Blue Moon (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

2002

Status

Checked out

Publication

Jove Pubns (2002), Edition: Reissue

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Thriller. HTML:The Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter backlist lights up the night. In her eighth adventure, Anita Blake can't turn her back on a former lover during the full moon. Especially since he's behind bars-and he's a werewolf...

User reviews

LibraryThing member rexrobotreviews
Blue Moon is the eighth installment of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. A good friend of mine got me all sorts of addicted to this series. I love so many things about this series and LKH's writing, but there are a lot of things I dislike about it too. Luckily this
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novel didn't contain many of the things I've found myself to dislike. Hamilton really kills it, ahem, in this novel.

By this time, Anita has chosen Jean-Claude. (Yesss!) Hold that excitement, she still loves Richard and he is in trouble. A member of his family has called Anita to the rescue. Richard is in jail and needs help out of one sticky situation. We all know that Anita could never refuse a call for help... especially from Richard. The plot of this one had me on pins and needles- intense, full of suspense. I had a hard time putting this one down. So much action.

Anita is constantly pushing her boundaries, which is fun for the reader. I like that Hamilton writes it smoothly so that it never really seems out of Anita's character. She won't ask anyone to do anything she isn't willing to do herself... Pretty dignified, if you ask me. Though this leads her to do some pretty torturous things to save Richard's family. I'm talking literal here. Ugh. I will never understand Richard and Anita. Richard is whiny, self righteous and annoying. My least favorite character. Although Richard does not appeal to me, his character is very well developed. The things he does makes sense as he hates who he has to be and who Anita has become. I have to hand it to Hamilton, no one does anything out of character in her novels. One of my biggest pet peeves.

I always find myself more enthralled with secondary characters than I should. Asher, Jason... I'm more into them than Jean-Claude. Despite the enormous amount of controversy surrounding this brilliant series, this book is totally worth reading. I haven't read this book for awhile, so the review was a little hard for me to write. I've finished the entire series with the exception of 'Flirt.' I have it, I just need to read it! Can't wait.
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LibraryThing member Rhinoa
Anita Blake is back with an ever increasing number of men around her! Richard (her werewolf ex-fiance) has been away studying and has been acused of raping a woman there. Anita runs to his rescue pissing off Jean Claude, but agreeing to take a collection of vampires, werewolves and wereleapords for
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protection. Going into the territory of a Master Vampire to free Richard from jail is going to cause problems as Colin is interpreting this as an act of aggression and looking to take over his territory.

When they get to the jail they are able to post bail for Richard who has been dating a variety of human and were women. It seems he won't have full sex with the human women in case he changes or is too violent, but he is working through his sexual hang ups with the were animals where he doesn't have to hide who or what he is. The sexual tension is still major between him and Anita who never slept together when they were in a relationship. Somehow they find time to get down and dirty between rotting vampires, magic human servants, saving trolls and corrupt policemen. Unfortunately Richard's family get caught up in the action when his brother and mother are kidnapped by the evil Mr Niley and his henchman.

Another great and gripping read. Lots of unpleasantness and I cannot stress enough this series is not for the screamish or sensitive! Some rather nasty things happen to Richard's family that don't even bear thinking about, but luckily they make it out ok. Anita's life is so complicated with her many many men, but it looks like she has finally found a mentor who can help her regain some control. I'm looking forward to the next in the series, although popular opinion is they go a bit downhill from here for a while.
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LibraryThing member la_librarian
I very much enjoyed Blue Moon. This book focused on the relationship between Richard and Anita. They've been at war of sorts since Anita left him for Jean Claude.

In Blue Moon, Anita is forced to face Richard and how she really feels about him. At this point the books are REALLY focusing on sex a
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great deal. It seems a little overboard but the storyline is still great for the series.
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LibraryThing member Flamika
This book marks the definite beginning of a growing trend of "everyone wants Anita/thinks Anita is so great." It's annoying and tiresome, but it wasn't enough to make me dislike the book. It has werewolves, vampires, and it really hits on the roots of the dysfunction amongst the pard. An enjoyable
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read, although not the best in the series. I always skip parts when I reread.
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LibraryThing member teharhynn
After this book it'll be interesting to see how Anita's powers develop. The book was good, there was action from the very first pages. The characters really explored one another and you really get a feel for more than just Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard.
LibraryThing member adpaton
What with Buffy and Twilight and Vampire Diaries, I think I might be forgiven for expecting Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, to be just another supernatural series for teens – mild monster stories with the merest frisson of sexuality.



My mistake: these books won’t be found in any school library
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containing as they do fantastically perverse examples of extreme erotica, not to mention more blood, torture and death than is usually present even in hard core dick fic.



