Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8)

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Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #8)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 33,294 ratings · 585 reviews

When she chose master vampire Jean-Claude over her ex-fiancé, alpha werewolf Richard Zeeman, Anita learned that sometimes love is not enough. But though she and Richard won’t be walking down any aisles, she can’t turn her back on him when he’s arrested on a rape charge in Tennessee. Anita knows firsthand that Richard has the morals of a saint—or at least a boy scout. But h...more

Mass Market Paperback, 418 pages

Published September 24th 2002 by Jove (first published November 1st 1998)

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Jan 15, 2013 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, paranormal-romance, horror

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 a...more 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!(less)

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Jan 06, 2012 Tilly Slaton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-completed

When I realized this was the next book ony my list in the series, I was totally bummed. I don’t really care much for Richard. I don’t. I just don’t like him, or crap that comes along with him What can I say? A dramatic and goody boy scout just isn’t the guy for me.

It wasn’t until I was about 15% into the book that I remembered all of the delicious things that were awaiting me

I’m quoting a pretty large paragraph from the book, but it’s a great way to explain the relationship between Anita and h...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Crystal Starr Light rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, urban-fantasy, audiobook, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue, idiot-protagonist

"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...more

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Mar 25, 2012 ♥ Ashleigh ♥ contrary to popular belief im not actually mad! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghosts, psychics-special-abilities, multi-paranormal-species, were-shifters, vampires, adult, cop-detective, demon-vamp-hunters, heroine, horror, reviewed, 2011

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...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Abigail rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Not Really...

Shelves: fantasy-sf, vampires-werewolves

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Jul 11, 2009 Misty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-paranormal, sci_fi-fantasy, series, read-in-2009

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...more 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. ;)(less)

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May 12, 2009 mlady_rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: series__anita_blake, author__laurell_k_hamilton, genre__urban_fantasy, genre_sub__vamps, genre_sub__lycanthropes_and_shifter, 2002, read_more_than_once, 2009, abvh__us_pb_v2__bodyparts, fiction__part_of_a_series, pov__first_person_female, genre_sub__necromancers_or_reapers, fiction__speculative, troupe__mindlink_mates, genre_sub__incubus_succubus, in_retrospect__favorite

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The last of the "early" books, in my opinion. The last book before one step closer shakes up Anita's world in a whole new way. (Yes, mentally I'm skipping over "Obsidian Butterfly", because I don't think the overall series was advanced with that book.)

Anita and Richard aren't dating, aren't even seeing each other, but she drops everything when she finds out he's in jail accused of rape.

This is our second out of town book. With Jean-Claude in "Bloody Bones". With Richard in "Blue Moon". Again, "j...more

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Jan 08, 2008 Diane Ehrlich rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

The first several novels in the Anita Blake series are great. Funny, scary, a touch gory and a touch sexy. As you read each book, you can really see the character development as Anita becomes more sure of herself and more comfortable with the "monsters". However, some the later books have deteriorated into little more than soft porn for women. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

However, I feel it cheapens the series, which features a great role model in Anita as a women who has accepted...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: werewolves-are-awesome, vampires, ick-attack, fantasy-urban

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...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Any Length rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*** SPOILER ALERT *** READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK

ok. I liked it because it is an Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel. But..
I found that at the end there were some contradictions and some rushed
"and this happened in the following three months" stuff that seemed tacked on to make a clean break for the next book.
When Anita does her healing thing at the end of the book she gains a huge amount of power and finally the full respect from the pack. Then in the "and this happened after she tells us that she...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought that after enjoying Burnt Offerings so much that the series was going to start to get stale, or at least, seem 'same old'...I was wrong!

Blue Moon is my favorite of the Anita Blake series so far. Great action and what's more important some great character moments and relationship developments between Anita and her merry band of monsters make for a great read.

The book starts off right out of the gate. Richard has been thrown in jail in a small out of the way town after being accused of r...more I thought that after enjoying Burnt Offerings so much that the series was going to start to get stale, or at least, seem 'same old'...I was wrong!

Blue Moon is my favorite of the Anita Blake series so far. Great action and what's more important some great character moments and relationship developments between Anita and her merry band of monsters make for a great read.

The book starts off right out of the gate. Richard has been thrown in jail in a small out of the way town after being accused of rape! The perpetual furry boy scout a rapist? As Anita would say, naw!

