This is truly a fangirl post; I fell in love with the Anita Blake world when I was in my early teens, and I haven't let go since. Twenty-five (ish, depending on how you count them) books and thirteen (for me) years later, I am still gripped by this series. Crimson Death was no exception.
The Anita Blake series follows... well, Anita Blake. She is a vampire hunter, so naturally the books feature murder, torture, rape, gore, violence... everything you would expect. That said it is also character based a lot of the time, and as the series progresses it has very gentle, tender moments, while still keeping the blood, guts, and gore. There are vampires, lycanthropes, creatures from myths, but it all seems so grounded and real.
Being such a huge fan of this series, and of Hamilton in general, I'm biased. I love the books, so I do find it difficult to find flaws. The series has a strong female lead, more than one bisexual character, more than one healthy poly group... it has even featured disabled characters. Yes it does have flaws, including fat shaming in some of the earlier books, but the later books highlight how judgement and discrimination is a problem. The books do have sex scenes, and are often as detailed as the violence, but at every stage they show consent and communication.
Crimson Death brings back some of my favourite characters, especially Edward. I love his (purely platonic) relationship with Anita, and how it has developed from the very first book. Other returning characters include Jean-Claude (a very old French vampire), Nathaniel (a wereleopard), Micah (another wereleopard), Richard (a werewolf), several of the weretigers, and wererats.
The novel begins with Anita at home, with Damian (a Viking vampire) experiencing symptoms of illness, something which vampires cannot usually do. Edward calls for her help on a case in Ireland, where vampires are attacking people. Ireland should not have vampires, let alone vampires with the ability to attack. Crimson Death is the first book where Anita is outside of America, and it was fascinating to read how international laws impacted Anita and Edward's job.
I was gripped throughout, to the point where I read it in one 11 hour sitting. My eyes were more than a little blurry after, and not just from the length of time reading. I cried a few times, laughed a few times, and generally loved every single moment.
I love this series, and I love that I can use Fangirl Friday as an excuse to talk about it!
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