When she’s not having sex, Anita Blake solves a series of arson attacks in Burnt Offerings; in Blue Moon she clears one of her lovers, a master werewolf, of rape charges – and has sex - while Obsidian Butterfly finds Anita in New Mexico investigating supernatural attacks and mixing it up with werejaguars, a change from the werewolves, leopards, rats and swans who constitute her usual socio-sexual circle.



Look – don’t get me wrong: the Anita Blake books are erotic but not pornographic. She might wear skin tight peek-a-book outfits and engage in four-in-a-bed interspecies romps, but there is never anything too explicit.



By book 19 in the on-going saga our heroine is somehow finding the time to reanimate the dead, solve crimes, bring murderers to justice and kill vampires on a professional basis while running a zoo of at least six lovers. Yet Anita is a good Christian girl at heart, kind, brave and generous, a positive role model for any young woman in almost every respect.



Perhaps, after all, the Vampire Hunter oeuvre should make its way onto the school library shelves: Anita never does the dirty with any human male and good luck to any girl trying to find herself a gorgeous vampire to bed...
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LibraryThing member joyfiction
While the book was enjoyable to an extent the fact that these books are becoming more about sex than a story is ruining things for me.
LibraryThing member sdtaylor555
Slightly weaker than the previous, but very good none-the-less.
LibraryThing member TheSolitaryBookworm
After book 1-7 showing Anita as one tough babe, Hamilton decided that this book becomes the window to seeing Anita's vulnerability. I always enjoyed Anita's kick ass attitude but this twist to the character made me love Anita more. It's a complete circle already. A girl wth beauty, power, and
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incredible strenght who is not just capable of doing efficient job but also is vulnerable to pain and love.

What is alarming about the book for some is the injection of the sexual aspect of the characters involve. Anita no longer balances a few powers but also made a triumvate of power with the two most powerful creatures in St. Louis. Which makes Anita, Jean Claude and Richard a strong force to defend and protect the people they care about but can also be a deadly force against enemies. Since Hamilton is a great story teller, you don't expect a mild sexual read. So to people who are not yet open to this kind of novel, might as well read the first seven books.

Though I am not hating the sexual tension, I just felt that the insertion of the sexual aspect in the series lost the impact of the books altogether. From the uphill climb of the previous book, this on the flat surface of the mountain. A plateau.

So overall, still a good read with a little precaution because of the sexual aspect for readers who doesn't enjoy that. Still packed with gore, kick ass and details fight scenes, and the usual love triangle of Anita - Jean Claude - Richard.
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LibraryThing member betheamichael
In Blue Moon, Anita Blake's ex, high school teacher and sexy lycanthrope Richard, has been thrown in jail for attempted rape. With an entourage of vampires and werewolves, even this preternatural expert knows all is not right in Myerton, Tennessee.
LibraryThing member averitasm
I keep getting all her books because they are a fast , fun thrill of a read and I want to know what's happening next each time, love these books they never disappoint.
LibraryThing member ZeroGib
I found that not alot happened in this book. While you do see Anita evolve into a more monster like character not alot really happens till the last 40 pages. Yet I still really enjoyed this book.
LibraryThing member LJT
At this point I started to realise the series was beginning to devolve. There is still some plot, but sex is becoming the primary focus. Poor Anita doesn't want to be a slut, but the ardure forces her to act like one. Ho Hum. And Hamilton sure is limited in her description of intercourse.
LibraryThing member thioviolight
While I found the novel mostly entertaining, I didn't like this as much as the only other Anita Blake story I've read, the debut book in the series, Guilty Pleasures.
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Richard is jailed on charges of rape, Anita wants to swoop in and make him see reason, but must negotiate with the master vamp of the area (Colin) who refuses to allow her entry. Anita goes anyway, so all hell breaks out on that front (alhtough, not the major baddie in this book). The local cops
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are trying to run Richard out of town so the Big Bad can buy up the land that the trolls that Richard is studying live on. Not so easy to do.

Excellent! Richard and Anita become closer. Anita comes closer to her personal breaking point. For the most part, this book is Jean-Claude-less, and I loved it.
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LibraryThing member verenka
The sixth (I think) vampire porn book, Blue Moon, by Laurell K. Hamilton. It's the kind of story you can read in 30 degree heat while people are talkig around you and still not lose the plot. It's fairly easy: people die/are in trouble, Anita blake fights with JC/the boss/the police who think she
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should keep out. She gets involved, kills bad people and monsters, endangering a lot of her own. There is a lot of sexual tension, another fight, a sex scene, the villain(s ) are defeated by the enormous and ever growing power of Anita, Jean Claude and Richard (and whatever were animal is close). the end.
I can't stand Anita and her attitude. Not in the slightest, and Hamilton's writing style is repetitive and frankly, a bit boring. She always describes what people are wearing like it's really exciting, and seeing someone's manly smooth chest gets Anita all hot and bothered. People always have long flowy hair that covers them like a curtain, except for Richard whose hair surrounds him like a soft cloud. And mostly it sounds like Anita doesn't have a dress sense. A red see through shirt, hello?
I have no idea why I keep reading this. But I do.
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LibraryThing member susanbevans
Not as great as some of her earlier books but still a fun read.
LibraryThing member TadAD
In retrospect, this was the turning point in the series. It's switching from an action series with some steamy sex scenes to an erotica series with occasional (but ever-diminishing) action scenes. In the process, Anita is moving from a scrappy heroine to a whiny annoyance.

