The Lunatic Cafe

 

Level: Explicit Lite

Genre: Urban Fantasy > Vampire

Obtained: Purchased at Borders

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover:

I have to say that I like this cover. I wouldn't say that it's a favourite of mine, but it's fairly pleasing to the eye. Honestly, I think the main thing that throws me off is the colour choice. Red seems to be very hit or miss, and this shade seems closer to the miss. However, I still think it shows the feeling of the series quite well: a mixture of sensuality and horror. The wolf and moon is a nice touch as well; there's no mistaking that this is going to be a book about werewolves. Granted, I feel they could do a better job on the blending or just use the wolf. The way they have it makes it look a bit amateurish. 

About the Book:

In this book, someone comes to Anita to help find a missing person -- a missing lycanthrope to be precise, which is why the client isn't going to the police. Later on, Anita finds out that this isn't the only lycanthrope to have gone missing recently. Because of this, the local wereanimals are also keen on having Anita search for their missing brethren and that is causing Anita to learn more about the lycanthropic culture, which Anita ends up learning that it is both dangerous and bloody.

Rating: 8/10

I'll admit that I found more flaws in The Lunatic Cafe than the previous Anita Blake books. However, they have pretty much all have been forgotten as well. Of course, these now mostly forgotten flaws can still pull a reader out of the story when reading. Because of this, I kept debating whether to settle on an eight or a nine. Still, even with the teetering rating, I would say that The Lunatic Cafe is worth a read. First off, it's nice to get to see more of the lycanthropes in the Anita Blake universe. Before you ask, I like seeing my werewolves monstrous -- and Laurell K. Hamilton delivers. Are they the most terrifying werebeastie out there? No. Not even close. Yet Hamilton still manages to show us a savage side to these creatures while also having many try to maintain their humanity.

Well, what about the plot? It's no Agatha Christie mystery, but it's not as bad as Guilty Pleasures where Anita only figured it out after the bad guy told her. In The Lunatic Cafe, we get more of a mix. Anita does figure out some things on her own so

Okay, I may be a little harsh. Although Anita helps the police with preternatural type of information, she is not a dectective so it makes sense that she is going to miss a few things. Still it can be quite annoying when the protaginist is simply told the evil plan.

So The Lunatic Cafe may not have the strongest plot, but it still contains several interesting characters, a highly entertaining world to play in, and a narrator with a good amount of sarcasm that is bound to make many readers smile. Of course, if you didn't like the earlier Anita Blake books, skip this one. If you enjoyed them, keep on reading! It may not be written gold, but it has me returning to it time and time again.

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