Having spent the last book almost exclusively on vampires, after the visit from the council, this book moves more to the lycanthrope side, which was nice. I enjoy the three main influences on Anita, her human life, the vampires, and the wereanimals; it's good to see the interplay between them. I'll bet the next book focuses on the human aspects more than either of the supernaturals.

I liked that this one left St. Louis, though honestly, I thought the reason Anita was drawn to Tennessee was a little bit lame. I mean, Richard's in trouble, she has to go help; I had no problem with that, especially since the reason Richard needs her help made perfect sense with his character -- the truth will set you free, yeah right; he already knew the cops were corrupt, the big dumb knight-in-shining-armor -- and I liked that the Master of the City told Anita no, and wouldn't back down from that, and tried to fight her off when she came and came pretty close to succeeding before she kicked his butt. I liked the vampire politics and such here; it seemed real, that Colin would be so afraid of people who managed to cow the Council, and who would, logically, be looking to expand into a territory they thought they could take over -- and why not his, since Richard has been spending so much time there getting in good with the local werewolves who resent Colin's control, anyway. I liked Richard's family, especially their relationship with their mother -- she was a great character -- and I liked the way Anita handled it all.

My problem was with the conservationist aspect. As much as I love nature and believe that it should be preserved and kept safe from human depredations, I am not willing to take up arms and fight people who are more careless and cold-hearted than necessarily evil, in my eyes. I mean, poachers are one thing, but the bad guys here were not after the trolls that Richard wanted to protect, and while I thought Niley should definitely be kept away from the land and richly deserved what he got in the end, I just don't agree with fighting quite that hard for it. So I thought Richard shouldn't have gone to the lengths he did, nor forced Anita and company to the lengths they had to go to, just to protect trolls from someone who, while evil, wasn't really a threat to them. Basically I thought Niley should have shown up as evil earlier than he did, because there wasn't enough motivation for everyone to stay in town and fight Colin until we discover who nasty Niley was -- and then, when we found out the truth about Niley's treasure hunt, it all got pointless again. So I didn't like that.

But thank God, Richard and Anita had sex. I prefer Jean-Claude as a character and as a boyfriend for Anita, because Richard is way too goddamned petty and arrogant, but I'm so very glad we got past that sexual tension crap. I know, I know, it won't ever go away, especially not since Richard insists on banging other women who then feel the need to come after Anita to fight her for Richard's love -- and if one more goddamned supercreature tells Anita she wouldn't be so tough without her guns, I'm gonna start screaming -- but at least Anita and Richard should be able to cool their ardor, I hope. Maybe they can move towards some kind of resolution now.

I hate the munin, which means it is a very good subplot because I'm supposed to hate them and what they do to Anita, and I liked all of the interplay with the lycanthropes, especially between Anita and the wereleopards. It made them more fully-fleshed characters, and I like that. I liked that Jason got to kick a little redneck butt, and I hope to see more of Shang-Da and Jamil; both strong characters, I think. An excellent book.

OMG!! I absolutely Love this book! Anita FINALLY makes love to richard.. and its so much more with him than it is with jean claude! The details in this book are amazing! I felt as if i were right there with anita.. or i was anita. I liked how she was possessed by raina and demanded richard to claim her once again as his mate.. and she had to ecscape all the other wolves so she wouldnt have been had (raped) by another. and in the end richard gets to her, and they do what ive been wanting them to do for a very long time! oh it was so awesome.. i re-read this book 5 times before i moved on to the next book!

Laurell K. Hamilton, Blue Moon (Jove, 1998)

I've been hearing about how the Anita Blake series is supposed to be falling off a cliff now for the last three books, and I have to say it hasn't happened yet, at least not as far as I'm concerned, and at least not in the way many have made it out. This one definitely does slip in two major ways, but not because of the major argument brought up by the critics. Guess I'll be waiting for that one in the next book.

The plot of this one starts off with Anita getting a late-night notice that Richard has gotten himself arrested in Tennessee-- for, of all things, attempted [censored for Amazon consumption]. As a few different characters say, "I'd believe murder before I'd believe [censored for Amazon consumption]." The local Master refuses Jean-Claude and his cohorts admittance to his territory, which Anita ignores, of course. As a result, the local Master, Colin, considers himself to be at war with Anita and company, and we get a look at a different set of werewolves than the ones we usually see. Which is probably the most interesting part of the novel; there's a lot of stuff with interesting sociological implications. It's like dumping a mound of topsoil onto already fertile ground to see if those tomatoes can get just a little bigger.