I didn't mind reading this
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one, but it's downhill from here.
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LibraryThing member BookRatMisty
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
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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. ;)
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LibraryThing member Library_Breeder
This book for me is when the series started getting realy good, and from this point each book started getting better. After this book each book in the series in my opionion is good and the series takes on an upward projection on how good I like the books. I know that there are a lot of people who
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feel that the series went downhill after this book (or perhaps a bit after), but I am one of the people who really started liking them. Yeah, Anita is becoming a Mary Sue, but who cares? It's not really supposed to be taken seriously, and these books are a great, fun story that isn't asking to be taken as reality.
Plus, she and Richard get together.
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LibraryThing member Ceysa
This is the book that begins to make some Anita fan's iffy about her. It doesn't bother me. The sex in the book doesn't take away from the story, but enhances the entire chemistry.
The book starts out with a dream about sex, and a phone call sends Anita flying to Richard's side when he's accused of
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rape.
More corrupt cops, vampires that morph and melt, and literal werewolves make this book a hang on the edge of your seat.
Then there is the introduction of some of Richard's family and him trying to still hide who and what he is from the world.
And unexpected help comes to Anita's aid from this group of werewolves, even though they endanger Anita's life. Throw Raina into the mix and you have one hell of a mess!
Anita nearly loses Nathaniel, and Damien and manages to save them both, while binding them to her harder than ever.
What is a girl to do with a super abundance of male testosterone, murder and demons called to a small area of Tennessee just for the Holy Grail that may or may not be hidden there.
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LibraryThing member dools46
I do like Anita Blake, but this was my least fave of hers so far
LibraryThing member LVStrongPuff
Anita's ex Richard is in jail for rape. Anita and the help of Jean-Claude's weres and Anita's weres they head to Tennesse to help get Richard out of jail. While there Anita can't control her feelings for Richard and he can't control his for her.
The story centers around all the issues Richard and
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Anita have with one another and with Jean-Claude. Anita also find out some stuff that both Richard and Jean-Claude have been hiding from Anita. Anita starts to learn more about her darker side as well as finds out more about her own powers.
A very well written and gripping story.
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LibraryThing member heidilove
The Anita Blake series starts out well, but really begins to turn toward the victim-as-passion pretty soon. If you're into that, then these deliver, but it's really not my thing. By the time we get well into the series, Hamilton's Blake is pathetically power hungry and driven by a sense of
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acceptance from men that would have any truly independent person retching in the aisle. Eventually it devolves into farcical S&M exploration, delivering light porn, but not truly erotica. If you don't want to admit what your hungers are to yourself, then these are books made for you, as I Blake (and possibly by extension Hamilton herself) suffers from the same plight. My favorite character of all is Edward, and we really never do get to see enough of him.
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LibraryThing member janersm
This book was certainly not the best in the series nor was it the worst. The series itself has a lot of strengths, but even as far into as Blue Moon falls, there are too many flaws to fully enjoy these books.

Blue Moon lacked any sort of fluidity. It seemed like too much was packed into the book,
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which seems to be a recurring theme in these books. The tedious nature of the books are one major issue that it seems could've been detrimental to the series. (Obviously, it isn't since Hamilton continues to churn out the books regularly.)

Anita was a bit more sympathetic in some chapters than she was in others. Of course, there were points when she seemed to be too monstrous to be the heroine of the stories. Her willingness to torture definitely took some of the shine off of her claims of being a good person and of doing things in the name of God. She seemed to be justifying the behaviors in a way that made her more annoying than was necessary.

Richard was not as holier than thou as he had been in the past. He was still an ass in a lot of the chapters. I almost feel like Hamilton wants the reader to hate him. Instead of portraying him as a bitter saint, he was portrayed as a selfish womanizer.

The more impressive and sympathetic characters were the minor characters in the story--Asher, Damian, Nathaniel and Jason. Each had a little more insight given into their character and their history. The near loss of Nathaniel, who really seems like he is going to be repeatedly treated as cannon fodder, was almost too much and was definitely a tear-inducing part of the story.

I hate that there are points in this story, as with several of the other books in the series, where I feel like I should just put the book down and walk away from the series. It is one thing to gradually change characters around, but the constant shift that some of the main characters go through makes the series a frustrating read.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1998-11

ISBN

0515134457 / 9780515134452

Barcode

1600335
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