Some fall out from Obsidian Butterfly, and a visit from Belle Morte's lieutenant are complicating Anita's life this time. The Mary-Sue quotient spiked as well, as it felt like LKH was treating Richard like an ex she was disappointed in. Despite taking a month long break, we definitely get the sense that Anita's burning out on all the horror's she's been forced to witness. But at least she gets to raise a zombie in this book. :) The Mother of All Darkness stirs as well. ( )

I still like these books, but like I said about the last ones, they're starting to contain a bit too much sex. With this book, it seemed like the first 100 pages or so was Anita moving from one sexual scene to another. I think the series lost something when Hamilton saddled Anita with this supernatural sexual appetite that has to be satisfied (or what, I don't really know).

Maybe I'll understand more when I read the one I've skipped, Narcissus in Chains. Don't have that one yet. I also skipped over book #9, but that was actually the first one in the series that I read, which happened to take place during a time when she's not really having *any* sex at all.

I'll continue to read the series, I just hope that Hamilton recaptures some of the formula that made the first 6 books or so of the series so great. ( )

The Anita Blake series has a bit of a reputation for morphing into pornography as the series goes on. I think that's a little unfair. It's a series about vampires, after all - what did you expect? This book is heavy on vampire politics, which is okay by me; however I would prefer it if Ms Hamilton didn't bookend the politics with an equally interesting detective story reminiscent of the earlier books in the series - please do one thing or the other. ( )

Anita Blake started this series as a really great heroine - I don't know what is happening to her. The other characters are still good but again, the plot is somewhat lacking. ( )

A good action series has become a poor erotica series. So poor that I'd almost call it porn. ( )