I liked the first book as well. Actually, the first Merry Gentry was the first LKH book I read, and this expanded into all the Anitas (until the 14th book).
I think LKH is trapped by the idea that sex is the most awesome and edgy theme to explore ever. I don't know what made her leap off the precipice, but every single idea might not begin with sex, but it certainly ends with sex. Like Sholto. Really cool idea. And then, inevitably, LKH only seemed to see his tentacles as sex instruments. Because apparently you can't use tentacles to do anything else. Like kill people.
Jean Claude and Anita? Fascinating idea. The aduer/ adeur thing, it would have been mind blowing if LKH decided to explore it from the 'JC is a manipulative bastard, and he's been meaning to use sex to brainwash Anita all along...' But sadly, sex wasn't the means to the end, it was the end. And somehow, perversely, Anita came to enjoy being shackled by her sexual urges.
I think that's the huge failing of a lot of the so called 'edgy' paranormal novels. The authors seem to define 'edgy' as 'porn', and having lots of sex and being sexually desirable is the be all and end all to being powerful as a woman. And because of that, every single aspect of the narrative, from the characters' motivations to every single bump of the plot, down to the smallest details of the world... everything is related to sex.
So why do these YA books / other paranormal succeed? I find the better ones are less focused on the main character's romances (and consequent sexxors), and more focused on their external and internal struggles with defeating the big bad. Romance is a good thing. But it should be taken with teensy doses. It shouldn't be the focus on the story, and it definitely shouldn't be the sun which the world of the story revolves around.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-06-15 11:55 am (UTC)I think LKH is trapped by the idea that sex is the most awesome and edgy theme to explore ever. I don't know what made her leap off the precipice, but every single idea might not begin with sex, but it certainly ends with sex. Like Sholto. Really cool idea. And then, inevitably, LKH only seemed to see his tentacles as sex instruments. Because apparently you can't use tentacles to do anything else. Like kill people.
Jean Claude and Anita? Fascinating idea. The aduer/ adeur thing, it would have been mind blowing if LKH decided to explore it from the 'JC is a manipulative bastard, and he's been meaning to use sex to brainwash Anita all along...' But sadly, sex wasn't the means to the end, it was the end. And somehow, perversely, Anita came to enjoy being shackled by her sexual urges.
I think that's the huge failing of a lot of the so called 'edgy' paranormal novels. The authors seem to define 'edgy' as 'porn', and having lots of sex and being sexually desirable is the be all and end all to being powerful as a woman. And because of that, every single aspect of the narrative, from the characters' motivations to every single bump of the plot, down to the smallest details of the world... everything is related to sex.
So why do these YA books / other paranormal succeed? I find the better ones are less focused on the main character's romances (and consequent sexxors), and more focused on their external and internal struggles with defeating the big bad. Romance is a good thing. But it should be taken with teensy doses. It shouldn't be the focus on the story, and it definitely shouldn't be the sun which the world of the story revolves around.