Book Review: Dead to The World by Charlaine Harris

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Dead to The World
Sookie Stackhouse #4 - True Blood

Author: Charlaine Harris
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Released: May 3rd, 2005
Review Source: Ace Books

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie’s gift: she can read minds.

That’s not exactly every man’s idea of date bait – unless they’re undead; vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that’s just the kind of guy Sookie’s been looking for. Maybe that’s why, when she comes across a naked vampire, she doesn’t just drive on by.

He hasn’t got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy – and dead – as ever. But now he has amnesia, he’s sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie’s help – because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

The fourth book in the series is exactly what I've been hungering for! it's Eric and more Eric, now that bad boy Bill has been uninvited from Sookie's home, and her bed.

This is probably the best in the series so far. Witches have over run Bon Temps, and they are looking for more than just go away money. They have their eye on Fangtasia, and the leader of the coven has been eyeing Eric. When negotiations go south, Eric winds up running in the dark without a thought in his beautiful brain. The witches have cast a nasty spell on Eric, put a bounty on his beautiful body to capture him. What for? Sookie has no idea but she's just turned into his care taker, thanks to Jason.

Everyone's looking for Eric, but no one realizes they can find him hiding at Sookie's place. The witches are not keeping a low enough profile. It's getting dangerious as bodies turn up, wiccans are scared into helping this Coven out of fear. Sookie's had to call in the Were's, things start heating up. Something strange is going on, Vampires are working with Werewolves against the Witches, and Sookie's still caught in the middle.

Book Review: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

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Club Dead
Sookie Stackhouse #3

Author: Charlaine Harris
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Released: April 29th, 2003
Review Source: Ace Books

Things between cocktail waitress Sookie and her vampire boyfriend Bill seem to be going excellently (apart from the small matter of him being undead) until he leaves town for a while. A long while. Bill's sinister boss Eric has an idea of where to find him, whisking her off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead.

When she finally catches up with the errant vampire, he is in big trouble and caught in an act of serious betrayal. This raises serious doubts as to whether she should save him or start sharpening a few stakes of her own ..

The third installment in the True Blood novels was both good and bad for me. I had conflicting moments where I wanted more for Sookie, more for herself. She’s left in the dark concerning a secret project where Bill needs to travel for work, or so he claims.

Of course this doesn’t turn out to be the case, but this poor woman does more than we think capable (vamp blood probably helped a lot for those moments) to save bill from certain death. At the hands of the vampire King no less, what a shocker!

Sookie shuffles off to find what's happened to Bill. All the while Eric whispers horrible possibilities to her, while her eyes can’t help roam over Alcide beautifully filled out Were body. From run in’s with his recent ex at Club dead, she picks out clues from the super underground hangout.

Is Bill worth all the trouble she faces? At this point, it doesn’t look like it. I’m still on team Eric, but for many of my own reasons. There are a few more romantic moments shared between Eric and Sookie, and it does make me wonder why she doesn’t say more on the subject, is it wanted or not? What about all the hopeful glances to Alcide?? Kick Bill to the curb, if nothing else rescind his invitation. I won’t give spoilers so I’m having to bite my own tongue here.

Book Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

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Living Dead in Dallas
Sookie Stackhouse #2

Author: Charlaine Harris
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Released: April 1st, 2004
Review Source: Purchased

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck.

First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she obliges - and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly....

Book two of the The True Blood novels by Charlaine Harris is just as good as the first book! I was having a tough time putting it down.

Now that Eric, the head vampire of Area 5, knows of Sookie's disabilities, he intends to put them to good use, for himself of course. After a shocking incident involving the unusually drunk Officer Andy Bellefleur and the flashy Lafayette (I wont’ give any spoilers here folks so that’s all I can say on that matter), Sookie is whisked away to tend to vamp matters in Texas!

Of course our southern belle Sookie cannot take a step these days without finding herself in mortal peril. Before she even leaves Bon Temps a Maenad finds Sookie and leaves a not so friendly message for her to relay to Eric. She wants tribute, but it isn’t always that simple now is it folks?

The matters in Texas however becomes more and more problematic for our gal. A vampire has been taken from his nest, and his family wants answers, and their deaths. She has to infiltrate a fanatic religious group of sun worshipers who may or may not have kidnapped their vampire.

All Sookie wants to do is go to work, she can’t stop thinking about her drive way and how it needs to be re graveled and how she is going to afford it having to take so many days off from work. Damn Bill, he wants to treat Sookie as a kept woman but he isn’t doing such a good job where she really needs it. I am so Eric’s corner, his sweetly seductive bad boy self, and his brief moments with Sookie, I’m rooting for him.

Book Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse #1

Author: Charlaine Harris
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Released: May 1st, 2001
Review Source: Purchase

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana.
She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life....

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next....

Sookie is a small town girl in Louisiana, and works at the local watering hole as a waitress. Up until now, her life has been small and safe, living with her Grandmother. With the vampires out of the proverbial coffin, one moves into town.

Bill is handsome, and quite the gentleman, despite being an undead vampire. He sweets young Sookie off her feet, as well as charms her Granny! The towns folk don't take to kindly to their relationship, but everyone's trying to keep cool. Everything turns sour when not one, but a few of the local girls start turning up dead, and a lot of fang banger rumors floating around. All eye's are turning to Bill, and if not him they suspect Sookie's brother Jason.

Sookie tries to poke around into the brains around her while she's working, hoping to find any clue as to who's killing these poor girls, before the local PD hauls Jason off in hand cuffs.

A little back story on why it took me this long to read this particular book series, because really one would think I’d have already read it by now. I wasn’t drawn to the cover, I know, don’t judge a book - yadda-yadda-yadda! I remember when a girl was reading the book, back way before the show was a reality, and she was gushing about it. I just didn’t think much of it at the time. Fast forward to seeing the shown on Netflix and I was hooked, it was raunchy and well written, and the cast was so eye catching I was drawn in. I was also drawn in since it was set in Louisiana and that was just so odd and perfect I watched the show.