Unfortunately, the downsides are two. First, Anita herself, despite being the narrator of the novel, seems lost in the tide for most of it; events happen around her, and she doesn't seem to have much control over them, even when she's the center of the action. (Anita, and thus Hamilton, realizes this; she complains about it more than once.) The second complaint is far more severe, and I've heard it echoed a number of times in other criticisms; Anita, by the end of this book, is far, far removed from the sympathetic heroine with whom we all started the series. In fact, she's become downright unlikable. I hope this is a temporary aberration. I fear it might not be.

Still, as far as the writing, it's your typical Anita Blake novel, which means it's a good, solid quick read. So I'm still a fan, even if a number of others I know weren't by this point. *** ½

Blue Moon is my 5th anita blake novel. i think she is a unique and wonderful character...but. This book starts with anita in a sexual quandry over her vampire and werewolf lovers and somehow manages to work a story about rescueing Richard in there somewhere.
I guess i am wanting less time describing how some mans hair looks and what color it is and how his silk pants hug his manhood and more time spent on the actual story. i love laurel hamilton and her writing and her characters . It seems to me that too much time is spent on the sex and sexual stuff than on what anita is up to.
I would like maybe 300 pages of story and 100 pages of description of wolfen emotions and satin shirts.

It seems repetitous on the story also. seems anita gathers a group of vamps and werepersons and has trouble relating to them, runs into bad guys, fights, then a big shoot out scene. sure it is different people but still same story line.

laurel hamilton sure does not need me to tell her how to write but she creates such unique and real characters that i would like more about what they do rather than feel.
I will continue to read anita stories but i have the feeling she is headed for disaster and maybe the best thing would be to "kill every one" and start over with just anita.

I'm sad because this series was great in its first two books. Now the series is nothing better than badly written porn. The characters are uninteresting. Those that are featured are either one-dimentional or completely unappealing. The reason for the decline is the fact that the author apparently projects too much of her personal life onto Anita Blake, thus the dropping of Jean Claude for Richard after the author's divorce.

If you're into rotting-vampires raping shapeshifters, this book is for you. And you should be locked up.

This series has devolved into a pornographic soap opera. 1 star.

Well I still like the story and the plotlines. The scenes are well written, full of passion and yeah a lot of imagination. The ennemies are also very thourough and well presented but...

Well the characters are starting to bore me... Anita is becoming this Alucard from the anime series hELLSING. (for those who don't know, he's invincible AT ALL TIMES)

She's losing her persona. She just always seems to be stronger than the enemy...I know she should evolve but she does it too fast and too good.

She has this honnesty streak which I like, this sense of morality which is twisted but it's just well she's becoming unnaturally strong and a bit predictable...(maybe more than a bit) Well i still have a few more to go before making this my final conclusion.


Last but not least there is the overwhelming sex... the moralizing and then the sex again... she seems to grow in force but to schrink in persona

PS the bad guys are also the kind of black and white bad guy... no in between.

And her french is poorly researched and not good. bonheur means happiness and is not the same as good luck which is Bonne chance en français. Et je peux vous dire qu'il y a plein d'erreurs comme ça et ça m'énerve

Well I still like the story and the plotlines. The scenes are well written, full of passion and yeah a lot of imagination. The ennemies are also very thourough and well presented but...

Well the characters are starting to bore me... Anita is becoming this Alucard from the anime series hELLSING. (for those who don't know, he's invincible AT ALL TIMES)

She's losing her persona. She just always seems to be stronger than the enemy...I know she should evolve but she does it too fast and too good.

She has this honnesty streak which I like, this sense of morality which is twisted but it's just well she's becoming unnaturally strong and a bit predictable...(maybe more than a bit) Well i still have a few more to go before making this my final conclusion.


Last but not least there is the overwhelming sex... the moralizing and then the sex again... she seems to grow in force but to schrink in persona

PS the bad guys are also the kind of black and white bad guy... no in between

Well I still like the story and the plotlines. The scenes are well written, full of passion and yeah a lot of imagination. The ennemies are also very thourough and well presented but...

