator in an alternate world of our own investigating the murder of vampire citizens. This graphic novel does an all right job of following the novel but misses several important points. As stated before the novels are better but certain things are brought to life nicely, especially the mistress of the city. Purists of Anita Blake will be turned off that she looks physically perfect. STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: C plus to B minus; ARTWORK: B minus to B; TRUE TO THE NOVEL: B minus; WHEN READ: end of December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
Profile Image for Ivy.
1,506 reviews76 followers
December 12, 2016
5 stars

This is a very interesting series. Liked that Anita Blake is both a necromancer and an executioner of vampires. Hope they will be able to find out who murdered the vampires. The artwork is very nice.

Will have to give the series a try some time.

Can't wait to read Guilty Pleasures!!!!
Profile Image for Myka.
Author 11 books63 followers
November 10, 2012
I read the Anita Blake novels years ago then stopped when they basically turned into bad porn. I regret nothing. Finally got a chance to read the graphic novel and it's pretty darn good. It also reminded me that Jean-Claude is on my top three favorite vampire characters of all time list.
Profile Image for Elaine Skinner.
760 reviews29 followers
September 12, 2017
As a fan of the Anita Blake novels (prior to the insane amounts of sex and bestiality) I just had to try these. I wasn't too disappointed. They were very true to the story and the character's were portrayed very well. My only complaint was the illustrations. I'm not a huge fan of Anita's massive skull cracking legs or the way all of the male characters faces seem to be craggy. And I will agree with another reviewer: the illustrations do seem very stiff. Anita's face doesn't seem to change much from emotion to emotion and she too appears very craggy/harsh, not in the least bit feminine. Which is weird considering how feminine Jean-Claude looked. Much to my surprise Edward was hotter then I imagined. It was still an enjoyable read and I will be purchasing vol. 2.
Profile Image for Daniel.
142 reviews28 followers
December 11, 2019
This graphic novel is a great way to re-read the Guilty Pleasures storyline, and I must admit that I kind of forgot how much I loved Anita when I first met her. My only complain is that the artwork felt a little bit too old school, but it's not that surprising if you considered the fact that this volume came out in 2007 .
Profile Image for Jess.
398 reviews67 followers
July 21, 2018
A seductively sexy graphic novel that has a cool protagonist and really well developed story line. I love the many characters and they many ways they all differ. Mostly I love Jean-Claude ♥
Profile Image for Suzette Banick.
136 reviews35 followers
January 22, 2018
I'm not a fan of the art style. Most of the drawings look . . . incomplete. As if someone sketched it out then put color on top without trying to cover up the extra lines. There were odd shifts in scene and a few leaps in logic from page to page I didn't quite get which made me feel like I accidentally skipped a page. However, this seems to be a common problem for comics which were originally novels. There were also numerous references to rape before halfway through the book which were said in such an offhanded way that I'm sure a few people missed them.

The writing shows that the story can be really good
Profile Image for Zelda Gillian.
48 reviews25 followers
June 26, 2010
“Hot illustration… I fell in love with Anita all over again!”

Zelda’s Take: The first volume of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter graphic novel series has me drooling for more. I was a huge fan of Guilty Pleasures in book form and the graphic novel makes it that much better.

The graphic depiction of Anita is spot-on. She is oh so sexy, with giant eyes, voluptuous lips, curves out to here and the most unruly, long, jet-black hair that just makes me want to run my hands through it. Okay… I admit, I’d make out with her in a heartbeat.

Jean-Claude is pretty dreamy, too, with his slender, chiseled physique. Although, I must that my mind’s eye had always given JC’s hair a more sleek look, and not the curly black tresses depicted here, which I feel feminize him a bit too much. No matter, he makes up for it in sex appeal.

Reliving Guilty Pleasures is fun, too; especially the super-sexy moment when Anita and Jean-Claude are eluding the cops and have to pretend to be lovers—the tension is the scene is palpable as they embrace, enshrouded in rain, glowing with the moisture in the air and in the reflection of the streetlights. It is really beautiful.

The Freak Party is great, too. I had totally forgotten about Phillip (which kind of made me sad), but I loved seeing Edward in action.

Anita fans should definitely check this out. It’s just as great as the book, but gives you a chance to enjoy things from a whole new perspective!
Profile Image for VampireNovelFan.
426 reviews227 followers
January 18, 2012
Guilty Pleasures is Book 1 of the prolonged ongoing saga that is the Anita Blake series. Enter Anita, a necromancer by night and a vampire hunter...by night. You can imagine she has her plate full, raising the dead and staking fanged baddies.

And speaking of which, we meet Nikolaos, a 1,000 year old vampire. She's the most powerful in the city all the while inhabiting a body of a 10-year-old. She's causing a few problems for Anita that leads her to become allies with other vampires. Who better to help her than the second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude? The other worldly beautiful, but dangerous man wants to take over and happily joins with Anita, as he's interested in more than just an alliance. While drawn to him, Anita resists the temptation since she kinda has a problem with those allergic to sunlight.

