Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am really feeling quite "meh" about Bullet. There's a lot that happens in the span of not a very long time, but a good chunk of it is "off-screen" orgy and the rest is pace-killing therapy speak. Makes the whole thing just very odd. It is, however, weirdly more memorable in places than a lot of the series has been for me up until this point.

I definitely remember the beginning of this one. Anita hanging out with kids for a hot minute definitely stuck in the brain-pan. I did not remember the bit with Monica and honestly… Anita’s right to despise her still. Ma’am, trauma is trauma, no matter who or what activity is involved. Also, Monica, Cynric is 17. 17. A literal child. Fuck you, Monica. This part wasn't even plot-impacting at all, but boy did it make me angry in the moment.

While not the beginning to Asher being a jealous butthead, this is the beginning of it in force. He definitely has his reasons, and I'm not saying they're bad reasons, but it's also quite annoying from here on out... assuming I'm remembering correctly, of course.

I’m sorry, what was that about “against our laws” to steal Human Servants away from each other? Anita’s been tossed around like a fuckin hot potato in the Human Servant category pretty much since the beginning. She’s mostly Jean-Claude’s, but also Belle’s and Marmee Noir’s at the moment, technically. So what’s the ruling on that shit? This is definitely one of those moments where you can see the world-building still happening, but also cracked a bit.

Okay, this is the book where my liking of Max happened. I feel the need to mention this because in Skin Trade I was very confused about when that happened. Honestly, Bibiana, Max, and Auggie are more likable over the phone in this book than they were in their initial appearances.

A big part of the problem with Haven is that he is a classic example of toxic masculinity. He can’t share, can’t square Anita’s “masculine” qualities, and can’t seem to change despite having the knowledge that he clearly needs to. This is rather talked to death with the Anita/Haven scene and the later scene after spoilery stuff happens. I think having this sort of, probably more common than a lot of us would like to admit, representation is good on the one hand, because it is so ingrained and now being reinforced in the younger generation. On the other hand, the fact that Haven is never able to move past it doesn't bode well for those being represented. If any of that makes sense... Haven's whole personality lands in the "thanks, I hate it and I hate it hanging around" category.

The way Bullet goes from crisis, crisis, crisis to slice-of-life is weird. It feels very strange. Definitely more true-to-life than a good chunk of the other books, but it just feels strange. I do think I figured it out, though. This is where Hamilton started putting more therapy stuff into the books. The entire crisis plot grinds to a halt so we can talk about the feelings involved in the situation rather than just forging ahead with the crisis at hand. That’s why it feels strange: it’s an element that wasn’t exactly there before and now it’s here in force. It’s not bad, exactly, just… strange, especially as far into the book as it is.

Which then brings us to the end. I very much remembered the end as being more bad-ass than I ended up thinking it was this time. I feel like Bullet ground itself to a halt and then never really picked the momentum back up. I'm not mad there wasn't some sort of large-scale battle or something at the end, but the calling of tigers thing just didn't land this time around. Like, yay, they did it! But also... okay... and now what? I don't know. I wasn't enthused and am not really enthused about picking up the next one.

Memorable Moments

Okay so, this section I'm tacking on here because I talked a little about remembering stuff from this book, but didn't get to touch on all of it in my review.

- The beginning with Anita and Matthew. Very memorable, very cute.

- Valentina. I do not at all remember what, if anything, ultimately ends up happening with Valentina. I did remember Anita, Nicky, and Damien finding her on the computer and how creep-tastic that was, though.

- Reba definitely seemed more badass on my first read-through and I remembered her, but I did not remember much else about that bit.

 

In Other News

I finished my MetalGarurumon Project over on Ovipets. Took me a little over a year to finish. I also did the body tattoo for them. Free-handed while looking at a MetalGarurumon reference. Ovipets sadly doesn't have robot genes.

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

I was honestly rather bored with Broken Homes. Considered DNFing it at one point. There was just a whole lotta nothin’ happening for a good long while in it and… yeah.

I definitely thought the wizard staff making bit was going to be longer and more interesting than it was. The architectural stuff was much longer and more boring. Even what happened with it at the end felt very anticlimactic.

Surprise, there were and are more magic users that Nightingale is/was aware of. Of course there are. This is the most unsurprising surprise. Random people and the Russian Night Witches, who’re no relation to the actual Night Witches. Speaking of, I did actually like Varvara. She was part of the more interesting bits of the story.

The Spring Fair was blah. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it was a load of nothing. I Did like seeing Beverly again for a minute. It feels like her inclusion is set up for her being more involved in later books.

Speaking of later books… Lesley. I don’t think I can actually say much without spoilers, but… her actions were understandable, I’ll say that much.

