Potboiler, through and through, but the story drives forward at breakneck speed and it is hard to put down. I like to read the books in this series while traveling by airplane since they are so engrossing and distracting. A little like eating snack cakes, however, as they're all sugar and fluff and delicious dark voyeurism, but light on actual substance.

I used to love this series but the whole ardeur thing has made me stop reading them. I pushed through this one because in the next book my favorite character comes back…Edward. Anita killed no one in this book or the last…hope that does not last too long.  ( )

I have read the series since the start. I loved the old books, ones where there is a plot, and Anita actually has a life and job. I also preferred the old character of Anita. She was tough, and difficult, whiny and in denial, but she was also fun, and caring, and not so self-centered and self-absorbed. The older books had almost no sex, whereas the recent ones are just badly written mechanical sex.

I was not expecting much from this book since the last one was so bad, and the reviews for DM were terrible. In fact I felt I had finally reached the end of my Anita addiction.

Since they have gone into HC I tend to get the HC, read it, and then get the PB when it comes out (the first 8 were in PB only). For DM I skipped the HC and only got the PB, and then didn't read it for a year. I heard so many bad reviews.

Well I finally read it last weekend, and actually sort of loved it. Its not the Anita of old, and it does have problems but it is so much better than the previous 2-3 books.

I have not really liked them since Blue Moon, and feel LKH did things in that book that replaced the real main characters with POD people. Because of the Podding they stopped talking to her, and she has been doing Anita as 'Merry with a Gun' to fill in. Now it seems that some of the real characters are coming back. Of course they have to carry on with the dreck that has built up since they have been AWOL.

What I liked:

There was less pointless sex overall. The sex scenes that were there, were not so mechanical and soul-less. The whole 'tight, wet, thrusting' theme is just tiring when you read it 20 times a book.

There were fewer new characters added than has been the case in the last books.

Some of the older characters got more stage time, and more development: Asher in particular. JC wasn't filed away from the action when the sun came up. Richard had some development rather than just angry lines. I like Claudia and her development. We also spent some time with Micah (still hate him) and Nathaniel (still hate him, but he is becoming an actual person). We didn't waste a lot of time with Damian (hate him too), the Were Dr. Lillian was there again.

Some of the new/newer characters got development: Remus, Requiem, London, Auggie, Meng Die, Samuel, Sampson, Thea

There was something of a plot, and a continuous thread moving through the book, though it was very light and not something that you can say afterwards that it made a great impression. But it did follow from A to Z while you were reading it.

LKH tried to make a story to cover the developments in the book: why Micah and Nathaniel have become so close to Anita so fast. Why everyone (men) seems drawn to her. Why she gets so many new powers, and why she has so many types of Lycanthropy (with hints of more to come). I actually liked using OB's stuff at the end. None of those development were good things, but now at least there is a part of the story to cover it. And I think this may be the first book in a while that AB hasn't gained a new power.

I actually enjoy a lot of dialog, and characters talking about thoughts and feelings, so I really enjoyed that.

I loved that JC finally got a man, and Anita was there for it, and it turned her on.

I liked the Richard developments and the implication that Joseph and the Lions are the self-destructive and dysfunctional result of trying to live as humans and not Weres (what Richard wants to do). I think it will be used in the future to show Richard the fatal folly of trying to be human. He actually seems to be learning and understanding in small bits.

There was also an attempt at humor, and while it wasn't the same as the old books, it was at least an attempt.

What I didn't like:

The whole start of the book, with Ronnie being trashed and turned into a jealous, shrewish, crazy, slut. It also exposed how hard, cold, nasty and selfish Anita has become. I hate that it now happens to any character who doesn't agree/worship Anita, especially the other women characters.

I can't say how loudly it comes across that LKH hates women and obviously herself in what she writes in the books. The whole concept of Anita as Prince Charming is just sad and sick.

The pregnancy scare was very contrived. LKH used it as a way to say some things, but it was too drawn out and too melodramatic.

The anemic plot. First we had Pregnancy Scare, Shopping for a Pomme de Sangre, then it became lets Test Anita around Masters (some from Belles's line, some not, some who had been with the ardeur, some not), then it was Make a Deal with Auggie, then it was Power Plays with Auggie, then the Ballet, and their Bad Behavior.

But the ballet part didn't start until the end, and it was over very quickly and easily, and it never made any sense as to what they hoped to gain (given the vampires rules about territories and allowable behaviors and all).

The whole thread about Mers got pushed into some future book, the Ballet got almost no stage time.

I didn't like a lot of stage time for Micah, Nathaniel, Damien - just kill them all. I hate the 2nd Tri.

I didn't like so many characters, and too much time for the new/newish ones. I can't keep track of them (who they are, where they came from, what they are, and what their motivations/issues are), and while some got development, I would rather we had older characters.

The ending was a fizzle.

Still with all the problems I read the book in about a day and a half, and it is probably one of the few recent ones (since Blue Moon) that I might actually read again. ( )

The only problem I had with this book is that all of the conflict was basically internal. Sure, there were a lot of power struggles with various other vampires, but no big bad guy. I miss the big bad guy. The sex in this one didn't bother me as much ... I think she managed to tone it down a bit. ( )

I just can't bear to give up on this series or Laurell. But this book literally had no plot...chapters were made up of sex. Heck, I like sex as much as the next person, even graphic and unconventional sex. There is just too much of it in this series now. The sex takes up chapter after chapter. I want to like Nathaniel, Micah, Asher, Jason, but I can't ever seem to because I have no respect for them. Paranormal and fantasy stories are my favorites, but I need some bits of reality to make them hit home with me. And the male characters are just jokes, they in now way feel real to me. They all want Anita, at the risk of excluding other women from even being a possibility. They all (8 or 10, however many there are now)are willing to share with each other. Jason and Nathaniel, in one scene, joke about how close they are that they are willing to share Anita's body. But it doesn't ring true, I mean they were willing to share her with other men they can't even stand. I agree with the poster who said they just sit around an over-analyze everything. Not just that, but its the same topics again and again. Danse Macabre just feels tired, stale. I did give this two stars though because Laurell's writing (to me) is very beautiful. Asher's feelings of being excluded from the mix, and no ones 'true' love was beautiful. But when it turned into more sex to make him feel better, it was ruined. Anita only wanting to be with him for ten minutes, made all his hurts go away. Again, just rings untrue. Let's get rid of the arduer and find some new plot lines. I would love to get Anita out raising zombies again, even if its not the main plot, but just to remind us readers that she is still Anita Blake,vampire hunter. She needs to stop boofing the vampires long enough to go slay some. ( )