| Title | : | Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0515134457 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780515134452 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 418 |
| Publication | : | First published November 1, 1998 |
Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8) Reviews
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If you want to read a synopsis, there are plenty of places for you to do that elsewhere. This is what I thought of the book:
Though I did end up liking this in the end, for about the first 1/2 of the book, all of the things I don't like about Hamilton's style were out in full force. She has a tendency toward cliches, ridiculous repetitiveness (Note to Laurell K. Hmailton: ok, its the 8th book in the effing series - if we don't know certain things, we should start from the beginning, but you sure as hell shouldn't tell us those same certain things in each book like its new info, and you REALLY shouldn't just copy and paste - we may not recognize it the first time or two it is repeated word for word, but the 6th or 7th? Give your readers a little credit. Those who pick up a book mid-series deserve to be a little confused. You just have to trust that your writing alone will make it clear, not your endless reiterations. And for god's sake, don't stop in the middle of action and ruin the tension with your little tangents.) She also needs to pay a little more attention to detail, or keep some post-it notes, or something, because she contradicts herself on occasion, or bobbles back and forth (ie the main character is 25, and she says on a few occasions that Jean-Claude is nearly 300 years older than her, putting him somewhere between 300-324; she also frequently states that Jean-Claude is over 400 years old. Maybe Anita, the narrator, has had a few too many concussions, cause something just aint right...). There are always so many plot lines going, I think maybe Hamilton just splits her focus too much and gets lost. Which unfortunately means her endings can be abrupt and read like an epilogue/after-thought.
But she did get the book on track, and I did end up liking it (and even though there were parts that irritated me -- especially my inner-editor -- I was never NOT engaged), and though I am sure these bad habits will continue through the rest of the ridiculously long series, I will read it, fixing the defects in my mind as I go.
Side note; for those of you who read the series and like your Anita lustful, this one certainly does not disappoint. ;) -
Hey, I found out why Richard is such a whiny dick in this book! His mother - the domineering bitch! Nothing like a horrible, bitchy mother who keeps her sons' testicles in her handbag, to raise a punk-ass, spoiled baby of a son! And, don't forget Richard's brother, Daniel, who we meet, and is just as afraid of their smother, I mean mother.
Richard's mommy gets in a bar-fight in this book and Anita has to try and stop her because Richard's brother is too afraid to stop mommy-dearest. Of course, his mother starts hitting Anita and freaking out. She's such a classy lady. I do like how Anita tells her off:
"Behave like Richard's mother and not his outraged girlfriend."
"How dare you!" she said. She moved closer, I moved away.
Ah, the yelling of "how dare you!" The battle cry of narcissists and old-world aristocrats.
The only "how dare you" that is justified...
So, why only two stars? Well, one of them is for Asher. The other is for Nathaniel and Damian. All other stars were deducted for this book being about Richard, the dick.
Richard, the sucky baby, gets thrown in jail for rape. So, of course, his family calls Anita, his ex-girlfriend to drop everything and run to Tennessee to save his sorry ass. And she does!!!
Why?
His family is there. His current girlfriend is there. Anita isn't a lawyer or cop.
Why her?
Because reasons, I guess.
So, Anita drops everything and rushes down to help sissy-boy. Of course the local sheriff in Hicksville is fat, stupid, and crooked. Again. Sheesh, I guess all small-town cops are bumbling crooks who deserve to die. There couldn't possibly be any that are friendly, efficient, and law-abiding.
We're on the case.... of beer!
So, when the Keystone Cops tell Anita and Richard that all they have to do is leave town in order to get the rape charge dropped, all they have to do is lie and say they will. Or, better yet, just leave and let the feds know that the cops are crooked. But, no, Richard refuses to leave on the basis that he is an idiot. Even when one of the cops has Anita naked and is about to rape her, Richard refuses to just say the words that he will leave to make it stop. He's willing for them to torture someone else just as much as they want for his principles.
Richard can shift into a big ol' pussy too...
Needless to say, I was not a big fan of this book. The story premise was stupid, there was no Jean Claude, and way too much Dick. -
"You are making this too complicated."
Anita Blake is woken in the middle of the night by a call from Daniel, Richard's younger brother. It appears while Richard was in Tennessee studying trolls and such for his master's thesis that he has been thrown in jail for rape. Anita immediately comes to the rescue, along with Asher, Damien, Jason, Jamil, Cherry, and a few other were's, against the explicit orders of the Master of the City, Colin. Can Anita clear Richard's name, keep her troop alive, and learn her burgeoning new abilities?
