Serpentine

I used to absolutely love this series. I discovered Laurel around the time of Blue Moon and she quickly became my favorite author as I read that novel and her previous offerings. I had always anxiously awaited all of her new books with child-like glee, but lately that glee has turned to apprehension.

It seem lately like Im struggling to even get through her books. I dont feel the connection with my long beloved characters that always made it such a treat to throw myself into the latest story.

The novels have become redundant, and frankly, boring. Most of the pages are spent on the mechanics of living a poly lifestyle and so few are left to the actual plot that its a difficult slog to move forward in the story. Id long ago accepted that I had to wade through numerous by the numbers sex scenes to actually progress in the storyline, but Ive found Im unwilling to do that with so little payoff anymore.

The plot lines and action seem to have almost disappeared from this series and I dont even recognize the characters anymore. Its become frustrating to force myself to read through the boring cliche poly relationship talking to death to get to a short part that is remotely interesting.

The last several books have just been rehashing the same things over and over and its gotten so cliche that I kind of want to make a drinking game out of it. Anita has a problem with a security guard because they dont see her as being as dangerous as her bodyguards? DRINK. Hearing about how Anita likes to go down on men when they are soft? DRINK. References to our shared boy? DRINK TWO! (At one point I literally rolled my eyes alone in my bedroom after reading another uttering of that phrase). How about our sweeties. Ughhhh. DRINK. Someone is pissed off at Anita because she doesnt pay enough attention to them? DRINK. Some girl is jealous of Anita? DRINK. Youd probably have alcohol poisoning at this point, so I should stop.

Everyone has their breaking point and apparently this is mine. I wont be purchasing any future books from Ms. Hamilton. Id hoped she could listen to her fans and get back to what made her series so successful in the first place, but it doesnt appear that it is going to happen.

okay i keep hoping the books will get back to what they were. Silly me.. the excerpts etc were literally almost the only parts that dealt with plot. I’d say be careful for spoilers but since some of the text was lifted from previous books or sentences just repeated – you’ve already read/seen it.

lets start with “our shared boy” Not only is that beyond offensive.. (please don’t start in with “term of endearment”) we spend a previous book dealing with Anita’s trauma and pity party over Nathaniel being so young.. only now to constantly reference him as “our shared boy” . Anita (the actual character not this emo angsty teenager she has become) would have found it offensive. The emo Anita wouldn’t have used the term because it would trigger her pity party about Nathaniel’s age so.. seriously- use an editor… or maybe logic?

We get it, Anita has breasts. But hey lets regress to being a teenager who has to giggle and smirk and keep pointing it out. Honestly, we don’t need every article of clothing mentioned to say say its specially made because Anita has large breasts. We get it.. we got it 10 books ago. Move on.

But wait, while we are slapping people over the head with a hammer. Did anyone else pick up that Anita is in a poly relationship. no no!! is it true? If you missed it, just re-read 7/10th of the book. The rest ? 1/10 plot 1/10th Nathaniel or Micah whining about the relationship (wait that falls into the Poly) or 1/10 Anita’s breasts
Edward and Donna’s relationship: “if you acted like it..” just reread the older books. the text seems copied and pasted in. Same lines.. Same rehashing that men and women cant be friends and Anita is just too sexy (must be the big breasts right?) for Edward to not have sex with her.

Also, Anita cannot function if she watches her “shared boy” strip or be naked. Anita cannot focus if she watched her “shared boy” strip or be naked. Sorry- I though this had to be repeated since It was not only repeated various different ways in the chapter when he switches to leopard, almost an entire paragraph was repeated verbatim to say it. Also, this was also basically just rewritten from the last time she needed a wereanimal to play cadaver dog.

“Yay therapy” Can I suggest GET SOME. Stop using the books and the reading audience as your therapist. Stop teasing us with plot that barely exists. This could have been a short novella with as much plot was there.

The book is basically : oh no large chested Anita and her poly relationships are having a hard time adjusting because .. whether its ONE person or many a RELATIONSHIP takes work. So instead of a plot line, we are going to focus on the relationship aspect, repeating everything they’ve covered in the last several books. Toss in a monster oh yeah .. harp on the fact anita/edward/bernard and otto are the 4 horsemen and just big bads and BOOM a story. Kind of. Because what did they actually bring to the table? firepower. That was it.

