Obsidian Butterfly, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Obsidian Butterfly, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Book 9 – Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series
Reviewed by Ciara
This is one of my favourite ABVH books (so far). Anita has taken time out from her complicated love life, and is focusing more on work, so Jean Claude and Richard and all the others are absent from this book.
LKH replaces them with Edward (who Anita describes as … a hit man. He specialized in monsters. Vampires, shape-shifters, anything and everything. There were people like me who did it legal, but Edward didn’t sweat the legalities or, hell, the ethics. He was an equal opportunity killer. I may be one of the few friends that Edward has, but it’s like being friends with a tame leopard. It may curl on the foot of your bed and let you pet its head, but it can still eat your throat out…) and his merry band of assassins, who bring Anita to New Mexico to help solve some pretty grisly murders down there.
There are bodies turning up torn apart, and any survivors have been completely skinned but are somehow still alive. Anita owes Edward a favour from Blue Moon, and this is how he decides to call it in.
Edward’s merry band of assassins isn’t actually all that merry. Bernardo is fine and friendly and flirtatious and fun to look at, but Olaf is a different kettle of fish. Olaf is a woman-hating serial rapist, who majorly resents Anita being on the team. That can only end well, right?
LKH does a wonderful job of describing the new surroundings. I remember reading on her blog once that she often sits into the car and drives around until she finds a location for a body or a scene, and it really shows in this book.
Thankfully, the lack of Jean Claude and Richard meant this book wasn’t as obsessed with Anita’s sex life as the others, which is possibly the reason I loved it so much. Plus, she’s not the object of desire for absolutely every male she comes in contact with, which was a refreshing break.
The lack of sex returns LKH to her horror and sci-fi roots, the things that made us fall in love with her writing in the first few books. There are monsters and Aztec gods (seemingly, a hell of a lot of research went into this book), and attempted rape, and even child rape scenes (and she doesn’t gloss over that one, it’s all there, vividly detailed). This is very definitely not paranormal romance.
Edward was an absolute revelation in this book. I know some people felt he was very mundane in this book, and some of the air of mystery was removed, but I think the tiny amount of insight we get into his life and mind and heart actually increases the mystery around him. Besides, he’s one of my absolute favourite characters, I’ll love him no matter what.
As with all of the ABVH books, several plots are weaved together in this book, but they all come together perfectly at the end. A lot of commenters online have said they felt the book could have been more concise (it is the longest in the series so far) but to be honest, I enjoyed the characters and plots so much I didn’t notice the length at all.
It does take a little while to get to the action though, as quite a bit of the first half is taken up with backstory and Edward’s alter ego Ted. Once LKH does delve into the action though, it’s gripping and doesn’t let you go until after the very last page.
Although there’s none of the annoying sex (I never thought I would describe sex as annoying…) there are still some irritating aspects to Anita, chief among them her “I love you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t shoot you right between the eyes,” attitude to…oh, just about everything. I’m struggling to think of genuine conversations in the book, as opposed to confrontations.
Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the book I reread the most, the one that I’ll always enjoy.
Quick question for those of you who have read it; Am I the only one who perversely loves Olaf? Something is wrong with me, I know, but I like him, despite the whole rapist thing.
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