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Laurell K. Hamilton has captivated readers with her gritty, seductive tales of vampire hunter Anita Blake for thirty bloody fantastic years. Now, in the thirtieth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, wedding bells are ringing. But before Anita can make it to the altar, she must face an obstacle more daunting than any supernatural threat....
Anita Blake is small, dark, and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St. Louis. Her job: U.S. Marshal—Preternatural Branch. She’s faced horrifying monsters and brutal killers and come out the other side still standing.
Considering how things in her life tend to go, Anita never expected her walk down the aisle with Jean-Claude to go smoothly. They’ve already been confronted with naysayers and a power-hungry ancient evil, but now Anita has to do the one thing that actually scares her: introduce her very religious, very human relatives to her fiancé—the newly crowned vampire king of America.
As Anita tries to keep the peace between the family she left behind and the family she’s chosen, dark forces jump at the chance to take advantage of the chaos. With her happy-ever-after at risk and everyone’s immortal souls hanging in the balance, Anita grapples with a hard truth: Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family.
"Laurell K. Hamilton has captivated readers with her gritty, seductive tales of vampire hunter Anita Blake for thirty bloody fantastic years. Now, in the thirtieth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, wedding bells are ringing. But before Anita can make it to the altar, she must face an obstacle more daunting than any supernatural threat...."
Anita Blake is small, dark, and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St. Louis. Her job: U.S. Marshal—Preternatural Branch. She’s faced horrifying monsters and brutal killers and come out the other side still standing.
Considering how things in her life tend to go, Anita never expected her walk down the aisle with Jean-Claude to go smoothly. They’ve already been confronted with naysayers and a power-hungry ancient evil, but now Anita has to do the one thing that actually scares her: introduce her very religious, very human relatives to her fiancé—the newly crowned vampire king of America.
As Anita tries to keep the peace between the family she left behind and the family she’s chosen, dark forces jump at the chance to take advantage of the chaos. With her happy-ever-after at risk and everyone’s immortal souls hanging in the balance, Anita grapples with a hard truth: Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family.
"Laurell K. Hamilton has captivated readers with her gritty, seductive tales of vampire hunter Anita Blake for thirty bloody fantastic years. Now, in the thirtieth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, wedding bells are ringing. But before Anita can make it to the altar, she must face an obstacle more daunting than any supernatural threat...."
404 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2023
826 people are currently reading
7881 people want to read
About the author
Laurell K. Hamilton
422 books25.7k followersLaurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 679 reviews
December 2, 2025
I was able to read an ARC copy though the bookstore I work at via Edelweiss. Starting out with this book, I almost didn't read it. I'd given up on this series over a decade ago but decided to read the previous book just to see if they had gotten any better, spoiler alert they did not. The only reason I read this one after how awful the last one was was because Smolder and Slay started out as one book and were split into two books. A terrible decision really considering there wasn't enough plot for one book let alone two. Just to make it easier to keep my thoughts on this book in order I've decided my review into sections with quotes from the book as examples.
Racism: Hamilton is a 60 year old white woman from the Midwest and it absolutely shows in the way she writes about her characters of color, what few ones there are. She has an incredibly weird obsession with comparing how pale Anita's skin color is compared to many of the PoC characters darker skin colors. This book also had a super uncomfortable scene where a vampire not only changes his skin color from white to black but also changes his facial features to appear more black. I'm not sure what would ever possess someone to write that but it was extremely off putting.
"Then I realized that the vampire I was holding on to had changed skin tone. He’d started out the utter white of a Caucasian vampire; now he was Black. He didn’t even have that slightly sickly pallor that all vampires had regardless of skin tone. If I had seen him on the street I’d have passed him by as human. But it was more than that, his features had changed to match the darker skin."
- Slay, chapter 36
I literally had to read the above bit twice because I thought surely I misread something but no, that's what it said.
Homophobia: Early on in the book when leaving a restaurant a vampire tries to attack Jean-Claude with holy water in what basically amounts to an acid attack. Two of the bodyguards are hit instead and horribly injured. After questioning the assailant it turns out that he is a closeted, self hating gay man who wanted to attack Jean-Claude because he's an out queer person that the assailant finds attractive so his entire motivation was to attack and maim Jean-Claude so he'd no long find him attractive and could magically go back to being straight. I'm so fucking tired of this harmful, lazy trope of blaming homophobia on the person secretly being gay and self hating. Sure you get an occasional person in the real world that that may be the case but 99% of the time they're just a bigot!
""The uniform on scene said that one of your security team claimed the vampire that threw the holy water wasn't trying to kill Jean-Claude, just disfigure him."
"Yes," I said.
"That the motive was -
" He turned some pages in his notebook, then read, "The perp is terrified that he might be gay, but he blamed Jean-Claude for all his unnatural urgings. He believed that if he could disfigure Jean-Claude's face, then he wouldnit be beautiful anymore and the perp's homosexual attraction to Jean-Claude would go away and he would magically be straight again."
"Yeah, that was the bastard's motive.""
- Slay, chapter 24
Poor pacing: The first half of the book can be summed up as Anita in a room with a rotating group of people getting into pointless arguments. There was Anita at the airport arguing with her family, at the baggage claim, in the car on the way to the hotel, at the hotel, and at the restaurant. Just a series of chapters of Anita and her family being really shitty to each other for no reason.
Anita's family is in town visiting to meet her fiance and all of her dozens of random other love interests that all blend together because most of them have the personality of a cardboard cutout. Her dad, Fredrick, is a bigot who constantly speaks down to Anita about her life choices both personally and professionally. Her stepmom, Judith, and her stepsister, Andria, are almost identical in personality and even dress identically at one point, and are both the exact type of ultra feminine woman that Anita has an intense hatred for. Her brother, Josh says maybe 3-4 lines of dialogue and we get almost no interactions with him because they use him as a sitter for the grandma. Grandmother Blake is the most over the top, cartoonishly written bigot I've ever read. She was boring and only there to scream at Anita about how she's sinning and the pope said she's going to hell. Other than one instance off page where her dad helped the guards injured in the holy water attack none of the family members added anything to the plot to the point where they all could have been cut completely and nothing about the book would have been changed for the worse or better. Once they disappeared off screen they don't show back up intil the second to the last chapter and those scenes could have been cut as well.
The next half of the book was Anita being kidnapped by one of the dumbest villains I've ever read in a book in my life. It wasn't just that his plan was poorly planned and executed, it's the fact that he was literally as dumb as a box of rocks. The amount of times he was confused by things that were plainly stated was ridiculous. The villain was a vampire who could turn into a 50ft dragon and I was bored. Anita was practically able to just walk out of the kidnapper's lair on her own and the villain was defeated in such an anticlimactic way. I don't know how it's possible to write a 50ft dragon being blown up from the inside and have it be boring but somehow Hamilton accomplished that.
Clunky dialogue/writing in general: There were so many instances I had to go back and reread a paragraph because they were so poorly written that they were nearly incomprehensible.
"She didn't look scary at all as she clutched her black purse and peered up at me with those bright blue eyes that matched the color of the button-up sweater she was wearing. The high-necked blouse underneath was as white as her hair there."
- Slay, chapter 2
Her hair where? There were so many instances of her getting lost halfway though a sentence just like this. Add this to the fact that so much of her dialogue sounded like it was written by aliens who aren't used to human speech yet and it made for a book that the flow of the words felt like someone running in clogs across a metal roof.
Dropped plot points:
One of my biggest issues was how many times Hamilton would mention something in passing and then never mentions it again. For example, after the attack at the restaurant we find out that there were other vampire hate crimes around the city at nearly the same time and Anita discusses this with the cops and how a couple new hate groups that have popped up have claimed responsibility. You'd think hey, maybe one of those groups has a connection to the sunshine murders. Well don't get your hopes up because the only time those murders come back up are the very last chapter in literally the dumbest way possible.
While reading this book I highlighted 196 passages and took over 30 pages of note. I could probably write another 10,000 words about every time this book was so terrible that all I could do was laugh. The only time I would recommend someone read this book is if they were suffering from imposter syndrome about their own writing to prove to them that if this was published by a big publisher then anyone can do it.
Racism: Hamilton is a 60 year old white woman from the Midwest and it absolutely shows in the way she writes about her characters of color, what few ones there are. She has an incredibly weird obsession with comparing how pale Anita's skin color is compared to many of the PoC characters darker skin colors. This book also had a super uncomfortable scene where a vampire not only changes his skin color from white to black but also changes his facial features to appear more black. I'm not sure what would ever possess someone to write that but it was extremely off putting.
