So... this is probably the second or third time I've read Blue Moon, though I'm betting it's only the second. I only remembered bitty bits of this book: Jason and Anita getting the vampire-goo off Jason in the shower and Richard's mom's finger getting cut off. The rest was completely pushed out of my mind. Bound to happen with a series that's so long, has so many characters, has so much metaphysics, and so much personal drama to work through. I think much of those last two gets reiterated throughout the series, as there is a need to explain and re-explain just WTF is going on. So I remembered the details of what Anita discovers here, even if I didn't remember the original context.
Ho-boy, that context. I've been rereading these books rather piece-meal lately, so it's very easy to a) drop the book when I'm frustrated and b) make the story last longer. Definitely not the best when reading through frustrating bits, to be honest. And again, the fricking Richard drama frustrates me to no end. I was about halfway through this time and had decided I was going to DNF and just move on, mainly due to the Richard drama. I'm vaguely glad I didn't end up doing that, but it was a very close thing. I was incredibly displeased with Richard's whole stance about being in jail, given what he was in jail for... yes, you definitely need a lawyer if you're falsely accused of rape. Being innocent does not just automatically mean a lawyer is not necessary. Even in cases not involving rape. Get a damn lawyer and don't be an ass to them or the person who hired them for you. Then, of course, there's the continuing relationship drama... I don't think I've ever wanted to punch a character so much in my life. Every time Richard can get in any sort of dig, he goes for it. Like, sir, shut up.
The thing that really, really broke me, though, the thing that was the nail in the DNF coffin, was the pair of humans being able to mostly sneak up on Anita and Jason through a forest apparently teeming with lycanthropes. Nope. Just no. Those two would have been at the very least redirected elsewhere before they ever got close enough for Jason to smell them. Ugh. But I pushed on and was brought to the second piece of SOD madness: Christian Holy Relics BS. This was a piece of this plot I was ridiculously glad to have forgotten. It doesn't even feel like it should be a part of this universe. I get how it obviously is, with Christianity being a thing and all, but it just doesn't feel like it meshes with the rest of the Anita Blake mythos. I just about DNF'd again at the mere mention of it.
Now, there were parts of this book I liked. I like the world-building stuff. Gimmie the troll stuff all day. That was neat. I said the last time trolls were mentioned that I didn't think they really got mentioned again... I was wrong, but now I'm pretty sure in reiterating that statement. I also liked the Damian stuff. I obviously forgot that he goes through it here. Poor Damian. I did appreciate the lore-drop we got from him about Jean-Claude. Poor Nathaniel as well. Our sweet sexy cinnamon roll just cannot catch a break in this book. I also teared up at Jason and Anita's pact to save Richard's mom. Jason and Anita's friendship really blossoms here and that moment felt very earned.
But yeah... the rest of Blue Moon... just didn't like it. The police storyline was just largely annoying, especially given the backstory on that. The werewolf stuff... meh. The vampire stuff... I was annoyed that Colin had apparently forgotten then whole thing about not killing or harming Human Servants... which does come back to bite him in the butt... but yeah, ultimately just annoying.
I'm ultimately not sure if the decision to not DNF was worth it, even given my favorite moments happened after that initial decision... Blue Moon is ultimately forgettable. Yes, it establishes some shit, but... pretty much all of it is reiterated later in the series so if/when I do another Anita Blake reread, I'll probably skip Blue Moon.
Favorite Lines
"Compassion is not weakness," Richard said. "Only those without compassion think otherwise."
"Real wolves didn't do this shit. Only people could take a nice, sane animal and screw it up this badly." - Anita Blake
"I'll tell you the real horrible truth, Anita. No matter what you do or how bad you feel about it, life just goes on. Life doesn't give a fuck that you're sorry or upset or deranged or tormented. Life just goes on, and you gotta go on with it, or sit in the middle of the road and feel sorry for yourself. And I don't see you doing that." - Jason Schuyler
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