Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead in the Family
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

I cannot even begin to express how long awaited the release of Dead in the Family was for me. Since I finished Dead and Gone, I have been counting down the days until the next Sookie Stackhouse book (not to mention Season 3 of True Blood, the television counterpart!).

This time around, I just couldn't give it full marks and it's for the same reasons as before. Harris seems to write these books in a pattern. She'll put out one, incredible, cliff-hanger of a novel that I have to give five stars, and next time, she'l put out a book that is great, but not quite as suspenseful. I feel like Dead in the Family was one of those not-quite-so suspenseful novels.

Sookie begins this book in what seems to be a healthy relationship with the vampire Eric. They are seeing each other regularly and really respecting each other. It seems like maybe Sookie's life as come back to normal. Even though it's taken many months for her to fully recover (emotionally and physically) from the bloodbath of the Faery War, she is finally happy. It's short-lived, however, because Eric receives surprising visitors: his maker and a new brother. They occupy all of Eric's time and become a huge liability to his thriving business in Shreveport.

It isn't surprising that the climax of the novel involves a final confrontation between Eric's controversial family and Sookie and her allies. I just found the ending somewhat predictable considering the story arch. I really enjoy these books so much more when there's a shocker at the end. If Harris follows the trend, however, it looks like the next one will have me on the edge of my seat once again!

ISBN: 978-0441018642
Price: $25.99, hardcover
Pages: 320

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead and Gone
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

Goodness knows once I have a Sookie Stackhouse book in my possession I can't resist it for long. I knew full well I wouldn't be able to let Dead and Gone sit on my shelf, waiting for me to finish my homework. No, last weekend, this book took precedence, and boy was it worth it.

In the 9th book of the series (and last published at this point) Sookie is facing the dangers of the Faerie realm. Her great-grandfather is involved in a war that is seeping into the human world, and Sookie is a target of his enemies. Meanwhile, the supes have decided to "come out," so to speak, and everything seems to be going well for them. That is, until a supe is found brutally murdered in the parking lot at Merlotte's. Sookie has to deal with this mystery, the growing Faerie threat, and her strained relationship with brother Jason, all well still trying to have a love-life! Oh boy Sook, you sure bit of more than you can chew (pun intended :D ).

What I liked best about this book was the return to the climactic structure. You could just feel this book building and building to the last 50 pages, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a guilty pleasure like this. The story was exciting and ended with a bang. Now, some readers (including a good friend of mine) might find it a little more violent than previous books. Truth be told, it was more violent and certainly not as happy-go-lucky as the other books. However, I feel like it was a move that the series had to make. We can't believe that Sookie will just keep having similar problems in even succession of each other, with right always winning out in the end. The series had to get darker to sustain readership, I think, and I'm certainly not unsatisfied with the change. I thought Harris showed a great aptitude for emotional story-telling in this volume, a far-cry from some earlier books in which I thought Sookie felt flat as a character.

I am so pleased that I've managed to catch up to the print schedule of these books and can not wait for the next book!

ISBN: 978-0441017157
Price: $25.99, hardcover
Pages: 312

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Title: From Dead to Worse
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

As I said in my last post, Charlaine is getting me even from London (which is evident by the fact that I finished this book and the last in such rapid succession that I didn't review in between). I'll keep this one a little more brief, since there's not much to say that won't give away some huge plot points.

After the conference in Rhodes, Sookie returns home to some bigger problems. The aftermath of a bombing at the Pyramids of Gizeh hotel has the vamps of Louisiana reeling and other vamp communities have taken note.

The book was just as exciting as others in the series, but it didn't have quite the same plot structure. Typically, you get a huge climax about 50 pages before the end and Sookie has to sort it all out and make it back to Bon Temps in the end. Here, there were a couple of climactic moments throughout, but nothing huge and revolutionary in the last 70 pages or so. There was no big reveal or twist, which left me kind of bummed. I sincerely hope that Dead and Gone (book number 9 in the series and the last one currently in print) can live up to my previous expectations of Sookie.

ISBN: 978-0441019397
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 336

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Title: All Together Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 Stars

Even from across the pond, Charlaine has managed to suck me back in (no pun intended). As I progress through this series, I seem to take less and less time to read each book, which is proving quite dangerous for my bank account! Ok, maybe somewhat of an exaggeration considering these books are paperback romance in the extreme, but it worries me that I seem to have become dependent on Sookie, much like an addict.

This book takes place after Hurricane Katrina has hit Louisiana. It's quite heart-wrenching to realize that Katrina has happened to these people as well. What I found interesting about that was we never had a time-frame for when Sookie's story was taking place. I always assumed it was somewhat in the future, not in a science-fiction kind of way, but more in a "this could happen to you tomorrow" kind of way. Now, however, with the inclusion of the Hurricane, we seem to be in a parallel world to our own. The story is no loner one that could possibly take place in a few years time. It's now on the same track as our world, just with a few supes.