I'm really on the fence with the rating on this one. There were some key plot elements that I liked, but more than ever, there were parts that bugged the hell out of me.
I've never been a fan of Anita. I've always thought she's been b!tchy and unlikable, thinking more with whatever weapon she has at hand then with her brain. But Anita here is somehow even more unlikable than she's been in the last 7 books.
+ She calls Cherry a slut on numerous occasions for wearing "slutty clothes"--and then proceeds to wear a velvet midriff baring blouse with a neckline so low she had to wear a special black bra.
+ She basically causes the fight with Colin because she insists on barging in and fighting with the native vampires.
+ While the situation is critical and people are severely injured, she starts talking about people's sexual orientation, as if it is her business who they have sex with.
+ She criticizes Richard for sleeping around, when she cheated on Richard with Jean-Claude.
+ She is upset when Richard refuses to be monogamous unless Anita dumps Jean-Claude but expects Richard to respect her relationship with Jean-Claude. Anita also makes out with at least THREE guys with whom she is not in a relationship: Nathaniel, Asher, and Damien.
+ Anita resorts to torture or coercion TWICE in order to obtain information (one of those times, she refuses to allow medical treatment until she finds out what she wants) and then justifies her actions and "becoming the monster".
+ She never turns herself in for MURDER and TORTURE.
Okay, so before she was b!tchy, trigger-happy and impulsive, but at least she didn't commit blatant crimes (murder, torture, etc.) and then come across as the Spotless Pure and Holy Mother of God (well, she does hem and haw about "becoming the monster").
The books have already started to move away from the formula of the earlier entries--and not in a good way. I may not have been fond of the "Monster of the Week" plot device, but at least the earlier books bothered to HAVE a plot, a beginning, middle, and end.
The shame is, there IS a good plot in here. I liked Anita leaving to "rescue" Richard. I thought that if we had introduced the troll/corrupt cop/hidden artifact portion earlier in the novel, we would have a lot stronger of a novel.
Instead, the first half is mainly about Anita making people mad with her big, fat mouth. She walks into another vampire's territory, after he told her not to come, and expects him to just lie down and roll over. I'm sorry, Anita, choices have consequences. I'm sure if some self-important "Vampire Hunter" (because, honestly, when was the last time Anita actually hunted a Vampire?) barged into Jean-Claude's territory, you wouldn't hesitate to jump onto her and scare her away.
Anita's actions end up with Nathaniel badly injured (though, if LKH was a good author, Nathaniel would have been DEAD). To save his life, Anita has no problems throwing both Damien's AND Asher's lives on the life. For ONE GUY. That she doesn't know that well and DOESN'T EVEN LIKE.
The middle portion is mostly about Anita wanting to hump anything with a d!ck. As I said above, she makes out with THREE guys she is not in a relationship with and has sex with Richard. When she is dating Jean-Claude. So basically, she is cheating on her boyfriend, YET AGAIN.
The latter portion tries to add a plot, but it's so late in the game, it has to be hastily wrapped up LKH-style: meaning, Anita talks (argues) with someone who knows all the answers to the mystery. Once again, I am floored that Anita is considered so "smart". Half of the time, she wanders around having no f@#$ing clue what is going on, asking people over and over and over to explain the plot for her and the audience.
As if this weren't bad enough, the middle and latter halves bring up the first hints of the increased sexuality that I've heard plagues the latter books. Damien reveals to Anita that Jean-Claude is basically an incubus; also, Anita learns she must "be more comfortable" with sex when dealing with her wereleopards (because they are SO SEXUAL RAWR). Several times, Anita has to make out, disrobe, or do something sexual for some plot convenience--distraction, because of some arcane, never-before heard of plot device, etc. And then we have so much rape. It seems like, in order to show the audience who the bad guys are, LKH has them rape someone--and of course, it's usually the females.
I don't think I would mind these so much if it didn't feel so tacked on. Sure, the books have always had a sexual bent; but never in the earlier books did you have so much talk about sex and its relation to sloppily constructed, silly vampire/werewolf/wereleopard laws.
And then the clothes!! I'm pretty sure all the men are impotent (probably the women too), as it seems no one can find a pair of pants that isn't "painted on".
And the writing!! Good God, LKH has never been the most stellar writer, but at least I didn't have to read the phrase "A glob of something thicker than blood" a billion times per book in earlier books.