So, that's what gets the book starting. That plot line creeps up now and again throughout the book and I guess in a way it could be considered the main plot of the whole book, but the brunt of the book explores Anita coming to terms with her recent advances in power, her feelings and responsibilities for her wolf and leopard friends, her feelings for Richard (don't write him off just yet) and most importantly, her feelings about HERSELF.

There's a definite shift in Anita in this book. In a way she's becoming more like she was at the begining of the series; willing to do what it takes to get the job done to a fault, but not quite the stone cold killer she's become over the past several novels. She's known it for some time now, she feels she's starting to lose her humanity but she kills when she needs to and just walks on to the next crisis. Now however, it's starting to wear on her that she realizes she's not bothered by all the killing and that in effect is what's worrying her the most: the fact that she SHOULD care, but feels nothing. That in its way is almost caring and feeling unto itself.

What's ironic is that by hanging around the monsters more and more, accepting her role as alpha of the werewolfs and the queen of the wereleopards she's learning to care for others than herself. Sure, she's always cared about those closest to her (Ronnie, Richard, Jean Claude, Dolph) but this is different. It's almost maternal in a way and while it ramps up her internal conflicts by a long shot, it makes her even more likable. I have to admit that her stone cold killer bitch on wheels attitude would only carry the series so far but she's growing now and it just makes for interesting reading.

It's those types of personal reflection, those moments when she's caring for the motley crew that she's seemed to wrap around herself that drive the book and make it a great read. For all the monsters and magic and occult events, it's just very HUMAN.

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Oct 19, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anita Blake Fans

Shelves: horror, fiction, fantasy, novels, mystery

In this installment, Anita comes to the rescue of Richard, her werewolf-ex, who is accused of rape. I know plenty of Anita Blake fans who despise Richard, who admittedly can be whiny and self-righteous. There have been times I wanted to reach through the pages and slap him. (And given what she would later do to the character, I think Hamilton lost the love too.) But if I didn't always love Richard, I did love what he brought to the mix as a great foil for Anita. Richard is a werewolf who struggl...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Daniela rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Too much going on...

Supposedly this books main issue was Richard getting arrested over rape charges, Anita comes to the rescue and since Jean claude makes a confession about how jealous he is of the way Anita leaves everything and everyone behind to go help Richard, I knew I was finally gonna be able to see Richard and Anita picking up the pieces of their relationship and taking it up a notch.
Well I was right, they had wild crazy sex and I was content.
At some point Anita meets this pack and sud...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Anita is awakened by a phone call from Richard’s brother – Daniel. Richard has been arrested on charges of rape. Anita is more than a little doubtful of the charges and, naturally, having police and legal connections, she drops everything and makes the flight to Tennessee, despite Jean-Claude’s insecure reservations.

Travelling as a human servant and Lupa is not simple, however, and she quickly finds herself embroiled in local pack politics and in conflict with the local master of the city, who f...more Anita is awakened by a phone call from Richard’s brother – Daniel. Richard has been arrested on charges of rape. Anita is more than a little doubtful of the charges and, naturally, having police and legal connections, she drops everything and makes the flight to Tennessee, despite Jean-Claude’s insecure reservations.

Travelling as a human servant and Lupa is not simple, however, and she quickly finds herself embroiled in local pack politics and in conflict with the local master of the city, who fears and invasion and the power of Jean-Claude’s triumvirate in his territory. Having to dance to werewolf politics and being openly at war with the local vampires complicates things a little.

But then there’s the reason they’re there. Richard has been opposing the sale of land that an endangered troll species inhabits – but the person doing the buying is far more dangerous than he imagined. With his full resources – both mundane and mystical – he is determined to make Anita and Richard leave, but this is a battle they cannot walk away from.

To complicate things further, there’s also Anita’s relationship issues – namely that she left Richard after sleeping with Jean-Claude. Between that and Richard’s exes, there’s a lot of tension to navigate.

The plot is actually really involved and written. We start with a simple mission – to save Richard and find out what’s happening. This quickly escalates not only in to a perplexing mystery (why go to this much effort to evict the trolls?) but then adds a layer of epic to become a fight that Anita simply cannot avoid. As the book says, when evil draws a line in the sand, good can’t just walk away. The depiction of Niley and Linus, their backstory and the books’ descriptive style establishes them as EVIL with a capital E. This lends a strong sense of epic to the story and the sense that there is no way Anita and Richard could just go home and let the trolls get on with it. There’s more depth and strength to it – more hangs on it than a simple local land issue and it gives and extra urgency and power to Anita’s actions and those of her enemies.

