Crimson Death by Laurel K. Hamilton - 2026

At the end of my 2017 review, I said "Crimson Death does not lack for pacing." I honestly don't know what I was on when I wrote that... this time around, I felt like Crimson Death was one of the slowest, worst paced things I've read in a while. Every time there was a sense of urgency, that sense died a slow, painful death of discussion, over and over. It's just so long and so drawn out and characters are expositing at each other things they already know and, as readers of this 25th book in the series, we should already know. It's also not like Hamilton doesn't know how to get from point A to point B without zigzagging through the rest of the alphabet, either. The ending batch of chapters was a perfect example of that. But no, we have to discuss everything to death and side-quest like crazy before we get there. It really wasn't fun this time around.

Honestly, Crimson Death mostly feels like a very long, slice-of-life fanfiction. The kind you read or write when you feel the need to flesh out some stuff that otherwise tends to get left on the cutting room floor due to considerations like pacing. It's not bad, exactly, but... yeah... that's what it feels like.

I still like that Anita's second Triumverate got some spotlight. It's about time. I also like getting to learn about the Fey a little more... a very little more, I might add. I also liked the glimpses we got of other power-scaling happening with Jean-Claude and Sin. I also liked the Harlequin stuff, which I would have sworn before I started this reread happened earlier. It's neat to hear how their power-scaling has been affected by the change in leadership.

Oh, and I had a long paragraph in my notes about how I wanted to throw the book at the wall pretty early on due to Detective Logan. He's extremely abrasive right off the bat and is the person the Anita vs. the Police stuff is passed through this time around, which makes me crazy. He hasn't even met her in person at this point and that doesn't get better when he does. So... yeah, thought that was worth a mention.

It really does feel like the ending of the book is rushed. I've honestly been feeling this way about a lot of the Anita Blake endings lately. They're largely unconnected from the rest of the book and just kind of need to happen to end the story. Again, not exactly bad, but given how the rest of the book was... you can feel the rushing... or maybe that's just because the pacing finally picked back up to where it needed to be, not sure. I am definitely not saying we needed more of Moroven posturing, but... yeah. Eh. I'm just not nearly as positive about Crimson Death as I used to be.

Favorite Lines

"Ah, I think much more happens in the back of people's heads than in the front." - Echo

"You can't talk to Bruce Wayne about Batman if you know they're the same person." - Nathaniel Graison

"Just because people are younger than you are doesn't make them children, just young." - Anita Blake

"If you're going to loot the bodies, take the extra ammo." - Anita Blake 

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton - 2026

2026 Review

Definitely spoilers in this one.

Ah, the therapy-speak that just barrels right in here. Yes, getting therapy is good. Yes, it’s good Anita is working on her shit. It’s just a lot, if I’m remembering past this part with Jean-Claude and Micah correctly.

I honestly feel like there’s just so much dialogue that really feels superfluous and slows down the pacing a lot. Now, I am willing to admit that, as a bathroom reread, I am technically “sitting with” scenes a lot longer than I would if I was not reading in small snippets of time, which definitely makes the scenes seem to last longer than they do. However… they still seem quite long.

I perused a couple of other reviews before writing some of this one and… yeah, the lack of editing that apparently happened with this book is definitely more apparent now that I think about it. Just an example I went like “mmm… yep, true” is being reminded almost every time Nicky’s “on-screen” that he’s a sociopath. Really didn’t need that many reminders. This also explains why the random locker room encounters were so long… really didn’t do anything for the plot otherwise. Honestly, now that I know about the editing thing, it's bleedingly obvious and actually colored how I felt about the last batch of chapters... they just seemed to go on and on...

It is kind of fun to see some Jean-Claude power-scaling happening and not just Anita. It’s also very nice that everyone’s concerned about this, given the nature of his powers and parts of his job he doesn’t want to give up. Dev and Micah’s power-scaling is… ehhh… this time around I’m not really feeling it.

I actually like the part with the flesh-eating zombie. It’s an interesting bit of world-building, even if, again, the whole thing felt very long.

Kane can still go die in a ditch. I despise him and am definitely on the Asher hate-train at this point.

I definitely feel like the FBI plotline was largely sidelined for most of the book, which kind of makes sense, given the nature of it. Dead Ice seemed to really want to focus on the relationship stuff more than the crime-solving stuff anyway. This does not end my gripe about having the crime-solving stuff suddenly solved and dealt with last minute, either. The same thing happens here, again.

I am definitely less positive about Dead Ice this time around. It’s fine, but if you’re uninterested in the giant polycule and the spicy scenes, it’s definitely not one you’re going to enjoy.

If you would like to know my thoughts from my last reread, you can find that HERE.

Favorite Lines 

"Revenge is cold comfort when the person you're avenging is already dead," - Anita Blake

"Hanging around you is like the Discovery Channel for monsters sometimes; I always learn something new." - Manny Rodriguez

"It sounded stupid, but love isn't stupid; it's necessary for a happy life." - Anita Blake 

Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton

Honestly, even more than taking a break with another book, Kiss the Dead is a breath of fresh air in this Anita Blake reread saga. Kiss the Dead focuses a lot more on Anita's work life and less on the continuing drama of her personal life. Make no mistake, that is definitely still there, but the main focus for a good half the book is on a case, which I very much like. I also like that this case takes place in St. Louis, so there's much less "dick measuring" going on with cops Anita hasn't worked with before, which is also very nice.

The only note I had written down was about Larry and Anita's morality argument. I liked it. Unfortunately, in a world of monsters, someone has to do the monstrous things to save lives from the actual monsters. This is later reflected in the conversation Anita has with Weiskopf. Vampires might essentially be human, but they're humans with supernatural abilities that need to be controlled and have built-in mechanisms for that. Otherwise, that's where Anita, Edward, and the rest of the new Preternatual Marshalls come in.

Speaking of Weiskopf, I think his (and his Master's) quest for freedom makes a lot of sense. I think that quest would also definitely appeal to the modern U.S. vampire. I also think there's not a lot of understanding on the part of those modern vampires as to why the power structures in-built into vampires exist in the first place or that they need to continue to exist. I am also very glad that Hamilton addresses this issue several times within the series and doesn't just do it once and then let it stand as precedence.

So, as for the personal-life aspects of Kiss the Dead... a reread does Asher zero favors. Knowing how his nonsense essentially turns out just makes me roll my eyes at every little thing he says. The last chapter (basically epilogue) posits that he won't do therapy, which he desperately needs, and knowing he continues along that vein... oi vey. I'm already very tired of it.

"The Cynric Problem"... I'm honestly not sure what to say about that. I've never been in a relationship with an age-gap, so I'm not sure how I'd feel about it, especially given how that relationship started. Honestly, talking about age-gap relationships in this day and age is a mine-field I don't feel particularly qualified to comment on. If it works between two consenting adults (which Sin and Anita are at this point) it works. The added complication of Sin just finding out how nerve-wracking it is to be dating a cop... also something I'm not at all qualified to comment on, let's be clear... yeah... Sin's young and it really does show.

But yeah... Kiss the Dead is definitely more up my alley in terms of being much less frustrating than other entries into the Anita Blake canon have been lately. I'm not sure if I have a fully renewed interest, but this one definitely felt better than others. 

 

Bonus Short Second Review

Mort was enjoyable. I do like the “Death takes a holiday” type stories. This one was a bit more complicated than others tend to be. That said, I really just don’t think I’m cut out for Discworld. I gave it a good try, but it’s just not for me. 

Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

The reread review of the book I almost DNF'd due to Olaf being present. We begin this Hit List reread review with some chunks directly out of my notes (mostly because I don't want to rewrite the quote out).

It’s hopefully not an omen (it was) that my first note is about stupid, fucking Olaf. “Edward wanted me to encourage the attraction, because it was the closest to healthy Olaf had ever been around a woman, but we both agreed that the line between being Olaf’s serial killer girlfriend as we killed vampires together and triggering his own serial killer needs toward me, was probably a thin one.” This is gross and ya’ll just need to fucking kill the man. I don’t care how good he is at killing vampires. This is not safe in any sense and you just need to yeet Olaf off the damn planet. No. Fuck off with this.

Okay, seriously, the entire plot of this book grinds to a screeching, Olaf-shaped halt when this man is “on screen.” Edward and Anita have a literal phone conversation ✨in front of him✨ about his frigging dating habits/wants. Seriously? Ugh. No. Stop.

(End note chunk)

Olaf is clearly my main issue with Hit List. The rest of the book is mainly fine. I don’t exactly like the whole “come show me your power before I deal with you because I don't believe everything everyone else says about your metaphysical prowess” tiger bull-crap, but I’ll take it over Olaf. The action is good. I quite enjoyed the forest fight and the ending fight. I will say, too, this is not the first time nor the last where Anita has to be physically kidnapped to actually move the plot forward. So, that’s a thing I noticed this time around.

I had a note about Karlton and how she was essentially fridged. I didn’t and don’t think it’s a great look to do that to a Black woman. I had, at time of note-taking, forgotten that Karlton does show up later in the book. Her testing positive for lycanthropy does, however, set the stage for Marshals under the Preternatural Branch to be able to continue their work despite being lycanthropes, which is good overall, I think. Not super great from the Olaf standpoint of it all, but, apparently we can’t just kill him so… yeah. Also set up, not because of Karlton, is the deputizing thing. This is helpful in allowing Anita to bring along her bodyguards and "food" in the future, as well as having other characters "on-screen" more. Yay.

If you cut out the big chunks of Olaf (which I would very much like to do), Hit List is a fairly solid entry. It's always nice when the vampire hunting comes back into the picture as more than a blip or backstory.

Favorite Lines

"Then they must have already found it, because everyone looks for home in someone." - Ethan Flynn

"If you live through the disaster you still need to get groceries, do laundry. That's one of the hardest things to understand when you first get involved in violence. That once it's over the world goes on, and you have to go along with it." - 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." 

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.

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton

A mostly spoiler free reread review.

First and foremost: Forbidding any knowledge of The Harlequin to even be passed to a Human Servant or Animal to Call is a dumbass rule. If Anita hadn’t learned about The Harlequin, she definitely would have held this stupid ass secret over Jean Claude’s head for the rest of their lives and probably, given how he doesn’t even want to accidentally tell her via their dreams, she would have found at that way eventually anyway. Stupid, stupid rule. I’m glad Anita gets to say as much about an adjacent part of the rules. I do also wonder, if The Rules say The Harlequin are not to be even mentioned, how does knowledge of them and their Rules get passed around?

It makes me happy that Anita is able to talk out her Nathaniel issues with Nathaniel.

Oh hey, Edward’s back. I didn’t super realize I’d been missing him, but I was so… yay? I super hate that he was forced to bring Olaf in on this. I fuckin' hate Olaf. He's not at all interesting to me and is really just gross. I did kind of like Peter being around, but, like Anita, have issues with that because he's friggin' 16. Even if trauma made him grow up quicker, it's not great to have him almost get killed so young.

Yet AGAIN, we have to deal with Richard and his issues. I’m so, so tired of this. I know Anita is also tired of this. They need to just stop letting him in whenever he shows up unannounced. I understand The Harlequin are in town and you want the Triumvirate all together but come on. Get the man his own room where he can go and not bother others with his bullshit. It feels like Richard's shit has finally come to a head, but it's felt kind of like that before, so I'm not actually holding out hope. I mean, I know, because this is a reread, that he gets "better" and becomes less present overall, but I cannot for the life of me remember when that actually starts happening. Whatever, he needs to stop showing up and fucking everyone over at exactly the wrong moments.

The backstory recaps feel clumsy here. Very “we both know this information but I’m gonna tell you anyway” followed by the larger context. I understand you’re kind of supposed to be able to pick up any book and understand what’s going on at any given point but… it’s getting ridiculous.

Politics, oh politics, I hate the effing politics. <— that was in a little sing-song voice in my head. But seriously, I hate the politics of this crap. I also hate Dolph taking out his issues on Anita. She should have told him to fuck off way before she did. Honestly, Dolph is devolving the same way Richard has. All that hatred interfering with his job and making him a less likeable character... I don't like it and am super tired of it.

The Harlequin seemed to take me forever to read. I just had to keep stopping every few paragraphs in places because the characters were just annoying me so much. I do like The Harlequin as a concept and they do eventually make a more robust appearance than they do here. I had been expecting (as it's been so long since I first read this) that to happen here, but it didn't, so I am a little disappointed. So... yeah. I'm overall frustrated with the series at this point. I think rereading them all in a bunch like this isn't the best method for a reread. 

Favorite Line

"Friends want what's best for you more than they want sex." - Anita Blake

In Other News 

So, for those who don't follow me on Social Media (Threads is where I hang out 99% of the time these days) I have been spending most of my time in Pokemon Land. While waiting for the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC, I was using the Vizualizer function over on OviPets to create Pokemon. Did from Bulbasaur to Wigglytuff, making my to-do OviPets Project List way longer... I'm not even halfway through the Kanto Dex. 😫

And now the Pokemon Legends: Z-A DLC (Mega Dimension) has been released. I've been enjoying it. It's honestly more of the same, just with more Pokemon and black-and-white Lumiose settings.

I have decided to take a break from my Anita Blake reread. I think the next few books will make me less frustrated overall, but... I'll pick that up in the new year. I'm going to be jumping into Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball's Acorna series. I read and reread the first book several times in my early teen years and now it's time to jump back in and actually read the whole series. 

Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton

Ah yes, the pregnancy scare book. I have been kind of dreading rereading this mess. That said, I am very happy Anita and Ronnie can have the frank conversation around abortion they have. It’s kind of fantastic. Ronnie’s whole mess is… not. Girl clearly has issues, but that’s largely not what this book is about.

There is alot of talking in this book. Talk about Master Vampires. Talk about Anita’s powers. Talk about pregnancy. Talk about Marmee Noir. It’s honestly no wonder my brain took in the important bits and discarded the rest over the years… I honestly didn’t even remember how this book went, like, at all. Merlin… for such a powerful vampire, literally does not show up again and I just forgot he existed. Go figure.

Second book in a row Richard has accused Anita of rape. Sir… stop. Also, the fact that he’s still holding out hope for a white picket fence with Anita at this point is just gross. He really, really needs therapy. Or to actually do therapy rather than just going for the sake of going. I wouldn’t want him anywhere near a hypothetical child, either, at this point, regardless of whether or not he’s the father. If your worldview hasn’t shifted to account for actual reality as of yet, that tells me you’re unhinged. I don’t know how much “real world” time has passed, but it’s been several books and enough has happened that Richard’s worldview should have adjusted to reality by now. Seriously, this discussion about Richard’s illusions happens a couple times within a few chapters of each other. Ugh! I am so very over Richard at this point.

