Cerulean Sins, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Cerulean Sins, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Book 11 – Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series
Reviewed by Ciara
Sex.
That’s this book in one word, more or less.
This book is, so far, furthest from all the things I loved about the first few books. I became addicted to the ABVH books because it combined crime, detective work and supernatural elements.
Don’t get me wrong, I love sex, and I enjoyed the early days of examples of how awesome Anita’s sex/romantic life, but I enjoyed that as part of the overall books, when it fit in nicely with a decent plot and characters. Now that sex has consumed and taken over the actual plot (this book is basically sex scenes strung together with a confused storyline) I find it hard to imagine myself continuing to read the series.
The book opens with Anita meeting Leo Harlan, an assassin who wants Anita to animate one of his ancestors, apparently simply because Leo is interested in genealogy.
Then, along comes Musette, a decidedly unlikeable vampire acting as a lackey for Belle Morte, the founder of Jean-Claude’s bloodline who wants to test or punish him.
Then, Anita finds out that there have been some brutal rapes and murders, seemingly committed by a shape shifting serial killer. She can’t get involved though, because Lieutanent Dolph doesn’t like the fact that she’s sleeping with the monsters, and their relationship has all but fallen apart.
The ardeur, a device introduced in the last book, forces Anita to crave sex every 12 hours, conveniently removing the need for Hamilton to have a reason for Anita to have sex.
Gone is the Anita from the first books, the complex character who was a vampire executioner but who fell in love with a vampire, a Christian whose natural ability was very unChristain, a strong woman who took a no-bullshit attitude to equally strong men.
Now, she pretty much just hops from bed to bed, and worries more about the implications of dating someone than killing someone.
Having read up to this one in quick succession (I had hoped to be up-to-date by the time book 20 was released in June), the repetition of certain phrases is very noticeable, as it is in her other paranormal series, Merry Gentry. It seems Hamilton just isn’t putting any effort into original turns of phrase when Anita isn’t in bed with a preternatural creature.
I’m hoping that as the series continues, Hamilton takes on the criticism from her numerous fans and makes some attempt to return the books to way they were at first, though with titles like Flirt and Kiss the Dead, I doubt that will happen.
There seems to be a split in ANVH fans, between those who miss the old style and think the books are drowning in sex (not a bad way to go, in fairness!) and those who think the increased emphasis on sex is a natural progression.
I’m somewhere in between. Anita didn’t have any sex at all for the first seven books, and is making up for lost time. Some sex would add to the plot, but it’s gone overboard now.
You may like it though. Maybe the sexy vampires and werewolves were always what you enjoyed. Just for me, as a crime fiction fan, the loss of the detective work is a big one.
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