The book also continues one of the strength of many of the Anita Blake novels, there are several plots running alongside each other yet, at the same time, linked. We have Verne’s werewolf pack, the vampire and their fear of Jean-Claude, there’s Anita’s regular power hiccoughs – and there’s the core plot, Niley and his nefarious plots and the influence he spreads. All of them run together, they’re all well paced, none dominates the other and they all come together in a really neat fashion. None of them feel like distractions so much as the actual consequences in the supernatural world of moving out of state. It’s not a case of simply focusing on the plot line and the rest of the world conveniently fading into the background (except Anita’s job – which regularly seems to be cancelled at short notice without damaging Anita’s income at all).

I also like the book’s portrayal of police corruption – and how Anita and Richard are both very dependent on both their extensive connections and the fact they have lots of nice, upper class, respectable witnesses to prevent the worst of the Sherriff’s excesses. It’s made clear that these are the only things holding the corrupted police at bay – and also just how much power a crooked sheriff in a small town can actually have.

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Jun 14, 2012 Aunt Edie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, paranormal

Some friends have read 50 Shades (yes, I do point and laugh and 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 f...more

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May 06, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

OK so Hamilton definatately loses the 'Anita Blake Vampire Killer' thread in this book. This is 'Anita Blake hunk magnet'. Anita discovers new powers which are inevitably connected to sex - luckily every new male charcter walking on to the page is over 6ft and desperate to shed his clothes in order to reveal his inner sex god.

It helps that we're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by redneck police officers, badies that have a deathwish, a never ending stream of weres with overactive libidos an...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 22, 2011 Myvampfiction added it

Reviewed by Ciara

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

The clue is in the name. This book, the eighth in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter focuses very heavily on Richard and the werewolves. This book leaps into the action faster than any of the other books so far. On page one, Anita gets a phone call telling her Richard has been arrested for rape and is being held in prison in Tennessee. The big problem is, she gets this phone call just a few days before the blue moon, the second full moon in a mont...more Reviewed by Ciara

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

The clue is in the name. This book, the eighth in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter focuses very heavily on Richard and the werewolves. This book leaps into the action faster than any of the other books so far. On page one, Anita gets a phone call telling her Richard has been arrested for rape and is being held in prison in Tennessee. The big problem is, she gets this phone call just a few days before the blue moon, the second full moon in a month. Lycanthropy isn’t illegal, but Richard is a science teacher, and would be hounded out of the school if his condition was made known.

Anita has to rush off to save him, but unfortunately he doesn’t really want to be saved. He’s innocent, so maintains that he doesn’t need a lawyer to defend him.
He tells Anita that it’s a false accusation made against him because he is investigating a troll population in the local mountains, which for some reason,
a unscrupulous art collector wants to get his hands on. As I mentioned in the review for Killing Dance, the recent addition of sex to the plots seems to come at the expense of the investigative plots.

Anita investigates the art collector and the cause of deaths that are being blamed on trolls, but she takes her time getting there, which is disappointing after the punch-in-the-face that was the opening chapter. The trolls and art collector are first mentioned on page 96, mentioned in passing on 231, and finally, the true investigation only begins on page 315. So what’s happening in the meantime? Quite a bit, actually.

The local master vampire views Anita’s arrival with some bodyguard vamps as an act of war, which Anita must deal with using her increasingly omnipotent necromancy powers. It seems lately that in every book, Anita discovers a new power only she has, or a power that nobody thought was truly possible. Richard has been auditioning female werewolves in the area to find a new lupa, a new partner, but no one quite compares to Anita, so a compromise needs to be struck.

A new and unwieldy power rears its head in this book. Raina, the sadistic girlfriend of the werewolf’s old leader, can act through Anita thanks to Anita’s
conncetion to both the pack and the dead. This power, which should be impossible (like many of Anita’s other powers), leads to some very…ahem….interesting scenes, given Raina’s sexual proclivities. A very important fact is revealed in the course of a conversation between Anita and Damien, a vampire. Jean-Claude doesn’t only gain power from blood, he can also gain power from lust, and from sex. Keep that in the back of your mind as you read on through the series. It becomes increasingly important.

