In her twenty-fifth adventure, vampire hunter and necromancer Anita Blake learns that evil is in the eye of the beholder… Anita has never seen Damian, her vampire servant, in such a state. The rising sun doesn’t usher in the peaceful death that he desperately needs. Instead, he’s being bombarded with violent nightmares and blood sweats. And now, with Damian at his most vulnerable, Anita … Damian at his most vulnerable, Anita needs him the most. The vampire who created him, who subjected him to centuries of torture, might be losing control, allowing rogue vampires to run wild and break one of their kind’s few strict taboos.
Some say love is a great motivator, but hatred gets the job done, too. And when Anita joins forces with her friend Edward to stop the carnage, Damian will be at their side, even if it means traveling back to the land where all his nightmares spring from…a place that couldn’t be less welcoming to a vampire, an assassin, and a necromancer: Ireland.
more
Who can’t not love Laurell Hamilton’s books? They never cease to entertain and keep you pasted to each page and word. Crimson Death was no different and was so action-packed. Simply amazing!
I love the Anita Blake series. I have every one of them so far. This series has shifters and vampire’s and I love them both. Thank you for writing such a wonderful series.
I loved it!!!! This is AWESOME!!!!
Really enjoyed it
Anita is called to Ireland for a murder case that they suspect involves vampires. We learn that Ireland is apparently different from the rest of the world, probably because of Fey magic, and they have never had vampires there so now they are in need of an expert. Edward is always there vouching for her but getting permission for her to come is a bit tricky.
And while they don’t know it, Ireland has always had vampires, they were just really good at staying secret and now Anita’s bride Damian, a vampire who lived there for years is going to have to face his greatest fears and return there with her to save those he left behind.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I was going to. I had quit this series because the sex completely overwhelmed any attempt at plot, and once I started again, I decided to work my way back through the ones I missed. This one shows a marked change from the earlier ones that were driving me nuts and I found the amount of plot vs amount of sex to be very reasonable.
The downsides:
If you took as shot every time someone mentions therapy you’ll die before you get halfway through. Anita has turned into one of those people who fight against something, but once they give in they have to proselytize it to everyone else, constantly. Yes, we get it, therapy is great.
We are still having at least two scenes in every book where the men just stand around telling her how she is the best thing ever while they knowingly exchange looks and she looks completely confused while one of them says “You just don’t see it, do you? You’re incredible because…” Look, Anita, even if you don’t believe them you’ve heard this so many times by now you should at least pretend to understand so they’ll move on.
The upsides:
The action scenes were really good as always. I love seeing her in kick-butt mode. The suspense build up and the new characters were great and of course Edward is always fun. While at times the books focus too much on Anita’s many relationships that is kind of part of being poly and I don’t think it could be avoided. I do love that Hamilton fleshes out the books with polyamory ideals and explanations. It doesn’t become preachy, and it does highlight both the positives and negatives of having multiple relationships.
Overall this was much better than just a few books ago where it felt like you couldn’t make it ten pages without a sex scene and I’m glad I decided to give the series another shot because it must have turned a corner right as I quit.
Crimson Death is the twenty-fifth book in the Anita Blake series and it is a step up from the previous novel, Dead Ice. The author, Laurell K. Hamilton, continues to spend a significant amount of the book dealing with the various romantic and supernatural relationships which make up the private life of her heroine but this time (unlike in many of the previous novels) most of those relationships directly impact the primary plot of the novel which is quite an interesting one.
Ireland is the last nation on the earth in which the fey maintain a significant presence. It is also a nation in which popular knowledge insists that zombies and vampires do not rise. This is not the case with vampires as a particularly old and cruel vampire has abided there for millennia. Now Dublin is being overrun by vampire attacks and Anita and Edward get pulled into helping the Irish solve the problem.
There are a number of related subplots that are particularly interesting. The Irish government, which is opposed to capital punishment and is proud of its open attitude toward psychic abilities, is not psychologically prepared to deal with an intensely evil vampire spawning new vampires throughout the city. They want to treat the vampires as if they are humans. At the same time, they have been developing a special response team which is run by an old friend and fighting comrade of Edward’s and the baggage from their past complicates their present. Dealing with these two situations causes significant and interesting difficulties for Blake.
The biggest weakness in the novel is that I figured out why there was a sudden new vampire rampage in Ireland almost immediately and I think that it was particularly obtuse of Blake and her companions never to consider the very obvious reason. Still, the development of the mystery and the solution to the problem were both satisfying.
love all her books. Anita Blake is the best character!
A typical Anita Blake Nobel with supernatural lovers and villains. In this book, we learn the background story of Damien….one of Jean-Claude’s vamps and 1/3 of Anita triumvirate of power. Previous books had alluded to the abuse he sufferEd from his maker…a night hag and the details are horrifying as they are revealed. Anita and company travel to Ireland, a place that has very few vamps. The fairy magic affects the dead and the night hag has ruled for centuries. Edward calls in Anita to help with the strange happenings. She is accompanied by her triumvirate of power which means Damien must return to his least favorite place in the world but Nathanial is thrilled to be going. Lots of action, a major shocking moment and Edward. Quite a ride.
Hamilton writes for woman who have open minds, are not afraid of the supernatural and know firearms from pop-guns. Strong Female lead.
Another cosmic collision of metaphysical beauty!
Again Hamilton brought Anita and her world to life as only a true master can do. Our dark queen has come full circle only to find herself facing a new quandary. She is definitely getting better at handling the little things, possibly we can thank therapy for that? Or love?
Characters from the past are back and the future is definitely heading in a direction that proposes a few changes, and possibly a lot of ‘give and take’.
But I look forward to them.
The new revelations will bring IMO a new direction for this series. I think Anita is in touch with her more “feminine” side in this episode. She still has her walls up and is antisocial as they come but they are cracking.
In closing I will miss my jealous tiger, he was one of my faves, despite his sometimes overbearing behavior.
Great writer, love all the characters!
Laurel K Hamilton never fails to write an awesome book. Once you start her books beware you may not want to put them down. Always appreciated how she took Anita Blake Through all the changes From being close minded to open minded. Love to watch the emotional and mental growth development of each and every character she writes about. So many Dynamic characters and how each one affects the other. It has been a great journey reading these books, experiencing Anita finding her purpose in life And watching her friendships and love grow for all the other characters. If you’re not a prude I would highly recommend these books.
She’s a great author. I started with the first book and read through to the end of the series. I’ve even read all of her other series. Check her out. She’s Awesome,
Love Anita Blake!! Funny, exciting & SEXY!! She knows how to make you love a character!
Great!!!
CAN BVR GO WRONG WITH THIS AURTHOR AND THIS SERIES
Powers hidden, troubles from a world away calls Anita. Another master vampire might be misbehaving in a place where her powers might not work. Lots of action, medium amount of steaminess, but definitely interesting until the end as always.
read over half the book …. never picked up did not finish it or buy it. and I have all the other Anita Blake series. …. they are getting draggy, too sexual not enough plot nothing like they were at the beginning of the series.
The series has become too bogged down in the large cast of characters that it has accumulated. This means that the plot doesn’t really move forward until about half way through the book. Still an interesting plot, but not nearly as engaging as earlier books.
I’ve read all of the Anita Blake series and this one was just a little too long. It included story li es that could have been shortened. It won’t stop me from reading future Anita Blake books, however.