All of that said about Richard, specifically, I do like that there is a wider discussion about women and pregnancy and children and expectations around all of this. I’m fairly certain it helped shape my views on the whole thing. I did originally read this book as a teenager, after all. This and being around young children for a chunk of my life certainly worked together to shape how I feel about the whole thing.

It’s interesting “watching” Anita puzzle out what she’s feeling. It feels sort of like an extended therapy session except the boys aren’t professional therapists in any sense. There is honestly so, so much of this that feels like that and not just for Anita herself. Augustine and Asher also get some random talk-therapy here.

I enjoy how we’re not gonna talk about the fact that Belle gave Anita a Human Servant Mark… so technically, Anita’s calling power for both Belle and Jean-Claude… but apparently that’s just a non-issue or something? I feel like that bit of lore is super forgotten about.

The intro of Vlad and Mowgli syndromes is interesting. I do always enjoy my bits of world-building that really make the world feel lived-in. Didn’t really think about birth defects before this point and now… still probably won’t think real hard about them, but it’s nice to know someone thought about them. I also liked that we got some stuff about how were-lions tend to work. Fun stuff, the weird mixing of human and animal cultural crap that happens within Lycanthrope societies. Kinda dumb, to be honest, but we apparently gotta appease the animal bits or else they’ll tear the human bits apart, I guess. Much shrugging.

I had completely forgotten the whole thing with Auggie and how it was the impetus for figuring out what was actually going on with Anita’s powers. I think I, too, would have freaked the fuck out if I realized it was my powers that had drawn all the important people in my life to me and I’d had zero idea. I don’t especially love that Micah goes “We’re almost thirty, Anita.” in the middle of his argument against her freaking out… but… yeah…

So yeah… so. Much. Talking. It’s not a super bad thing, but it also kind of felt slog-ish to get through at points. Might have been the particular characters involved or might have been the real world encroaching on how much brain-space I have for the fictional world. I liked Danse Macabre well enough. Probably going to forget most of it again, though. Heh. 

Favorite Lines

"The practicalities of life do not cease needing to be done just because other things are going wrong." - Jean-Claude

"Feelings are never stupid, they just make us feel stupid sometimes." - Nathaniel Graison 

Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review

Incubus Dreams is another really focused on Anita's "power creep" and the fallout from it. She, Nathaniel, and Damien are now joined in a second Triumvirate and that's had some consequences. First and foremost, Anita has to remember to actually take care of herself. I find that aspect of having to remember to eat very relatable. Sometimes you're just not hungry and have to force yourself to eat. At least most of us don't also have metaphysical hungers to deal with.

Incubus Dreams is also the book where the character count starts to jump up. There are lots of men to keep track of and that list is not about to get shorter. That said, this is really Nathaniel's book to shine. Anita realizes she's actually moving him into the boyfriend category and I could honestly not be more happy about it. I love Nathaniel. He is precious and must be protected above all else. Heh.

Unlike the last few books, I feel like Anita's work life was better worked into the overall story. It didn't feel as tacked on as it has been. Although I will say, I really, really don't enjoy the inclusion of racist, sexist police officers. I know the series is set in the South and that kind of thing is probably more rampant that I'd like to think... or rather, not think about, but I really don't need it in my fiction. Unfortunately, Anita has to deal with it so... ugh. I think this sort of thing is where that one person on Threads got confused... Anita herself doesn't hold these views, but boy do the rando police officers she has to deal with. Again... ugh.

I liked the world-building around Anita's necromancy powers. I like the idea that we can't raise murder victims because they're essentially rabid until they kill their murderer. Also the reiteration that raising the dead is something Anita absolutely has to do or roadkill starts coming to life... and certain constants needing to be observed despite the "power creep" providing alternative methods of doing the necromantic stuff.

So yeah, Incubus Dreams may have taken me a month to get through this go-round, but it was fairly solid. 

Favorite Lines

"Stop poking at it, Anita. Your heart is not a wound to be poked at to see if the scab is ready to come off. You can be healed of that very old pain, if you'll just let it happen." - Marianne

"Love was not the nice, neat, linear thing I'd wanted it to be. It was not just one thing, but many things." - Anita Blake

"There comes a point where you just love someone. Not because they're good, or bad, or anything really. You just love them. It doesn't mean you'll be together forever. It doesn't mean you won't hurt each other. It just means you love them. Sometimes in spite of who they are, and sometimes because of who they are. And you know that they love you, sometimes because of who you are, and sometimes in spite of it." - Anita Blake

"Guarantees are for major appliances, not for murder." - Anita Blake 

     "Rape is rape, Richard. Is a woman less raped because she likes men? That's a question, Richard."

     "No, of course not," he said.

     "Then why is it less rape for a man who likes men to be raped by another man?" - Anita Blake & Richard Zeeman 

Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review: I'm gonna go ahead and say there are spoilers past the first paragraph, so... you've been warned.

Cerulean Sins honestly kind of feels like a bunch of stuff was thrown at the wall to see what stuck in order to form a semi-meandering plot that went on for too long. I understand there were some loose ends that needed tying up from previous books and character work that needed doing... but... I'm going to repeat myself and say that it felt too long. It felt like a lot and then someone threw the kitchen sink in and the kitchen sink was too much.

The entirety of the vampire politics thing was just so, so tiring. I hate vampire politics. Nonsense rules on top of rules… much like dealing with royalty, I’d imagine. Old school royalty, with the power to kill you as soon as look at you. Musette is a little bit hilarious and a lot annoying. Both she and Belle Morte were jealous of Jean-Claude and Asher which just led to... basically nothing. I suppose that's a bit of a spoiler, but random power-creep happened and suddenly Belle can't touch Jean-Claude because of the rules. Also, how does one suddenly become soudre sang and not even notice? How... what... the way these vampires work is occasionally perplexing. I don't remember this ever being brought up in a satisfactory way and now it'd gonna bug me.

I forgot how goddamn pushy Belle Morte is, the jealous bitch. She also must not have a Human Servant or specific Animal to Call, if she’s able to give Anita the marks. Feels very weird for such an old and powerful vampire not to have either. I was questioning the timing of Belle suddenly seeming to want a Human Servant, but it is heavily implied she's planning to go after Marmee Noir so... guess it makes sense to want to add a bit more power to your base at that point. Still, the timing felt weird.

Oh yes, Marmee Noir is becoming a thing now. Got the interesting vampire/lycanthrope hybrids hanging around, though, again, something that got thrown in that isn't really ever addressed again, that I remember. I can't really discuss much about this because it's ridiculously early days and everything that's popping to my mind is spoilery for later in the series. But yeah, Marmee Noir, put a big ol' pin in that.

Dolph can very seriously take a flying leap off a very tall building. A) if someone tells you they’re too sick to come in, you leave them the hell alone. B) you don’t get to act like a raging lunatic in a professional environment, even if you just saw something absolutely horrendous. His whole blow-up surrounding Jason was also super uncomfortable. And look, I get that we don't really get a whole lot of what is actually going on with Dolph, because I bet it's a lot more than the two things we get from him, but like... he hardcore crashed out at work, causing the largest scene we've ever seen him cause, and... Dolph needs to take a very long break from his job and get some goddamn therapy. He does take a leave of absence after this, but I still needed to rant about it.

I think the line “You’re always sorry, Richard” is profound. He just stuck his whole stupid head in it this book. I think the only thing I can say that I haven't said before is that his decision to "take back the wolves" was just stupidly timed. I agree with Anita, don't pull that shit when the enemies are at the door, dumbass. Anita may not hate Richard, but I certainly do.