"Then I realized that the vampire I was holding on to had changed skin tone. He’d started out the utter white of a Caucasian vampire; now he was Black. He didn’t even have that slightly sickly pallor that all vampires had regardless of skin tone. If I had seen him on the street I’d have passed him by as human. But it was more than that, his features had changed to match the darker skin."
- Slay, chapter 36
I literally had to read the above bit twice because I thought surely I misread something but no, that's what it said.
Homophobia: Early on in the book when leaving a restaurant a vampire tries to attack Jean-Claude with holy water in what basically amounts to an acid attack. Two of the bodyguards are hit instead and horribly injured. After questioning the assailant it turns out that he is a closeted, self hating gay man who wanted to attack Jean-Claude because he's an out queer person that the assailant finds attractive so his entire motivation was to attack and maim Jean-Claude so he'd no long find him attractive and could magically go back to being straight. I'm so fucking tired of this harmful, lazy trope of blaming homophobia on the person secretly being gay and self hating. Sure you get an occasional person in the real world that that may be the case but 99% of the time they're just a bigot!
""The uniform on scene said that one of your security team claimed the vampire that threw the holy water wasn't trying to kill Jean-Claude, just disfigure him."
"Yes," I said.
"That the motive was -
" He turned some pages in his notebook, then read, "The perp is terrified that he might be gay, but he blamed Jean-Claude for all his unnatural urgings. He believed that if he could disfigure Jean-Claude's face, then he wouldnit be beautiful anymore and the perp's homosexual attraction to Jean-Claude would go away and he would magically be straight again."
"Yeah, that was the bastard's motive.""
- Slay, chapter 24
Poor pacing: The first half of the book can be summed up as Anita in a room with a rotating group of people getting into pointless arguments. There was Anita at the airport arguing with her family, at the baggage claim, in the car on the way to the hotel, at the hotel, and at the restaurant. Just a series of chapters of Anita and her family being really shitty to each other for no reason.
Anita's family is in town visiting to meet her fiance and all of her dozens of random other love interests that all blend together because most of them have the personality of a cardboard cutout. Her dad, Fredrick, is a bigot who constantly speaks down to Anita about her life choices both personally and professionally. Her stepmom, Judith, and her stepsister, Andria, are almost identical in personality and even dress identically at one point, and are both the exact type of ultra feminine woman that Anita has an intense hatred for. Her brother, Josh says maybe 3-4 lines of dialogue and we get almost no interactions with him because they use him as a sitter for the grandma. Grandmother Blake is the most over the top, cartoonishly written bigot I've ever read. She was boring and only there to scream at Anita about how she's sinning and the pope said she's going to hell. Other than one instance off page where her dad helped the guards injured in the holy water attack none of the family members added anything to the plot to the point where they all could have been cut completely and nothing about the book would have been changed for the worse or better. Once they disappeared off screen they don't show back up intil the second to the last chapter and those scenes could have been cut as well.
The next half of the book was Anita being kidnapped by one of the dumbest villains I've ever read in a book in my life. It wasn't just that his plan was poorly planned and executed, it's the fact that he was literally as dumb as a box of rocks. The amount of times he was confused by things that were plainly stated was ridiculous. The villain was a vampire who could turn into a 50ft dragon and I was bored. Anita was practically able to just walk out of the kidnapper's lair on her own and the villain was defeated in such an anticlimactic way. I don't know how it's possible to write a 50ft dragon being blown up from the inside and have it be boring but somehow Hamilton accomplished that.
Clunky dialogue/writing in general: There were so many instances I had to go back and reread a paragraph because they were so poorly written that they were nearly incomprehensible.
"She didn't look scary at all as she clutched her black purse and peered up at me with those bright blue eyes that matched the color of the button-up sweater she was wearing. The high-necked blouse underneath was as white as her hair there."
- Slay, chapter 2
Her hair where? There were so many instances of her getting lost halfway though a sentence just like this. Add this to the fact that so much of her dialogue sounded like it was written by aliens who aren't used to human speech yet and it made for a book that the flow of the words felt like someone running in clogs across a metal roof.
Dropped plot points:
One of my biggest issues was how many times Hamilton would mention something in passing and then never mentions it again. For example, after the attack at the restaurant we find out that there were other vampire hate crimes around the city at nearly the same time and Anita discusses this with the cops and how a couple new hate groups that have popped up have claimed responsibility. You'd think hey, maybe one of those groups has a connection to the sunshine murders. Well don't get your hopes up because the only time those murders come back up are the very last chapter in literally the dumbest way possible.
While reading this book I highlighted 196 passages and took over 30 pages of note. I could probably write another 10,000 words about every time this book was so terrible that all I could do was laugh. The only time I would recommend someone read this book is if they were suffering from imposter syndrome about their own writing to prove to them that if this was published by a big publisher then anyone can do it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2023
Slay
by Laurell K. Hamilton is a relationship intense urban fantasy blended with paranormal romance and supernatural suspense. It’s the thirtieth book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Preternatural U.S. Marshal and vampire hunter Anita Blake is preparing for her wedding to the vampire king of America Jean-Claude. Humans think she is siding with the monsters and the vampires fear he has fallen under the spell of the most powerful necromancer in several millennia. It’s time for her family to meet Jean-Claude. Frederick, her father, thinks Jean-Claude is evil, but unbeknownst to Anita, prejudiced and far more vitriolic Grandma who abused Anita when she was young comes too. On top of this family drama, there is another powerful and evil force intent on destroying Jean-Claude.
This book focuses on relationships for a large part of the book, but there is also more suspense and action that there was in the last novel. Whether it is Anita’s relationships with the many men and women in her life or with the various members of her family, there is a lot of domestic drama.
The author does a great job on characterization. The story is well written with a unique situation that resulted in a showdown set-up with a powerful evil creature. There are some mildly steamy scenes as well, but not like many previous novels. Themes woven into the novel include romance, relationships of all types, bias, violence, evil, power, anger, grief, jealousy, and much more.
Overall, this was an engrossing and entertaining novel with great characterization, plenty of action, and lots of family drama. I recommend reading this series in order. The background and gradual addition of characters will make the experience more enjoyable.
Berkley Publishing Group and Laurell K. Hamilton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for November 7, 2023.
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My 4.09 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
This book focuses on relationships for a large part of the book, but there is also more suspense and action that there was in the last novel. Whether it is Anita’s relationships with the many men and women in her life or with the various members of her family, there is a lot of domestic drama.
The author does a great job on characterization. The story is well written with a unique situation that resulted in a showdown set-up with a powerful evil creature. There are some mildly steamy scenes as well, but not like many previous novels. Themes woven into the novel include romance, relationships of all types, bias, violence, evil, power, anger, grief, jealousy, and much more.
Overall, this was an engrossing and entertaining novel with great characterization, plenty of action, and lots of family drama. I recommend reading this series in order. The background and gradual addition of characters will make the experience more enjoyable.
Berkley Publishing Group and Laurell K. Hamilton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for November 7, 2023.
------------------------------------------
My 4.09 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
November 3, 2023
There was a point where this was one of my favorite series to read. I have re-read the first half of the series countless times and the paperback copies are falling apart on my shelves. Over the years I have fallen out of love with them unfortunately. I miss the action and mystery the early books had. I was excited to see this one was about a dragon, and it was, but it still was more interpersonal drama than it was monster hunt and I was pretty disappointed. While this book was more family drama than the pure sex fests the last few books have been I didn’t see it as much of an improvement. I did like seeing Anita more comfortable in her relationships and her feelings and setting clear boundaries with her bigoted family, but I still hope the books get back to the glory I know they could be. A small note, it seems this book and the book before Smolder were originally one story? I think Smolder is the one book in the series I haven’t read and I may have missed something that could have helped my entertainment but I seriously doubt it.
December 29, 2024
Audible Series Listen October 25 - December 28, 2024
(Rating & Review from initial read thru)
I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
Purely sentimental rating of 3 stars because it's always amazing to revisit a favorite series featuring beloved characters by an all-time favorite author.
Instead of a review written in paragraph form, I am going to do as I did for the previous installment, where I answer questions longtime readers wish answered.
1: Can this be read as a standalone?
No. This is book 30 which is also a continuation of the previous installment. At least 25 of the novels in the series need to be read, along with Smolder. Otherwise, the world building and huge cast of characters would be beyond confusing.
2: Does the wedding take place?
NO. A huge empathic NO. OMG. I feel as if I got married and am currently going through a divorce since Anita and Jean-Claude became engaged.
3: Does Anita's family come to town?
Yes. They come to town for a meet & greet and for Dad to get his tux fitted. This is the first third of the novel before it shifts. Almost 4o% of the novel, even though it meanders (see Q8) Then the ending.