So yeah… I wasn’t really a fan of Broken Homes. Hoping the next one is better.

Favorite Conversation

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Lesley?” I asked. 

     “I think so, Peter,” she said. “But how are we going to get the pony up here?” - Peter Grant & Lesley May

Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton

2026 Reread Review

I really, really enjoyed Flirt. The fast pacing and short length made a lovely change from Skin Trade, which just seemed to go on and on. I think the laser focus on Anita and one thing going on, rather than having to deal with 12 characters at once plus politics really helped here. Anita got to be very much herself and focused on just getting herself out of the situation.

I was really happy to have Nicky introduced. He's such a staple of the later half of the series it actually felt kind of weird for him not to be around. He also seemed really young here. Nathaniel actually making the puppy/kitten reference about Nicky did not help with that impression. It feels weird but also right, if that makes sense. My reread brain is mixing "current" and future Nicky, I guess.

I actually quite like Jacob. I did not remember him at all, but I think he's solid. I am ambivalent about Ellen. Rather ambivalent about their employer... not overly surprised at which of the two choices it turned out to be, honestly. I feel like the second choice would have been too on-the-nose given their too-obvious-ness.

So yeah, Flirt was really good and reinvigorated my drive to get through this Anita Blake reread. Yay! 

Favorite Line

"They're people, not extra tires in case of emergency." - Anita Blake 

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

Skin Trade is, uh... interesting. On the one hand, some fairly large things happen here, but on the other... lots of long, drawn-out feeling exposition and cop drama. Oh, and Olaf being around. Skin Trade just honestly doesn't tickle my fancy like other Anita Blake books do.

Don’t really like the male vs female, cop vs civilian dick measuring contest Anita always has to go through, so I’m glad that’s mostly outta the way early. Would be very nice if it wasn't a continuing thing through Shaw and Morgan. I was honestly wanting someone to drop Shaw down a deep, dark hole fairly early on... but no.

I like that we get some “in the weeds” on Anita’s equipment, even though (not being a gun girlie) I don’t understand half of it. I also enjoyed the "in the weeds" bits about the psychics, witches, and such in terms of learning about their powers. I very much like the highlighting of psychics in policing and the consequences of shutting out anything more metaphysical in that profession. By not having anyone in the police force who can even hope to combat vampires and wereanimals, you’re basically kneecapping the force and people wind up dead. The Marshals are, at best, a stop-gap measure, especially if you want to get info out of your wereanimal suspect and not just kill em. There is a lot of introspection about this, both in Anita's head and through various characters straight up calling out the hypocrisy of both calling vampires and such citizens but not giving them any room for trials.

Okay, so here’s the part in the Olaf storyline where everything could have just been nipped in the bud. Tell him “no.” Not only “no,” but “hell no, never.” Whether or not that would have bumped Anita straight to his victims list is irrelevant. The fact that he offers to “try” vanilla for her should have resulted in a “hell no.” Ugh. I hate him and his storyline so, so much and part of it could have been taken care of right here by telling him “no.” But we don’t. For no apparent reason. “I’m flattered and creeped out” but can’t utter the word “no.” Wtf even. I honestly don't understand the "why" part of this. Are we supposed to believe that possible sex with Anita is the only thing keeping Olaf in check or something? Just... no. I'm so, so tired of it. Tired of Olaf now and later.

Third Act antagonist drop. Bleh. At this point, the plot is feeling really stretched and distracted, if I’m honest. Clearly it was important to go on the High Priestess side quest, but it also feels like it’s further muddying already muddied waters. I do understand it leads to the trump card for later, but still... It honestly felt that way as soon as we added Wicked to the mix. Like his character, but… the situation is already complicated enough.

Even though it can slow the story’s pace, I do kind of appreciate the side-bits between characters. It gives the stories a closer-to-life feel than these types of things normally get. Also leads to some good world building, if only to keep the world feeling more lived-in.

The last thing I wanted to make a note of is a reread thing. I was under the impression that I liked Max and Bibiana. This reread has proven that to be untrue. Max is barely even around here and Bibiana really just makes me wanna smack her. Victor, however, I definitely did like. Kind of wish he was around more, but do completely understand why he's not, in the long run.

But yeah... Skin Trade is definitely not my favorite. It's not one I think back on a lot. I feel like it's a necessary stepping-stone book, but it otherwise doesn't feel very consequential. 

Favorite Line

(And yes, I am very aware the irony of hating Olaf and having him have the best line in this book)

"If you fear nothing," Olaf said, "then you are not brave; you are merely too foolish to be afraid." 

Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch

I really should have taken notes while I was reading. My brain’s a bit frazzled. That said, I did enjoy Whispers Underground. It was interesting.

