Category: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead Ever After, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 13 [and final] in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2013).

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The book begins with background on our villains—Copley Carmichael making a deal with a devil, asking for the cluviel dor (which of course is gone), and Steve Newlin/John Glassport posting bail for Arlene and convincing her to get in touch with Sookie.
Back in Bon Temps, Sam is dealing with his almost-permanent death by locking himself in his trailer for a few days, and Eric refuses to speak to Sookie. When Eric does, secretly during the night, he doesn’t say much, but leaves his other child to guard her. Yes, Eric apparently has another vampire child named Karin Slaughter.

Back at home, Sam is studiously avoiding her. But at least Mr. Cataliades arrives to help, along with Amelia, Bob, Diantha, and Barry Bellboy. When Sookie is out to dinner with all of them, in walks Quinn. He’s here to help Sookie, but after a short (and rather unhelpful) time in Bon Temps, Quinn is called away to plan Eric and Freyda’s wedding. Ouch. Sookie does receive some good news from Mr. Cataliades. Not only did Niall bless Sookie’s land so that it is ridiculously lush and fruitful, he also left her money. Mr. Cataliades sold Claudine’s house, and Claude’s Hooligans for her, and the proceeds have been put in an annuity. For the rest of her life, Sookie will receive a check every month for $3,000.

While Sookie is working at Merlotte’s, Carmichael’s bodyguard Tyrese attacks Amelia and Barry, shooting Bob. Thank goodness Mustapha had come to get Eric’s stuff from Sookie, and escorts her home from the bar. He’s able to save her, and his friend Warren shoots Tyrese, but Sookie is still shot in the shoulder. Both Eric and Sam visit her in the hospital, and even in her foggy state, Sookie can tell something is going on between the two of them. Bill finally intervenes and informs Sookie that Sam procured her bail money. Sam tried to obtain the money in a million different ways, but in the end had to call Eric. When Eric answered, Freyda was sitting next to him. She insisted on conditions to the loan: Sookie can never visit Oklahoma, and Eric can never be alone with her again. Eric agreed, but added another condition that Sam could never tell Sookie he asked Eric for the bail money, and he could never try to court her. To save Sookie from jail, Sam agreed. When Sookie thanks Sam, he finally says, “I don’t want you grateful. I want you mine. Eric was right about that.”

So finally the Sookie Stackhouse series has concluded, with Sookie and Sam hooking up pretty soon, with Bill and Eric going on about their own lives separatley. I hate to admit it, but I really had expected more. Perhaps the ending I was expecting just isn’t possible. I thought that this book would honestly go out with a bang. But instead Charlaine Harris has given us something of a “happily ever after” sequence. For the final instalment of the Sookie Stackhouse Series, Dead Ever After, I give the rating of  5/10. 

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Looking at the entire series, I think Charlaine Harris has done a fantastic job even if I believe there should have been something more to the ending! There is an ongoing plot that keeps the reader interested throughout and at times you find yourself rooting for the character. Overall, I rate the Sookie Stackhouse Series 6.5/10.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Deadlocked, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 12 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2012).

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Deadlocked, by Charlaine Harris begins with a young girl losing her life at a vampire party – and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn’t do it, the police don’t believe him, and even Sookie isn’t so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim’s blood minutes before she was killed.
But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early – just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistible, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out but it’s the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie’s heart’s desire. The only problem is, she still doesn’t know what – or who – her heart truly desires.

Deadlocked, the second to last book of this series is full of complications and has made life so difficult for Sookie that it is becoming almost ridiculous. However, Charlaine Harris has written in such a way that readers know there will be a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. Even if it isn’t what they hope or expect! I give Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris a rating of 7.5/10.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead Reckoning, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 11 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2011).

