Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
Vampire Hunter Series
Berkley Books - Oct.2001
ISBN: 0425181685 - Hardcover
Fantasy / Horror

Reviewed by Robyn Glazer, Myshelf.com
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Vampire hunter Anita Blake has evolved an amazing amount since Laurell K. Hamilton's first book, Guilty Pleasures. But nothing compares to the changes that Anita will have to face in the next chapter of her life. Many things haven taken place since the city of St. Louis last saw Anita, none of them good. Anita's two lovers, Richard, Ulfric of the werewolves, and Jean-Claude, Master Vampire, have been weakened because of Anita's self-imposed exile. Anita had left because she just couldn't take the closeness the three shared because of magical marks put upon them.

But now Anita is home and is greeted with the news that one of her wereleopards has been catnapped and is being held at the club, Narcissus in Chains. From here on in, things get extremely messy, especially when, during a fight, one of the leopards claws Anita, exposing her to lycanthropy. That's when the book becomes a waiting game for Anita and her clan.

Narcissus in Chains is a great installment in the Anita Blake series. Hamilton's writing is as always tight and masterful, but it is her characters that will grab your complete attention. Anita is always so complex. I find myself wanting to hug and slap her at the same time! I also love the secondary characters. One of Anita's friends, Jason--a werewolf--is always good for a laugh. My only problem with the book was that I couldn't put it down. (I read through the night and had school the next day!)

The talented Hamilton creates a realistic world in which vampires and wereanimals are completely normal. I love the world that she has constructed.