REVIEW: Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

In Dead Ice (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #24) by Laurell K. Hamilton, U.S. Marshal Anita Blake is working on a new case where the zombies are the stuff of nightmares…even to her, which is saying something after her years as a necromancer. Someone has learned how to put the person’s soul back into their body and after they die, leaving the zombie more human-like and fully aware of the atrocities they are forced into. Such as adult films. Working with the FBI, Anita strives to find the person evil enough to do such a horrible thing and to make sure they suffer for what they’ve done to the best of her abilities.

‘It was not a good sign that I didn’t understand what was happening with the zombies and even my own powers. I wasn’t used to saying that about zombies. I drove to meet the FBI with a sinking feeling. I was their expert, and their expert didn’t know shit.’

In her personal life, however, things are going pretty great for Anita and her new fiancé Jean-Claude. Their engagement being televised means everyone she comes into contact with has questions and gushes about her future union with the king of vampires, but she’s handling it. Sadly, there are some in the paranormal community who have taken issue with the pairing of a necromancer and a vampire, along with the poly romance she and Jean-Claude are a part of. As changes are made in their group of friends and lovers, Anita tries to hold on fast to the connections she trusts and responds to.

I looked at Jean-Claude. “I won’t run away like I did before, I promise. I know now that I can’t run far enough, or fast enough, because most of the issues are inside me, and that travels with me.”
“You have grown wise, ma petite.”

Dead Ice is book twenty-four (!!!) in the obviously long running Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. With troublesome lifelike zombies, as well as personal and work issues, this story was basically Anita in transition.

I am a newbie when it comes to the Anita Blake series which unfortunately posed some problems when reading this book. There were a LOT of characters, and several of whom were romantically involved with Anita, as she and Jean-Claude had a poly relationship. I was also a little lost when it came to the shifter portion of the storyline. There were many different types, which was fun, but confusing. So…this would definitely be a series I would suggest reading in chronological order!

Anita herself I found to be complex, but certainly likable. She was understandably cynical after her time in law enforcement, but she was still a caring individual in her personal relationships. I haven’t read much in the way of poly romances before, so this was eye-opening in how complicated and intricate they can be. Thanks to so many people being involved I will say the passion level was quite high, which was a good thing for us readers.

The other issue I ran into was the length of the book. At over five hundred pages, it seemed like some of the conversations were a tad more lengthy than they necessarily needed to be. Don’t get me wrong. Anita, Jean-Claude, Micah and the rest of the characters were entertaining and the storyline was interesting. But it probably could have been trimmed down quite a bit with the same overall effect. I will caution that the subject matter, where this is about zombies, is dark and may not work for everyone. So keep that in mind.

If you’re a fan of the series, I think you’ll be interested in seeing how Anita handles her new engagement and what is going on in her crazy, fast-paced world.

Book Info:

 June 4th 2015 | by Headline | Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #24

Anita Blake has the highest kill count of any vampire executioner in the country. She’s a U.S. Marshal who can raise zombies with the best of them. But ever since she and master vampire Jean-Claude went public with their engagement, all she is to anyone and everyone is Jean-Claude’s fiancée.

It’s wreaking havoc with her reputation as a hard ass—to some extent. Luckily, in professional circles, she’s still the go-to expert for zombie issues. And right now, the FBI is having one hell of a zombie issue.

Someone is producing zombie porn. Anita has seen her share of freaky undead fetishes, so this shouldn’t bother her. But the women being victimized aren’t just mindless, rotting corpses. Their souls are trapped behind their eyes, signaling voodoo of the blackest kind.

It’s the sort of case that can leave a mark on a person. And Anita’s own soul may not survive unscathed . . .