I did find it somewhat amusing that I was reading this one while experiencing one of the now-yearly Texas ice storms. Got the real-life version of trudging through snow and ice at the same time Peter was.

I like that Lesley’s officially Folly now. The continued looks at her recovery make me happy. I also enjoyed the further looks at the Fae and adjacent world. Love me some expanding world-building. Still not entirely sure what Tyburn’s up to, but it definitely seems concerning.

The London rail system being involved here was fun. I think it’s neat to see how they dealt with the expanding rail and wanting to keep London “pretty” or whatever.

So yeah, Whispers Underground, another solid entry in the Rivers of London series. 

Favorite Line

"But this was a murder inquiry and woe betide any officer who breaks the chain of evidence, for they will be sat down and have what went wrong with the OJ Simpson murder trial explained to them at great length. With PowerPoint slides." - Pete Grant 

Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton

I honestly found Blood Noir to be forgettable. There were a couple of over-arching plot-relevances, but otherwise... forgettable. As this is a reread, as well, I will double down on that. I did not remember a single damn thing from this book going into it again.

Regardless of the cause of his rage, Richard will not be forgiven for how he acted or has been acting because of it. I've been done with Richard for a while (which you will know if you've read my previous Anita Blake reviews) and this... other than Anita figuring out she could eat anger and Richard's version of the ardeur surfacing, he had zero reason to be there. Pretty much just an on-screen conflict generator that I would very much just like to punch in the face. Richard's ardeur scene was just icing on the "Richard's not a great person actually" cake. No, not icing, decorative, inedible detailing on the cake. He just made me so, so mad.

I did enjoy the "little" lore drop we got about the clan tigers and in-universe Chinese history regarding lycanthropes. Those little in-universe history touches really flesh out Anita's world in the best ways.

The bit where Anita ate Richard's rage/took back her rage reminded me very much of the scene in Disney's She-Hulk where Jennifer tells Bruce about her experience with rage. Women are just so full of rage and so good at keeping a lid on it and men just cannot handle the barest hint. We are scary and that makes us powerful.

But yeah... other than that, I will probably completely forget this book existed again. I am otherwise happy to be jumping back into the Anita Blake universe. 

Favorite Lines

"Obsession isn't love, Jason. It's possession." - Anita Blake

"Sometimes, if people forget you're there, you learn more. Silence can be a greater asset than any question." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I have finished my Chuumon project for my Child Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Chuumon took me 7 months to complete.

Acorna's People by Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Honestly, right off the top, the vibe of this book is different. Something in the way things a described… so different from the first two in a good way. This, unfortunately, does not last. There are literally parts of this book that just rush past or just seem to get utterly bored with what's going on and both draw out but rush at the same time. I did very much enjoy parts of this book, while others left me wishing for those parts. I think the story overall hangs together well enough, but... I doubt I'll be rereading this series again.

I found the antagonist characters both extremely boring and annoying. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Count Edacki was the boring, in the background, capitalistic asshole out for literally just making money. Captain or Admiral (I literally don't care about his title) Ikwaskwan was apparently in it for revenge against Nadhari... still not entirely sure what that was about, but it was gross. And then there's Kisla and Yasmin, who were both mentally ill and exploited by Edacki for his own ends. They were also incredibly boring and predictable. Thanks, I hate it.

I was really far more interested in Acorna's plot-line trying to learn and fit into the Linyaari society than I was in the plot-line involving her "rescue." While I was reading that part, I was desperate to get away from Hafiz et. al. and back to Acorna. Even the book itself seemed to be utterly bored with itself at that point. I considered skipping chapters... which turned out not to be needed. Once I was able to push through and get into the meat of the story, it was better.

I believe I either went on a bit of rant about in Linyaari and their inability to do ambassador-ing correctly in my review of Acorna's Quest. Well, apparently the species they have treated with in the past also have this problem. Just gonna up an believe a species they just met instead of trying to get some explanation from long-time trading partners about the allegations. Nope, everyone in that sector of space is stupid. There is such thing as too much trust and too much ethics and a severe lack of questions. Thanks for enabling the capture and torture of your supposed allies, guys. Real helpful. Ugh. I was just so, so frustrated with this.

Although I don't think the ending of the book really needed to be drawn out, I did find it kind of rushed. I will concede that it was very clever of Acorna and crew to lure the antagonists into Federation space instead of trying to fight them. I was expecting a fight, really. They were certainly out-gunned. But everything just unfolded quickly and smoothly and the bed guys were apparently punished, so yay.

I'm clearly not overly enthralled with this series. This one felt better than the last, but I think it might be time to call it quits. We'll see. 

Favorite Line

"Some people can hear nothing but their own inner voices shouting at them so loudly that they come to believe the shouting at them so loudly that they come to believe the shouting is coming from others." - Neeva