Not sure how I feel about Anita and Asher’s “come to Jesus” bit. On the one hand: yes, set and keep those boundaries. On the other hand: Asher definitely has a point, which Anita admitted to Nathaniel earlier. She keeps back parts of herself and that’s not necessarily great. And also, Jean-Claude can keep his head enough in the moment to reiterate consent, but Asher can’t? I dunno, the whole thing is messy. Anita is woefully inexperienced with messy at this point. I also think some of my feelings about this are colored by Asher’s later behavior, which is not great so… yeah.

When it comes to the ending of the book and the feeling of it being too long... I got through the climax of the vampire politics and the story really felt over. It just did. But there were those murders that didn't have a resolve... and then the baggage they ended up coming with... just... I wanted the book to be over and it wasn't. Spent another 11 chapters getting to the actual end. I get that it needed to be resolved and it needed to be resolved in this book, but it just felt detached from everything else, to be completely honest. I know part of that is also a function of the police side of things being so detached from the rest of Anita's life... but yeah. Felt tacked on, really.

So yeah... Cerulean Sins felt too long, even though it probably wasn't. There was a bunch of random setup here and a bunch of semi-random pay-off from Obsidian Butterfly. I hate Belle Morte. I hate Richard. So ready to move on to the next one. 

Favorite Lines

"Non, you would possess me again, and love is not about possession." - Jean-Claude

"No, but you assume that if I'm any good it has to be because a man taught me. That's so sexist." - Anita Blake

"If you throw the furry through a windshield, do they not still bleed?" - Anita Blake

"Legends say that the Amazons chopped off a breast to make them better at archery. I don't believe that. I think it's just another example of men thinking women can't be a great warrior without cutting away her womanhood, symbolically, or otherwise. We can be great warriors; we just got to pick the equipment a little differently." - Anita Blake

"If the law doesn't apply evenly to everybody, then it doesn't work at all." - Anita Blake 

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review
There are spoilers contained in this review.

Narcissus in Chains was a lot easier to get through than the last couple of Anita Blake novels. I pretty much attribute this to the inclusion of characters I actually care about and not ones I hate... though there is plenty of Richard's nonsense here as well. There is also a good deal of world-building here. More explaining of how the lycanthropes and vampires work, given different circumstances, most of which, honestly, are objectively horrifying.

The joining of the Marks was cool and all but… Micah!!!! Micah’s here! I really like Micah. I like that he's willing to be whatever Anita needs with little to no qualms about it. He's also quite patient with her, actually explaining things as they come up (for the most part anyway). I don't remember how I originally felt about Micah, but I am fairly certain he was a breath of fresh air after Richard. I also quite like the inclusion of Merle. He's the first in a long line of bodyguard characters I'm fairly attached to. He also brings a certain air of "elder statesman" to the mix, especially in those moments where I'm reminded that Anita's still in her 20s...

Narcissus being like “I would like to participate in community decision making but not be in the community and also get literal people in return for it” made me want to hit him. Seriously, dude. Get well over yourself. I feel like this really comes back to bite him in the butt as it's the rats and wolves that come to his aid in the end. Ya know, the community he doesn't actually want to be a part of. That said, these lycanthrope politics sure are a bitch. Like, all of it. I do kind of like that each "species" has their own internal politics, but having to "watch" Anita navigate more than one is... insane, honestly.

Nathaniel pre-relationship is adorable. It’s very cute how Anita already thinks “silence with Nathaniel was one of the most relaxing sounds of my day.” Awwwwww… I just wanna cuddle them together. Narcissus in Chains is really the book where Nathaniel comes more into his own. He's still not quite the person he's going to be, but you can see the scaffolding, essentially.

This is definitely when Dolph jumped off the deep end for me. Projecting onto Anita is really not fair. The stuff at Anita’s house is also well out of line. Her personal life is none of his business, especially when he’s supposed to be there in a professional capacity. I very much dislike Dolph in this book. I think we're kind of meant to. He was a father-figure for Anita in the first few books and I honestly feel like this "fall from grace," as it were, is par for the course in father figures. Either they don't like some aspect of the hero's life and check out or they end up dying. Dolph is clearly the former and crashes out a bit spectacularly. Oh, speaking of which, I dunno who needs to hear this but... Your children do NOT owe you grandchildren. Period. Be disappointed all you want, but don't act like Dolph and see it as the end of the world. Yeesh.

Ah yes, the ardeur bane of my not-spicy-loving-anymore existence. I literally skim and skip those scenes. Skim because Hamilton has a habit of mixing character development into them. For example: a sudden introduction of Belle Morte as a character. I mean, she’s been talked about before but hasn’t been “on screen” before now. Can’t just skip that, now can we? I also don’t really like the ardeur due to the questionable consent it causes. Anita has issues around it in this book where she, herself is concerned, though that will grow to include other characters later. It’s not always handled well, if memory serves.

Oh yes, Damian exists. Didn’t even think about Damian in this whole “finding yourself” thing you did, huh, Anita? And now it’s all “gimmie my vampire NOW.” You got yourself all cozy with the leopards but left Damian completely out in the cold. Wtf even, ma’am. And dude, Jean-Claude is also to blame in this. Should have fucking reminded her that Damian was hers when she dealt with a goddamn crime scene involving him. Wtf even, sir. Ya’ll both suck. Honestly, I like being able to both love and hate my protagonists, so this was actually quite nice in terms of character building. Anita does have a lot going on, very much highlighted here, not just with Damian, but with the "power creep." Anita’s rapid power-progression is also something I have mixed feeling about. It’s a wonder this woman ends up being able to lead any kind of normal-ish life, with that much power being thrust upon her, no pun intended. Anita really did need that “come to Jesus” moment she had with Jean-Claude. Can’t just shirk your responsibilities, especially when they come with metaphysical ties and consequences you don’t like.

Okay, time for the "Richard Sucks" corner. Richard is SUCH an asshole here. Leave Anita the fuck alone about her life decisions. You dumped her, as is repeatedly pointed out. Circumstances have changed and you weren’t included because why would you be? Fuck ALL THE WAY OFF. Just cuz you hate yourself doesn’t mean you get to take that out on everyone else. Add to that the ending where he literally almost gets them all killed... No. Not allowed. Fuck ALL THE WAY OFF again. Even if it just meant the Triumvirate was going to be taken out, I would be fairly pissed, but Anita makes a point of it being the entire damn pack at that point. That's hundreds of people and, Ulfric or not, you don't get to make that kind of decision. I will say he probably didn't realize it would have been the entire pack, but still... therapy needs to happen sooner rather than later.

I don’t think I internalized (or even realized) how much of these books took place while people were incredibly sleep deprived. There are at least 2-3 major altercations and decision-making moments that happen while Anita's had little to no sleep... over, like, 3 days.

Complete side-tangent: I wonder what weredogs look like. What dog breed do they more resemble? How did we end up with weredogs when real dogs came from domesticated wolves? Or are these an African Wild Dogs kind of situation? I have many questions about this.

Finally, I am not entirely sure how to feel about Chimera. It’s an interesting way to do Dissociative Identity Disorder, I guess. It's honestly a very comic book interpretation of DID. Each personality has its own physicality, even in human form... which is weird and I'm really not sure how that even makes sense, but SOD, I guess. I do kind of like the panwere concept. It does set up a bit of stuff for the tigers later… and Anita… and others.

Overall, I really enjoyed Narcissus in Chains. It's a thick book filled with thick topics that actually manages to work pretty well. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series, now that a couple of my favorites have entered the arena. 

