Review by Vicky London
Warning, Mild Spoilers
The Plot:
The Harlequin is book number 15 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. Malcolm, leader of the vampire Church of Eternal Life comes to Anita for help. He has attracted the attention of creatures so feared that no vampire is willing to speak their name. This is the first warning of the Harlequin. The second warning is left as a gift for Anita; a white mask carefully wrapped and utterly plain. White is good news, white means they are only being watched. The growing power between Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard is attracting attention. Anita has the authority to pass judgement on vampires, the Harlequin have the authority to pass judgement on her. It is forbidden to speak of the Harlequin unless you’ve been contacted. And to be contacted is to be under sentence of death.
First, The Bad:
The sex is always to feed the ardeur and it just isn’t hot anymore. Anita’s love of pain is a big turn off for me, and a scene between Richard and Anita goes beyond more than I ever wanted to know about Richard. With Anita, sex is power and she has to have sex with two powerful shapeshifters to save the lives of the people she is responsible for. What is supposed to be an incredible metaphysical experience just becomes ho-hum and downright uncomfortable. Last, Anita keeps having the same conversations over and over again with Richard and Dolph. Can you say dysfunctional? Dump them already, enough emotional abuse.
Then, The Good:
Edward is back in a big way and brings more of his life into focus. The relationship with his girlfriend’s son is so very interesting and complex. Will Peter end up being an Edward Jr? The Harlequin plot is excellent, a very good story idea and totally scary. It’s pretty cool to know that there is a bogeyman of the undead. New, entertaining characters, are always fun as well. I actually smiled when the guy Anita calls “cookie monster” came back from Chicago. Bad boys are so hot. And Marmee Noir, is she totally evil or not? We will definitely be seeing more of the mother of all darkness who seems to be captivated by Anita.
The Bottom Line
I wanted to love this book so bad. I keep waiting and hoping for the old Anita to come back but it doesn’t look like she’s going to make a reappearance. The ardeur seems to be getting under control but isn’t fading. As a result, the prospect of more police cases in the future is pretty dim. Unless you’re a hard core fan, you probably won’t want to spend the $25.95 for the hardcover. My suggestion is to get it from the library or wait for the paperback version. The release date for The Harlequin is June 5, 2007. You can order this book by clicking on the Amazon.com link above.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Reader Ratings - Click On A Star to Rate This Book:
(62 votes, average: 1.81 out of 5)
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July 15th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
That’s really sad that Anita is taking so many hits. I started reading the AB series in 10th grade, to see the strong willed smart ass women we all loved to become more and more whorish is lose.
October 8th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
I got hooked on Anita because of Obsidian Butterfly. In that book, and the books before that, she was so level-headed and admirable. She had and understandable character. Now, all she seems to be about is her character as a succubus and her sexual activities. Did the author forget that she is a Necromancer first and foremost?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
i didnt like how she would spend like 20 pages on a scene that could have lasted 5.