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

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 separately. 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 installment of the Sookie Stackhouse Series, Dead Ever After, I give the rating of  5/10.

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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.

Book Review: Living Dead in Dallas, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 2 in the Sookie Stackhouse series 2002).

The first book Dead Until Dark, ended with Sookie surviving a series of murders in her home town Bon Temp, which were committed by Arelene’s (co-worker at Merlotte’s and friend) on again off again boyfriend Rene. She is battered and bruised but alive. She also finds out that her should have been savior, boyfriend Vampire Bill Compton had gone to a regional political meeting to campaigned for a higher position to rival that of Eric Northman, the “Sherrif of Area 5″. Eric, along with Pam are from neighboring Shreveport and Eric is seen by Sookie as his “Boss”.

This book, Living Dead in Dallas, authored by Charlaine Harris, begins with Sookie bruised, but back at work, and trying to get on with her stranger than average life. However this “normalcy” doesn’t extend far into the first chapter! The cook at Merlotte’s Lafayette, is found dead in Andy Belefluer’s car, and goes from bad to worse when Bill is summoned by Eric to assist Vampires in Dallas find a missing nest brother. Sookie did make a promise to use her gift to help her new-found “friends” freely (a vital mistake in the last novel) and is now at liberty to follow through. However, this pays a toll on the Sookie and Bill love affair, as things turn sour and Sookie returns home after their trip alone.

When she arrives home there is still the issue of what happened to poor Lafayette. Determined to help Andy, Sookie asks Eric to accompany her to a “sex party” so she can use her gift to listen in on people’s thoughts. Not only do they reveal the murderer and provide an offering to a Maynard which just happened to demand respect right when things were already difficult, but Sookie also finds that she could be a part of a possible love triangle, and with Eric of all human and supernatural beings!.

What a whirlwind of events! And that isn’t all that happens. Charlaine Harris has packed this novel so full of action that it’s almost difficult to keep up. The reader often feels sorry for Sookie, as she goes through physical and emotional trials, all for the love of her Vampire. Not to mention the numerous near death experiences by various assailants, including a religious cult! And where did all this hard work get her? Alone and forced to ask a favour from a Vampire who would do anything to climb between the sheets with her. I don’t think anyone would blame Sookie if she packed her bags and headed for the proverbial hills. Bon Temps and anywhere with Vampire interest doesn’t seem safe. But even so, the risk still seems exciting.

Even though these events are all way out of the ballpark, Charlaine Harris has discovered a way to tell the story with truth and conviction from the characters point of view. Sookie Stackhouse does live in a world of Vampires and the author has taken the readers on a “sky-dive” of adventures. I think she has really created something special. I love it. The story line is so fun and it runs together like clock work.

My rating for this book is 8/10. Fabulous series so far and lots of openings for more to follow. Even though plot is very far-fetched, those who don’t ordinarily like books with a supernatural taste, would still get a kick out of this series. Recommend for ages 15 years and older.

Book Review: Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris. (Book 1 of the Sookie Stackhouse series 2001).

Originally before writing this review I had begun this series after purchasing “True Blood Omnibus”, which contained the first three novels of the series. After re-hashing the beginning of this post several times, I realized why I was having such a  difficult time writing. I just can’t heap these books together and review them. It just doesn’t do it justice. Not only have I found the first book of this series to be extremely entertaining, but I have found the subsequent novels do not fail to keep me enthralled for hours when technically I should be sleeping! Thus I have decided to review each of the Sookie Stackhouse series individually, the way they were originally intended, even though I have the Omnibus. If nothing else I feel it respectful to the author.
The first novel of the Sookie Stackhouse series is – Dead Until Dark, and is authored by Charlaine Harris. In this novel, Charlaine introduces the idea that the supernatural could one day wish to “come out of the closet” so to speak, and join main stream society. A world where the impossible becomes the possible, and something as insane as Vampires join the human race. Dead Until Dark establishes such a phenomenon with the simple creation of – “True Blood”. A synthetic form of blood which allows Vampires to feed and sustain themselves whilst not requiring Humans as “live prey”. With this in mind, the whole story begins with Sookie Stackhouse and her first meeting with a vampire.
Sookie Stackhouse is an ordinary 20 something girl, or so she would like to have you believe, with a secret. A curse as she calls it. She works in the local bar and lives with her grandmother in the house her father was raised in. She doesn’t have a boyfriend, and she doesn’t often date. That is mainly due to one reason. She is able to read people’s minds. She is telepathic. Which turns out comes in handy when there is a serial murderer in town killing women who have been known to fraternize with Vampires. Especially considering she meets her first Vampire who also becomes her boyfriend!
Dead Until Dark, has been an experience in it itself. Reading this roller coaster has been so entertaining I have honestly devoted way too much time to it! The idea of Vampires becoming public and existing on synthetic blood has put an entirely new spin on the supernatural stance. It really is a fantastic twist, and has opened a huge range of possibilities. The murders kept the story flowing at a rapid rate, and gave fate to pull twists and turns on young Sookie’s love life, which also kept me glued to each page throughout the book.
I would recommend these books to anyone who is interested in Vampire’s and Werewolves. Those who enjoyed – “Supernatural” and “Vampire Diaries” on TV may also find this series interesting. This is a book for young adults, though does contain a lot of older material which could also be offensive to some people. However, I think that it would be suitable to anyone aged 15+. Out of 10, I would rate this book a definite 8.
So far so good. I am getting into the story. Charlaine Harris has really let her talent shine with this book, and I am looking forward to some time to read more.