4: Is the plot a monster hunt or police procedural?
Yes. Dolph is on scene in the beginning. There are a series of hate crimes against preternatural creatures. Since Anita is busy with her family in town, she offloads the case onto other marshals, but then she is drawn into the case as she and her people are targeted.
5: Is the preternatural crime a continuation of Smolder?
Yes. I have zero idea why Anita and her cop and mashal friends are confused since Smolder ended with no conclusion to this particular storyline. There are vampires being manipulated into doing hate crimes, yet they don't remember what the bad guy did in the previous installment. Just as they seem to forget he is a dragon as they try to figure out what the huge reptilian footprints could possibly be. SMDH.
6: Is Edward in the novel?
Yes. Edward rides in to save the day. This is the best part of the novel, where I was able to read this portion without being disinterested or torn out of the story. I prefer a limited cast of characters when Anita goes hunting with her fellow marshals, but Slay takes place in St. Louis homebase. This portion of the novel was small, and it was the best part of the novel.
7: Olaf "Otto" Jeffries?
Y E S. I know the Anita Blake fandom is torn between love and hate with our favorite lion serial killer. Honestly, the handful of creepy dialogue between Olaf and Anita made it worth reading the novel. I don't need hearts and flowers, just page after page of their bizarre banter and creepy dialogue. I live for it.
8: Sexfest, yay or nay?
Nay. Honestly, there were so many false stops and starts to sex that it became almost a drinking game. I'm snockered. I'm unsure if Anita actually ever went through with the act. It was just downright bizarre how Anita was behaving as if she had a lobotomy. She was oddly telling everyone ILY, starting sex and never finishing it, none of it for a succubus reason. Poor Wicked Truth needing to be healed as Anita dragged her feet or got distracted. Honestly, it was disgusting that this happened over and over again, as if ANYTHING Anita was doing or thinking or emoting was as important as healing her top bodyguards. Baffling. The bulk majority of the novel featured this ridiculousness, which was combined with...
8: Does the story meander?
Non-phucking-stop. Anita suddenly developed ADHD, and this is said by someone who is afflicted herself. From one sentence to the next, Anita would forget what she was doing or thinking and start rambling on and on about fifty characters that are honestly nobodies. Physical features, how they met, what they're wearing, just meandering for pages on end for no reason whatsoever. I was like, "IDC! I've read 30 books. I know exactly who this person is and what they look like, and I can't figure out why this inanity is getting so much word-count when this character lends zilch to the storyline." Over and over again.
9: Are the OG MCs on scene?
No. Not really. Which is why it was a pleasure to see Edward and Olaf, even if it was a few pages. Richard was utilized as a plot device but not a true scene of connection. We get a small taste of JC, like someone took our appetizer away in the middle of our first bite before the flavor even hit our tongue. We get some mind-to-mind or phone calls. I honestly cannot remember the last novel that Anita actually interacted with Micah or Nathaniel in a scene and not just a call or reminder they exist.
UGH! All these one-dimensional newly added characters dominated the scenes, where they pop up, get meandering info-drops, are relevant for like two lines of dialogue, and drop off, only for another one of them to come on-scene. Repeat. Repeat. Not to speak for every reader, but these characters just need to go away with some focus on characters with backstory and a true connection to Anita. 3D characters who deserve some page-time, where readers deserve more than a small taste. The 1D characters aren't around enough to matter, even if LKH goes on and on and uses Anita to tell us how important and how loved they are. In 30 books, they're a blip, I have no idea why we're focusing on them. Meanwhile, series staples are becoming the blip, while 30+ randos are focused upon. It's not interesting. It's unemotional and a major disconnect.
10: Does Anita ever take a shower without pages of negotiations, especially under dire situations?
No. Evidently not. Reminiscent of Rafael, Anita cannot seem to just take a shower and go about business. Only this time it was at the hospital to help Wicked & Truth, only meandering descriptions of 1D throwaway characters were more important.
11: Does Anita still overthink everything?
Yes. It seems to be a totally different version of overthinking than what was shown in the first 20-some novels. It's so exhausting to read, let alone empathize with for Anita as a character. Whether it's showering or loving someone or what weapon to use, everything is discussed, negotiated upon, when there needs to be things that Anita should be allowed to decide because she is an autonomous being. Something that should take five minutes, maybe two lines on a page, take almost a chapter or more and derails the pacing. It makes it an exhausted slog, where Anita's personality is nonexistent anymore...
12: Is Anita in a polyamorous relationship with the entire cast of characters?
... Anita's personality is almost nonexistent anymore, almost as meaningless and unemotional as her connections to the loves of her lives. There is polyamory, then there is having 50+ relationships. A lover hoarder, spread too thin, until all the love and connection is just Anita lying to herself to keep the peace.
With the OGs, the readers got to experience Anita fall in love. With these 1D characters- I won't call them new since they've been around for many, many books but still have zero personality other than placeholders- they came on scene, LKH put them in readers' faces and told us Anita loved them, with zero of the tension, work, or relationship and character building.
These nothingness relationships that LKH is hyper focused on lessens the connection Anita shares with EVERYONE. In fact, they are so insecure, Anita must coddle them every time they walk into the room. Who mouth-kisses their spouse every single time they see them, during emergencies, in front of police, at the hospital, in front of family members. We're not talking a quick hello and ILY but open-mouthed kisses to prove you want them as much as all the others in the poly group. How exhausting, clingy, and insecure that Anita cannot even deal with an emergency or have a conversation with her family without literally making out with all the people who enter the kitchen just to prove to her family (no, to the READERS, who are not buying it) that Anita loves these 1D characters with zero personality and absolutely no interactions that make them worthwhile or entertaining to read. In a quest to show poly relationships, LHK has managed to make a mockery of them. It worked early on with the OG MCs but not these randos. Pierrette even had to interrupt Anita having an important convo with her father just to assert herself into Anita's life. Exhausting.
Final thoughts: I'm exhausted. I'd take a sex-fest over this meandering, mentally exhausting slog. Imagine that every time someone was hired at your place of work, they're suddenly a member of your poly group. You get no choice. They were hired, so now you must sex them up and tell them ILY every single time they walk into the room. Just stop the emergency meeting to kiss them and soothe their injured pride, when there are actual wounded people surrounding you. Worse, you're the CEO and they're the support staff that you have to coddle. Anita's relationship with 99% of her lovers is creepy as she is their queen and they must obey her. Talk about an imbalance of power and inability to consent. Honestly, I have no idea why this is a hill LKH wants to die upon, but she keeps doubling down. This series would benefit from more that 2/3 of the cast to just fade into the background, where LKH starts to focus on actual meaningful relationships with the more than dozen OG MCs that have personalities.
Slay is a novel devoid of actual sex but it isn't a monster hunt or police procedural either. Slay doesn't know what it is. We'd have a third of a novel if LKH didn't go down a list to see who she needs to include in conversations, where all they do is negotiate and delay important stuff by arguing with and exhausting Anita.
If Anita's world were real life, it'd be a nightmare. Anita needs to "queen" and tell them all to go back to work. No coddling, handholding, or ego-soothing. Just ignore them as the toddlers they are and go about work, then have a true, intimate moment of connection with two or three of the actual loves of her life. You'd think all that therapy stuff would teach Anita how toxic every single one of her relationships are.
Shout out to Wicked & Truth, the brothers who were injured in the very beginning of the novel while protecting Anita & JC, where Anita never did manage to even attempt to heal them. Anita and triage are not besties. Go give Pierrette a kiss because her ego is more important than healing actual life-altering injuries. Cheers to the Wicked Truth, Anita is not a queen I'd follow if her lovelife is more important than injuries incurred in the act of duty.
(Rating & Review from initial read thru)
I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
Purely sentimental rating of 3 stars because it's always amazing to revisit a favorite series featuring beloved characters by an all-time favorite author.
Instead of a review written in paragraph form, I am going to do as I did for the previous installment, where I answer questions longtime readers wish answered.
1: Can this be read as a standalone?
No. This is book 30 which is also a continuation of the previous installment. At least 25 of the novels in the series need to be read, along with Smolder. Otherwise, the world building and huge cast of characters would be beyond confusing.
2: Does the wedding take place?
NO. A huge empathic NO. OMG. I feel as if I got married and am currently going through a divorce since Anita and Jean-Claude became engaged.
3: Does Anita's family come to town?
Yes. They come to town for a meet & greet and for Dad to get his tux fitted. This is the first third of the novel before it shifts. Almost 4o% of the novel, even though it meanders (see Q8) Then the ending.
4: Is the plot a monster hunt or police procedural?