BUT there were parts I liked. The plot elements I described, along with a few key characters. Asher still seems pretty cool. I really enjoyed Jamil (who gives the review its title). I enjoyed seeing Anita and Richard get back together, and I nearly fainted to see a somewhat competent, powerful female, Marianne. And Marianne ACTUALLY MENTORS Anita (Anita doesn't know everything OMG)!
This is not the worst of the series--but it is close. You can already see the shift in the series, and if you didn't like the change in "Burnt Offerings", you are probably not going to like it here. Which is a shame, because LKH does have some really good ideas that, if she had trimmed away the fat, could have made a really good novel. 2.5 stars rounded down to 2 stars. -
Sex, violence, poor plot, irrational prudishness combined with irrational sexual behavior... Dont know what else to say really. Except wheres Larry? The most interesting supporting character has been lost somewhere. And wheres Animators Inc? Does she even have her job anymore (it is mentioned in the end in one sentence and thats it...). Oh and Anita is turning into very, VERY unlikeable. She isn't satisfied with ANYTHING! She gets everything she wants and whines about it. Total immature bitch. OH and are there any normal and likeable females in LKH's imaginary world? No.
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4 1/2
I reviewed Blue Moon when I read it many years ago but I can’t find a copy and can’t remember what my thoughts were. I’m sure I thought it was “one of the best books ever” because I was still a fangirl and it features a whole hell of a lot of Richard and back then I was a fangirl of him too. Now? Eh, I can take him or leave him but that’s only because the author turned him into an alpha-hole of the worst kind and replaced him with likes of Micah and the shifter crew. But that’s a rant for another day.
Today we focus on Blue Moon. It opens with a phone call where Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner, Necromancer and Protector of all things furry, defenseless and preternaturally sexy, learns that her ex-love (but not lover) Richard is in jail on rape charges. Then vampire lover boy Jean Claude shows up at her door wanting to do “the wicked dance” just one more time before she leaves town to save Richard. He’s jealous of Richard’s studliness and feeling insecure. She shoos him away, takes her vampire and shifter entourage and heads out to save the day. Jean Claude is barely a blip on the radar again during this book (I think he calls in once) because he is not allowed to travel to Master of the City vampire Colin’s territory, where Richard is being held, or all-out war will rage. Anita’s not allowed either but she says screw it and goes anyway. I love that about Anita. So, for you Jean Claude fans be warned because this is Richard’s book and Nathaniel’s book, and Jason, Asher and Damien’s too. But mostly this book is Richard’s turn with Anita. She saves his ass only to find out he’s been fooling around with all kinds of women (which contributed to his current troubles) in an attempt to replace her. They fight, as usual, but she doesn’t have much ground to stand on considering she left him for Jean Claude. She still lusts after Richard and what with all of the drama with the beasties and the evil big bad, a few corrupt police officers and the munin raising its horny head, Anita has her hands full.
I’m “rereading” this series on unabridged audio because I originally gave up on it somewhere after the meh “Micah” and need to refresh my memory if I have any hope of ever completing the series. Blue Moon is narrated by Kimberly Alexis who does a great job voicing the tough as nails, increasingly coldish Anita. Narrator Alexis is all business and it fits really well. She also does a decent job voicing everyone with the exception of Asher and Jean Claude, both who are given faux fancy French accents which make them sound too feminine for comfort. My ears bled a little whenever they were speaking. But I don’t blame the narrator; she did the best she could with the source material. Some of the other characters sound too similar but I could usually figure out who was speaking pretty quickly.
I really enjoyed this reread. I wasn’t sure I would but it held up well and kept my attention throughout. The characters dealt with a lot of deep crap, Anita had to work through some of her issues and questioned herself and her values. I liked this Anita. She cares about the people she keeps acquiring and makes tough calls to keep them safe. If she’s a bit bitchy, hell I would be too. This book has some incredibly dark edges. I always forget about that and I appreciate it. I don’t like the sugar-coating too many PNR’s have these days. I have to hand it to Hamilton, she does not flinch while inflicting damage to the innocents in this book. Now on to the next one! -
First read: May 2006
Re-read: July 2017
The plot: Anita is called away from her home in St. Louis to a small town in Tennessee where Richard has been arrested on a rape charge. Anita is convinced he is innocent, and with the full moon coming, if Richard isn't freed from jail before then, his parents and his employers will learn he's a werewolf and he could lose everything.
What I liked:
- Blue Moon was a much more enjoyable re-read than I had been expecting. I despise Richard as a love interest and a Richard-heavy book was not a re-read I thought I’d enjoy. However he was actually a different, more reasonable, likeable character here than he was in the previous novels.
