In SERPENTINE, nothing is simple for Anita Blake, vampire
hunter, U.S. Marshall, not even the destination wedding of
her friend and fellow U.S. Marshall Edward and his lady,
Donna. Her lovers Micah and Nathaniel come along because
it's not exactly a dream get away for them as it turns out.
On top of the wedding drama -- one of the bridesmaids is a
royal pain, who doesn't believe that Edward and Anita
weren't lovers and is constantly fighting with Donna to get her
her out of the bridal party -- women start disappearing.
And, of course, Micah and Nathaniel are always good for
being prime suspects. So for Anita, she must survive the
wedding, clear up the mystery, and save her lovers from a
deadly power that has her fighting for all their lives.
SERPENTINE is the 26th offering in Laurell K.
Hamilton's Anita
Blake, Vampire Hunter series and seems
to return a bit to the older format that I am a big fan
of. When the series started she was a necromancer, then
she became a U.S. Marshall who was fighting her attraction
with the
Master of the City, while doing her job and finding her
way. I even thought Jean Claude was a strong, tough Master,
but in these later books he seems to be on the needy side
along with all the other characters in her life. I have
found these books too wordy, analyzing everything, too
much sex (I know the ardeur thing and the multiple men
because of it) with not enough vampire killing or bad guy
chasing.
SERPENTINE does manage to feed that action vibe once again,
but it is a little more than halfway through the book.
Anita uses her brains and abilities like the old days to
protect her lovers and stop the evil, while dealing with
the jealous bridesmaidzilla. Ms. Hamilton even brings in
some characters that we can sympathize with when Micah tries
to help the family who has members with body parts turning
into snakes. Is that a new form of lycanthropy or a curse?
Medusa had that kind of problem in ancient days, after all.
I wanted to read this book and give the series another
chance, because I really liked Anita Blake's kick-butt
style in the early books. However, if I were giving stars
this would get only three, maybe three and a half, as I
really enjoyed the fright and fight in the latter half of
the book. If you enjoyed the more recent books then this
one will fill the bill for you, if you miss the old Anita --
you will have to continue to miss her.
Vampire hunter Anita Blake has managed to overcome
everything she faces. But this time there's a monster that
even she doesn't know how to fight...
A remote Florida island is the perfect wedding destination
for the upcoming nuptials of Anita's fellow U.S. Marshal and
best friend Edward. For Anita, the vacation is a welcome
break, as it's the first trip she gets to take with
wereleopards Micah and Nathaniel. But it's not all fun and
games and bachelor parties...
In this tropical paradise Micah discovers a horrific new
form of lycanthropy, one that has afflicted a single family
for generations. Believed to be the result of an ancient
Greek curse, it turns human bodies into a mass of snakes.
When long-simmering resentment leads to a big blowout within
the wedding party, the last thing Anita needs is more drama.
But it finds her anyway when women start disappearing from
the hotel, and worse--her own friends and lovers are
considered the prime suspects. There's a strange power afoot
that Anita has never confronted before, a force that's
rendering those around her helpless in its thrall. Unable to
face it on her own, Anita is willing to accept help from
even the deadliest places. Help that she will most certainly
regret--if she survives at all, that is...
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