Yes. Dolph is on scene in the beginning. There are a series of hate crimes against preternatural creatures. Since Anita is busy with her family in town, she offloads the case onto other marshals, but then she is drawn into the case as she and her people are targeted.
5: Is the preternatural crime a continuation of Smolder?
Yes. I have zero idea why Anita and her cop and mashal friends are confused since Smolder ended with no conclusion to this particular storyline. There are vampires being manipulated into doing hate crimes, yet they don't remember what the bad guy did in the previous installment. Just as they seem to forget he is a dragon as they try to figure out what the huge reptilian footprints could possibly be. SMDH.
6: Is Edward in the novel?
Yes. Edward rides in to save the day. This is the best part of the novel, where I was able to read this portion without being disinterested or torn out of the story. I prefer a limited cast of characters when Anita goes hunting with her fellow marshals, but Slay takes place in St. Louis homebase. This portion of the novel was small, and it was the best part of the novel.
7: Olaf "Otto" Jeffries?
Y E S. I know the Anita Blake fandom is torn between love and hate with our favorite lion serial killer. Honestly, the handful of creepy dialogue between Olaf and Anita made it worth reading the novel. I don't need hearts and flowers, just page after page of their bizarre banter and creepy dialogue. I live for it.
8: Sexfest, yay or nay?
Nay. Honestly, there were so many false stops and starts to sex that it became almost a drinking game. I'm snockered. I'm unsure if Anita actually ever went through with the act. It was just downright bizarre how Anita was behaving as if she had a lobotomy. She was oddly telling everyone ILY, starting sex and never finishing it, none of it for a succubus reason. Poor Wicked Truth needing to be healed as Anita dragged her feet or got distracted. Honestly, it was disgusting that this happened over and over again, as if ANYTHING Anita was doing or thinking or emoting was as important as healing her top bodyguards. Baffling. The bulk majority of the novel featured this ridiculousness, which was combined with...
8: Does the story meander?
Non-phucking-stop. Anita suddenly developed ADHD, and this is said by someone who is afflicted herself. From one sentence to the next, Anita would forget what she was doing or thinking and start rambling on and on about fifty characters that are honestly nobodies. Physical features, how they met, what they're wearing, just meandering for pages on end for no reason whatsoever. I was like, "IDC! I've read 30 books. I know exactly who this person is and what they look like, and I can't figure out why this inanity is getting so much word-count when this character lends zilch to the storyline." Over and over again.
9: Are the OG MCs on scene?
No. Not really. Which is why it was a pleasure to see Edward and Olaf, even if it was a few pages. Richard was utilized as a plot device but not a true scene of connection. We get a small taste of JC, like someone took our appetizer away in the middle of our first bite before the flavor even hit our tongue. We get some mind-to-mind or phone calls. I honestly cannot remember the last novel that Anita actually interacted with Micah or Nathaniel in a scene and not just a call or reminder they exist.
UGH! All these one-dimensional newly added characters dominated the scenes, where they pop up, get meandering info-drops, are relevant for like two lines of dialogue, and drop off, only for another one of them to come on-scene. Repeat. Repeat. Not to speak for every reader, but these characters just need to go away with some focus on characters with backstory and a true connection to Anita. 3D characters who deserve some page-time, where readers deserve more than a small taste. The 1D characters aren't around enough to matter, even if LKH goes on and on and uses Anita to tell us how important and how loved they are. In 30 books, they're a blip, I have no idea why we're focusing on them. Meanwhile, series staples are becoming the blip, while 30+ randos are focused upon. It's not interesting. It's unemotional and a major disconnect.
10: Does Anita ever take a shower without pages of negotiations, especially under dire situations?
No. Evidently not. Reminiscent of Rafael, Anita cannot seem to just take a shower and go about business. Only this time it was at the hospital to help Wicked & Truth, only meandering descriptions of 1D throwaway characters were more important.
11: Does Anita still overthink everything?
Yes. It seems to be a totally different version of overthinking than what was shown in the first 20-some novels. It's so exhausting to read, let alone empathize with for Anita as a character. Whether it's showering or loving someone or what weapon to use, everything is discussed, negotiated upon, when there needs to be things that Anita should be allowed to decide because she is an autonomous being. Something that should take five minutes, maybe two lines on a page, take almost a chapter or more and derails the pacing. It makes it an exhausted slog, where Anita's personality is nonexistent anymore...
12: Is Anita in a polyamorous relationship with the entire cast of characters?
... Anita's personality is almost nonexistent anymore, almost as meaningless and unemotional as her connections to the loves of her lives. There is polyamory, then there is having 50+ relationships. A lover hoarder, spread too thin, until all the love and connection is just Anita lying to herself to keep the peace.
With the OGs, the readers got to experience Anita fall in love. With these 1D characters- I won't call them new since they've been around for many, many books but still have zero personality other than placeholders- they came on scene, LKH put them in readers' faces and told us Anita loved them, with zero of the tension, work, or relationship and character building.
These nothingness relationships that LKH is hyper focused on lessens the connection Anita shares with EVERYONE. In fact, they are so insecure, Anita must coddle them every time they walk into the room. Who mouth-kisses their spouse every single time they see them, during emergencies, in front of police, at the hospital, in front of family members. We're not talking a quick hello and ILY but open-mouthed kisses to prove you want them as much as all the others in the poly group. How exhausting, clingy, and insecure that Anita cannot even deal with an emergency or have a conversation with her family without literally making out with all the people who enter the kitchen just to prove to her family (no, to the READERS, who are not buying it) that Anita loves these 1D characters with zero personality and absolutely no interactions that make them worthwhile or entertaining to read. In a quest to show poly relationships, LHK has managed to make a mockery of them. It worked early on with the OG MCs but not these randos. Pierrette even had to interrupt Anita having an important convo with her father just to assert herself into Anita's life. Exhausting.
Final thoughts: I'm exhausted. I'd take a sex-fest over this meandering, mentally exhausting slog. Imagine that every time someone was hired at your place of work, they're suddenly a member of your poly group. You get no choice. They were hired, so now you must sex them up and tell them ILY every single time they walk into the room. Just stop the emergency meeting to kiss them and soothe their injured pride, when there are actual wounded people surrounding you. Worse, you're the CEO and they're the support staff that you have to coddle. Anita's relationship with 99% of her lovers is creepy as she is their queen and they must obey her. Talk about an imbalance of power and inability to consent. Honestly, I have no idea why this is a hill LKH wants to die upon, but she keeps doubling down. This series would benefit from more that 2/3 of the cast to just fade into the background, where LKH starts to focus on actual meaningful relationships with the more than dozen OG MCs that have personalities.
Slay is a novel devoid of actual sex but it isn't a monster hunt or police procedural either. Slay doesn't know what it is. We'd have a third of a novel if LKH didn't go down a list to see who she needs to include in conversations, where all they do is negotiate and delay important stuff by arguing with and exhausting Anita.
If Anita's world were real life, it'd be a nightmare. Anita needs to "queen" and tell them all to go back to work. No coddling, handholding, or ego-soothing. Just ignore them as the toddlers they are and go about work, then have a true, intimate moment of connection with two or three of the actual loves of her life. You'd think all that therapy stuff would teach Anita how toxic every single one of her relationships are.
Shout out to Wicked & Truth, the brothers who were injured in the very beginning of the novel while protecting Anita & JC, where Anita never did manage to even attempt to heal them. Anita and triage are not besties. Go give Pierrette a kiss because her ego is more important than healing actual life-altering injuries. Cheers to the Wicked Truth, Anita is not a queen I'd follow if her lovelife is more important than injuries incurred in the act of duty.
May 25, 2023
I officially give up on this series! Smolder, the book before this one, started out great, like most Anita Baker books and devolved into a 24 hour sex-fest that rehashed 42 million interpersonal relationships. It never did anything with the mystery that started at the beginning of the book and it ended rather abruptly on a kind of cliff-hanger.
Now for this book, Slay, we have gone back in time to events before Smolder. We are no closer to the wedding but because of Smolder some Slay storylines have been spoiled. I have more questions, which makes me think the next book will probably take place between the events of Slay and Smolder...and its all just so confusing, and frustrating, and irritating. I AM DONE!
Now for this book, Slay, we have gone back in time to events before Smolder. We are no closer to the wedding but because of Smolder some Slay storylines have been spoiled. I have more questions, which makes me think the next book will probably take place between the events of Slay and Smolder...and its all just so confusing, and frustrating, and irritating. I AM DONE!