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The book Dead Reckoning, begins as Sookie is finally cleaning out the attic, like she’d planned to in the last book. And what does she find? Nothing yet, but she will. The real story begins as Sookie is working at Merlotte’s later that day. She happens to glance up, sees lights outside, and a figure moving fast towards them. She barely has time to yell “Down!” before a fiery bottle is thrown into the bar. Sookie’s apron is briefly on fire before Sam puts it out, and also her hair, as they all scramble to put out all the fires. Shortly after, Eric arrives—he could feel her panic. But he’s almost too angry that Sookie was in danger, and she knows there’s something else bothering him.

Sookie is blood-bonded and married to Eric but she shares her home with her fairy relatives – her cousin Claude and great uncle Dermot. Eric has a new boss, with whom he just can’t get along and Bill is seemingly happy holed up with Judith, an ex-lover and vampire of his bloodline who has been helping him heal from silver poisoning. However, it isn’t long before the delicate peace of Sookie life is shattered. First Merlotte’s is firebombed, then armed hoodlums hold-up the bar looking to kidnap her.
Eric is, as ever, over-protective of Sookie but even he seems distracted. He’s arguing with Pam and won’t tell Sookie what’s wrong. Sookie suspects it has something to do with Victor, Regent of Louisiana, and Eric’s new boss. It’s odd to think of vampires having such mundane problems as hating their boss but since most vampire problems tend to have violent and bloody endings it’s much more thrilling than your typical human workplace drama.

As usual Sookie Stackhouse manages to find herself in predicaments that are completley unexpected and Charlaine Harris has given readers another fabulous instalment to the series. Dead Reckoning, by Charlaine Harris has lived up to the series expectations, with mystery and drama and of course action written amongst the pages. My rating for Dead Reckoning is 8/10.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead in the Family, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 10 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2010).

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If you think your family relationships are complicated, think again! You haven’t seen anything like the ones in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric’s vampire sire, an ancient being, who arrives with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie’s tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbor (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton. In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favor, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favor for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War.

It’s almost just too much! How does one person continue to function normally when their world continues to be so dysfunctional?!?! Between Weres and Vampire’s Sookie is torn a thousand different directions and most of them lead her to a rock and hard place. Hopefully things will look up for her in the next installment. But for now I score Dead in the Family, by Charlaine Harris 8/10.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 9 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2009).

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In this the 9th addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris, it’s the turn of the weres and shifters to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course – her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she’s friend to the local Waere pack and Sam, her boss at Merlotte’s bar, is a shifter. At first the great Were revelation seems to go well – then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found outside Merlotte’s. Though Sookie never cared that much for the victim, no one deserves such a horrible death, so she agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer. But what Sookie doesn’t realize is that there is a far greater danger than this killer threatening Bon Temps: a race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves is preparing for war. And even with all this going on she manages to cling to something close to sanity! How is truly by the skin of her teeth! Again Charlaine Harris has blessed us with another fantastic addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series. I have to rate Dead and Gone,  7.5/10.
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Book Reviews

Book Review: From Dead to Worse, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 8 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2008).

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Events in From Dead To Worse follow on from shortly after where All Together Dead finished.  The upheavals of Hurricane Katrina and the bombing at the vampire summit are still fresh for Louisiana’s supernatural community.  Sookie has no idea of the tumultuous and painful times she has ahead of her as the local Weres go to war with each other.  The vampire war comes completely out of the blue too and since Sookie is the narrator of this story, readers don’t see the events coming any sooner than Sookie does.
Sookie finally comes face-to-face with the reason she has some fairy blood in her bloodline and this helps to clarify the presence and purpose of Claudine in her life, which has been something of a mystery for several books now.

Surprising, shocking, sad and funny by turns, From Dead To Worse piles on the romantic tension between Sookie and her would-be lovers at the same time as it effortlessly delivers exciting supernatural thrills and action.

I again enjoyed the 8th edition to the Sookie Stackhouse series. Charlaine Harris really has a gift for words and she has created a fantastic character and storyline that continues recapture the reader’s attention again and again. I have to give this novel a definite 8.5/10. Good luck Sookie! The future kind of looks to be full of adventures to come!