- I probably write this for every Anita Blake review, but the world-building is excellent. The little details dropped in about the history of Trolls as a species and the different sub-species; the magic structure of the pack with the munin and the significance of the lupinar; the metaphysical abilities the human population - such as clairvoyants, witches, and of course necromancers; the vampires, the European council, and the different bloodlines that were ‘allowed’ to go out and make more vampires and those that weren’t are all fascinating. I would love for Hamilton to write a proper guide to Anita’s world, putting all these details across all the books together into one comprehensive piece of work.
- Loved the small town setting that took Anita out of her comfort zone. The smaller cast of characters meant that we got more depth and backstory on some of the lesser characters like Cherry, Zane and Damien.
- That ending!
What I disliked:
- I am now at that point in the re-read of the series where is going to make an appearance, I think in the next book. This has been set up here with the reference to Jean Claude being able to feed from sexual energy and it is my least favourite part of Anita’s new found magical abilities.
- I am not a fan of Damien; he is too pathetic and needy. (Nathaniel is also fragile and needy, but I don’t mind these traits in him for some reason!)
- The true bad guys don’t make an appearance until very late in the book and although they were well written, I felt they could’ve been introduced a little earlier and I also found their reasoning as to why they needed to own the land a bit weak.
Rating: 5/5 stars -
If this had been the first Anita Blake I had read, it would have been the last Anita Blake I had read. There is a plot. It is an interesting plot even. The plot, however, takes a different car than the sex that gets pushed to the fore. (Yes, I know the correct expresssion is "the plot took a back seat to the sex", but the plot is farther back than that). The main problem, however, is that in this book I found Anita to be totally unlikable (I wanted her to get hit by a Mac truck). I also think it is interesting that we are told she is going to be taught to use her newfound powers, but we never see it.
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I might need to take a little break from Anita and all of her vampires, wolves, and leopards. It's getting to be a bit much. Hamilton clearly must have found her (weird and twisted) audience, but as I've said a bunch of times, I would have liked her series better if she had stayed on the path it looked like she was originally on, with Anita solving preternatural crimes, rather than becoming Queen of the Underworld. You know how it's annoying that Stephanie Plum can't decide between Ranger and Morelli after what feels like a hundred books? It's way worse with Anita, who is pretty much having Monster of the Week crushes at this point.
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Blue Moon is my favourite Anita Blake chapter to date. The initial plot takes a backseat through most of the book, but seeing Anita deal with her place in the pack, delve deeper into her connection to Richard and all that that entails was entertaining. I loved all of the secondary characters, and seeing Anita explore the camaraderie of those relationships. LKH has a great talent in developing characters that are complex and compelling enough that makes me want to know everything about them.
I really don’t understand all the bad reviews. I have to assume that, at least in part, they have to do with the fact that the book is so Richard heavy. IMHO focusing on Richard for once is one of the best parts of the book. LKH has spent a lot of time building up Anita’s moral landscape; it is one of the strongest segments of her developed character. So to see her drop it all and run to Jean-Claude was so out of the blue, and against everything that had been built to date that I just couldn’t accept it. The way that LKH dealt with Anita/Richard in this instalment worked. She came up with a scenario that got them together without betraying Anita’s morals and it all made sense in the context of this world.
I also have to say that Richard sleeping around is almost as left field as Anita/JC. Why develop characters in such a detailed fashion then watch them betray everything they believe in for no apparent reason. I mean every single book that has had anything to do with Richard has shouted how much of a ‘Boy Scout’ he is, including this one. I know LKH gives us apparent reasons; Richard being hurt over what happened with JC, and Anita running to JC because she couldn’t accept what she’d seen. However, in comparison to their moral characters those reasons were not good enough to make the actions ring true.
To the nitpicking: I would be very, very happy to never read another description of the Browning, or Firestar ever again, not to mention how they are placed or hidden on Anita’s body. The same goes for Anita’s Nike’s, and her choice of clothing in respect to how the guns will be hidden. I don’t care, and I would think that a majority of reader’s don’t either.
