Dead And Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead And Gone
Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse mystery #9
Rating 5 stars

Read For:
What An Animal Challenge
42 Challenge


Synopsis:
A new Sookie Stackhouse book is always a treat! Sookie is a sexy, sassy cocktail waitress who works at Merlotte's Bar in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She's just a regular gal, with all the normal hopes and fears, about dating, boys and life in general - oh, and she's telepathic. And her boyfriends have included Vampire Bill, her first love and the were-tiger Quinn. And Bon Temps is a pretty normal rural town, where murders are mercifully rare. Well, maybe not that rare, as Sookie keeps finding out in this award-winning, New York Times bestselling series! And this autumn Sookie comes to the small screen in True Blood, created by Alan Ball (Six feet Under) and starring Anna Paquin as the irrepressible heroine.

My Review:
My husband was able to get this newest Sookie book at our library so as you can see I had to play "catch up" and read All Together Dead and From Dead To Worse so I could read Dead and Gone before it had to be returned to the library. Of these three, Dead and Gone is hands down better than the previous two! My husband flew through the book first and stated that he felt was the best of the series so far, and I agree. The action, "hot" romance and mood of this story was very much "larger than life". The final "battle royale" put me very much in the mindset as when I read Harry Potter 7. Some semi-pivotal characters are "Xed" out of the story, one way or another.

The story is "almost" written, dare I say, that Charlaine could stop the series right here if she so chose-GASP! LOL. Now, I don't think that's the CASE, but Dead and Gone definitely has a "wrap up" feel.

Finally-without giving up too much: If you are on "Team Eric"-you MUST read Dead and Gone:)
5 stars!

From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris

From Dead To Worse
Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse Mystery #8
Rating 4 stars

Read For:
A To Z Challenge
What An Animal Challenge
42 Challenge

Synposis:

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone--human and otherwise--is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone 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 to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, 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 finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

My Review:
In some ways better than the last book but the story seemed more like a series of short storylines than a main theme. While that didn't upset this reader, as a "slice of life" in the Sookie world is always enjoyable, this book would be VERY confusing for anyone not aqquainted with the series.
I like that it appears that Quinn, the weretiger may be exiting Soookie's life as he's just become an increasingly annoying character, and I'm equally glad to see Sookie's relationship with Eric seeming to go to the front burner as well. All in all, not the best Sookie story but even a mediocre Sookie story is way better than most other Vampire books out there.
4 stars.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

All Together Dead
Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mystery #7
Rating 4.5 stars

Read For:
42 Challenge
What An Animal Reading Challenge
Read Your Name Challenge
Spring 09 Challenge


Synopsis:
Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has her hands full dealing with every sort of undead and paranormal creature imaginable. And after being betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must not only deal with a new man in her life-the shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit.

The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

My Review:
All Together Dead, to me, started out a bit slow. I don't particularly like the Quinn character so that may have been the problem. Fortunately about 80 pages in, when Sookie and Eric meet again, the books action ramps up and it's a great book after that.

Another fantastic book in the series! 4.5 stars.

Review: Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

My Amazon Review:

why are they hot for Sookie?......,

December 9, 2008

like many other fans of the series, the increasing male supernatural characters getting lathered up for Sookie in previous books was getting a bit odd and off putting. Finally, in book six, we learn there may be a supernatural reason for their lust-though I will not blow it for you. Needless to say, it was a quirky new addition to the Southern Vampire world built by Ms. Harris.

Overall, I really enjoyed book 6, though it did have as many flaws as perfections. Like other reviewers, my biggest complaint was the sudden introduction of Sookie's cousin Hadley storyline. The story was introduced like such a "given" that I wondered if I had somehow missed it in a previous book. It seems like it was actually introduced in a short story, so I have to knock off half a star for thoroughly confusing this reader. Bad Charlaine! LOL
But there was enough supernatural action, laughs, drama, and Southern sexiness to satisfy this reader.
4.5 stars-recommended!