October 18, 2023
I got a chance to read a partial ARC for this novel...well, I suppose I got a chance to read the entire thing, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm so tired of chapters and chapters of Anita arguing with people. This time it was her family but it's been her partners, Olaf, law enforcement, everyone in her life at this point. At some point a self aware person would start to wonder if it was them, but not Anita. It is though, she's agressive from the start, with everyone, and assumes everyone hates her and doesn't even bother with conflict resolution. So I stopped reading because it's her, hi, she's the problem it's her.
August 8, 2023
I keep giving Laurell K. Hamilton another chance because I've been hoping to get to the actual wedding for quite some time. I'm almost not sure why I do anymore. I really love Anita, Jean Claude, and most of the other repeating characters in these novels, and maybe that's why. Because it definitely is not because any progress gets made or time passes.
I also don't know why I'm supposed to believe that any new bad-guy is scarier or harder to handle than the Mother of All. She was the first and scariest and rightly took forever to eventually overcome. Each new villain since then is supposed to be fearsome, but why? They were afraid of the Mother of All and Anita and Jean Claude were strong enough to defeat her.
Also, why does it take (are we up to 4 now) so many books to get to the actual nuptials? Yes, there'd be a lot of planning and things to do, but, really, it's been dragged out so long I'm not sure what the point of any of it is anymore.
Ms. Hamilton was doing so good bringing the books back from the brink of just being porn to actually having plots which was great! But now she's apparently determined to drag out the only plot holdover into the last 4ish + next 10(?) novels? No thank you.
I also don't know why I'm supposed to believe that any new bad-guy is scarier or harder to handle than the Mother of All. She was the first and scariest and rightly took forever to eventually overcome. Each new villain since then is supposed to be fearsome, but why? They were afraid of the Mother of All and Anita and Jean Claude were strong enough to defeat her.
Also, why does it take (are we up to 4 now) so many books to get to the actual nuptials? Yes, there'd be a lot of planning and things to do, but, really, it's been dragged out so long I'm not sure what the point of any of it is anymore.
Ms. Hamilton was doing so good bringing the books back from the brink of just being porn to actually having plots which was great! But now she's apparently determined to drag out the only plot holdover into the last 4ish + next 10(?) novels? No thank you.
June 1, 2023
I stand behind my review of the previous book #29 Smolder. These two books (Smolder & Slay) should have been one book that needs significant editing to make them cohesive. The pacing and narrative transitions just seem sloppy to me. Call me jaded, but after reading the series for 20+ years, I know Hamilton is capable of better.
November 8, 2023
I love being mostly done with my written review only to have my kindle just post the star and nothing. So here it goes again. I had to pop on the computer so expect even more. When I am writing on the computer all hell breaks loose.
So this book was more like 3-1/2 stars. However, after the nonsense that we've been through with the last several books .. LAURELL YOU DO NOT DESERVE THAT EXTRA HALF STAR. SO IT IS NOT GOING TO BE BUMPED TO A 4.
Now shockingly this book has no sex. I know, I really do know that everyone is like but it's Laurell K. Hamilton and she doesn't know how to write anymore without it being 2% plot and 98% sex. Well, it seems like someone may have read her reviews to realize PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF YOUR DUMB BAD PORN STORIES.
This book ... didn't need to be as long as it was. It didn't need the ridiculous amounts of repetition. But here we are. It is a book of a good 30% superfluous content. So thank you for once again igniting a disappointment within the fruit of my looms. I will say that I was happy to see Olaf even for a few minutes. That's one eggplant I will say deserves some screen time. But that is because I love him and his psychotic ass.
So on to the story. We get to meet Anita's family. We also get to see that Anita is the biggest victim of all victims who could ever play victim. She carries around chalk so she can constantly draw an outline of her body so we can feel bad for her and her interactions with her grandmother. Okay, you had a horrible grandmother. Your mom died and your dad didn't know what he was doing. You hated your step-mother because she wasn't your mom and unjustly were cruel to her and bitched you were excluded except really you excluded yourself. Funny how that works. She stood out because that's what she saw. We always have to have it shoved in our face that she is very pale with dark hair so everyone thinks she is ethnic so she stands out extra. I have a lot of friends who are pale with dark hair and I can tell you that it is rare if someone approaches them asking about their ethnicity.
Anita and the grandmother made a point of this. No one else did. So Anita is a victim of her own abuse.
So the dad is oblivious and dumb. Judith isn't a terrible person. Andria just seems tired of Anita's shit and hostility. She constantly wants to focus on how they are the mean girls except by everything you hear from Anita.. the one who was the mean girl ... seemed to be Anita. She is judgmental, argumentative, cruel, and punishes people around her when she doesn't get her way.
You can give me all your therapy spoons you want, Hamilton, but it doesn't change the fact that Anita is not a good person. She is selfish and plays favorites. She keeps bringing new people into her group and it's so large she forgets who is in there.
You want to know about poly relationships and what is healthy and what isn't? Well, do the opposite of everything Anita Blake does in this book and you'll probably have a healthy relationship. You shouldn't forget about your lovers. You shouldn't have to be reminded they exist. You also need to understand your lifestyle is far fringe alternative. It is not the norm, it is not really that common. It may be more common if you surround yourself with other like people but that is a very small percent. So it really reads just like bad therapy advice run amok.
Richard shows up in all his new bisexual glory. We have one comment about him being attracted to males. And still .. it doesn't work. None of it actually is appropriate for Richard's character. But shockingly he wasn't a complete and total tool. So apparently for Hamilton .. the way to fix your male character is butt sex. Who knew?
This book is just a couple of dramatic days and that's it. I really wish she could learn to expand on her time. But really it isn't Hamilton's strong suit at all. Her books are only slices of life now. She doesn't know any other way of telling a complete and whole story that gives us more than basically 5 minute look into the world she has created.
-----SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD-----
But the important take away is this book would have been fine without Anita in it. She is weakening her characters. There is no strength in rolling over and letting people walk over you. There is no strength in just being a victim. Miss Argumentative Anita who wants to talk about sexism and such and can't figure out HOW THE FUCK TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF IN HER OWN HOME??? And also the dumb end shouldn't have happened. I mean I guess it's one way to wrap it up but you have an entire house full of body guards and supernatural creatures. You're going to fucking tell me the old lady gave them the slip? No.
Also Kane's demise.. bullshit. You literally just had a few chapters ago talking about how Nicky took a fucking tree to the chest but Kane can't even handle a bullet to the stomach.
GARBAGE. GARBAGE. GARBAGE. She is ruining this series to the point where I am just ready to be done with it. It's not funny, it's not entertaining, it's just insulting to the readers. Yes you finally made a fucking book that had no sex. It was nice. I didn't read the bonus sex scene. I don't need to read once again how anita writhes and breaks all her nails and some how still has long nails in the backs of all her lovers.
Anita was emotionally weak. She has gotten her therapy but it has broken any strength she has. It seems the entire book was just her walking around in a foggy haze and then everyone providing support. I guess this prep work for the next halfassed book we're going to get where Anita uses this as a realization that everyone around her is loving and supportive and capable as long as you let them do it.
I want to vomit.
Laurell, if you read this, stop going through the motions. Take a break from the series or end the series but please stop pumping out these nonsense money grabs.
So this book was more like 3-1/2 stars. However, after the nonsense that we've been through with the last several books .. LAURELL YOU DO NOT DESERVE THAT EXTRA HALF STAR. SO IT IS NOT GOING TO BE BUMPED TO A 4.
Now shockingly this book has no sex. I know, I really do know that everyone is like but it's Laurell K. Hamilton and she doesn't know how to write anymore without it being 2% plot and 98% sex. Well, it seems like someone may have read her reviews to realize PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF YOUR DUMB BAD PORN STORIES.
This book ... didn't need to be as long as it was. It didn't need the ridiculous amounts of repetition. But here we are. It is a book of a good 30% superfluous content. So thank you for once again igniting a disappointment within the fruit of my looms. I will say that I was happy to see Olaf even for a few minutes. That's one eggplant I will say deserves some screen time. But that is because I love him and his psychotic ass.
So on to the story. We get to meet Anita's family. We also get to see that Anita is the biggest victim of all victims who could ever play victim. She carries around chalk so she can constantly draw an outline of her body so we can feel bad for her and her interactions with her grandmother. Okay, you had a horrible grandmother. Your mom died and your dad didn't know what he was doing. You hated your step-mother because she wasn't your mom and unjustly were cruel to her and bitched you were excluded except really you excluded yourself. Funny how that works. She stood out because that's what she saw. We always have to have it shoved in our face that she is very pale with dark hair so everyone thinks she is ethnic so she stands out extra. I have a lot of friends who are pale with dark hair and I can tell you that it is rare if someone approaches them asking about their ethnicity.