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Book Reviews

Book Review: All Dead Together, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 7 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2007).

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In the 7th book of the Sookie Stackhouse series, All Dead Together, authored by Charlaine Harris, Sookie finds herself beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings – but even she has her limits. She’d really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn – but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human ‘Geiger counter’ for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne’s power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she’s about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she’s hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day – and night – Sookie must decide which side she’ll stand with, and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.
This the 7th novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series, adds to the storyline and sheds some light on some unanswered questions, such as who the Queen of Louisianna is, and how powerful she is to Bill. Also we see what looks like some form of relationship between Eric and Sookie. Could it be that Eric truly does have feeling for Sookie other than just that of a sexual nature? The next installment should give us some idea. I rate Charlaine Harris’ novel, All Dead Together 7.5/10 stars. Suitable for anyone over 15 years of age.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 6 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2006).

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Sookie begins the sixth novel of the series with a boyfriend with a beating heart, no matter that it belongs to a were-tiger! Which is lucky for her that he is, even though he does struggle to protect her numerous times through this book. Sookie is attacked physically by a werewolf at the beginning of the book, and Bill attacks her emotionally by telling her the real reason for his courting her (persuaded by Eric), which of course crushes her heart into a million tiny pieces. But she doesn’t really have much time to contemplate this since she is required in New Orleans to deal with her dead cousin, Hadley’s estate.

Hadley had not only become a Vampire and made a life for herself before she had died the “true death”, she had also become the queen of Louisiana’s “companion” so to speak, which Sookie later finds she had actually cared quite deeply for her. She had owned her own apartment above the landlady who also happened to be a witch named Amelia, who assisted Sookie in finding out how Hadley had died (and the where abouts of a bracelet supposedly in Hadley’s possession), and why a newly made Vampire had attacked them once the stasis spell (cast by Amelia to ensure cleaning wasn’t necessary) had worn off. What’s even more strange is the new Vampire was actually a missing werewolf who worked with Quin.Luckily Sookie is able to untangle events to an extent, finding the bracelet for the Queen and discovering the identity of who had been sending the werewolf attackers. Debbie Pelt has one hell of a meddling family, however they still abide by traditional rules and the father is able to take control of Debbie’s determined younger sister. The book concludes with Sookie and her entourage returning to Bon Temp.
Amazingly Sookie is still going after everything that’s happened. She has had no time to process what’s really been going on around her with what Bill said to her in the hospital and the death of her cousin. Charlaine Harris has left us with a bit of a cliff hanger here. What will Sookie do? Will she ever speak to Bill again or if she does will be only as she stakes him? What will happen between her and Quin, considering they seem to make a pretty hot couple? And how long will Sookie’s new house guest be staying?
Charlaine Harris has written another great book with a lot of action packed adventure. Definitely Dead is a great book for anyone who like a supernatural and romantic genre. Looking forward to the next book. I have given Definitely Dead a rating of 7/10. Recommended for anyone 15 years or older.
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Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 5 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2005).

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Wow! Poor Sookie! She doesn’t seem to be able to catch a break! This book is that jammed pack full of action I’m surprised she has time to use the bathroom! The fifth book of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead as a Doornail, authored by Charlaine Harris, begins with Sookie concerned about her brother since it’s the first full moon since Jason had been bitten several times by a were-panther. Luckily for her Calvin Norris from Hotshot offered to take care of him whilst in his “state”, but unluckily for Calvin he is a victim of a shooting and only one of a number of shootings which have targeted shifters in the Louisiana area recently. Sam is even shot in the leg outside Merlotte’s and had to hire a new cook – Sweetie (since Lafayette died in book 4) and “borrows” a bartender, named “Charles Twining” from Eric Northman to work at Merlottles.
Meanwhile the leader of the werewolf pack in Sheverport, is hit by a car and Alcide goes to Sookie for help to achieve pack leader status for his father. Unfortunately Alcide is sneaky and manipulative in the ways he gets Sookie to help, and this causes friction between the two. Not to mention the anger and frustration they feel once the werewolves begin choosing their new leader. Sookie leaves Alcide angry and not wanting to see him again any time soon. Although she really wouldn’t mind running into the were-tiger Quin (the referee at the werewolf event), sometime in the near future!

