Review: Narcissus in Chains

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good book over all. However, if you have to rate how great a book is, based on how much of the book revolves around the plot described on the back cover, then this wouldn't get many stars at all (I've only knock 1 star off for this, because like I said, it's still a very good book). You have the first 2 or 3 chapters on the plot and then nothing for about 400 pages. So from this 678 page book, I would say the only 200-250 of those pages contain the supposed plot. Now in that 400 odd page gap was a whole lot of character development. Ordinarily this may have been something that I would have complained about; but in this instance it was necessary. A lot happens that really need to to explained, and that is exactly what Laurell K. Hamilton has done; she set things in motion and then took the necessary time to explain and illustrate the consequences of this.

This is the installment where we discover how Anita plans to work things out with both Jean-Claude and Richard since deciding that she needs a break from things, so this is the first contact that she has with the guys in 6 or more months. Things happen that will have very long term if not permanent effects on the relationship between Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard. They will certainly have a major effect on Anita's life and any future choices that she has to make. From events that happen right at the very start of the book, the relationship that Anita and Richard have will change, as will Anita's relationship and status within both the Pack and her Pard.

We have a bunch (or should I say Pard) of new characters in this book. As Anita is human, and a "temporary" Nimir-ra for the wereleopards, she is interviewing for the real thing. Of course, not everything goes quite the way that Anita had planned, but she does find (in an unusual way) a Nimir-raj and his leopards to help her out. There are also some new wolves, and we meet the werehyenas.

This book has plenty of action, blood, violence, near death experiences, and Anita may or may not buy a fur coat (make of that what you will).

All in all a good book, an improvement on the previous (Obsidian Butterfly), I would recommend this if you have been reading the series so far.

View all my reviews