Anita and the grandmother made a point of this. No one else did. So Anita is a victim of her own abuse.
So the dad is oblivious and dumb. Judith isn't a terrible person. Andria just seems tired of Anita's shit and hostility. She constantly wants to focus on how they are the mean girls except by everything you hear from Anita.. the one who was the mean girl ... seemed to be Anita. She is judgmental, argumentative, cruel, and punishes people around her when she doesn't get her way.
You can give me all your therapy spoons you want, Hamilton, but it doesn't change the fact that Anita is not a good person. She is selfish and plays favorites. She keeps bringing new people into her group and it's so large she forgets who is in there.
You want to know about poly relationships and what is healthy and what isn't? Well, do the opposite of everything Anita Blake does in this book and you'll probably have a healthy relationship. You shouldn't forget about your lovers. You shouldn't have to be reminded they exist. You also need to understand your lifestyle is far fringe alternative. It is not the norm, it is not really that common. It may be more common if you surround yourself with other like people but that is a very small percent. So it really reads just like bad therapy advice run amok.
Richard shows up in all his new bisexual glory. We have one comment about him being attracted to males. And still .. it doesn't work. None of it actually is appropriate for Richard's character. But shockingly he wasn't a complete and total tool. So apparently for Hamilton .. the way to fix your male character is butt sex. Who knew?
This book is just a couple of dramatic days and that's it. I really wish she could learn to expand on her time. But really it isn't Hamilton's strong suit at all. Her books are only slices of life now. She doesn't know any other way of telling a complete and whole story that gives us more than basically 5 minute look into the world she has created.
-----SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD-----
But the important take away is this book would have been fine without Anita in it. She is weakening her characters. There is no strength in rolling over and letting people walk over you. There is no strength in just being a victim. Miss Argumentative Anita who wants to talk about sexism and such and can't figure out HOW THE FUCK TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF IN HER OWN HOME??? And also the dumb end shouldn't have happened. I mean I guess it's one way to wrap it up but you have an entire house full of body guards and supernatural creatures. You're going to fucking tell me the old lady gave them the slip? No.
Also Kane's demise.. bullshit. You literally just had a few chapters ago talking about how Nicky took a fucking tree to the chest but Kane can't even handle a bullet to the stomach.
GARBAGE. GARBAGE. GARBAGE. She is ruining this series to the point where I am just ready to be done with it. It's not funny, it's not entertaining, it's just insulting to the readers. Yes you finally made a fucking book that had no sex. It was nice. I didn't read the bonus sex scene. I don't need to read once again how anita writhes and breaks all her nails and some how still has long nails in the backs of all her lovers.
Anita was emotionally weak. She has gotten her therapy but it has broken any strength she has. It seems the entire book was just her walking around in a foggy haze and then everyone providing support. I guess this prep work for the next halfassed book we're going to get where Anita uses this as a realization that everyone around her is loving and supportive and capable as long as you let them do it.
I want to vomit.
Laurell, if you read this, stop going through the motions. Take a break from the series or end the series but please stop pumping out these nonsense money grabs.
November 27, 2023
Honestly, this used to be my all time favorite series but idk why there's no scene cuts. It's getting super redundant and the characters have the same conversion and subject going for almost 100 pages. I'm really sad. I want the amazing writer and characters back, just feels thoughtless and stretching it now. Anyways, thank you for the first 12 books, they're still amazing and my favorite. ALSO WHY WOULD YOU JUST MENTION JC CAN NOW GO IN THE SUN AND HAVE ONE PAGE DESCRIBING HIS STROLL IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN, AS IF ITS NOTHING??? THATS WHAT WOULD OF BEEN AMAZING TO READ ABOUT
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2024
Seriously, what is wrong with me? Why, why do I keep coming back for more? I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone read this. I suppose I feel compelled to keep reading because I invested my time in the prior 29 books, but when #31 comes out I am going to try my best to resist.
Read the other 1 star reviews if you want more specifics on why this series has lost it's luster. In a nutshell the author has lost her writing mojo...
Read the other 1 star reviews if you want more specifics on why this series has lost it's luster. In a nutshell the author has lost her writing mojo...
November 8, 2023
I struggled with rating this one but decided on 2.5 stars. While I liked the general direction the plot took with Deimos, there were things that bugged me about this book. There were unexplored plot lines like grandma’s ghost-sensing abilities and the unknown creature the cops were investigating. There were also things that didn’t make sense. The biggest being the actions of the guards and the holy objects. They knew about Deimos and still let their guard down. How was Anita without her cross?? And why did JC even believe Queenie? Then there was all the family stuff. Too much time was spent on this. It was like the days Anita argued with herself and others about every little thing. And that ending? G-ma shouldn’t have been able to get that close to JC without someone knowing.
If I wasn’t able to read these books through the library, I’m not sure I would continue.
If I wasn’t able to read these books through the library, I’m not sure I would continue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2023
Not as bad as the last one, still bad.
This was half of an okay book. I let the reviews saying this book was different than the other recent books. It’s not. It’s not worse, but it’s not better.
The family mess took a full 25-30% of a plot that once again only advances a few days in time. The cast of people who really don’t matter expands further, and the therapy session-like angst takes up a big chunk of space that could have been edited out, as did the typical over explanation of who people are, what they mean to the poly group, and of course, long drawn out descriptions of what they look like. There’s also the now completely expected last chapter wrap up that happens way too quickly considering how much detail we get about crap that didn’t matter in the beginning.
Also, there’s zero spicy scenes. Some making out, heavy petting but that’s it. When people complained that the books were all sex, nobody meant that a paranormal romance book should be all therapy feelings and no spice at all. It’s been around 10 years and 8 books since JC proposed. I don’t even care about the wedding anymore, and since the few of Anita’s people I do care about hardly appear, and Anita herself is getting so pathetic and weird, I’m giving up. I have a masochistic streak just like Anita, but this is just getting sad.
This was half of an okay book. I let the reviews saying this book was different than the other recent books. It’s not. It’s not worse, but it’s not better.
The family mess took a full 25-30% of a plot that once again only advances a few days in time. The cast of people who really don’t matter expands further, and the therapy session-like angst takes up a big chunk of space that could have been edited out, as did the typical over explanation of who people are, what they mean to the poly group, and of course, long drawn out descriptions of what they look like. There’s also the now completely expected last chapter wrap up that happens way too quickly considering how much detail we get about crap that didn’t matter in the beginning.
Also, there’s zero spicy scenes. Some making out, heavy petting but that’s it. When people complained that the books were all sex, nobody meant that a paranormal romance book should be all therapy feelings and no spice at all. It’s been around 10 years and 8 books since JC proposed. I don’t even care about the wedding anymore, and since the few of Anita’s people I do care about hardly appear, and Anita herself is getting so pathetic and weird, I’m giving up. I have a masochistic streak just like Anita, but this is just getting sad.
December 1, 2023
I am going to summarize the book with Magic: the Gathering cards, which will give you a more exciting and rewarding experience than the book itself:
FAQ on contents under spoiler:
FAQ on contents under spoiler:
December 1, 2023
Notes:
Spotify Premium has 15 hrs of audiobook to use per month. You can adjust the speed to 3.5x. Sound quality was great, and I definitely listened to most of the story at max speed. It was fun to try out this feature on Spotify.
Well, I was sitting on the fence, but Slay was the last straw. I'm going to pretend the series is over and not buy the books anymore. I am an avid collector. For series I really enjoy, I buy print/ebook and audiobook. However, the series I loved has gone off the rails and rocketed into a bizarre black hole. Original plot lines and series intentions do not seem like they're coming back into play. As a long time fan, I'm rather disappointed. I'll probably try out future releases via library loans.
Spotify Premium has 15 hrs of audiobook to use per month. You can adjust the speed to 3.5x. Sound quality was great, and I definitely listened to most of the story at max speed. It was fun to try out this feature on Spotify.
Well, I was sitting on the fence, but Slay was the last straw. I'm going to pretend the series is over and not buy the books anymore. I am an avid collector. For series I really enjoy, I buy print/ebook and audiobook. However, the series I loved has gone off the rails and rocketed into a bizarre black hole. Original plot lines and series intentions do not seem like they're coming back into play. As a long time fan, I'm rather disappointed. I'll probably try out future releases via library loans.