Favorite Lines

"That made him smile. 'Yes, those that hoard their power are often insecure.'" - Merle

"Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone." - Micah Callahan

     "We looked at each other in the darkened kitchen. She raised her coffee mug. I'd given her the one with a tiny knight and a large dragon that said, 'No guts, no glory.'

     Lillian said, 'Down with zealots.'

     I raised my own mug in the air. It was the baby penguin mug, still a favorite. 'Down with zealots.'" - Dr. Lillian & Anita Blake

"The only true happiness, Richard, lies in knowing who you are -- what you are -- and making peace with it." - Anita Blake

"On important stuff, your word is great, but when it comes to primping, you have no sense of time." - Anita Blake 

 

Just One More Thing

I don't know how many of you have heard about Audible's BS around paying authors, but it's actual BS. I am not the person to explain it, that would be Daniel Greene over on YouTube. LINK to explanation. However, I can share the link to the Change.org petition to try and stop them screwing over authors... so here ya go: LINK. 

Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton

My review is broken into pieces following each individual story in the order I read them in. I only read the three stories pertaining to the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series.

“Selling Houses”: Honestly, just a whatever little story.

“Those Who Seek Forgiveness”: Nicely gorey. I saw the ending coming when Carla showed up in white. But, ya know, otherwise solid.

“The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death”: Much “eeehhhh” from my end. This was short, sweet, and full of “Jean-Claude’s irresistible.” I did kind of like that the ethics of turning someone into a vampire before cancer could ravage their body was touched on... barely.

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

So... this is probably the second or third time I've read Blue Moon, though I'm betting it's only the second. I only remembered bitty bits of this book: Jason and Anita getting the vampire-goo off Jason in the shower and Richard's mom's finger getting cut off. The rest was completely pushed out of my mind. Bound to happen with a series that's so long, has so many characters, has so much metaphysics, and so much personal drama to work through. I think much of those last two gets reiterated throughout the series, as there is a need to explain and re-explain just WTF is going on. So I remembered the details of what Anita discovers here, even if I didn't remember the original context.

Ho-boy, that context. I've been rereading these books rather piece-meal lately, so it's very easy to a) drop the book when I'm frustrated and b) make the story last longer. Definitely not the best when reading through frustrating bits, to be honest. And again, the fricking Richard drama frustrates me to no end. I was about halfway through this time and had decided I was going to DNF and just move on, mainly due to the Richard drama. I'm vaguely glad I didn't end up doing that, but it was a very close thing. I was incredibly displeased with Richard's whole stance about being in jail, given what he was in jail for... yes, you definitely need a lawyer if you're falsely accused of rape. Being innocent does not just automatically mean a lawyer is not necessary. Even in cases not involving rape. Get a damn lawyer and don't be an ass to them or the person who hired them for you. Then, of course, there's the continuing relationship drama... I don't think I've ever wanted to punch a character so much in my life. Every time Richard can get in any sort of dig, he goes for it. Like, sir, shut up.

The thing that really, really broke me, though, the thing that was the nail in the DNF coffin, was the pair of humans being able to mostly sneak up on Anita and Jason through a forest apparently teeming with lycanthropes. Nope. Just no. Those two would have been at the very least redirected elsewhere before they ever got close enough for Jason to smell them. Ugh. But I pushed on and was brought to the second piece of SOD madness: Christian Holy Relics BS. This was a piece of this plot I was ridiculously glad to have forgotten. It doesn't even feel like it should be a part of this universe. I get how it obviously is, with Christianity being a thing and all, but it just doesn't feel like it meshes with the rest of the Anita Blake mythos. I just about DNF'd again at the mere mention of it.

Now, there were parts of this book I liked. I like the world-building stuff. Gimmie the troll stuff all day. That was neat. I said the last time trolls were mentioned that I didn't think they really got mentioned again... I was wrong, but now I'm pretty sure in reiterating that statement. I also liked the Damian stuff. I obviously forgot that he goes through it here. Poor Damian. I did appreciate the lore-drop we got from him about Jean-Claude. Poor Nathaniel as well. Our sweet sexy cinnamon roll just cannot catch a break in this book. I also teared up at Jason and Anita's pact to save Richard's mom. Jason and Anita's friendship really blossoms here and that moment felt very earned.

But yeah... the rest of Blue Moon... just didn't like it. The police storyline was just largely annoying, especially given the backstory on that. The werewolf stuff... meh. The vampire stuff... I was annoyed that Colin had apparently forgotten then whole thing about not killing or harming Human Servants... which does come back to bite him in the butt... but yeah, ultimately just annoying.

I'm ultimately not sure if the decision to not DNF was worth it, even given my favorite moments happened after that initial decision... Blue Moon is ultimately forgettable. Yes, it establishes some shit, but... pretty much all of it is reiterated later in the series so if/when I do another Anita Blake reread, I'll probably skip Blue Moon. 

Favorite Lines

"Compassion is not weakness," Richard said. "Only those without compassion think otherwise."

"Real wolves didn't do this shit. Only people could take a nice, sane animal and screw it up this badly." - Anita Blake

"I'll tell you the real horrible truth, Anita. No matter what you do or how bad you feel about it, life just goes on. Life doesn't give a fuck that you're sorry or upset or deranged or tormented. Life just goes on, and you gotta go on with it, or sit in the middle of the road and feel sorry for yourself. And I don't see you doing that." - Jason Schuyler

Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

Burnt Offerings is, ah, interesting. It further builds out the world in some fun and not-so-fun ways. Really drives home just how monstrous vampires can get while at the same time exposing just how petty they really are. I really did not remember much about this book despite how actually quite important it is in terms of character and concept introduction. The details simply slipped my mind.

Asher giving off Constantine vibes right at the beginning there. I quite like Asher here. He's got his reasons for being the way he is but hasn't yet gone completely off as he does in later books. I won't get into that, though. The point is: Asher's introduction is neat and I like him. I also quite enjoy Warrick. He reminds me some of The Wicked Truth from later books. Warrick doesn't get a lot of "screen time" here, but what he does get is quite impactful. I feel much the same with Gideon and Thomas. I like them in the small amount of "screen time" they're given. And oh yes, last, but ultimately not least, Nathaniel is introduced here. I love Nathaniel and he shall be protected at all costs.

I do believe this book begins the “vampires are really just people on dang power-trips” thing that bugs me soooo much about things like Vampire Councils. The Council members and affiliates get butt-hurt when Anita won’t play ball and be “properly” intimidated or kow-tow to them because they said so. I like how she manages to play them within their own rules, though, once she's properly informed as to what the rules are. The fairly arbitrary rules, it seems like to me, to be honest. Again, vampires are humans with extraordinary powers who could just as easily decimate each other if they didn't have their rules so... that's super fun.

At some point when I was recommending this series to a friend via Threads, someone else said something about Anita being homophobic in the early books. I’ve been on the lookout for evidence of this… doesn’t seem to exist from what I can tell. Even here, she tries to get The Traveler to vacate Willie’s body because Willie doesn’t like men and The Traveler does. She isn’t insulting about it, just matter-of-fact about respecting someone else’s preferences. She also doesn't say anything about Gwen & Sylvie. At this point, I'm largely finding any homophobic comments are in the context of the cops and are on par with what they say about the "monsters" as well. That doesn't make them right, of course, or the comments non-existent, but so far... nothing entirely shocking or out of the ordinary for the context. I'd also like to make it clear that I don't condone these comments any more than I condone what was said to Detective Perry in an earlier book.