Well the characters are starting to bore me... Anita is becoming this Alucard from the anime series hELLSING. (for those who don't know, he's invincible AT ALL TIMES)

She's losing her persona. She just always seems to be stronger than the enemy...I know she should evolve but she does it too fast and too good.

She has this honnesty streak which I like, this sense of morality which is twisted but it's just well she's becoming unnaturally strong and a bit predictable...(maybe more than a bit) Well i still have a few more to go before making this my final conclusion.


Last but not least there is the overwhelming sex... the moralizing and then the sex again... she seems to grow in force but to schrink in persona

PS the bad guys are also the kind of black and white bad guy... no in between.

And her french is poorly researched and not good. bonheur means happiness and is not the same as good luck which is Bonne chance en français. Et je peux vous dire qu'il y a plein d'erreurs comme ça et ça m'énerve

Having read most of Ms. Hamilton's books, and finding them light and entertaining, Blue Moon surprized the heck out of me. It really delivered in the romance/erotica arena as well as delivering some pretty deep spiritual insights. I found myself intrigued not only with the story (which I couldn't put down - even reading at stop signs and red lights) (I know - shame on me) but with the authoress herself. Insightful and downright lascivious!

This is the eighth book in the "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series. From the start, this has not been a "G" rated series; the first book might be considered "R" for violence, "PG13" for sexual content. The violence never wavers, but the sexual content has been getting gradually more graphic as the series progresses. In this book, the progression stops being gradual.

Many people consider this deeply disappointing and a serious complaint against this book and the subsequent books in the series; starting with this book, the sexual content is no longer "PG13" tending toward "R"; if it isn't past "R" and into the "X" realm, it's certainly tending that way. If you don't want something with sufficiently explicit sex scenes to be at the very least soft-core pornography, this is probably not the book for you. On the other hand, if you can accept the heavy-duty sex as part and parcel of where the series, and the character-development therein, is heading (a major subplot throughout the series has been Anita's gradually being forced by circumstances beyond her control to sacrifice more and more of the things that she thought were her defining morality, and to accept that what defines her morality is in fact somewhat more subjective than she would at first have liked to think) you will probably find this book interesting. And if, like me, you actually enjoy a few well-written graphic sex scenes, you will probably love it.

Three stars is average. Not a killing review, but I don't think it's great like some of the earlier books in the series are. The repetition of certain themes becomes oppressively heavy handed, and Hamilton abuses the image of "gobs of something darker than blood dripping down" various body parts. The clothing descriptions are a little much, particularly Anita's because she generally tends to wear the same thing. Nikes. Jeans. solid colored tank tops. Her guns, with detailed holster descriptions. Her knives. Also, why do all the men have such long hair? Isn't there anyone with short hair?

I like the darker turn Anita is taking. I like Richard more than I like Jean Claude, so the interactions between the two of them were fun. But the series is degrading, I fear, and it's all this sex that's doing it. I don't think I'm a prude, but every other paragraph had unnecessary sexual connotations. It was hot when Anita and Richard finally got it on. The sex becomes a drag when it doesn't serve the plot.

I'm going to keep going with the series, but I think I will always long for the first five books.

Anita discovers it is tricky to have all those supernatural powers and supernatural leadership responsibilities. So much so, she has to get lessons from others, and help from a witch to deal with some of it before she is overwhelmed.

Throw in werewolf shagging and her having to deal with the jealousy of the situation with Richard, who reckons if she can do whoever, so can he. He, of course, has some hot wolf girls after him, considering he is the boss.

I was terribly disappointed with this book.
Introduction of all type of vague monster lore that culminates to nothing.
Plot development is weak.
Constant sexual inuendo that serves no purpose.
So much sexual reference it totally distracts from any plot development.
Painful to read.

Ah for those innocent days when this series still had potential and we didn't know what was coming next. Back when Blue Moon was released things still looked good, we had the possibilities of a true Triumvirate of Power being formed to look forward to, we saw Richard stand up to Anita and set terms for their relationship, well before his unexpected and poorly written meltdown in later books. The book still had a plot and a purpose back then.

What a shame it wouldn't last.

Blue Moon is the last book in what was the original series. Though many fans will tell you the next book Obsidian Butterfly is still good, Blue Moon is the last book when all the real characters where on the page together, even if only in spirit. It was the last book that had any real emotion to it, any real zip. It was the last book before Hamilton began retroactively changing her series into something unrecognizable. Blue Moon is the last book that suggests there is a positive future ahead for Anita, Richard and Jean Claude. Blue Moon is the last book most people should ever read in this series.

