Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton
Narrated by Kimberly Alexis
Series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #26
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Date Read: July 23, 2019
Length: 496 pages / 15 hours 21 minutes
Source: NetGalley / Library
★★★★☆
Vampire hunter Anita Blake has managed to overcome anything that faces her. But this time, there’s a monster that even she doesn’t know how to fight . . .
A remote Florida Island is a perfect wedding destination for fellow US marshal and best friend Edward’s upcoming nuptials. For Anita, the vacation is a much welcomed break as it’s the first trip she gets to take with just wereleopards Micah and Nathaniel. But it’s not all fun and games and bachelor parties…
In that tropical paradise, Micah has discovered a horrific new form of lycanthropy, one that has afflicted a single family for generations. Believed to be the result of an ancient Greek curse, it turns human bodies into a mass of snakes.When long-simmering resentment leads to a big blow-out within the wedding party, the last thing Anita needs is more drama. But it finds her anyway when women start disappearing from the hotel and worse–her own friends and lovers are considered the prime suspects. There’s a strange power afoot that Anita has never confronted before, a force that’s rendering those around her helpless in its thrall. Unable to face it on her own, Anita is willing to accept help from even the deadliest places—help that she will most certainly regret—if she survives at all, that is…
I enjoyed this book. You may not know this, but I really like Laurell K. Hamilton’s writing and have read most of her work. I did take a bit of a break from the Anita Blake series but I knew that it would be something that I would get back to at some point. I have read the first 22 books in the series so I did skip a few books before starting this one but it worked out well but I don’t think that this would be a great starting point for readers new to the series. I am really glad that I decided to pick this series up again.
I have often heard complaints from others about this series. People complain that the series is different than it used to be. That’s true. It has evolved and Anita’s life in book 26 looks nothing like it did in book 1. People complain that it is nothing but sex anymore. Yes, there is a lot of sex in these books even though there wasn’t at the start of the series. Like I said, the series has evolved and sex is now a big part of the story. I can understand why the series may not work for everyone but it still does work for a lot of readers.
One of the reasons I decided to pick up this book was that it is what I refer to as an Edward book. Edward is a character that has been in the series from the very beginning even though he doesn’t make an appearance in every book. Edward is pretty much a badass that has always had Anita’s back. I love it when Edward and Anita work together to solve cases and Edward’s personal life has been more than a little interesting. In this book, Edward’s wedding is the backdrop for the story.
This book had everything that I was looking for. It had a really interesting case to solve with a paranormal being that was different than any I have seen before. I was able to catch up with many of the characters that I feel like I know from the previous books in the series. There were some scenes that really moved Anita’s relationships forward a bit and a few scenes that let me chuckle. I thought it was a pretty balanced book in the end.
I decided to listen to this book and thought that Kimberly Alexis did a great job with the narration. This is the first book in the series that I have listened to but I wouldn’t hesitate to go that route in the future. The narrator did a great job of handling a rather large cast of characters and adding a bit of excitement to the story. I think that I liked this book just a little bit more because of her narration.
I would recommend this book to fans of the series. I think that readers of the series will enjoy watching Anita and the gang navigate a wedding while trying to figure out what is happening to a family nearby. I do plan to read more from Laurell K. Hamilton in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
About the AuthorLaurell K. Hamilton is a full-time writer and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and the Merry Gentry series. She lives in a suburb of St. Louis with her family.
Wow, it's amazing that you are still enjoying the series after that many books. It does sound really good!
Edward was one of the best things about the series and I always enjoyed when he appeared. The Killing Dance was my favourite in the series. I was one of the people who got annoyed with the non stop sex, but it was the repeated same old same old arguements that Anita kept having with Dolph, Richard and Ronnie that really drove me nuts! I'm glad you are still having fun with the series though.
Well, I did take a 5 or 6 year break from the series but I have fun re-visiting with this one.
I have some of the books in this series. For some reason, I've been advised against reading them. Shall I start?
Maybe give it a try. It's not for everyone but the series does have a lot of fans. The early books contain almost no sex and the later books do have a lot of sex. I think that a lot of people who gave up on the series still enjoyed those first books. I would love to know what you think of this series if you do decide to give it a try.
wow, i have got to catch up on this series. i'll be checking my kindle to see if i have anything waiting from her. if not, there is always the libraby
sherry @ fundinmental
SO many books!! 😉
I do read this series but well it's not as good as it was before
I've read all of the books in this series and really liked this book as well. Edward is a great character. I'm so glad that you liked this one too.
Well I've read the first 16 books of the series. Yes it got to be too much about the sex for me. I always liked Jean Claude and was not a fan of Richard.
Anne – Books of My Heart
Anyone that can keep a series going this long, even with significant changes, deserves some serious kudos. and this one sounds great. I like the sound of Edward's character. What a cover too- yikes!
I admit I am one of those readers who didn't like the direction the series went after awhile. I really liked it in the beginning, and it will always have a special place in my heart–it was my introduction to urban fantasy. I wonder if I would feel differently about it now that I read more romance again. Back then, I wasn't much of a romance reader, having burnt out of it so long ago. Who knows? Maybe someday I will give it another try.
What a cover and what a title! I love that. Ooh, yes, it is interesting because when series get to be that long the story has to evolve and change. I can see why a lot more sex in it might not work for people who wanted something different when it starts off… so I will have to see about this one. I have to admit the length of the series makes me nervous.