November 7, 2023
After reading the last book, Smolder, I was hoping that this book would give us a little more insight into the big bad that we met in that book and fortunately we find out who it is and what they want. The big bad being Deimos is behind the attacks on Anita and her people. Anita's family is set to come to town to meet Jean-Claude, be fitted for her wedding and to see if her father will give her away at her wedding since he and the rest of the family are very religious and don't like the fact that she's marrying a vampire. Her father and grandmother were really awful but her father at least seemed to chill out a little by the end of the book. Her grandmother on the other hand was just plain terrible and I can't say one good thing about the woman. Although we did learn a secret about her that was not explored at at. Like, why bring up this big secret if we aren't going to find out more about it? That made no sense.
By the end of this book we were really no closer to the wedding which I was hoping would happen or at least try to happen. But we do find out about the plan that Deimos has hatched and it's a very well thought out one that includes some of Anita and Jean-Claude's people actually betraying them which I found to be exciting when it was revealed who it was. Plus the fact that Deimos is not just a vampire, no he has other abilities which made him a very strong adversary. It was nice to see a big bad be able to over power Anita and some of her people for once because usually she and Jean-Claude are very powerful and they quickly overcome whatever is thrown at them, but not this time and that made this book exciting.
There was a lot of action, danger, and family drama in this book so I was always engaged and excited to see what would happen next. I've been a long time fan of this series and enjoyed this book but am really looking forward to finally seeing Anita and Jean-Claude get married.
Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
By the end of this book we were really no closer to the wedding which I was hoping would happen or at least try to happen. But we do find out about the plan that Deimos has hatched and it's a very well thought out one that includes some of Anita and Jean-Claude's people actually betraying them which I found to be exciting when it was revealed who it was. Plus the fact that Deimos is not just a vampire, no he has other abilities which made him a very strong adversary. It was nice to see a big bad be able to over power Anita and some of her people for once because usually she and Jean-Claude are very powerful and they quickly overcome whatever is thrown at them, but not this time and that made this book exciting.
There was a lot of action, danger, and family drama in this book so I was always engaged and excited to see what would happen next. I've been a long time fan of this series and enjoyed this book but am really looking forward to finally seeing Anita and Jean-Claude get married.
Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 8, 2023
Finally a book without a sex scene.......well almost.
I really enjoy this series i found it early with the publication of Circus of the Damned bk 3. So I've spent many years in Anita's world with her and Jean Claude, I loved the first 18 or so books then found the sex scenes too formulaic..........too passionless and so frustrating with the pages and pages of discussion beforehand. Do not get me wrong I do not.object to the.polyamarous side (in fact at first I enjoyed it very much the scenes were so well written) but as Anita's poly group grew so too did all the negotiations before sex......whose hand goes where, who gets to be on which side etc etc that bored me. But in this book we have Demios introduced in the last book he is a definite threat to the happy family that Anita and Jean Claude have made in Minneapolis. Not only that but wedding plans are moving along and Anita's family are in town (ostensibly for clothes fittings) to meet Jean Claude (as well as all the others ) and see if her father is willing to attend the wedding and walk Anita down the aisle. Things are tense the one thing Anita does not need is to have to fight a deadly master vampire so ancient he thinks he's a God...................... We almost got through the whole book with no sex scenes which made a refreshing change, it is like the Anita books of old (apart from some dirty talk) but then Me Hamilton goes and.gives.he a bonus scene which had been cut from the main book so one sex scenes that you can read or not.........I'm happy and.I love the ending.
I really enjoy this series i found it early with the publication of Circus of the Damned bk 3. So I've spent many years in Anita's world with her and Jean Claude, I loved the first 18 or so books then found the sex scenes too formulaic..........too passionless and so frustrating with the pages and pages of discussion beforehand. Do not get me wrong I do not.object to the.polyamarous side (in fact at first I enjoyed it very much the scenes were so well written) but as Anita's poly group grew so too did all the negotiations before sex......whose hand goes where, who gets to be on which side etc etc that bored me. But in this book we have Demios introduced in the last book he is a definite threat to the happy family that Anita and Jean Claude have made in Minneapolis. Not only that but wedding plans are moving along and Anita's family are in town (ostensibly for clothes fittings) to meet Jean Claude (as well as all the others ) and see if her father is willing to attend the wedding and walk Anita down the aisle. Things are tense the one thing Anita does not need is to have to fight a deadly master vampire so ancient he thinks he's a God...................... We almost got through the whole book with no sex scenes which made a refreshing change, it is like the Anita books of old (apart from some dirty talk) but then Me Hamilton goes and.gives.he a bonus scene which had been cut from the main book so one sex scenes that you can read or not.........I'm happy and.I love the ending.
November 11, 2023
A little bit of plot. A lot of all that many of us are thoroughly tired of. These books now feature constant repetitive odes to the wonders of psychotherapy for herself and everyone else, in addition to constant conversations working out every detail of the multiple polyamorous relationships and joys and jealousies thereof, extremely detailed and frequent making out and groping scenes, with 5-15 pages of plot interspersed ever so often. Why do I keep reading these books? Because I like some of the secondary characters and I want to know what happens to them. By the way, I absolutely have no objections to psychotherapy. I am a therapist and have been for over 40 years. And no objections to poly, sex, or kink. I do all those things and have been on KAP (Kink Aware Professionals) for about as long as there has been KAP.
November 7, 2023
DNF. I couldn’t do it. While the plots and stories have been questionable for quite a while, the writing itself was good. It was not in this one. Short choppy sentences, odd structure, no flow. It is what I imagine one would get if you entered all the previous books into chat gpt and asked it to write the 20th. Is giving no editor self published.
December 31, 2023
Anita Blake fights a dragon and also her grandmother. It is...not good. Longer review when I have time.
March 12, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve loved this series for years, it’s one of my first urban fantasy reads and one of my favorites. I’m not gonna leave much of a review because as it stands, everyone knows you either love this series or you used to love it and now you hate it. Either way, I love it. I hope LKH never stops writing!!
December 18, 2023
Genuinely felt like we were speedrunning the first five or so books. Storylines that were almost carbon copies of what happened with Nikolaos and the Earthmover. Anita waking up in a coffin. Vampire mark shenanigans. Absolutely felt like nothing new.
May 14, 2023
Oh, I loved reading this book, I'm glad to have read it so soon to Smolder, because it deals with the same bad guy! Can't wait for more!
September 26, 2023
Still a fav series for me. I wish I had time to go back and read from beginning. 4 stars / 2 flames. Review pending.
November 19, 2023
This was bad but I will continue to read them until she ends the storyline and puts me out of my misery 🤷🏻♀️
February 23, 2024
It's always nice to revisit characters... so many become comfortable friends. As others have noted, this novel is a little more plot intensive than previous stories. But I still miss the original Anita's hardcore attitude when she wasn't concerned about everyone's feelings and just wanted to hunt the monsters. That's what attracted me to her story. Not the debating on how, when and with who she should be showering with...
Overall, if you're a longtime fan, this one is worth your time. It's a quick read - but you've got to understand the background - it's definitely not a stand alone. And if you're hoping to read about the main event, I guess we're waiting until at least #31 .....
Overall, if you're a longtime fan, this one is worth your time. It's a quick read - but you've got to understand the background - it's definitely not a stand alone. And if you're hoping to read about the main event, I guess we're waiting until at least #31 .....
November 13, 2023
I wanted to love this so badly; I’ve been reading the Anita Blake series for 15 years now, and to be honest, if I hadn’t invested so much time already, I’d probably give up. I LOVE the universe and the characters - as the series has progressed, they’ve become more rounded and believable. I want so badly to read Anita and Jean Claude’s wedding. I want more Nathaniel, Micah, Pierrette, Damien, Richard, Dev, Rafael, Edward and even Asher. But honestly, this book left me bored.
Smoulder (Book 29) felt like Part 1 of this novel, and the further through the series we get, the more each novel feels less like an individual episode in the universe and more like a plodding contribution. And yet, despite all the extra one time between two novels, I felt cheated by the rushed afterthought of an ending.
Not only has the core cast of character become so large that we barely hear from or about some previously major players, but there is so much Anita introspection and therapy speak that doesn’t really move the story along. Whilst I know she’s changed as a character and we’re a long way from her early Executioner days… where is the good old fashioned monster hunt, with her being scooped up by one or several of her gorgeous lovers at the end?
I’m not giving up yet, but I don’t recommend this series anymore. At £22 a pop for a new release hardback, I want to be utterly absorbed… and I’m actually just glad I got through it and I can get back to reading something else. It’s not badly written per se, but in the Anita universe - for me - a totally unmemorable addition.
Smoulder (Book 29) felt like Part 1 of this novel, and the further through the series we get, the more each novel feels less like an individual episode in the universe and more like a plodding contribution. And yet, despite all the extra one time between two novels, I felt cheated by the rushed afterthought of an ending.