She seems to have so much going on in her life that everything is spinning out of control at a rapid rate. Since the shooter assumes Sookie is as bad if not even worse than being an actual shifter, even she gets shot when going to the library! This is enough to send her into action to deal with the case,  with the help of Sam (her boss) and even Andy Bellefluer (a local police officer).

To top it all off, there has to be some kind of Vampire complication running through the book somewhere! It turns out Charles is not the gentleman Vampire she first believed. In fact he turns out to be an assassin, who was sent by Long Shadow’s “maker” (the Vampire who was staked because of what Sookie had read using her gift) to take revenge. Sookie is nearly strangled by Charles when the men in the bar intervene, and stake Charles in the back area of Merlotte’s, right before Pam and Eric arrive.

Sookie also enlists Eric’s help to save her friend Tara Thornton from a particularly nasty Vampire, who had been keeping her for his amusement, food and general satisfaction. Eric makes a deal with Sookie and he fixes the issue with Tara and she tells him about their life together while he was under the witches spell. She also tells him about how he had taken a bullet that was meant for her and she had shot Debbie Pelt in the head and then let him take her body somewhere and hide it.

With a doubt, Charlaine Harris has a grand ability to weave a story of fiction that keeps the reader unable to stop reading. I can’t believe the imagination and creativity one must have to deliver such incredible story lines. I am immensely enjoying this series so far. I give Dead as a Doornail a 8/10 rating.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: Dead to the World, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 4 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2004).

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In the previous novel authored by Charlaine Harris, Club Dead, we see Sookie attempt to sever ties with the two Vampires who impact on her life most, Bill and Eric. She even goes as far as to rescind their invitations into her house to make a statement of finality where the Vampires are concerned. In the fourth novel – Dead to the World, we find Sookie is attempting to piece together some kind of resemblance of a “normal” life. This seems to work alright until she is driving home from Merlotte’s after working the New Year’s Eve shift, only to discover a man running bare foot along the road and he has completely lost his memory.
After discovering that this late night runner is actually Eric Northman, she also learns that he has no memory of his current life! Following some phone calls and subsequent discussions with Pam, she realizes that there are in fact Witches working to extort money from him by taking over his power, and they are located nearby in Sheverpot. On top of all this, Sookie also finds out that her brother Jason is missing, and wastes time blaming the witches for that too.
Poor Sookie, she is stuck with a being of which she currently despises, and accidentally finds herself falling in love all over again. The change in Eric’s personality due to the recent memory loss captures Sookie’s romantic heart-strings, and they both give into the attraction which they have managed to deny, up until now. Meanwhile she turns to Alcide for help regarding her missing brother, and finds willing allies amongst more supernatural beings against the war with the Witches. dead to the world
Once Sookie realizes the Witches were not involved in her brothers disappearance, she looks toward the nearby town of “hotshot” and finds him in a predicament with his were-panther girlfriends intended. So much for normality of any kind! On the other hand Sookie can now say she has been schooled in werewolf and shape shifter life. At least to a point. The question is has she learnt anything from her adventures?
Charlaine Harris really turns up the heat in this novel, and lets the words sizzle off the page. The one on one time with Sookie and Eric are Hot! But did she really think that the “fairy tale” which they lived during the time which Eric had no memory of his former identity would exist once the spell was broken? And what about Bill? We all know he is less than impressed about the whole scenario.
I give this novel an 8.5/10 rating. Readers who like hot sizzling hot romance who enjoy – Dead to the world.

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