Interesting discussions here about the nature of the monsters, leadership, and what it means to be part of society. I think it’s interesting that vampires, or at least The Council, think themselves apart from human society still. What Anita tells The Traveler is correct on all counts: leadership comes with a responsibility to those you lead and letting yourselves become legal in society also means responsibility toward that society. Of course this discussion also comes as part of an issue with trying to save what, just four years ago in-world, would have been deemed monsters and not worth saving. Add to that the whole thing with the lycanthropes at the hospital… I wouldn’t quote me on this at all, but what happened to Lorraine has to have happened irl to Black men in the past when they saved the lives of White people (at least I hope that kind of thing is past… the world today… smh).

“There’s the possibility of disease contamination if there are bodies floating in the basement,” - Lieutenant Wren — misconception. Dead bodies do not carry disease and I HIGHLY doubt anything carrying disease would have had time to get to these particular bodies. If you'd like to know more about this stuff, I highly recommend checking out "AskAMortician" over on YouTube. This isn't super relevant to the plot, but clearly jumped out at me to mention.

If it weren't for the inclusion of forcing the Vampire Council to do some actual leadership, I would say the police stuff felt quite tacked on. It came at a point in the book where it felt very sudden, which I suppose any terrorist activity does. Make no mistake, what Humans First did was terrorism. It also ended up giving Dolph another opportunity to lecture Anita about dating "the monsters," which I don't think she needed after Ronnie essentially said the same stuff. I personally find the third party lectures about the whole thing annoying at best.

Speaking of the whole thing and third parties... Richard is a giant turd here. Just the whole book until the very, very end, Richard is too wrapped up in his own pity party. I get taking it out on Anita, since they're exes, but it's highly inappropriate in a majority of the situations he does it in. Stop parading your shit in private while people are literally bleeding around you. Geez.

So yeah... Burnt Offerings is interesting. Much drama. Gorey vampire shenanigans. World-building. Ultimately quite fun.

Favorite Lines

"Just because it doesn't have fangs doesn't mean it can't kill you." - Anita Blake

"Love is never free, Jean-Clause. It is the most expensive emotion we have, and I am going to see that you pay it in full." - Asher

"Love isn't the most expensive emotion, Asher," I said. I took another step forward, and he retreated another step. "Hate is. Because hate will eat you up inside and destroy you, long before it kills you." - Anita Blake

"Leadership doesn't just mean privileges. It has a price tag." - Anita Blake

"It's their job to do this. You don't bargain to get someone to do what they're supposed to do in the first place." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

Yet another OviPets project done! These are an approximation of the Digimon "Sakkutomon" for my "Village of Beginnings" project line. They took me about 4 months to do.

The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

Double Reread Reviews!

This review written after a reread. (2017)

Okay so, The Killing Dance has pacing issues, which is a thing I'm starting to notice about some of the Anita Blake series. There are so many action and plot beats and then something metaphysical happens and everything just grinds to a halt... and then picks up again afterward. I understand that exploring whatever the metaphysical thing was is important, but... the grind to a halt this time really stuck out to me.

Also... Richard. I haven't reread the series in a while so I forgot exactly where my general hatred of Richard started... this might be it. He just has too many issues and resolves absolutely none of them. I guess he wouldn't be interesting without his issues but... I don't enjoy the discovery of those issues at all. That said, good on him for following through with the whole Marcus thing. It's about damn time.

Speaking of Marcus, I remembered that scene being a lot longer than it was. Might just be my brain blowing it up because I was so focused on it before, but it was surprisingly short.

But anyway, I did enjoy reading The Killing Dance again. I just want to pat Anita on the head and assure her that this Jean-Claude/Richard thing is going to be the least of her relationship worries down the line...

2025 Reread

I definitely feel like I keep making a mistake while rereading these: the mistake of essentially drawing out the stuff I don’t like. It’s so easy, when you only read in the bathroom, like I’ve been doing lately. No way to really power through the cringe when there’s a limited amount of time to read. But hey, I made it. The Killing Dance true beginning of the metaphysical Anita Blake shenanigans. I’d remembered bits and pieces of The Killing Dance, but it’s mostly forgettable… what with what is essentially a deep-dive into why Anita and Richard as a couple just won’t work. God, I hate Richard.

It still really, REALLY bugs me that neither Richard nor Jean-Claude explain the rules to her at any point until she absolutely NEEDS to know. I don’t remember if that’s ever remedied with anyone ever, but it honestly pisses me off. No wonder she keeps getting in over her head. She doesn’t have all the information she should if she’s expected to have anything to do with vampire or werewolf society. I know Richard planned to keep her well out of it, but that was just stupidity on his part, if we’re all honest.

I do not blame Richard for being so insecure. I find it cringy as hell that he is and tries to guilt Anita into sharing his insecurities, but I don’t blame him for his feelings. It makes me crazy that Richard keeps moving the goal posts, too. First it’s “see me change” and then it’s “gotta see all of us, not just me.” Sir, make up your damn mind.

I really like Sabin as a cautionary tale. It’s great to get a tangible reason as to why Hamilton’s vampires don’t just eat animals as opposed to chowing down on humans. Very well done and creepy af to boot.

I was also not so fond of Dolph’s attitude toward Anita’s dating life. They might be close professionally, but I’ve never felt they were close enough for those conversations. Apparently, Dolph does not agree, and I know how it can get between coworkers but still… it’s my opinion that Dolph needs to mind his own business in regard to Anita’s personal life.

Raw reaction to an explanation of Triumvirates: Hahahahahahaha… two cases of Triumvirates? Only two??? Really? Hahahahahahahahahaha. I don’t remember if this is “real” info or just something that isn’t discussed but… yeah. Guess we’ll find out.

I really quite like the ending beats. Everything from the lukoi getting together to the very end. It’s satisfying. I definitely skimmed the sex scene, but that’s a me thing. I assume it was hot, from what I remember.

But yeah… pretty sure that’s the end of my thoughts on this one. The Killing Dance was okay, for the most part. 

Favorite Lines

"The only good enemy is a dead enemy." - Edward

"A threat's not worth anything if you aren't willing to back it up." - Anita Blake

"Homicide was not something you could be neutral on." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I completed my Seadramon project over on OviPets! Seadramon took me approximately a year and 2 months to complete. Based on the Digimon of the same name. Part of my Adult Digimon project series.

Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

According to my previous rating of 5 stars, I was definitely a lot more into Bloody Bones than I am now. (Down to 3 stars) It's alright and boy, does it go a mile a minute once we meet Seraphina... but that mile a minute-ness is actually what made me dislike it more this time around. I feel like a lot happened in too short of a time-frame to make the plot fit and go where it needed to. I really feel like the ultimate solution to Rawhead and Bloody Bones was too easy. Aaand then there's the first real taste of what vampire "politics" are like in the Anita Blake universe, which I also hate with a seething passion.

So... first, on a reread it's actually kind of nice to "experience" Anita traveling pre-entorage. Larry definitely doesn't count. We don't have 5000 characters to keep track of at any given moment. Just Anita and Larry joined by Jean-Claude and Jason. Very chill. Kind of miss that.

I did enjoy, as usual, further expansion of the Anita Blake world with the fairy stuff. This is one of the very few times Anita comes up against fairies... honestly mostly lack-luster. I'm not a fan of Dorcas, but Magnus was at least as menacing as he needed to be. Rawhead and Bloody Bones was semi-interesting before his end... his lore was a lot more interesting than the actual beastie, in my opinion.

