what i read this week: sookie stackhouse series
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book - with a few changes in characters and plot development - is essentially Season 1 of HBO's True Blood series. In Dead Until Dark we're introduced to Sookie Stackhouse, Vampire Bill Compton, Sam Merlotte and a host of other supporting characters. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who read and enjoyed Stephenie Meyer and Anne Rice as it's a good combo of the two. Like Meyer's Twilight series, when reading the Sookie Stackhouse series I just couldn't put the book down and the story moved along at a quick, yet satisfying, pace. Like Anne Rice's earlier works, it introduces you to vampire lore and lets you in on the emergence of a new subculture of America. This book definitely kicked off my love for the series.
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series, we're led deeper into the world of vampires and other things that go bump in the night as Sookie travels to Dallas on her crime solving adventures. We learn more about her vampire lover, Bill Compton, and get to know more about the vamps from Fangtasia (my favorites, actually). I can't say more without giving away the main plot lines, but if you enjoyed Book 1, you'll want to jump into this one. That said, it's not my favorite of the series.
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the next installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Sookie is once again working for the supernatural beings of the world to help solve a mystery. In this book we're further introduced to the world of shapeshifters and Werewolves when Sookie is forced to work alongside a big, rugged Were named Alcide. Sparks fly, but Sookie is torn between too many loves so her ans Alcide must focus on the task at hand and save the day. But ... as she tries to figure out what's going on with Bill and how she feels about Alcide, her "relationship" with Eric grows stronger and stronger every day, which was really the highlight for me.
In Book 1 we're introduced to Eric and Pam but we don't get to see too much of them. By Book 3 Eric and Sookie have developed their own rapport outside of her relationship with Bill and we get to see a relationship that tests Sookie's desires and allows her to stand up for herself with a man who appreciates that about her. By the time I got to Book 3, I really disliked Vampire Bill and by now am definitely Team Eric.
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dead to the World was one of my favorite books of the series. It kicks off with Sookie and Bill having parted ways due to his no good cheating ways, with Sookie back in Bon Temps waiting tables and hoping for a return to normalcy. Ha! As Sookie's driving home from Merlotte's one night, she sees a half naked beautiful blonde man running down the road. Because Sookie is a sweetheart and let's be honest, has dealt with worst things than a possible crazy hitch hiker, she pulls over only to find out that said crazy man is actually Eric, Bill's boss and Sheriff of Area 5. Sookie and Eric have a bit of a past and Eric has always wanted Sookie in a way that he just can't, so imagine Sookie's surprise when cocky Eric is replaced by Amnesiac Eric - he doesn't know who he is, who Sookie is, or how he got that way. This Eric is out of sorts, scared and relies on Sookie to take care of him. It turns out that Eric's had a curse put on him by some bad ass witches that want to take over all the money being brought in by Shreveport's supernatural community. When they tell Eric they want part of Fangtasia's revenue - and some time in the sack with Eric - he declines and all hell breaks loose.
While all of this is going on, Sookie's brother Jason disappears too and she has no idea where he's gone to. With the help of some shifters from the next town over, that mystery is solved, but Eric and Sookie still have to battle the witches.
What I really liked about this book was seeing Sookie fall for Eric and him return the feelings. I've always felt like a lot of Eric's behavior is bravado and that he had feelings for Sookie that extended beyond the erotic kind. This book takes that story and elevates it. A side bonus of this story is that we get to see more of Pam, Eric's second in command and a great addition to the story.
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was my least favorite book of the series because it takes Sookie away from the Vampire world and puts her firmly in the world of shapeshifters and werewolves, who aren't that interesting to me. Once again she finds herself hooking up with Alcide the Werewolf by helping him and his father in a contest for pack leader. Things don't go so well for Sookie or Alcide and in the process of this story, Sookie is introduced to Quinn, an exotic looking 6 foot something man of muscle. There's something really interesting about Quinn but Sookie just can't put her finger on it. Thankfully, she has time to find out because Quinn is definitely interested in Sookie as well.
With all series there can come a point where I'll say, "yup, I got it ... move along." That was this book for me. I couldn't really care about the were community and I just wanted Sookie to get back to her adventures with the vamps.
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Finally, back with the vamps! But now we've also got Quinn the bad ass weretiger and a couple of good witches along for the ride. Things continue to go from bad to worse for Bill and Sookie (however, thankfully he's not raping her anymore) when Eric forces him to tell her the nature of their initial meeting and why he began to court her all those months ago. Thankfully, this puts the final nail in the coffin in the Bill/Sookie romance, hopefully paving the way for more quality time with Eric. Unfortunately, that's not to be the case. Instead, Sookie is pulled into the world of New Orleans vampires, witches and weres for some more murder mystery solving time. There's an additional subplot that I should have seen coming but didn't that I also didn't much care for.
While this was still a fun read, it just didn't do it for me in terms of the satisfaction I got from the other Sookie novels.
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finally - we're back to the vamps and in a big way! In this book, Sookie and Quinn have finally gotten together romantically, but they still don't see a whole lot of each other. Having become of interest to the Queen of Louisiana for her telepathic abilities, Sookie (along with the Northern Louisiana vamps) are summoned to Illinois for a big old Vampire Summit. This is post-Katrina Louisiana so the vampire queen is low on cash, missing a few devoted vamps and charged with the killing of her husband. As the only actual witness to the killing, Sookie is doubly in demand as she's needed to testify at the hearing.
In this book we see the re-emergence of the Fellowship of the Sun, some pissed off vampires and humans, a clash between clans and Sookie's loyalties tested. Is she Quinn's girlfriend and if so, what does that mean? What's her relationship with Eric and can it be defined? Unfortunately for Sookie, this book sees the two far too closely entwined, but it was either Eric or another vamp and we already know Sookie has a thing for Eric ... even if she won't freely admit it.
This book is filled with a lot of vampire politics, mystery and towards the end, a ton of action as Sookie's telepathic capabilities literally help determine life or death for several characters.
When I finished this book I felt like I *needed* to jump into the next one. Unfortunately, I've been told I need to get a library card and quit spending so much darn money on books. :-)