The book is, like the others, perfectly paced and action-packed. It’s a good blend of sex, action, humour and outright gore. Good, but not quite perfect.
The investigative, detective plot is completely forgotten about in favour of some vampire and werewolf politics and magic, which suits some people down to the
ground, but which makes me feel Hamilton is still awkward writing sex scenes. What she lacks in prowess she more than makes up for in enthusiasm though. You don’t need to worry about her sex scenes every boring you.

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

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 the...more 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. (less)

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Nov 21, 2010 Mary Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 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 in...more

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Jan 05, 2010 James rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hardcore Anita Blake fans

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 pa...more 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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May 06, 2011 Nenia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-series-bk-8, x-1990s, urbane-fantasies, reviewed, holy-shit-a-vampire-get-in-the-car, putting-the-best-in-bestiality, braiiiinssss, pr0n, icky-sex-fantasies, i-burn-i-pine-i-perish, trashiest

I'm beginning to see what other reviewers meant when they said that the Vampire Hunter series began to fall apart. Don't get me wrong, this book was a fun read, but nowhere near as good as the prequels, so I can see why a fan might be disappointed...

Okay, so some of the things that really annoyed me:
1) all the sexy outfits and body enhancements. I felt like I was reading a horny thirteen-year-old's first attempt at smut. Everything was lace and leather, and the guys had "kinky" things like nippl...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Noodle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-reads, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

Well, these books just keep getting better and better, don't they? I guess if you've made it to this book, book 8 in the Anita Blake series, you're already addicted, and there isn't really much I can tell you. So, I'll keep it brief.

This one hits all the right buttons, but manages to throw in a couple of curve balls while doing it. As the title suggests, we're in werewolf territory and I have to say, not being a super werewolf fan usually, Hamilton has managed to get me on board with the wolves....more

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Jun 03, 2012 Juli rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-urban, author-hamilton-laurell-k, neck-romancing

I enjoyed it. But boy, there was so much going on it was hard to keep track of everything; to keep it all straight in my mind.

I know why people say the earlier books were best. And at times, I kind of agree. But then again, there are a lot reasons one could say it is even better now.

I will keep reading them, I think. Unless things suddenly take a really shocking turn in upcoming books, I don't think I will give the series away any time soon.

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Nov 09, 2011 zcb257 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-fav-s

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 rea...more 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.
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Jan 31, 2010 Bookworms rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is credited again very much, it is exciting and also the humor does not come too briefly. Laurell K. Hamillton remains loyal to her style of speech. The onliest thing what has surprised me a little in this book is the amount in sex. In the first books nothing was to be read by sexual processes generally, this had already changed dark glow in the book. But in this tape it seemed in such a way as if Laurell wanted to make up for everything what she had in the volumes before not enough. Th...more

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Apr 28, 2013 kat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampiri, avventura, anita_blake

Anita sta diventando sempre più sanguinaria. E mdc. Sì, certo, è per via del munin di Raina, certo. Sarà che Raina mi è sempre stata sulle palle, e sarà che non mi piace la tortura (meglio una scarica di pallettoni in testa, se non altro si fa presto e la vittima non soffre), ma questo libro non mi è piaciuto troppo. Sarà anche che ho sentito la mancanza di jc, che praticamente appare in due pagine due, e, considerato che io ho un debole per i vampiri di gran classe, preferisco lui ai mannari, c...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, ghosts, magic, vampires, werewolves

Another book in the Anita Blake series and, of course, another success! Dark, sensual and twisted too many times, this book is a great read. I have to admit that the eighth book in this series is nothing like the first. The sex and the blood is two of the most important things from now.

Anita isn’t the same woman anymore. Sure, she is badass and good at almost everything she does but now she is too many things that she can’t handle. She always says that she’s a prude but my personal opinion is t...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Nonky rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 11, 2011 Paris Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES and continues to thrive with over sixteen volumes to the series and an comic adaptation. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilt...more

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Books by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1)

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3)

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #2)

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4)

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #5)

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“Love sucks. Sometimes it feels good. Sometimes it's just another way to bleed.” — 1,079 people liked it

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Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #8)

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