As I was saying, the story begins after the Hurricane, and the vampires of New Orleans are hurting because they've lost property and members of their ranks, and Sophie-Anne, queen of Louisiana, is about to go to trial for murdering her husband. As a matter of fact, she didn't kill her husband with her own hands and she was acting in self-defense after he began an all out war to stage a coup and take over Louisiana. But the courts don't know that, and Sophie-Anne, Sookie, Eric, Bill and a whole bunch more vamps have to go to a vampire conference in Rhodes, IL (holla!) to sort everything out.

I won't go into much more detail of the story, but truly, this was one of the most thrilling plots yet in the series. All kinds of shady politics go on inside the Pyramids of Gizeh hotel, and it's up to Sookie to use her powers to get the queen out alive. I thought that the development of Sookie's relationships with Eric, Quinn, and Bill was wonderful in this book. In the previous book, I was upset by the fact that Sookie could just write Bill off, pretend he didn't exist and never interact with him. Here, she was able to actually talk civilly with Bill. I thought the relationships became more real. The same goes for Quinn and Eric. Both become more questionable, less perfect, which makes everyone seem more realistic.

The book was, by all means, the best so far, and were it not for the extensive back story in the first six books, I would recommend this to everyone! Oh what the heck, everyone should read them all! Alright, don't read them to your kids. But seriously: read them.

ISBN: 978-0441019380
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 352

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Title: Club Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

Another Sookie Stackhouse book under my belt and I have to say, I am now obsessed! I felt that this book, Club Dead, was the best book of the series so far.

In this volume, Sookie and Bill are going through a rough patch. Bill is working on a top secret project for the queen of Louisiana and is ignoring their relationship. Soon, Bill goes missing and Sookie realizes that though Bill may be betraying her, she is still compelled to save him.

The most interesting part of this book was the great character development of Alcide, the werewolf. Eric brings Alcide in to help Sookie infiltrate the underworld of Jackson, Mississippi and he is a great new addition to the cast of characters. I really appreciated seeing more of Eric and Alcide than Bill in this book because it gave things a new perspective. I also really enjoyed Sookie's internally conflict in terms of how to deal with Bill or who to have a relationship with. Unlike Bella of Twilight, I felt that Sookie had a real grasp of the fact that her vampire beau might not be the best match for her. Not that I don't love me some Edward Cullen, but Bella is pretty obnoxious.

Overall, I am really pleased with this series. I enjoy reading the Sookie Stackhouse books almost as much as I enjoy watching True Blood, the TV show based on the books.

ISBN: 978-0441010516
Price: $7.00, paperback
Pages: 258

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Title: Living Dead in Dallas
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆☆☆(☆)
4/5 Stars

I've got to hand it to Harris: she really managed to turn my opinion of her around. I really did enjoy book two in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Living Dead in Dallas. It could because I didn't know what was coming, but nonetheless, the added suspense really drove me to read this book at a rapid pace.

In this volume, Sookie is asked to investigate the disappearance of a vampire in Dallas. The story woven here is more intricate than in the last book, with more twists and turns than Dead Until Dark. Harris's wrting style seems much improved as well. Character motives are clearer and I found myself confused much less often.

I do find that the constant addition of new supernatural beings is a little much. Are we now expected to believe that every kind of mythological creature exists in Sookie's world? If so, Harris has a whole lot of explaining to do. She's opened a can of worms that I'm not really prepared for as a reader.

ISBN: 978-0441009237
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 291

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: ☆☆(☆☆☆)
2/5 stars

Dead Until Dark was, unfortunately, not nearly as good as I expected it to be. Of course I had heard from many people that the books by Charlaine Harris were quite different from the new HBO show inspired by them. However, I wanted to give this book a chance to stand on its own, as a separate entity. Maybe it would surprise me, as did The Reader, and turn out better than its already awe-inspiring Hollywood counterpart. Alas, I just couldn't sink my teeth into this one (pardon the pun).

Maybe if I had picked up this title before I became an avid viewer of the show True Blood, I would have rated it higher. It may have turned out to be a real page-turner if I hadn't known what was coming. It wasn't just the plot, though, that had me yawning. Harris's writing was disconnected at best. I found myself getting lost occasionally and having to go back and re-read passages to clarify. Sookie is the most oddly developed character I have ever encountered. She breaks up with Bill on multiple occasions for no apparent reason. Maybe I just wasn't good enough at reading between the lines, but I think that's a testament to Harris's poor writing. I just didn't understand any of Sookie's motives.

Despite my disappointment with Dead Until Dark, I have purchased book number two, Living Dead In Dallas. Hopefully, the fact that I don't know the ending of this one will reap a better rating.

ISBN: 978-0441008537
Price: $7.99, paperback
Pages: 260