Blue Moon takes Anita out of town, out of her element. Richard has been arrested for rape, and Anita in usual fashion doesn't believe he can get himself out of trouble and so against Jean Claude's wishes rushes off to save him. Corrupt cops, a demon summoning wizard, a rival Master vampire, a ghost from the past and werewolf pack politics drives the last real Anita Blake Vampire Hunter story, and once upon a time it was good. There's plot, purpose, action, character development, sex that was still fresh and new, and even a Richard who can stand up to Anita without coming across as a jerk.

But the writing is as they say on the wall; looking back many of the flaws that would so cripple the last books Hamilton has released are there in larval form, just waiting to chew their way maggot like through the writing. Dropped plot threads, shifting details, grammatical weaknesses, and an over abundance of re-used lines fill the book, but at least the editor at the time could catch basic spelling mistakes unlike now.

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 great deal. It seems a little overboard but the storyline is still great for the series.

This book, "Blue Moon" is a great asset to this series. It's got a great story to it and kept me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, until the end. I agree with the other reviewer who said it was a little "darker", however, I thought this just added to the drama. I can't wait to read more in this series!! Also recommended, "Dead Sexy, vampire erotica" in addition to this one. However, don't miss this one--it's totally worth it.

Just when she thought that things couldn't get any more complicated, Anita receives a call from Richard's brother telling her that her ex-fiancé is in jail for allegedly raping a woman. To make matters worse, it is only a few days from full moon and if Richard's real identity is revealed, all hope of ever getting him out of prison will be lost. And so with vampires and lycanthropes in tow, Anita heads to Tennessee to rescue the werewolf king. However, things take a turn for the worse when the local Master of the City accuses them of trying to dethrone him. To add to the problem, Anita is feeling the burden of her ever-growing powers and the responsibility of being werewolf Lupa and were-leopard Nimir-Ra.

As part of the powerful triumvirate, Anita is finding out more and more each day that her power comes at a heavy price. Everyone wants a piece of her; her newly-adopted wereleopards are becoming more dependent on her, the werewolves want her to act like a real lupa, but the scariest of all is the vengeful spirit that is intent on possessing her--that of Raina's. Having discovered her power to control the call of the munin, it appears that Anita has one more lesson to learn, that of controlling the munin that calls to her from beyond. She either rides it or let it ride her, in which case she could very well lose her sanity. As if worrying about her love life isn't enough to lose her sanity over...

When Hamilton took a different spin by forming the triumvirate between Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard, it was also the start of Anita's invincibility. It was pretty much like we knew that she could handle everything that came her way. So how do you make her more human like she was at the start of the series? Make her vulnerable. And that's what the author does in BLUE MOON. In this book, we see Anita's struggle to accept her powers and deal with her fears that she is becoming the very thing that she used to annihilate without a second thought--a monster.

But moral dilemma aside, BLUE MOON keeps the horror going and also takes on a kinky aspect (as what happens at the lupanar). We knew that sexually things would eventually progress between Anita and Richard; it was simply a question of when. Beware: this isn't a stand-alone book, don't start with this one if you haven't read any of the earlier books.

I must say that this series continues to get better, and better. "Blue Moon" continues the Anita Blake series, and as the series progresses the storyline definitely gets darker and racier. The storyline (at on a basic level) is still supernatural adventure / pulp noir, but as the novels continue they get more intensely dark. Personally, I love the series, and the darker the better. Along with "The Killing Dance," and "Burnt Offerings," this book is (in my opinion) five star quality. If you have read the first seven books don't stop; by all means continue on here.

I must say that this series continues to get better, and better. "Blue Moon" continues the Anita Blake series, and as the series progresses the storyline definitely gets darker and racier. The storyline (at on a basic level) is still supernatural adventure / pulp noir, but as the novels continue they get more intensely dark. Personally, I love the series, and the darker the better. Along with "The Killing Dance," and "Burnt Offerings," this book is (in my opinion) five star quality. If you have read the first seven books don't stop; by all means continue on here.

