Review: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

When we talk about escape reading, the Sookie Stackhouse series definitely has that escapist factor!  Filled with all sorts of paranormal elements, mystery, and romance, they are a crazy, good time.  In May, book 11 in the series, Dead Reckoning comes out and I'd like to be up to speed by then, so I recently read Dead and Gone (book 9).  This is a difficult book to review without giving away a little something, so I'll do my best to not include spoilers!

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps-and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works-and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there's a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle."

Review:  In this latest installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Sookie has returned home once again to try to get back to her "normal" life.  We know there are weres, shifters, and vampires, but to this we add the faeries.  Sookie meets some of her long-lost family and learns more about her past and who her parents were.  As with everything else Sookie has been involved with, it sometimes is just too much and all she really wants is a real life where she can go to work, come home, and have a normal existence that doesn't involve fearing for her life.  That's just not possible for Sookie though.  What do you do with a talent like reading people's thoughts?  No, Sookie is too valuable to all sides of the paranormal and human community.

This particular book, thankfully, doesn't show Sookie whining about the dangers she finds herself.  I liked that Sookie faced everything in a no-nonsense, this-is-my-life now sort of way.  In fact, I wasn't annoyed that she had protectors hanging around, because I finally felt that even Sookie just got that this is how things were for her.   

We have a lot of characters in this novel, both from past installments in the series, and new characters that are adding to this paranormal world Sookie lives in.  She's not alone in finding out about all of the paranormals though, as the weres come out to the world and among the vampires, their loyalty and power lines have shifted.  Eric and Bill are still very present, and it doesn't seem as though romance will ever be a completely easy thing for Sookie.  I felt as Sookie did though, wondering if her connection to Eric is only based on a swapping of blood (Yea, the exchange of bodily fluids element confuses things here), unlike the relationship and feelings she had for Bill at one time.  Honestly, I still like Bill and think that he was good for her, but totally get the tie to hottie Eric and all his influence and power in the vamp community. 

This is just a fun series to read.  This may not be a series that I recommend to my high school students, although I know some of them have/are reading them, but I have enjoyed them.  These really are pretty different, so you never know what to expect, which is a nice change.


*FTC Disclosure:  This review is based on a library copy of the novel.

Review: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

I'm pretty hard pressed to remember where I'm at in this series half the time.  If I didn't keep a book log as well as this blog, I'd be lost!  Since I'm up to my eyebrows in grading right now, and just have a lot on my mind, the Sookie Stackhouse series has been a strange little escape from it all.  I recently finished reading From Dead to Worse and am still struggling to figure out what Harris was doing with this book.  This was a good book, but maybe a bit more of a transitional book than forwarding the story much?  I'm still not sure.

Synopsis:  Since I struggle a bit to identify this book, forgive me as I rely on Goodreads for a tidy summary:

"The supernatural community in Bon Temps, Louisiana, is reeling from two hard blows - the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made horror of the explosion at the vampire summit the month before in the up-north city of Rhodes. Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But that's just not happening. Too many vampires - some friends, some not - were killed or injured, and her weretiger boyfriend, Quinn, is among the missing.
 
It's clear that things are changing, whether the Weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie - friend of the pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, the leader of the local vampire community - is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death... and, once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood flowing, her world will be forever altered."

Review:  I really liked this eighth installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series, as it seemed to get back to Sookie living her life in Bon Temps.  I sometimes find myself frustrated when Sookie becomes the target of a bunch of bad guys that she then needs protecting from.  That's not to say there wasn't some of that in this book, and maybe I'm just growing immune to the lighter variety threats, but these felt less dangerous than some of the previous snares Sookie has been involved in.  Thankfully, Quinn is out of the picture.  Yes, I think he was a nice, protective diversion for Sookie, but I wasn't a huge fan and felt that he might be pretty short-lived as a romantic interest.  Obviously, with a stronger connection to Eric that has been established over the course of the previous seven books, we know that he will probably be popping up a bit more.  I can't say that will be a disappointment!