Even with my issue’s, I still thoroughly enjoyed this peek at Anita’s life overall. I do hope that the relationship with Richard continues, at least for a little while. At the very least, it just makes sense, but more than that he’s a far better match than JC. -
I hate to say it but, this is my least favorite book in this series. The first 300 pages dragged so much. Richard is in jail on false charges so Anita comes to investigate and free him. Unfortunately, the master of the city there does not take kindly to super powerful vampire killer invading his lands. There are issues with the local were pack as well. After plenty of killing and countless annoying Anita and Richard squabbles, Anita finally sleeps with Richard. Only to find out that it makes their bond stronger. Now she is mad at Jean-Claude and Richard for not telling her. Then we get to the mystery (if you can call it that) of the book. Someone is blaming murders on trolls to try to find an artifact hidden in the land. Anita tortures one of the baddies and saves the day, the end!
What really bothers me here is the love triangle between Anita, Richard, and Jean-Claude. After sleeping with Richard, Anita is given permission to continue to sleep with Jean-Claude. Richard, understandably, says that he will continue to sleep with other people as well. Anita does not like that of course, and I just don't get it. She isn't happy with just having one, she isn't happy with both, and she isn't happy with neither. Guess what! She continues to be unhappy about it for the entire series! Richard can't accept his beast, can't accept humans that accept his beast, won't sleep with weres, and doesn't like that Anita is turning into a monster. Anita doesn't like to touch anyone even if it is just for comfort, even if it alienates her leopards. She doesn't like that Richard eats people, even though she tortures people and enjoys it, she doesn't like that Richard doesn't accept his beast, even though she can't get close to her packs. Jean-Claude seems to be using everyone for power, according to Anita, and she doesn't trust him, and doesn't believe that he loves her. This continues for a long time in this series. As annoying as that is, I still love all the secondary characters in this series: Asher, Damien, Edward, Nathaniel, etc. Anita does become more accepting of what she needs to do to survive, and becomes closer to her animals in the future. This book just stands out as different from the previous novels. The mystery is almost nonexistent and the drama is everywhere. Be warned. -
I'm officially connected to all the main characters in this book. The audiobook just brings everyone to life. Sometimes I want to just shake the hell out of Anita, but I I wouldn't trade her for nothing!! I love this series ❤
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I found Richard to be a little petty in this book; it was like tit for tat. She hurts him so he becomes a bit of a slut. He wants her attention but he doesn’t want her help to get him off the rape charges. It’s so much back and forth.
The sound effect during the sex scene was weird.
It was bound to happen though we all saw it coming.
The crime scene I don’t know if I will ever get over how descriptive the author is. I mean it's good and bad you know.
I really enjoyed the connection between Anita and Damien it's interesting and I want to know if it gets stronger if she raises him again as she did before.
Ahh, Asher was understood how much Anita fears her mind being taken over. I am glad it was fast but it kind of broke my heart too.
I wonder where this is going to take us. The development of Anita and Nathaniel too has me intrigued.
Again enjoying the narration. -
Whats is wrong with Anita?? how does she not shoot Richard in the leg?? he almost got her killed AGAIN and rapped this time just because he wouldnt lie to crooked cops, he's fine with eating people but you mustn't lie to cops its a sin. IDIOT!
Alrighty just to let people know there will be possible Spoilers in this review.
both Anita's men were kinda douches in this book. at the start anita drops everything to run to richard to get him out of jail on false charges and the first thing he tells her is how he's having dirty sex with all these women. he turned into a total man whore, anything that moved he put the moves on. both richard and jean-claude lied to anita about what would happen when she had sex with them - make there marks stronger and give them all new funky powers. but she doing the deed with both of them now.
we got to see a nice side of asher, he would be very nice if he wasnt a vampire. also damien told anita how he feels about her now cause she brought him back from the grave a couple of times and he'll do anything for her.
anita almost had sex with everyone - but that was partly rania's fault. but still highly annoying to me, i liked her wholesome attitude & i want it back!
we got to meet richards mum and baby brother.
and because richard and jean-claude lied to anita about the marks she's decided to try and stay away from them for a while to get control of her new skills and find out who she is now. which has to be the smartest thing she's done in quite a few books, sometimes i wish she'd just dump both of them but they do make her life more complicated i suppose.
all in all there was a tone of action in this book that made it all worth while :D -
Oh, I wish it was not true. Richard is my least favorite of “the sweeties,” a proper pain in the ass.
2nd Listen: I loved it! So much action, intrigue, lust and violence. Even with so much Richard, I loved it.
That said, this was a great story! Whenever Anita leaves town the plots are better, and this time the bad guys are evil.
“Nothing like a real live demon to give you that old time religion.”