This is a book in the Anita Blake series, much like book 2 the Laughing Corpse, which is a little darker than the rest. Anita rushes of to Tennessee to rescue Richard, her werewolf king and former love, from jail on rape charges. She runs into some crooked cops who plan on beating the crap out of her. She starts chanelling the munin, memories of the werewolf packs dead, and - if you don't want the two main surprises of the book ruined STOP READING - she cheats on Jean-Claude, her master vampire lover, by having sex with Richard. She also is forced to battle a demon who has been used to murder area residents in an attempt to steel the land from a band of kind hearted trolls.

All in all, this book is slightly darker and has more sexual undertone to it. But it's still an excellant story and one that is vital to understanding ongoing events in this series.

Give the rest of the series a try:
Guilty Pleasures
The Laughing Corpse
The Circus of the Damned
Lunatic Cafe
Bloody Bones
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cravings Anthology
Cerulean Sins
Bite anthology
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre

I do not have a clue what readers see in this book. I read the reviews and gave it a fair chance. Actually, several chances. I couldn't bring myself to finish the book. I didn't want to waste more of my time. It might be I am new to the werewolf/vampire reads. I do plan on reading about them more, just not from this author. Also.....this book is full of misspelled words. You'd think with spell-check and all, they would've been caught. Not so. Laurell should talk to PenguinPutnam/Jove about that.

I do not have a clue what readers see in this book. I read the reviews and gave it a fair chance. Actually, several chances. I couldn't bring myself to finish the book. I didn't want to waste more of my time. It might be I am new to the werewolf/vampire reads. I do plan on reading about them more, just not from this author. Also.....this book is full of misspelled words. You'd think with spell-check and all, they would've been caught. Not so. Laurell should talk to PenguinPutnam/Jove about that.

It was too soon after reading book #7 for me to start another Anita Blake novel. Usually I read a second one right away and regret it. This time I waited longer, but apparently not long enough. She repeats too many of her phrases and uses the exact same wording in her explanations and bits of storyline so I find I need at least a six month gap between reading them.

Also, this book was too repetitive in other ways. It was like everything that happened happened three times. There were three plot arches, in order. Anita asked what being a "top" was three times. She had a scene coming to terms with the leopards being touchy-feely three times. Etc, etc, etc. It was annoying. Ms. Hamilton could have edited a bit and made things more compact. If everything happened twice it would have been less annoying. Does she get paid per word?

I jumped into the Anita Blake stories midstream - with this book. I disagree with another reviewer - I don't think the sex distracts at all. Its part of the story line, but only put in where appropriate. Thats not what the book is about. Its about Anita saving Richard, and discovering her growing powers etc. Laurel Hamilton has a fantastic writing style. Quite refreshing. I started with Blue Moon, and am reading Obsidian Butterfly. Another good book - but to me Blue Moon is better.

I would defin. recommend her books and this on in particular.

I still enjoy the "Anita Blake" series; however, this book marks the beginning of the series' descent from really good thrillers to an overdose of sexual episodes starring Anita and most of the "monsters" she deals with. I liked it better when Anita was more sexually circumspect.

I just finished this book in the series which i only started reading about five months ago. And i've already started on the next one. I buy two or three at a time so that i won't run out of Anita Blake. That is the advantage of getting started late in a series. I think this one is the one i've liked best so far. And its the first one about which i have written a review. Anita is tough, smart, and stubborn to a fault. The book manages to be both funny and violent and sexy all at the same time. Although i must say that a lot of reviews written give the impression that the Anita Blake series is erotic and full of blatant sexuality, but it isn't. In eight books so far, we have only gotten two sex scenes which involve Anita and a couple of other scenes which involved lesser charachters. If you added up all the sex scenes in all eight books so far, there aren't more than four, possibly five. They are all written in very good taste, or in other words, they are tame by comparison. When i first started reading this series i was expecting almost a version of Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty trilogy set in a vampire and werewolf infested modern day St. Louis. But it is not at all erotic. It is not at all what so many reviews seem to make it out to be. Do not read this series if you are expecting a little bit of story and action wrapped up in an essentially erotic/romantic package. Do read this series if you love witty dialogue, strong women, fast paced action, great mystery, unique fantasy lore, and staying up way past your bedtime because you can't bear to put the book down.

This book is great in the ever expanding Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. The action rarely wavers in its attempt to usurp your mind, body, spirit into the realm of the undead and the forever dying. What a great read.