While on the darker side, I found myself drawn into this mid-western city or St. Louis with it's grit, excitement and thrills. Anita gets her hands dirty and isn't afraid of a few scars...and boy does she have them.

The plot is definitely fast-paced and the read is short but focused, telling the story fine enough. I am not the hugest fan of this art style to be honest. The artist undoubtedly has skills and there's plenty of grit, but it's just not close to how I imagined the characters in my mind, especially Jean-Claude.

*Review also posted to Amazon
Profile Image for Krystl Louwagie.
1,507 reviews13 followers
August 28, 2011
Visually, these novels should translate fairly well into graphic novels, but I think there's just too much long winded introspection on the part of the main character to really work. The art is nice, but I feel like it all looks the same-Anita almost always seems to have the same expression on her face, and her hair is always blowing/laying the same way-the angles are a handful of the same ones over and over. I don't feel like the novel transitioned to comic book form very well, but reading this did make me miss this series and have got me itching to read another book from it. Still, I'd like to finish of the rest of "Guilty Pleasures" storyline at least in the graphic novel form (this was Vol. 1 of it), so I would like to keep reading these.

Another thing, I found a lot of it confusing, and if I hadn't already read the book, I think there would be a lot of things that I didn't quite get or understand because the pictures don't help to explain enough. So overall, a little disappointing, but, mediocre.
Profile Image for Michael.
423 reviews58 followers
April 26, 2009
The first of these I read was The First Death which was a pretty decent read.The characters at least had some personality. This one, an adaptation of part of the first Anita Blake novel, is a lot less coherent. Very little happens apart from a heck of a lot of posturing by most of the characters. The art also didn't grab me as everybody looks alike. The only way to identify the characters is to wait for Anita to mention them by name or compile a database with hair colour/style as the only identifying feature. Ninety percent of Anita's expressions throughout are a slightly dopey hang-dog look punctuated by the odd fierce look or the I just told a joke look. The penguins are quite cool though.
Profile Image for Nicole Lee.
21 reviews
July 28, 2010
I read this in one sitting. The's the 6 issue trade paperback seeing's how I didn't bother reading them issue to issue.

I was pleasantly surprised at the fact that they'd kept the "original" Anita mostly intact. She wasn't slutting around as I'd kind of expected (thankfully). I'm not sure how the rest of the books are going to go, but if they keep this up for the first few I'll keep reading.

That said, it was pretty poorly written. The writers treat the readers like idiots, and it's only the sections of internal dialogue that are taken directly from the novels that are worth having there.

I have a very mixed feeling about this one so far and am not sure how long I'll stick with it...
Profile Image for HeavyReader.
2,246 reviews14 followers
September 1, 2008
I was torn between giving this book three stars and four. I really wanted to give it three and a half, but I settled on four.

The art is great, bold and vivid, although most of the art shows the human/vampire form and human/vampire faces.

Those wererats are scary! And that rat king in those cutoff shorts--yikes! I have a feeling we will see more of those guys.

I liked the story, even though I was a bit confused at times (as I seem to be when I read graphic novels--I think I skim over the graphic part too fast). I want to read more!
Profile Image for Wendy.
4 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2009
Overall, I thought the story was good. Anita's scared little girl routine did, however, get on my nerves. I understand showing a little bit of vulnerability but a constant inward babble about how scared she was and how strong the vampires were, was a bit annoying. Other than that, the story was very entertaining. The other characters were interesting, and the back story, including the vampire protection laws and freak parties, was imaginative and fun to read.
Profile Image for Amanda.
1,654 reviews22 followers
December 19, 2008
Yeah, yeah, I read it. Didn't get into it though. The art felt kinda stiff and un-animated. And so didn't match my mental picture of the characters. The male characters all looked the same, clown-like. The whole thing was a bit of a let down. Much like her later work. Meow, saucer of milk, table 1.
Profile Image for Erin Ren Ramirez.
13 reviews
October 16, 2015
The entire Anita Blake series is everything you've wanted together in a book. Mystery, Romance, Action and a bit of Erotica, all tied in with that dark after thought. I am still reading this series over and over again. The comic book versions have recently started to manufacture giving a whole different outlook to the books. I look forward to reading all of them once more.
Profile Image for Jodi .
31 reviews3 followers
November 18, 2007
One of my favorite books and Laurell K Hamilton at her best. I love anita blake before it turned to porn. This is a great classic detective novel with lots of turns and supernatural twists.
Profile Image for Rachel.
2,234 reviews59 followers
November 15, 2016
A fun adaptation of the novel Guilty Pleasures into a graphic novel. The art is very good and the story flows really well. A quick read (once you actually are able to start) and not too bad!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews

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