Book Review: Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Bloody Bones
Series: Anita Blake – Book 5
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 370

Here’s a job to strain even Anita Blake’s capabilities: raising an entire graveyard of two-hundred-year-old corpses.

My Thoughts:


Bloody Bones was yet another whirlwind instalment in this series.

When people start showing up cut in half and missing bits of their bodies Anita gets called in in the place of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team who are already dealing with their own vampire issues.

This case however is going to be a tricky one, not only does Anita need to figure out what it is that is killing the local population because vampires don’t use swords, but she also needs to content with the local sheriff who is a secretive career climber convinced that Anita will steal all of her glory so she isn’t sharing all of the details.

The one thing that I am loving about Anita so far is that she doesn’t lose her uniqueness, she is such a strong character and yet she still has that vulnerability. Her stomach still turns when she sees a mutilated body, she doesn’t just waltz through and get to it, she still sometimes needs to compose herself.

The love triangle is starting to grind on my nerves a little though. Anita reckons she can’t stand Jean-Claude so why doesn’t she just end it with him, she keeps hiding behind the excuse that he would hurt Richard but not only can Richard take care of himself, Anita could take care of him as well.

I did enjoy the dive into the mysteries surrounding the fae. It’s one of the things I love about this series, we aren’t just focusing on vampires and werewolves, we get all manner of supernatural creatures coming out of the woods.

The fight scenes were as always masterfully written although I would have enjoyed more of a fight from Raw Head and Bloody Bones when he came onto the scene, it feels like he was only there for a few pages and then he was gone and yet the entire plot revolved around how dangerous he was.

As always though I enjoyed Anita’s attitude and the extremely graphic horror that Hamilton so expertly writes, I can’t wait to get into the next instalment The Killing Dance.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Lunatic Café
Series: Anita Blake – Book 4
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 369
Release Date: 1 March 2005

Anita has fallen for the leader of a local pack of werewolves. She’s survived a lot, but this love thing may kill her yet…

My Thoughts:

Everyone seems to believe that this book signifies the end of horror in this series, but I can safely say that this book was still pretty horrific.

People from the local were community have started to go missing, and when one of the missing people’s husbands come to her place of work for help, Anita seems to get dragged in from there. It’s not until a man who has literally been skinned alive shows up that Anita can seem to piece what’s going on together.

Anita is still tough as nails and I loved this book in the series. She opened up to Richard her new beau about some of her troubles and we continued to get a deeper look into who she is and why she stands for what she does romantically.

The addition of Richard as a love interest kept this series alive for me; it added another dimension to an already fantastic book. Whilst we still get the mind-boggling crimes that could only be found in Anita’s world, her relationship with Richard and the fear and uncertainty that entails was thrown into the mix.

I felt a little sorry for Richard, because it is clear that Anita has a bit of a problem with him being a werewolf. Although Richard is a perfect man in his human form, the fact that he turns furry once a month is seemingly not good enough for Anita. I want this relationship to work so badly because even though they are so different, they balance each other and that is what I reckon Anita needs.

Anita sleeps with a gun, Richard has most likely never even held one. Anita distrusts people until they give a reason to trust them and even then it’s tentative whereas Richard lets people in. Richard loves unconditionally, Anita doesn’t. Richard tries to defuse situations before they get out of hand but Anita is almost always raring for a fight.

That balance could do so much for Anita, but she is just too hard-headed to see that. Richard could also take a lesson in Anita not needed to be protected, but hey, it’s better than him throwing her to the wolves so to speak.

This series is still amazing me with every book and I am now avidly reading and cheering on Team Richard.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Circus of the Damned
Series: Anita Blake – Book 3
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 329
Release Date: 24 September 2002

When a powerful centuries-old vampire hits Anita Blake’s town, a battle of the undead ensues.

My Thoughts:

Mrs Hamilton, you have done it again.

Once again I was absolutely enthralled by the continuation of this series. Anita is once again thrown into the deep end by her vampire connections. Some very shifty characters come to town to challenge Jean-Claude and the limits of Anita’s loyalty are tested.

Anita was once again a magnificent heroine. She always thinks with her head and never gets too flustered by her situation. Anita continues to be one of my favourite characters ever purely because her morals and values aren’t compromised by vampires. She doesn’t start out as a “normal person” who inevitably falls for the incredible charms of the nearest vampire, she keeps fighting them and no matter how much attention she is paid by them, she never gives in.

I am a little worried though by her new acceptance of werewolves though, she went from hating them at the start of the book to being mildly tolerant, I suppose it’s understandable given the fact that she was surrounded by vampires so by comparison the werewolf looks pretty good, but I hope she continues sticking to her convictions.