Not only has the core cast of character become so large that we barely hear from or about some previously major players, but there is so much Anita introspection and therapy speak that doesn’t really move the story along. Whilst I know she’s changed as a character and we’re a long way from her early Executioner days… where is the good old fashioned monster hunt, with her being scooped up by one or several of her gorgeous lovers at the end?
I’m not giving up yet, but I don’t recommend this series anymore. At £22 a pop for a new release hardback, I want to be utterly absorbed… and I’m actually just glad I got through it and I can get back to reading something else. It’s not badly written per se, but in the Anita universe - for me - a totally unmemorable addition.
November 24, 2023
Before reading a friend had said this book was better, and almost like the books of the past.
I went in thinking, yay! Let’s see…
Only to be disappointed. Again.
At this point, book 30, the likelihood of a new reader picking this up is minimal. We’ve been around for a while.
Here is a list of things we no longer need to know because WE KNOW:
•All of the physical characteristics of each of her ‘sweeties’.
•How yummy each sweetie is.
•How, even though a sweetie isn’t part of the poly group, they’re still a part-time lover with other main squeezes.
•How Anita has had so much therapy she’s better able to handle situations than those who haven’t had as much therapy as she has. (She can’t and she doesn’t.)
•How she never gets distracted by her desire for her sweetie(s) so there must be something wrong. (Literally happens every book, so it happens all the time.)
• How every freaking sweetie gets their panties in a bunch when Anita doesn’t physically (intimately) acknowledge them no matter the situation.
•Everyone’s past transgressions.
•The list could go on….
If all of the above were cut out, there would be very little of actual story.
Other things that made me go ugh:
• She was called as a consult for a crime scene where a man was literally bit in half. It was never circled back around to. Was it the big baddie in this novel, or a brand new baddie we have no idea who it’ll be?
• back to the sweetie getting all bent out of shape—I’ve been with my partner for 20+ years. NEVER have I needed to ‘smear my makeup’, or have I ‘gotten lost to the point of continuing if it weren’t for the company we were in’ when we were in the presence of family (liked or not liked) or co-workers (liked or not liked). EVERY member of the poly group needed that affirmation.
•The ending of the big baddie. This big baddie broke her bond with Jean Claude, but she was so fascinated by the fact it was a dragon and her degree is in preternatural biology she wanted to preserve the body to study it. *hard eye roll*.
•speaking of the ending to the big baddie..she’s in a legit fire fight with a DRAGON, kills an animal to call of one of her sweetie’s sweetie (but still very significant to her) but when she feels Rafael she throws herself at him and gets lost in his handsomeness and ends up making out with him…WHILE THE BATTLE IS STILL GOING ON! Instead of rejoining the fight she radios Ted/Edward and tells him how to defeat the dragon based on her observations cuddling with Rafael.
I mean…I’ve stuck around for this long. I’m not a quitter, so I’ll keep reading..but at this point I feel most of us could write this ourselves. Maybe they’ll get married in the next 5 years? I don’t know. Her family still needs to meet the rest of her main sweeties.
I went in thinking, yay! Let’s see…
Only to be disappointed. Again.
At this point, book 30, the likelihood of a new reader picking this up is minimal. We’ve been around for a while.
Here is a list of things we no longer need to know because WE KNOW:
•All of the physical characteristics of each of her ‘sweeties’.
•How yummy each sweetie is.
•How, even though a sweetie isn’t part of the poly group, they’re still a part-time lover with other main squeezes.
•How Anita has had so much therapy she’s better able to handle situations than those who haven’t had as much therapy as she has. (She can’t and she doesn’t.)
•How she never gets distracted by her desire for her sweetie(s) so there must be something wrong. (Literally happens every book, so it happens all the time.)
• How every freaking sweetie gets their panties in a bunch when Anita doesn’t physically (intimately) acknowledge them no matter the situation.
•Everyone’s past transgressions.
•The list could go on….
If all of the above were cut out, there would be very little of actual story.
Other things that made me go ugh:
• She was called as a consult for a crime scene where a man was literally bit in half. It was never circled back around to. Was it the big baddie in this novel, or a brand new baddie we have no idea who it’ll be?
• back to the sweetie getting all bent out of shape—I’ve been with my partner for 20+ years. NEVER have I needed to ‘smear my makeup’, or have I ‘gotten lost to the point of continuing if it weren’t for the company we were in’ when we were in the presence of family (liked or not liked) or co-workers (liked or not liked). EVERY member of the poly group needed that affirmation.
•The ending of the big baddie. This big baddie broke her bond with Jean Claude, but she was so fascinated by the fact it was a dragon and her degree is in preternatural biology she wanted to preserve the body to study it. *hard eye roll*.
•speaking of the ending to the big baddie..she’s in a legit fire fight with a DRAGON, kills an animal to call of one of her sweetie’s sweetie (but still very significant to her) but when she feels Rafael she throws herself at him and gets lost in his handsomeness and ends up making out with him…WHILE THE BATTLE IS STILL GOING ON! Instead of rejoining the fight she radios Ted/Edward and tells him how to defeat the dragon based on her observations cuddling with Rafael.
I mean…I’ve stuck around for this long. I’m not a quitter, so I’ll keep reading..but at this point I feel most of us could write this ourselves. Maybe they’ll get married in the next 5 years? I don’t know. Her family still needs to meet the rest of her main sweeties.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2023
Edit:
I keep thinking about this book but not in a good way. Who wants to live like this? And I’m not talking about all the boyfriends and sex stuff. I get exhausted just thinking about all the talking about everyone’s feelings and such. I can’t imagine someone’s vagina being so magical that I would want any part of that mess. But no, I’m talking about the fact that Anita and co can’t go anywhere without a bizillion bodyguards and everyone packing all the time. How horrible to not be able to pop out to a coffee shop without coordinating a posse or take a shower without strategically placing some weapons in case someone busts in in you. I would never go anywhere because it would be such a hassle. And these lunatics want to bring a baby into the mix? What the actual fuck?!!?
……………………………………………………………………..
Meh. I should be disappointed but I’ve come to accept that this drivel is what this series has become. The first 60% of this book was pointless. And the action at the end was very anticlimactic. The publishers should have kept Slay and Smolder as one book and edited out all the dross.
Three generous stars. But only because I reserve two and one for really, really bad books and, while this one sucked, it didn’t suck as bad as those books.
One thing that has been gnawing on my memory-this whole bear thing with Goran. A few books back when they first took over the Harlequin wasn’t there a cave bear shifter? A woman? I really think I remember one but I don’t buy the books and am not going to check out a whole bunch looking for this one little mention. If so that makes this whole ending pretty dumb.
I keep thinking about this book but not in a good way. Who wants to live like this? And I’m not talking about all the boyfriends and sex stuff. I get exhausted just thinking about all the talking about everyone’s feelings and such. I can’t imagine someone’s vagina being so magical that I would want any part of that mess. But no, I’m talking about the fact that Anita and co can’t go anywhere without a bizillion bodyguards and everyone packing all the time. How horrible to not be able to pop out to a coffee shop without coordinating a posse or take a shower without strategically placing some weapons in case someone busts in in you. I would never go anywhere because it would be such a hassle. And these lunatics want to bring a baby into the mix? What the actual fuck?!!?
……………………………………………………………………..
Meh. I should be disappointed but I’ve come to accept that this drivel is what this series has become. The first 60% of this book was pointless. And the action at the end was very anticlimactic. The publishers should have kept Slay and Smolder as one book and edited out all the dross.
Three generous stars. But only because I reserve two and one for really, really bad books and, while this one sucked, it didn’t suck as bad as those books.
One thing that has been gnawing on my memory-this whole bear thing with Goran. A few books back when they first took over the Harlequin wasn’t there a cave bear shifter? A woman? I really think I remember one but I don’t buy the books and am not going to check out a whole bunch looking for this one little mention. If so that makes this whole ending pretty dumb.
November 11, 2023
just no
It seems like the books are being dragged out. Way to much information on details and inner issues. Not a whole lot of action. Wasted to many pages on details and what someone looked like or smelled like. To many pages wasted on inner issues just like the last two books. This is the third book leading up to the wedding and to be honest I’m over it by now. I don’t think I will waste money on the next book. I don’t know if she has a new writer that took over for her or what but these last few books are not what we have grown a custom to.
It seems like the books are being dragged out. Way to much information on details and inner issues. Not a whole lot of action. Wasted to many pages on details and what someone looked like or smelled like. To many pages wasted on inner issues just like the last two books. This is the third book leading up to the wedding and to be honest I’m over it by now. I don’t think I will waste money on the next book. I don’t know if she has a new writer that took over for her or what but these last few books are not what we have grown a custom to.
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