I miss actual writing. I miss an actual plot device and character development.
If I want the love stories and badly written sex scenes, I’ll shop for that. But please stop marketing these as a story.. it’s not what it was and not even pretending to be anymore.

Don’t waste your money..

What happened to the author who introduced us to great characters who could transport us to another place and time with passion and true entertainment? I’ve read everything published under the name of Laurell Hamilton and these last 3 Anita Blake books were increasingly disappointing. The flair and page turning excitement were missing and in Serpentine I found myself looking at how much I’d read and wondering if I could finish the chapter. I didn’t recognize this bland Jean Claude, whiney Micah or unemotional Anita Blake. What happened to these wonderful characters and most importantly what’s happened to LK Hamilton’s writing?

When I started this book I had such high hopes. The set up with Micah helping a cursed family and the backdrop of Edward’s wedding seemed to be revving things up for a great story. After Crimson Death and Dead Ice both showed hints that the series was going to include more mystery/thriller and crime/procedural elements again I had begun to hope I could return to this series with a happy heart….alas it was not to be. The beginning and the very rushed end, where Hamilton realized in the last dozen pages that she needed to resolve things, felt like a massive info dump followed by an uninspired “action” scene. If you read the start and the end and skipped everything in between you would be getting the best of the book. The repetitive, word count bumping, descriptions of the same characters physical descriptions were back with a vengeance. Some repetition is needed for new readers or to remind those of us, like myself, who dip in and out of the series, yet this book is excessively filled with it. Furthermore, Anita’s interpersonal relationships once again swamped the story. Characters who are supposedly adults, acting like children or poor imitations of 2D characters from the worst of the Jerry Springer show, ate up page after page with hysterical high school-esque drama and the same arguments we have been hearing book after book. There was actually a line which referenced Anita and Nathaniel thanking God for therapy as though they had had some great off page emotional and character growth…um, no.

Nathaniel’s behaviour was tedious and the dialogue of a lot of characters felt stilted. What was meant to be in depth conversations about their relationships with Anita, whether it was Donna, Edward, Nathaniel or Micah, came off as yet more filler or repetitions of conversations and personal problems we have sen in multiple books before.

Even the return of a well loved frenemy in the series could not save this book. The character in question had little impact beyond the surprise of their arrival. Thereafter, their presence was underwhelming…and don’t even get me started on the tacky pet names they ended up having for each other at the end.

The set up was great, Greek myths, a terrible disease, a wedding backdrop, an amoral cop with a strong psychic talent and then a murder and kidnapping followed by a show down with a big bad. That list of elements has all the ingredients for a great story. Pity about the poor execution and the filler.

I have thought long and hard about leaving a review. This is not Anita Blake as we knew her. LH has gone off on a jolly, at a tangent, off piste completely. How the story got passed for publication as good enough I don’t understand- as to me it reads like a first draft with so much wrong with it where do you start? As for the big scary Otto – what a story line missed and thrown away !! Anita leaves him alone with a child 2 mins after meeting him…then further in the ‘four horsemen’ torture a witness with no build up to say that she is a conspirator and the main event wrapped up super quick…. I can put up with repetition as long as the story line is there Christene Feehan is formulaic and Nora Roberts but they are good – Illona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Kelly Armstong brilliant – Nalini Singh, Faith Hunter , Elizabeth Hunter, Karen Chance, Ann Bishop, Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris, JK Ward, Rachael Vincent, Dannika Dark, Gaiil Carriger, Stacia Kane all have interesting characters / worlds and page turning voices ….
I read others reviews of this book – did not buy it when it came out (as is usually pre ordered) – paid the exorbitant price 13.99 kindle edition ! – and was so disappointed. I may be getting more selective as I am older ? But I don’t think so this book is a stinker sad to say. 31% of my kindle and Anita was still debating how to integrate the new guards ………..?!?!?!? I am really sorry to leave a bad review as I am a huge fan of the series but I must agree with other people that LH has lost her way with this series.

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