This series only gets better because you have an ongoing, chronological saga with sizzle and all the complexities that visit each of us in relationship plus the completely over the top world of necromancy, werewolves, werecats, vampires, witches, magic and ongoing life and death struggles. Anita has been torn between her two loves. Jean Claude, Master Vampire finally won out when Anita was unable to accept the beast in Richard's werewolf. He has been devastated and petulant and the three of them are tied together whether they wish it or not. Now Richard is in trouble for rape. He says he's innocent, and Anita leaves Jean Claude in St. Louis and goes to the boonies to help a man she never quit loving. I was surprised and uncomfortable. I thought she'd made her choice! But by the end of the book, I really was with her in the pit of confusion and very pleased at the depth of choices and the unlayering of this very quirky, but dangerous heroine. If you've never read the series, start with the first book. Outstanding series.

This book is the best one yet. The plot twists, the non-stop action, the character development, and the self-effacing humor are priceless. Don't believe those who say to stop reading a few volumes back. These books just keep getting better and better.

Is she a monster? Or is she a lover? A nurturing friend or a psychopathic killer? Humanity's savior or the dark hand of death? Who knows? This book doesn't answer the questions, it just finds more interesting ways to ask them.

Didn't you ever wonder about the great and powerful sorcerers in literature, how they got that way? Think about Gandalf, for example, or Merlin. What were they like when they were 25 years old? How did they discover their powers? How did they choose their path?

In a thousand years, maybe Anita will be like Gandalf. Inscrutable, confident, and infinitely wise. And somehow above the humanity she is fated to protect. But that's not what she is now. Now she is wonderfully human, and her humanity spills out all around her as her power takes shape and intensifies. Which makes her story a lot more interesting than anything we will ever know about Gandalf.

The best part about this book is Anita's interaction with her entourage. Frankly, her chosen lovers are a bit off-putting. Jean-Claude is creepy and manipulative. Richard is dense and self-doubting. But fortunately, we don't have to deal with them all that much. They're around, of course, but they are not the most interesting part of the story. It's the others, Anita's minions, that are taking center stage. And they are wonderful. I want to get to know them better. I want to cuddle with Nathanial. I want to hand a towel to Asher, and kiss away his boo-boos. I want to share secrets with Damian. I want to take a shower with Jason. I want to kiss Vern on the neck, and feel the power surge as Jean-Claude wakes up and approves.

Is it slutty? No, it's sexually-charged good fun. Sexual tension as a source of power is a perfectly believable theme. It's been a driving force in human history since the Trojan war. Now we have a hero who exudes it, a vampire who taps into it, and a werewolf who kindly provides an outlet.

This whole series has been brilliantly crafted. Since it wasn't very sexy in the beginning, it is no wonder some people find the sexuality of the later books to be shocking. But I find them to be utterly delicious. Get over your adolescent hangups, suspend your disbelief, read the series in proper order, and enjoy!

Now, i know what all you dedicated AB fans who've only read up to book 7 are thinking;
"HOW DARE SHE GIVE IT 2 STARS! SHE DOESNT KNOW WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT! ITS THE BEST SERIES IN THE WORLD!"
I know your thinking that because i was thinking the EXACT same thing...BEFORE i read the book.

Now, im a dedicated AB fan. I love the characters- especially Jeane-Claude (*Melts*)- and i love Anita's kick ass style! I love the genre, the plots, the pace, the history! I LOVE IT ALL! (Bar Richard-i rather hate him!).

But this book was a DISGRACE! An insult to a so far brilliant series! While i (literally) couldn't put down the other books and read them over night, this book took me over 2 weeks to finish because i just couldnt stand what was happening!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KICK ASS VAMPIRE HUNTER?!!!!

Now granted there were some interesting bits, learning about pack history and such...but the bits about the MUNIN! I almost cried! It was so...so...WRONG! It didn't work you know?
AND POOR JEANE-CLAUDE!I also didn't really like how it was set away from St Louis...it didn't do anything for me. All the other books are much better.

I DID, however, like the ending...it was my favourite bit with the demon and all. I was like, FINALLY! Theres the Anita we all know and love!

If youve been reading the series, fine, read Blue Moon to (I'm reading them all).
The end is good and you get some good history. But frankly, i found this book boring and a waste of time. My friend (an avid AB fan) didn't even finish the book.
Read it but be prepared for dissapointment. I'm sorry, but it's true.

