 "Good pacing, but lacked depth and payoff." | 2009-10-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1788JV89OK0EW |
As I was reading this book I liked it pretty well, but ultimately I was disappointed. I enjoyed the characters who were introduced, especially Alcide, but I felt that everyone, including Sookie, lacked so much depth as to make their emotions feel stilted and repressed, perhaps not even taken into serious consideration by the writer. I understand this is a light hearted 'beach read', but considering how many dramatic things did actually happen to the main character, you'd think she would have expressed it a bit more instead of the writing just glossing over it entirely.
Even the bad guys didn't seem to care. Foiled our evil plans? Oh well, better luck to us next time. The ending was muddled and the pay off wasn't worth what it had been building up to. Part of the weakness of this book is the first person narration, unfortunately. I would have liked to see and understand the pain that Bill was going through, but it hardly got an explanation. Sookie's revenge was also so quick and short lived it was glossed over in about two paragraphs. I realize she's a pick herself up by her bootstraps sort of character, and I like that about her, but the impact of everything just really didn't seem to be taken into consideration by the author. If you're going to write dark storylines, I think you have to be willing to express the dark emotions.
The things I like about Sookie, however, remained true. She was true to her morals, true to herself, and true to her down south upbringing. It still remains refreshing and charming, so I'll continue on with the series later on and hope for some more depth in the series. |
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 "way better than 1 & 2" | 2009-10-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1WQP0X85Z4L82 |
| I loved this book, I have read the first 3 and this one was amazing, way better than 1 and 2. Book 1 was very good but number 2 was fine. This book describes how sookie realizes that being with a vampire is quite difficult but she stands to what she feels and believes. Lots of bad point to bill indeed... |
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| "Good Series" | 2009-10-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A126BY05VWKNZG |
| I haven't read any of Charlaine Harris's other series but the Southern Vampire Series is fabulous. It always keeps you interested and the characters are never dull. The new Showtime show Trueblood is based loosely on her books. I enjoys the books much more than the show but they both are favorites of mine. |
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| "not as good as the first two" | 2009-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1QXWM5P0CT45 |
This is the third in the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Series. Vampire Bill is working on a secret project and neglecting Sookie. Then he tells her if anything happens to him, she will be safe with Vampire Eric and to keep his computer files hidden. The next thing Sookie knows is Bill is gone and Eric tells her that Bill left her for a former vampire flame but may now be captive in Mississippi, by their head Vampire.
So Sookie, though furious at Bill, is off to Jackson in the company of a Werewolf, to use her telepathic abilities to try and find and save Bill.
I thought this book was a bit different from the last two. There was a lot less of Bill in this on, but a lot more of Eric. Sookie finds herself not only attracted to Eric, but also Alcide, the werewolf, helping her to get into Club Dead, were the vampire king and his friends hang out. Sookie is also getting more assertive and ready to kick some ass. However, Sookie is also aware that everything that keeps happening to her is a result of her relationship with Bill. She never had so many people trying to kill her before she started dating a vampire. But she never knew love before either. Sookie is determined to save Bill but unsure of where their relationship will go once he is safe.
I really like Vampire Eric in this book. He is definitely more than sexually attracted to Sookie, and not very happy about these feelings. We also meet more supernatural people in each installment. The story seemed a little disjointed at times, with a lot of stuff going on. There also seems to be more violence. I knid of wonder what else can happen to Sookie. Luckily, she has access to the all-healing vampire blood.
Although I didn't like this one quite as much as the first two, I look forward to the next one. I just don't know who to root for, Bill or Eric. I didn't like Bill as much, but there are several more books in the series, so he has a chance to redeem himself.
my rating 3/5 |
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 "The Suspense Continues... (4.5 stars)" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By screaldeal |
For anyone who has stumbled upon "Dead Until Dark" since its publication in May of 2001, there is an instantaneous addiction to the Southern Vampire Mysteries once the first page is turned, readers eagerly anticipating each new installment year after year. Fans just now discovering it are lucky enough to race through Books 1-9 with zeal, the unbearable wait between installments eliminated. However it has happened for a reader of Charlaine Harris, her books continue to grow in popularity and I now classify myself as a follower. Though I'm fairly certain no one has coined a clever nickname yet for our crazed devotion (e.g. "Twi Hards", followers of Stephenie Meyer's wildly popular 4-book Twilight Saga), I'm sure there will be one soon enough and I've decided to refer to myself as a "Trueblood" until then. For now, the books themselves are what matter most.
