Affliction

After the last one, I almost gave up on this series for good. So many of the most recent books are more focused on the smut than on the story of plot. This one gets back to more of an urban fantasy story and it's much appreciated. There's still some kink, but it's less of a centerpiece than usual.

So, it'll be a while before I pick up the next one, but I guess I won't write the series off completely... yet.

This is closer to having a plot than this series has seemed to require in a while, but it's so painfully repetitive. Characters insta-hate Anita, for all the same ol' same ol' reasons; a pile of lovers praise how great she supposedly is with relationships; she constantly swears it's no one's business who she's having sex with and then never actually makes sure it's no one else's business, yadda yadda. Threat wraps up in the last five pages with a big lazy handwave that just seems like “eh, it's done because I say so and my page count/deadline is done.”

I keep skimming this series when I notice ‘em at the library because I rather enjoyed the first 5 or so, but they've just been boring an/or disappointing for so long. Handy for insomnia, though. Possibly also for drinking games, with the repetition, but that may prove fatal for most people.

The beginning rant/review not even 200 pages in (feel free to skip to the bottom overall review):

When I first started reading Anita Blake I loved how Hamilton went into Anita's mind and gave the reader a glimpse of her thought processes. She was a complex character with issues that not many had brought up before. In this book it seems like she copied and pasted repeat phrases. Now I know this is book 20, but come on at least be original! We know she needs to think of bodies as its and other cops hate her for being a female. Not to mention she keeps putting in the same damn characters that punch fun at Anita or try to irritate her, they just have different names, create a new character profile! Then you have the teenage love crap. What's with the love you most/love you mostest lines? Really Anita? Is that an attempt at the soft side of the badass succubus/animator/necromancer/zillion other titles chick? Why do I even bother? Oh wait cause I keep dreaming Hamilton will return to her GOOD writing, the writing that used to inspire me. So thankful I borrow these books instead of buy them now. At least I can read them and know what I DON'T want my books to turn into.

Rest of the review:

This was absolutely horrible. Too much senseless talking, rehashing facts and garbage filler. There were barely any fights and I had to wait to nearly 400 pages for a decent one! For once it wasn't the sex scenes that were bad, it was just everything. Where did plot development go? Why are there so many useless characters described? I don't care what everyone in a room looks like, or meeting a character that will be around for a few chapters only to be replaced by the same freakin character profile with a different name. And Edward is no longer Edward. His personality is gone. Yes I know his Ted persona bleeds through because he lives it more often now, but the Edward I fell in love with is gone. He's not the cold blooded killer he used to be, he's written differently along with his new personality. Ok so maybe his character developed, but how did he end up like this? Even if he loves Donna and the kids, deep down he would still be Edward! And what the fuck (please pardon the language as I do not like swearing in a review, but I see no other way to describe my disgust) was up with Hamilton's beastiality hints? I slammed the book closed and stopped for a few days after that one. I am waving the white flag here, I give up, I utterly give up on Anita Blake.

First zombie apocalypse, not a bad plot or bad character development, but I kind of wanted more. And not a bad addition to the collection of U.S. Marshal ass-kicking books. Too much info dump though and a lot of loose ends.