Although there is a shifting of power going on in book eight, and there is a new king that Eric has to pander to, this book felt more about regrouping.  With the big catastrophe in Rhodes, from the previous book, that left the paranormal community rocking (and many dead), and also the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, this book seemed more about seeing where all our characters were at and how they were doing.  To me, this seemed like a slower-paced storyline that helped the reader retrace everything.  I enjoyed this regrouping and appreciate the continued strength that Sookie goes on to show.  Also, Sookie draws closer to family in this book, which adds an interesting twist to the story that had me reaching for book nine pretty quickly!  

If you haven't read this series, or started it and felt frustrated, I say continue on.  Looking back, I struggled through books two through four.  Once I got past that initial slump, I've been eager to find out what would happen in each book since!

As I mentioned in my review, I felt this book was a bit of a bridge.  Do you ever feel that there are books in a series that are there to bridge to a new twist in the story rather than to really add or continue what was started?  Are these books necessary, or at least necessary to that degree?

Review: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Yes, it's been much too long since I posted anything, and I have had a bit of anxiety about the whole thing.  I'm a creature of routine, and when my routine is switched up, everything goes out of whack!  I'm back to work at my high school, and the kiddos come back on Wednesday.  Am I ready?  Yes and no, but ready or not, they're a comin'!

One side note to all of this was that I took my mother back to the airport on Saturday so she could fly back to Hawaii.  I was dreading it, and have missed her terribly.  My mother means the world to me, so sending her back hit me pretty hard.  Although I'm used to being a tough cookie and taking care of myself, it was nice having her here.  Now, I have to count down the days until Christmas!  In the meantime, I actually calmed myself by finishing Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse book 7, All Together Dead, as well as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (which sent me into a crying jag when Harry fought Voldermort), but I'll save that review for a little later.  Needless to say, these books helped ease the sadness a little, which makes me love books even more!

Synopsis:  In this seventh installment, Sookie has been recruited (or you could say requested) to attend the vampire "summit" being held on Lake Michigan.  As a telepath, the queen vamp of Lousiana feels that Sookie can help protect her as she heads to court over the murder of her late husband.  Also, the queen feels that she is in jeopardy and that Sookie makes a great tool for her to weed out her possible opponents.  At this conference, we find three men who each have an interest in Sookie's heart:  Quinn, Bill, and Eric.  As always, may the best man wiggle his way into her heart and try to win!

Review:  I have to say, that as a balm for a troubled soul this weekend, this was the perfect get away trip, all packaged in one book.  Even if I had not been in a position where I desperately needed an escape read, this seventh in the series still would have been appealing and a great read.  Where previous installments left me looking towards the future, knowing that I was being set up to like or not like certain characters, I didn't care as much in this installment.  Sookie felt stronger to me, and her ability to keep her head on straight (so to say), made me relax and trust that she could get through the vamp summit safely.  In that case then, I enjoyed seeing where Charlaine Harris took these familiar characters.

In a strange way, this installment felt like a side story, and yes, like it is a stepping stone to more stories to come.  I didn't mind that stepping stone though, and found the vampire trials, vampire entertainment, and new skills Sookie learned with her fellow telepath from a previous novel fun to watch.  I can't help that I like Bill, but I also like Eric and Quinn (okay, so maybe not Quinn quite as much).  The difference though is in where Sookie is honest with us as readers.  Lest I give away too much, it's starting to become evident that she's not being 100% honest about her feelings for one of these characters, maybe because (blood sharing aside...wow, that sounds icky when I write it) she feels more vulnerable to one of these characters whom she is feeling a deeper connection?  Yes, I'm hoping that's the case.

Out of the other novels in the series, this was one of my favorites thus far.  I liked Sookie's strength, and that it wasn't all about a million different men falling at her feet and coming to save her after every painful battle.  In this case, Sookie really seemed to pull herself together, and even managed to do a bit of saving herself!  Whether it was her strength that drew me in this time, or the direction that it is headed, I liked this novel and can say that I can see it's going to continue to be a fun ride!

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based off of a personal electronic copy of the novel.