"Club Dead", Book 3 of the series, keeps the ball of suspense rolling at a steady pace; whereas Book 2 (Living Dead In Dallas) made Sookie and Bill's relationship go from red-hot to rocky, "Club Dead" makes it even rockier with a case of infidelity. Working on a top secret project for Louisiana's vampire bigwig, Bill spirits away to another city in the first chapter, leaving Sookie with a warning and a back-up plan as well as seriously wondering about his cold, aloof behavior. Once Bill is out of the picture, author Charlaine Harris wastes no time creating drama for the danger-magnet that is Sookie in the form of a grungy, tattooed biker trying to claim a bounty on her head. Soon after she, Sam and "Bubba" dispose of the body and ponder the reasons for the hit, Pam makes a rare appearance outside of Fangtasia to tell Sookie that Bill has gone missing and may even be dead (in the permanent sense of the word). Before she knows it, she is making her way to Jackson, Mississippi with Eric not only to try and locate her undead boyfriend by fraternizing with the werewolf and shape-shifting community but also to confront him about the underlying reasons for his travel plans.
Just like a "Law & Order" episode, Harris kicks off this latest installment with a death, the protagonists asking the "who, what, when, where, why" questions that systematically open the floodgates of her bewitching supernatural plot. She also adds kindling to the flame between Sookie and Eric, Eric using Bill's disloyalty as a psychological tool to bed Sookie. Confused, conflicted and heartbroken, Sookie is inclined to oblige him as well as a handsome werewolf named Alcide, but her longing for Bill and her determination to find him keep her teetering on these prospects throughout the entire story, making for non-stop sexual tension. "Club Dead" also opens another door to Bill's mysterious past with a former vampire lover named Lorena, one who holds a mysterious power over him after all these years. Other characters are expounded upon, namely "Bubba", whose real identity becomes apparent in the novel's first few chapters and becomes a real hoot of a tie-in to the story's fast-paced events.
Although I thoroughly enjoy this series so far, one of its more tiresome themes is Sookie's barrage of injuries, the poor girl getting punched, slapped, scraped and kicked to death (she is even staked at one point!). After only three books, Sookie's body is a minefield of scars and it's a wonder she makes it through as much as she does, even with the aid of vampire blood to not only save her life but speed up her healing process. With six more books following this one (and a 10th in the series due to hit the shelves in May 2010), I wonder how many more scrapes Sookie can get through before she is no longer so beautiful, not to mention walking on two legs!
Bottom line: With vampires and werewolves what's "hot" these days (Paris Hilton would probably agree), The Southern Vampire Mysteries is a series for the masses of supernatural enthusiasts (Twi Hards, are you paying attention?) and "Club Dead" will keep you turning pages well into the night, yearning for the next perilous adventure before you even reach the end.
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| "lots of fun!" | 2009-09-14 |
| - Reviewed By powderedtoast |
I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse books after the first season of True Blood aired on HBO. Really enjoyed the TV show's first couple episodes so I read the first two Sookie books....and I didn't think they were all that great...decent? Yes....but I didn't enjoy them to the point where I felt I had to keep reading them..as much as I liked True Blood the books weren't doing it for me.
In the meantime I've been catching up on Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series (among other things, but they AB books are in the same vein, pardon the pun). I'm nearly caught up on those except for the latest book. And let's just say that I'm less than impressed with the last five or so books, give or take. If you check out my other reviews you'll see why.
So after getting midway through the second season of True Blood and loving it even more than the first season I figured I'd revisit the Sookie Stakhouse books. Glad I did!
This book is alot of fun from start to finish. After an argument about him having to leave down for several weeks, maybe even upwards of a month on some secretive business for the Queen, Bill disappears. Sookie's asked by Eric and company to go to Memphis to read the locals' minds and see if she can find anything on Eric's vampire. What Sookie learns about Bill's true whereabouts and activities while he's been away/disappeared hardly pleases her, and with good reason. Bill's been a naughty little vampire.
Sookie gets the help of a local Memphis Werewolf named Alcide to help her get inside to Club Dead, an underground vampire club where the local Vampire King hangs out who Eric beleives is responsible for Bill's disappearance. The introduction of Alcide is one of the best parts of the book. A great character that has lots of relationship possibilities for Sookie.
In any event, hijinks occur and what you have at the end of the day is a very fun and engaging supernatural mystery. Much more fun and true to its origins than what the Anita Blake series has become since the 9th book or so (I still hold onto hope for that series but whenever it seems to be getting back on track the next book just lets me down..but I digress).
The only thing that kept the book from getting a five was how Bill's 'naughtiness' while away from Bonne Tempe was not really explored or explained. It's mentioned several times, but we never get a true explanation as to what he was up to. I would have liked some further exploration of that. Other than that, good stuff.
A great and fast paced read that's engrossing and just lots of fun! |
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