Some of my casting:
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1.5 stars. So much worse than I had remembered. Long list of faults, but I’m not going to waste time listing them, since I probably won’t be doing another reread. Will be reading #9 since it’s Edward’s book and Anita should be away from the sex plot device that’s about to be introduced. The plot device that completely ruins the series.
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Mientras Anita continua dudando de su relacion con Jean-Claude, y su relacion con Richard es cada vez mas distante, recibe una llamada del hermano de Richard donde le pide ayuda para sacarlo de la carcel. Anita por supuesto corre a ayudarlo, y con el apoyo de Jean-Claude, sus ahora fieles leopardos y los guardaespaldas de Richard se encuentran en medio de un pueblo de sur donde claramente no son bienvenidos.
Pero las cosas siempre son mas complicadas de lo que parecen en un principio, el Amo de los Vampiros de la zona decide que no son bienvenidos, un millonario con ansias de poder y con invocador de demonios de su lado, quiere sacarlos de su camino a como de lugar. Y si ademas le agregamos, la conexion de Anita con el espiritu de Raina que la intenta dominar, controlar la situacion y salir todos vivos de ahi no va a ser facil.
En este libro seguimos viendo como los poderes de Anita estan creciendo y porfin el autor le consigue una especio de tutor, pero tambien hay un cambio muy grande en su personalidad, y no se hasta que punto es coherente. La forma como el autor "informo" de lo que las marcas y la verdadera union del trio le estaban haciendo a Anita y la forma como de repente cambio la personalidad de Damian, no me gustaron para nada.
Ademas la incorporacion de un Demonio, que realmente no tiene nada que ver, y la forma como sencillamente desaparecio, quedaron las dudas de saber a donde?, que paso con los gnomos?, fue Richard descubierto? Que eso del FBI entrando en la escena de la nada? No se, hubieron muchas cosas que fueron confusas o contradictorias, pero no por eso voy a seguir queriendo leer las aventuras de Anita, asi que seguire con la serie. -
This book was all about werewolves. Well mostly. More so than usual... I'm backpeddling so hard lol. 😂
Anita and Raina agreed on something. That doesn't bode well for Richard. BTW I don't like how skanky Richard is getting. I can understand his need to throw himself into a new relationship but that has done nothing but get him into trouble with everyone! Like really?
Anita using the munin to smoke those vampires was cool! Go Anita.
The sorcerer guy died horribly. BTW I have forgotten a lot of names right now so I apologize that's what happens when you do a review 10 days late... 🤷♀️
I'm really glad the other two guys. The gay man who said he would rape Richard and like it and the Clairvoyant who started this whole mess were dealt with too. I'm 99% sure the gay man died. I want to say his name is Lionus but I think that was the sorcerer guy. I don't like calling him gay man. :( -
In keeping with her naming her books after places, L.K. Hamilton's novel, Blue Moon, has several connotations. One, it's a place. Blue Moon is a camping area that people come to play or in this case people come to die. Blue Moon is like the old jazz song, "You left me standing alo ho hone..." And thirdly, Blue Moon is rare - a full moon twice in a thirty day period - which can spell havoc for werewolves, who are drawn to the lunar light and have a nasty habit of getting hairy at the drop of a paw.
In the previous book Anita broke up with Richard when she freaked out at the site of him changing into a werewolf and then eating his enemy. Yuk. In this book, Anita is walking down a dark path of death and destruction. She finds it easier to kill. She gets creative in creating trouble for her wolfpack. Her were-leopard friends are becoming more touch-friendly and she is playing with fire when it comes to handling Nyer and his wish for the Spear of Christ, an artifact that was supposedly the spear that went through Christ at the Crucifixion 2000 years ago.
The book is troubling for several reasons: Anita is even more moral-less than in past novels. She does not hesitate to shoot to kill. In one scene, she tortures a guy to tell her where some kidnap victims are, and then shoots him in the head to shut him up! Morals? What?
She meets another necromancer, a psychic and a killer, not in that order. There is also Colin the vampire that they make a big deal out of. Colin does not want Anita in his territory. That part of the story builds well but is over by the halfway point, sadly. No real development of that aspect.
Hamilton really gets into the Richard/Jean Claude/Anita triumvirate and we discover the true intentions of Jean Claude's apparent magnanimous gesture in letting Anita have sex with Richard, not as graphic as it could have been.
Hamilton wears me down with the same old actions over and over - sudden ring - "Jumpy, who me?" about five times in each novel. Annoying.