I can only ask one thing, What in the Heck have you done?? I second the review given by Karen M. Magallon.

I have a friend who told me about these books , so I bought the first three in the series. I was so amazed by Hamilton's ideas, writing, and characters, that I bought every other book in this series from Amazon. I am now up to "Blue Moon" and I am sorry I ever started buying up all her titles. She was an ingenious writer with a premise that was amazing. I am hoping that this is truly a fictional character and NOT Hamilton's alter ego. I am sooo sick of the same phrases written over and over, her once prudish virginal character, is now nothing but a tramp. She is more a MONSTER than and of the so called Monsters she talks about. This idea she has that the heroine is "Oh so petite" (Yawn), yet can ALWAYS beat Monsters and people who are so much stronger than her is nauseating. There is no plot to any of her books anymore. Just her constant preening and talking about her lovers, sex, her rightiousness about her Religion, Physical looks, clothes she wears, Yada Yada Yada. I am disgusted I wasted good money I could have spent on a James Patterson Book. By the way , Laurell, what is this facination with men with hair down to their KNEES? If I saw a man with "cornflower blue eyes" and hair down to his KNEES ...I would want to call Barnum and Bailey so they could employ another FREAK for their side shows. Go back to "Guilty Pleasures" and reread how you could write then, now you make me want to return what I bought and blow my horn about what a hack writer you have become. I guess you have "taken the money and ran" and now you need not bother in writing a truly good book. Whomever proof reads for you should be fired. There are typos and spelling mistakes that are unheard of. I am a VERY unhappy reader of the "Anita Blake BS Series".

Hamilton's novels are so much fun. If the reader can say nothing else about the novel, they can say they were taken on one wild ride that was wholly enjoyable. I adore getting lost in the world that Hamilton has created. I also like how strong of a character Anita is. Too often, women are presented as weak and Anita is anything but weak. "Blue Moon" is a tremendous novel and I urge all fans of vampire fiction to read this series!

Finally Anita and Richard get down and dirty!! I just love the ups and downs of their relationship. In blue moon, there is a lot of jealousy and mutual sexual tension. I love the fact that Anita feels torn between Jean Claude and Richard, it gives a little spice to the novels.

Anita Blake, Executioner, necromancer, lover and human servant to Jean-Claude - the charismatic Master Vampire of St. Louis, lupa of the Thronnus Roke Clan lukoi, and Nimir-ra of a pard of leopard lycanthropes, is changing...more so all the time. When Laurell Hamilton introduced her to us in "Guilty Pleasures," Book One of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, she was a 24 year-old, smart, attractive, feisty, super-independent dynamo, who raised the dead for a living. She was almost a normal 21st century career girl. Of course she staked rogue vampires as a sideline, but we all have our quirks. Anita's preternatural powers have been steadily increasing, and in "Blue Moon," book eight in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, the lines are really beginning to blur between her humanity and the supernatural. Always an uncompromising and tough lady, she has developed a hardness, a detachment, that frightens even herself.

Anita, Richard Zeeman, (an alpha werewolf and her old boyfriend), and Jean-Claude, (her present lover), had formed a Triumvirate of power - Master Vampire, Ulfric and necromancer. In other words, when the three connect, they exude tremendous force and are able to do much more magic than any one or two can do alone. The three are still bound to each other, even though Richard is furious with Anita for dumping him. She had to choose between "a flesh eater and a bloodsucker." Do you see a pattern here?

Late one evening Anita receives a phone call from Richard's brother. Zeeman had been spending the summer in Meyerton, Tennessee, studying the Lesser Smokey Mountain Trolls which live in the area, and fulfilling the requirements for his Masters degree. He has been arrested for the rape of a local women, and is obviously innocent of the charge. Richard is squeaky clean, the ultimate Boy Scout, and very gentle, especially for a lycanthrope. To make the situation worse, a full moon will occur in five days. As luck would have it, this month, August, is a blue moon month - that means two full moons in 31 days - a phenomenon which arises every 3-4 years. And we all know what happens to werewolves during a full moon, don't we? Richard has not "come out of the closet," so to speak, to his parents, his employers, or to many other humans. Basically, he needs to get out of jail pronto. Anita flies down to Meyerton to give him a hand and get him a good attorney. At Jean-Claude's insistence she is accompanied by an entourage of body guards. Colin, the master of the local vampires does not want Anita and cohorts on his turf - for any reason and has made some serious threats. So, vampires Asher and Damian, and lycanthropes Jason, Zane, Cherry, and Nathaniel are there to keep her safe - although, as always, Anita turns out to be the one who does the most protecting. Werewolves Jamil and Shang-Da are around for Richard, to assist him and to join in the Blue Moon celebrations with Verne, the local Ulfric and his pack..