Okay, so, vampire "politics" and show-boating and all the "we're gonna play with our food" crap... I get we gotta have vampires shown to be much more dangerous, but I hate it. I honestly feel this is an extension of their humanity showing through. You've got the power to intimidate so you gotta throw it in the faces of your rivals. I get it. This was particularly drawn out by Janos and his rotting ladies. I like that there's more than one type of vampire, and honestly, that scene, or rather, the aftermath, did very much endear Jason to me. However, the manipulation aspect of it bugs the shit out of me. Consent with a coercion backer does not mean actual consent, no matter whose life appears to be on the line. This also happens pretty much non-stop from the moment Anita and the boys arrive at Seraphina's. Anita, we're about to torture some girls to get you to let us torture you instead. Anita, we're gonna kill Larry. Anita, we're gonna kill Jeff. Anita, Larry's about to get killed again. On and on. Ugh. I hate it.

I legit spent about 4 days avoiding the Janos-in-the-basement-scene. Weird, honestly, because I'd forgotten that trauma happens this early in the series... but my brain remembered. I skimmed it, this time, just to get it over with. Read the rest of the book in about 24hrs.

So yeah, I'm a lot less into Bloody Bones than I was originally. I really found a lot of it repetitive in how it forced the plot to move along. I did like the very ending, though. It was interesting, if also kind of confusing... but not a bad ending at all. 

Favorite Lines

"You've just admitted you don't know anything about my job," I said. "How do you know what will affect it and what won't?" - Anita Blake

"A vampire was a person once. Just being dead doesn't cure you of any problems you had as a live human being. If you have a violent pathology before death, that won't change just because you're dead." - Anita Blake

"It's alright," I said. "Carrot's inert." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

As of posting this, I'm one hatching away from finishing my Ebonwumon project over on OviPets. Gonna go ahead and post about this now so I don't end up forgetting later. Ebonwumon is part of my Mega Digimon Project and based on the Digimon of the same name. I did the tattoos on their heads to mimic the helmet-things on the two-headed Digimon. I also did the tail tattoo.

Ebonwumon took me about 13 months to complete.

Ebonwumon

The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton

Beware of spoilers if you have not read the book. Otherwise, read on.

So, I spent a lot of this time reading The Lunatic Cafe this time focused on Anita and Richard and their relationship. I said in my review of Circus of the Damned that I'm really not a fan of Richard and that definitely still holds true. I feel he's all wrong for Anita and know he's not super secure in himself at this point, so them getting engaged in this book was just... blech. I'll definitely be getting more into that later in this review. The B-Plot with the shapeshifters and lycanthropes isn't my favorite of the police-centric stories, but it's definitely not bad. I'm honestly surprised the sort of thing it turns out to be doesn't end up being more prevalent in the series... but then, that would probably be too repetitious... and the antagonists do all die in the end so... yeah.

It's always interesting to get more preternatural world-building. I don’t think we hear much, if anything else about gargoyles and trolls through the rest of the series. Interesting to know they exist, though. We also get our first big encounter with witches, so that's fun. I really do feel like the way Hamilton does her world-building makes the Anita Blake universe feel very lived in. We get trickles of information from what Anita encounters when she encounters it, but never in large info-dumps. I appreciate it a lot.

Sheriff Titus and Officer Aikensen, first in a long line of cops Anita has to convince she knows wtf she’s doing. Being assholes basically just to be assholes. These guys never fail to piss me off. I find myself skimming those parts lately, more often than not. This time they had the added bonus of pissing me off more toward the end of the book... I can just hear Titus' slimy "good ol' boy" voice in my head as I read his dialogue. I fully believe Aikensen deserves his fate.

We also get another impatient antagonist in Marcus. Like, dude, allow for scheduling meetings for the next day, ESPECIALLY if it’s frigging 2am. This intimidation tactic really reads as annoying af. I also find it extremely annoying when the sub-cultures introduce and enforce rules on the humans (it’s generally humans) who have zero clue what’s even going on. Especially when those people used to be completely human themselves and/or have to exist in human society. Like, wtf are you even doing expecting someone who has no clue what’s going on to know this shit or agree to it? Like, yes, okay, explain it to them, but don’t expect the newbies to follow immediately. Express an expectation that the newbie will be held to the “laws” or whatever the next time ya’ll interact. Ugh. Frankly, this whole thing with Marcus, at least the beginning of it, really did not need to be or turn into what it did. He could/should have set up a meeting with Anita alone. But hey, gotta set him -- and Raina -- up for later installments.

Alright, now for the relationship discussion. I have THOUGHTS.

The following two paragraphs are verbatim notes I took as I was reading:

I feel like the conversation about “happily ever afters” at the end of Anita and Richard’s date really highlights why the pair of them just won’t work. This doesn’t exactly come out until later, but Richard’s insistence on that white picket fence mentality despite knowing all along that what Anita does isn’t conducive to that… big red flag. I would have liked to see where that conversation would have gone if Jean-Claude hadn’t derailed it.

How the fuck was Anita supposed to “take care of yourself” when she a) doesn’t know what’s going on and b) doesn’t know the dang rules, Richard? Wtf, man. Keeping her out of it clearly did her no good. Also, Jean-Claude using her against Nikolaos was totally different than the whole Marcus thing. Jean-Claude and Anita weren’t even close to dating at the time. You tell people you’re dating about your big life things, especially when it’ll probably get you killed.

Oooooh the absolute hilarity of Anita waiting for marriage… Also… Richard’s very quick “well let’s get married then”… oooof. Ya’ll haven’t been dating that long… not that people haven’t been a roaring success with a short dating period but… ya’ll also have some serious differing life opinions you need to sort out first. Ooof.

End notes.

Okay, so… Anita and Richard basically have a good chunk of issues. Mainly because Richard doesn’t believe Anita’s really as tough-as-nails and Anita had zero clue what she was getting herself into with Richard and his Beast. This does not go away and, from what I remember about the rest of the series, only really gets worse. Hamilton pretty much states this herself in the Afterword. Richard also clearly has issues with the Beast side of himself, so… yeah. That contributes a lot. Anyway, them getting engaged this early was honestly really stupid, in my opinion, for all the reasons I’ve stated here.

I also really hate Jean-Claude’s whole “I would like to date you for the same amount of time he did and I won’t kill him” thing. Coercion is not a green flag. While ultimately, I think Jean-Claude is the better partner for Anita (just between him and Richard), the beginning of their relationship is gross. First the vampire marks against her will, then the coercive dating... I was reading the bit where Jean-Claude shows up at Anita's apartment after her dip in the icy river and ranting aloud to my boyfriend about how it's all really stupid and everyone is being an asshole... The whole thing is super problematic and I hate it. There are reasons Romance is not my genre.

Anyway... The Lunatic Cafe is a solid fourth entry in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. It really does focus a lot on the issues Anita and Richard have, I didn't just pull all those notes and stuff out of thin air. I'm mostly satisfied with where and how this ended. And oh yeah, Jason's first appearance! 

Favorite Lines

"There are more roads to monsterdom than most people realize." - Anita Blake

"If you do not help and protect those who are less able than you, weaker than you, what good are you? No damn good at all." - Laurell K. Hamilton

An Illustrative Couple of Paragraphs

Please, for the love of all that is Holy, discuss this stuff with your SO well BEFORE you decide to tie the knot. I feel like these paragraphs say a lot about why Richard and Anita shouldn't have gotten engaged in this book... clearly not all, but A LOT.

Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

So, rereading this one was interesting. There’s a lot of setup here for future stuff. More with the vampire marks, Richard and Larry’s introductions, the creation of Humans First, and the solidification of Jean-Claude as Master of St. Louis. It’s a lot and yet somehow manages to work fairly well.