Marianne is the only stable character in the mess. She's some kind of witch or clairvoyant, who uses her positive energy in the same way Anita uses her negative energy. Calling her "child" and understanding Anita's churning mental state, she guides Anita to a more manageable character. Hope to see more of her in the next book.
Bad cops, some aspects of Dolph open up, but basically a Claude-less book, which is fine with me. Really hoping Obsidian Butterfly gives a return to the vampire killer I used to know in Guilty Pleasures.
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Book 8 in Anita’s series takes off like a rocket and never slows down. Deliciously, Anita is gaining powers and morphing with her questioning every nuance she doesn't understand.
For me, this book showed to be well written with great character and relationship development among were-leopards, were-wolves and vampires.
I enjoyed not having so much Jean-Claude in this book. Richard got more time in this book which was delightful in some of the revelations of his escapades.
From trying to rescue Richard from jail and numerous fights with humans compounded by continuing vampire politics and cruelty, Anita was thrown between life and death battles from beginning to end in this tale. I truly admire Anita’s trait to protect and care for shifters and vampires with the stamina and courage even when she could sacrifice her life. I like her take charge attitude which always annoys her foes, and even some friends from crisis to crisis. Her character is becoming more like-able.
Her growing powers and ability to heal are fascinating and how much the munin and shades of Raina were tormenting her in trying to master these powers.
I also like the unique way LKH raises the erotic temperature and temptations for Anita and her companions and how the roles of Lupa of the wolves and Nimir-Ra of the leopards mandate physical closeness she is most uncomfortable with at the beginning which diminish slowly. I was pleased at how this resolved near the end of the book.
I genuinely liked this book more than those that came before. New characters, new romances, new enemies, and unusual skirmishes and battle tactics combined made this a great read for me. My addiction continues for Anita Blake. -
Sex, magic, violence, and gore.
Anita Blake books are so horny for a series with 2 sex scenes over 8 novels.
So far, as this series progresses, each book's plot is more exciting and unpredictable. Hamilton's worldbuilding is excellent; there is so much creative potential and she uses it to the best advantage.
The triumvirate dynamic's development is fascinating. After book 6 I wasn't sure if we would see less of Richard, but I love that he is just as involved as before. Richard, Anita, and Jean Claude's relationship continues to develop, getting messier and more entangled, as they subsequently grow more powerful through their bond.
I totally did not see that Richard/Anita scene coming, although probably should have. It did feel necessary/natural/unavoidable. Even if their personality's don't suit, Anita and Richard are inescapably drawn to each other.
Jean Claude's power-lust becomes even more evident. While Anita loves JC and he seems to love her, she doesn't trust him and resents that he is manipulating for power, consequently making her less physically human (becoming a monster mentally--that's all Anita).
I don't like that once again rape is used to motivate Anita/justify her blood-thirst.
As is typical for most of the books so far in this series, the last 20 pages are a bloodbath.
1-sentence summary: Anita and co go on a road trip and kill/arouse basically an entire town. -
I have had a huge break from reading Anita Blake series. It was one of the first vampire series I get involved in and previously I really enjoyed it. But after few books I decided I need a break and it took me a lot of time to come back to the series. I still like it in spite of the love triangle I usually hate in every book.
The story is good and grabbing with lots of pack and shifters stuff. However, some parts are rather dark and I'm not sure about what to think about them but I didn't feel the need to stop reading. So I think it was OK.
Still, I wish it was more Jean-Claude in the story, I was constantly waiting for him to appear but his part is completely reduced in the story. I also wish Anita will come up with an idea what to do with her two lovers and gain some emotional balance. Her constantly pushing and pulling Jean-Claude and Richard is slowly driving me mad.
I feel like it's time to continue with the series. It's really interesting to read it again after all this time as I'm older and read so many similar stories during these years. Still, I found this series somehow unique and enjoy it. -
I really enjoy the world of Anita Blake. The complex interplay between the various Vampire clans and Werewolf tribes is done well. The different approach to the various supernatural creatures is a nice fresh view. I don't mind the love interest side of things, however I am not impressed with the slide from Urban Fantasy romance to Supernatural Erotica that the series is experiencing. I know the writer is just giving her readers what they want, as is evidence by the fact that the series is still going on after 27 years. This book we get to delve into Werewolf BDSM. Just sad to see such an interesting series go the way it has. Recommended for a few more books at least
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I was really liking these at first. Anita Blake is a bad ass. I was liking the paranormal, and mystery aspect that was happening. Now it's getting a bit like a soap opera. I was looking forward to the next and the next up to this point. I think I will have to take a break and read something with a bit more horror, and come back to the series a bit later on.