I love how this series isn’t overly romantic, Anita didn’t show her loyalty to Jean-Claude because she loves him or lusts after him, she stays loyal because she is a good person (well as good as a necromancer can be), and tries to help the right people out. She doesn’t help Jena-Claude because she wants to sleep with him, and her helping him doesn’t lead to it either, she does it because she wants to and because she considers him somewhat a friend.

This series is only getting better; there is a decent amount of mystery mixed in with absolutely phenomenal ideas. Maybe I just haven’t been around long enough, but a million year old vampire? That is just cool.

Anita continues to be a strong heroine who keeps me coming back for more, she doesn’t fall for the charms of man but rather makes her own decisions about what she wants, she is a fighter yet still knows when to back down, but most of all, when she realises a mistake, she tries to rectify it rather than covering it up or hoping it will go away.

I absolutely cannot wait to get to the next book in this series, The Lunatic Café.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Laughing Corpse
Series: Anita Blake – Book 2
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 293
Release Date: 2 August 2005

Vampire Hunter is about to discover that some secrets are better left buried – and some people are better off dead…

My Thoughts:

Back into the world of Anita Blake and it was just as good the second time around.

Anita is still holding down two jobs, her animating job working with raising zombies for people and as insider knowledge for the police department. Anita gets offered a job that she doesn’t want to accept though, she has been requested to raise a 300 year old corpse which involves human sacrifice, not something she is comfortable with.

Anita continues to be a complete kick-ass heroine. I really cannot fault her. She hates vampires and is continuing to struggle with her feelings for Jean-Claude, she is blossoming into a powerful necromancer, which is completely cool, and she is a smart and sarcastic. The cast of characters once again was well put together and completely fit with the story.

The Laughing Corpse is gory and horrific, perfect in my opinion. It deals with the deeper side of Voodoo, delving into darker techniques and giving us an insight into the hierarchy of the Voodoo community, which Anita wants no part in. The Laughing Corpse details stomach churning monsters put together with all sorts of spare parts, human and animal included. It also deals with what happens to our souls after we die, and what happens if people steal them.

The ideas presented in The Laughing Corpse and in Anita Blake in general are nothing like I have ever seen. I absolutely loved the gory details of this book. Who even comes up with putting a soul inside a zombie? Or putting together a multi-limbed multi-mouthed beast.

Laurell K Hamilton is a master when it comes to the weird and wonderful world of paranormal horror and I cannot wait to continue what is shaping up to be a fantastic series.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Guilty Pleasures
Series: Anita Blake – Book 1
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 266
Release Date: 1 October 1993

In the novel that introduces Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, the monster she’s sworn to kill becomes the man she can’t live without...

My Thoughts:

I can’t believe I waited this long to start this series. It is awesome!

Anita Blake is a necromancer, which basically means that she can raise the dead, making zombies. With vampires out in public, Anita doesn’t have to hide her powers because seriously what’s more scary, a vampire or a chick that can make zombies? Anyway Anita makes her living by raising the dead for legal reasons, sometimes poor Auntie Mabel dies without leaving her fortune to anyone, so Anita is there to raise them long enough to make out their final will.

Anita is approached by Jean-Claude, a vampire that she has a somewhat awkward relationship with. Anita seems to have an unusual attraction for Jean-Claude, and he tries everything within his power to get her to let down her guard against him. Anita kills vampires, she doesn’t hook-up with them, even if they make her forget what she was doing, and always manage to illicit a reaction from her.

Anita is one of the best Urban Fantasy heroines I have read about. Not only doe she talk tough but she can actually back up her claim. She is known throughout the vampire community as the executioner because she isn’t afraid to get hurt if means she will get her kill. Anita has a platoon of weapons including – but not limited to – holy water, guns, stakes and knives. She gets jealous of Edward, an ally and fellow vampire hunter, because he apparently has a bazooka and a flame thrower.

Anita refuses to cower behind others and that is what made me instantly fall in love with her. People cower behind her, even men. Anita is smart, brave and extremely cool in her mannerisms and techniques and she stays true to what she makes out to be and lives up to that hype.

Although Anita tries to convince herself that she hates him, I loved Jean-Claude. He is so suave and confident, even when Anita humiliates and mocks him he never seems to lose his edge over others. Feared and respected Jean-Claude is the third most powerful vampire in the city and he makes sure people know it without being too over-confident and annoying. It is a trait that can only be respected because he doesn’t really have to do anything for others to cower at the mention of his name, yet Anita is the only person he sees regularly that isn’t scared of him. It keeps him grounded and likable.

Guilty Pleasures is definitely one of the stronger books in this genre and I urge anyone and everyone who has ever had a fascination with vampires to read this book.

Also in this series:

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List