Freeing Richard proves easier than tangling with Colin and crew, plus the corrupt local police, and an assortment of other heinous monsters - there's pure evil on the loose in these hills!! There are some interesting twists in character development in "Blue Moon." Anita is more vulnerable here than previously. She has to confront her mixed feelings for both Richard and Jean-Claude, come to terms with Raina's munin - the vengeful spirit who possesses her from time-to-time, make a decision about her reluctant status as leoparde-lionee of the Saint Louis wereleopards, and face her own ignorance in terms of the power she possesses. Anita fears that she is rapidly becoming as much a monster as those she hunts...and loves. Hamilton succeeds beautifully in developing this vulnerable side of Anita, without sacrificing the plot. However, at this point in the series a change was needed. There had to be more to Anita than one tough cookie who goes up against the monsters and wins, repeatedly. This is one of Laurell Hamilton's best novels - tightly plotted, well structured, including wonderful dark humor, acerbic wit, and plenty of thrills and chills.

Just a word about the sexual content in "Blue Moon." I do not find it any more excessive or graphic than what one reads in most popular fiction - bestseller lists included - nor what is shown on afternoon TV. It would not be realistic to write about a healthy, single woman of 24 and exclude sex. Anyway, I loved this book and certainly recommend it!
Jana

This book--with the others in the series--are okay. Editors say that the author is "erotic" in these novels are wrong. There are a few spots in the last few books that are "sexual in content", but they are very rare. For a vampire series they are okay. If you want REAL erotic with vampire DO NOT READ this series. You will be greatly disappointed.

I enjoyed this book, don't get me wrong; but what I didn't like was that much of it seemed forced. Strange for a book don't you think? I mean what is a book, but the author's words, and yet many of the scenes still seemed forced. In the first six or so entries of the book, much was made of Anita's self-imposed chastity, and here she is almost doing peep-shows! I understand wanting to add the element of erotic undertones, hey, I am all for it...but at the same time shouldn't you have your lead character be a little more true to form? I mean after all you did write her that way.

That is my one big complaint with this book. I enjoyed Anita getting away from her usual setting, and I also enjoyed learning more about her were-leopard pack and seeing them in action. I especially enjoyed the characters of Jason and Jamil.

There was a lot to digest in this book, but it flowed together rather nicely, I just wish LKH would spend more time on the story and less time setting up the 'love scenes.' Some drag on for ten or more pages, and in the end it basically just amounts to kissing a groping, keep them short and sweet and give us more story!!!

Perhaps I should clarify my opinion so that is well-defined. Let me say that it is not this book in particular that I am disappointed in; it's more the trend the books are following.

I really enjoyed the first few Anita Blake novels, but the more recent ones have started spiraling in a downward direction. My disappointment centers around Anita.

At the end of every novel, Anita grows more and more powerful (a pattern several others reviewers have noticed as well). Eventually, she will be so powerful that nobody will be able to compete with her. As a woman, it is refreshing to see an independent and strong female lead, but the stories are bordering on being ridiculous (and that's a serious comment for a fantasy series).

As a result of this shift, Jean Claude and even Richard are being emasculated, and one has to wonder why either one of them care about her, which leads me to my next point.

At the beginning of the series, Anita was wholesome (at times even in a irritating way), and the novels are degenerating into soft core pornography. From other reviews, I have gathered that this trend persists in the next novels. I think that Hamilton is trying to introduce too much of the Merry Gentry series into the Anita Blake novels. For those of you who have read the Merry Gentry series, you know that they are mostly just one sex scene tied sloppily to the next anticlimatically.

I think a distinction needs to be made between Anita enjoying good sex occasionally and Anita becoming too promiscous. I originally started reading the series for the story, but the story seems to be taking a back seat to the sex scenes. Hopefully, Hamilton will return to the older style of the novels, and leave the sex to Merry Gentry.