Talking about characters, as this is a reread, is a bit tricky. My opinions are very colored by the future actions of them… well… Richard. I’m mainly kind of conflicted about Richard. Larry’s fine. I like Larry. I had forgotten he was introduced to early, but other than that, he’s fine. No notes. Richard, on the other hand… I think I remember liking Richard to begin with. He comes across as earnest, good-ol’-boy kind of, hampered by the reveal Hamilton wanted to do with him. But otherwise, he seems fine. Future events do color this and I just found myself rolling my eyes some at him. But I won’t get into that otherwise due to spoilers.

I enjoyed Edward and Anita’s continuing relationship. Edward’s always fun. I’ve always enjoyed him, even if he shows up initially to threaten to torture Anita twice in as many books. Their dynamic is one of my favorites going forward.

I think Oliver was… uh… he was there. He was really mostly threatening in the background. Again, this is colored by the reread. I knew how this ended. I did get Alejandro mixed up with a different Alejandro from a different series… of course I can’t remember which one off the top of my head. Alejandro seems to be a popular name among the Aztec vampires… so he sprouted a backstory that wasn’t actually his. 🤪

I did find the actual events of the book went by rather quickly. I did notice Anita got more sleep this time around, though not by much. Starting off the trend of her not quite taking care of herself as she should. I had also completely forgotten that Humans First was started in-series as opposed to Humans Against Vampires. That was kinda neat. I also very much enjoyed the Anita/Zerbowski relationship. They’re quite fun together as well… though definitely not in a romantic sense.

So yeah, Circus of the Damned was pretty solid. Got in some good world and character building.

Favorite Lines

"There are also a lot of very jerky men in the twenty-one-to-thirty age group." - Anita Blake

"Please, I always use fresh sarcasm, never canned." - Anita Blake

"When all else fails, hide. It works for rabbits." - Anita Blake

"How can you possibly torture someone without bamboo slivers?" - Anita Blake

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review - Mostly spoiler free

I really like The Laughing Corpse. It establishes Anita as a Power in her own right, not just going to be adjacent to Jean-Claude. It also establishes the differences between what Anita does and stuff like witchcraft and voodoo, mostly voodoo. I think getting that out of the way early in the series was a good call. Zombies are, after all, a fixture of what a lot of people think about when they think about voodoo. I also like that the antagonists are human, if powered humans... well, Dominga is anyway. I could really have done without Harold Gaynor and his bodyguards... but the exist so... *much shrugging.*

What is it with men looking at women wielding guns or other weaponry (usually guns, though) and suddenly being all “you’re not so tough without the weapon”? Like, maybe, but also… odds are, the man is bigger than the woman. Odds are, in a straight fight, the man is going to best the woman. We know this, that’s why we have a weapon in the first place. It's why you have a weapon in the first place. You also think you’re as intimidating without a weapon? No. Posturing does not make you inherently better. Bruno, Tommy, Enzo, and Antonio all bug the shit out of me with this macho nonsense. I guess it's a good characteristic of a ruthless bodyguard but... blech.

It is just too funny reading the chapter at Dead Dave’s, especially the end. Anita just has no clue about Jean-Claude’s powers and, of course, neither does Irving. Irving definitely wouldn’t be much help at all against Jean-Claude. Part of why I love rereading this stuff is the unintentional hilarity of certain parts given what happens later in the series. It's quite well done.

I like how Anita’s backstory is dropped here, along with how her powers tend to work. The animator stuff tends to get overpowered by other things in later books. The Laughing Corpse establishes Anita's necromantic abilities quite well. It's fun to see her flex those muscles in slightly more controlled environments than she does down the line.

I had honestly forgotten how big of a role Wanda plays in this book. I know Laurell K. Hamilton has said something recently-ish about her coming back into the series, but I hadn't remembered the extent to which she was even in this. I like her. Can't wait to see her again.

So yeah, I had a lot of fun rereading The Laughing Corpse. My very last thought about the book is this: I do not remember the business of the same name ever coming back in the series... which doesn't really surprise me. Anita was a not a fan so I don't know why she'd ever go back there. 

Favorite Lines/Conversations

"Rule number three hundred sixty-nine when dealing with unfamiliar magic: when in doubt, leave it alone." - Anita Blake

"Suspicion is healthy. It'll keep you alive." - Anita Blake

     "I have no personal stake in these people, Jean-Claude, but they are people. Good, bad, or indifferent, they are alive, and no one has the right to just arbitrarily snuff them out."

     "So it is the sanctity of life you cling to?"

     I nodded. "That and the fact that every human being is special. Every death is a loss of something precious and irreplaceable." I looked at him as I finished the last.

     "You have killed before, Anita. You have destroyed that which is irreplaceable." 

     "I'm irreplaceable, too," I said. "No one has the right to kill me, either." - Anita Blake & Jean-Claude

"She doesn't have a superior," Zerbowski said, "but we'll tell her boss." 

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review - 99% spoiler free

The hilarity of those last two lines, though...

Anyway... I've read Guilty Pleasures at least 4 times, probably more. It's one of those fun vampire hunter books that focuses pretty solidly on the vampire hunting. There's little to no actual romance, which was something that really drew me to the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series in the first place... if only I knew. Heh. Anyway, in this, the 31st year of publication, I'm revisiting the entire series again. I will try very hard not to include spoilers past the book I'm currently reading, though spoilers for previous books are fair game.

When I originally read Guilty Pleasures I was absolutely terrified of Nikolaos. Little girl vampires are just creepy and Nikolaos takes it to another level. However, I think reading the graphic novel adaptation has cured me of my terror... though it might also just be that I'm much older now and have experienced more terrifying things than a little girl vampire. I will admit, though, Nikolaos is very much of that "I'm going to be stupidly impatient with the person I hire to do a job" kind of villain. I know there's technically plot reasons behind this, but she calls Anita back for some kind of update not even 24hrs after first "hiring" her and that bugs me. It also bugs me that we've gotta play terror games to get Anita to do what Nikolaos wants her to do, but I guess if Anita's able to just refuse her, there's no story.

It's also quite fun for me to see "Baby Anita" and "Baby Edward" before they know all the things. It's kind of like watching the beginning of Buffy or Supernatural and being like "Oh, my sweet, sweet children. You know so little..." followed by delighted maniacal laughter on my part. Even Anita and Edward's relationship at this point is cute, given how it goes in later books. Apparently Jean-Claude in this book is not the fully-formed Jean-Claude in my brain. His "voice" refused to show up as I was reading... if that makes sense to anyone besides me.

I did enjoy the progression of the story. Having been so long since my last reread, I'd forgotten who done it, so that was a nice rediscovery. I also like the gradual world-building and creature-building. A slow progression of info drops about how vampires, Animators, and then lycanthropes work. Nice, also, that the main lycanthropes are rats instead of wolves.

Anyway, I highly recommend Guilty Pleasures and the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series in general. They're fun and I'm looking forward to revisiting them.

 

Favorite Lines

"I remembered when eighteen was grown-up. I had thought I knew everything. I was about twenty-one when I figured out I knew dip-wad. I still knew nothing, but I tried real hard. Sometimes, that is the best you can do. Maybe the best anyone can do." - Anita Blake

"You could probably have eaten off the carpeting if you had wanted to, but you would have gotten fuzzies in your mouth. No amount of Lysol would get rid of carpet fuzzies." - Anita Blake

"Great, we're going to be eaten alive because neither one of us smokes." - Edward