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I did not like the previous book in this series, it was to much romance and not enough actual story. Most of the previous books were enjoyable so I decided to give Hamilton one more shot. Glad I did, this one stepped up and went back to a serious plot and less romance. There's still a bit of the stuff I don't like, endless paragraphs on peoples physical appearances and how to dress like an 80's goth etc. But Jean Claude was absent for all of this book and Richard was wimping off in the background leaving Anita to do what she does best, solve mysteries and kill things.
While reading this book I came to a conclusion on what I really find intriguing about these books. It's that Hamilton writes suspense and action scenes way better than any other female paranormal author I have tried.
As with a couple of the others I listened to the audio book, narrated by Kimberly Alexis. She does a great job and the addition of minimal background music and sound effects really enhances the performance. -
Po dlouhé době pokračuji v rereadingu Anity Blake a zároveň je to poslední kniha, kterou jsem z této série četla. Takže Obsidiánový motýl bude premiéra. Jsem na pokračování, ale docela zvědavá.
Během rereadingu jsem si začala všímat docela dost věcí. První z nich je to, že mám opravdu ráda Paranormal/Urban fantasy. A ráda bych v tomhle žánru četla trochu víc. A tou druhou je, že spousta věcí se v téhle knize opakovala. Anita na někoho namíří zbraní, řekne dotyčnému ať se nepřibližuje nebo ho oddělá a ten dotyčný vždycky odpoví "Ty bys to vážně udělala." nebo "Ty bys mě vážně zabila." s tím, že Anita má vždy stejnou odpověď. Což je docela frustrující a ten dialog za moc nestojí.
Proč jsem této knížce dala 4*? Protože moje první čtení si vysloužilo hvězdiček pět a můj rereading tři. Takže jsem to zprůměrovala. Ale i tak musím říct, že po většinu času jsem si čtení vážně užívala. Snížení hodnocení je v tom, že jsem si všímala více věcí a taky v tom, že už nejsem takový fanoušek Richarda, kterého jsem dříve zbožňovala. Takhle knížka by ale určitě benefitovala z toho, kdyby byla o něco kratší. -
Kurgu da olsa bir kadının hayatına öyle ya da böyle giren bütün erkekler yakışıklı mı olur ??? Yok onun saçı güzel, yok bunun gözleri dehşet ayy :P Bayağı ütopik olmuş :D
Sevgili yazar, Anita'yı yosma(Kitaptaki tabir.Ben başka bir şey derdim de neyse..) yapmak zorunda mısın ? Bu ne arkadaş! Hele o kurtların Anita'yı kovaladığı sahnede koptum. Ne için olduğunu tahmin edersiniz artık :P J.C. ile sevgili olup Richard'ın da sadece kendine bağlanmasını istemesi çok bencilceydi. Bu kitapta daha mı çok dayak yedi ne? Ama aksiyon kısımları çok iyiydi. Anita tartışmasız en harbi bayan karakter bu konuda. Thompson'a nasıl öyle işkence etti yaa, ben yapamaz diyordum o.O Ama insanlığı da git gide zedeleniyor kızın. Bence ileride olacaklara şaşırmamamız için yazar bizi hazırlıyor :P Lütfen bozma şu kızı yaa okumam bak! (Dermişim ;))
Bütün o birbirlerine dokunma, sürtünme işini sevmedim. Bir yere kadar iyi de sonradan belgesel tadı vermeye başladı. Ve sanırım artık Richard'cıyım, şimdilik tabi. Üçkağıtçı J.C :P -
Some friends have read 50 Shades (yes, I do point and laugh when they admit it) and either hate it and want to read a "good" dirty book or love it and want more of the same. Since I am the book guru they come to me for advice and I have none. I don't read "naughty" books. I am a prude. So, to the delight of some contrarian somewhere I have a stack of books I am working my way through in hopes of finding something to recommend. This book was on the clearance rack at the local used bookstore for $1 and Laurell K. Hamilton has a reputation for racy vampire books so I gave it a shot. Read it in one sitting. Entertaining. Even though it was the middle of a series, I didn't feel lost in the story arc. The pace moved along quickly. The racy parts were racy but readable, unlike some books where the cliches are too awful to handle. Nothing particularly bad about Blue Moon but not a whole lot there either. If you are bored and it is on hand, it is an entertaining read. But with all the truly wonderful books in the world, I wouldn't go out of my way to pick it up.
/two cents
