Dead Ever After Review

Dead Ever After   

Author:  Charlaine Harris

Publisher:  Ace Books/Berkley Publishing

American release date:  May 7, 2013

Format/Genre/Length:  Novel/Fantasy/352 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Sookie doesn’t know it, but she’s in for a world of trouble, ‘cause she’s made enemies, and there are people who do not wish to become members of her fan club. More trouble than she suspects, what with Eric being pissy with her about the whole cluviel dor thing. And that getting married and moving to Oklahoma thing he’s got going on. And Sam is acting damn strange. Stranger than usual. On top of that, Arlene shows up out of the blue (wasn’t she in prison?) and tells Sookie she wants to come back to work at Merlotte’s!

Seriously?

Can things get any worse?

You betcha. ‘Cause it’s Sookie we’re talking about. Arlene turns up dead and Sookie gets the blame. And everyone knows Sookie was mad at her about what she tried to do. Will Sookie end up doing hard time for something she didn’t do?

We’ve always known this day was coming, and now it’s here. The last Sookie Stackhouse book. A journey begun fourteen years ago is coming to an end. And leave it to Sookie to do it her way.

There are many people who’ve grown attached to Sookie and all the other characters over the years, as well as those who love the TV series, and many who love both. And of course, when you have that many loyal readers, you’re bound to find a number of them with their own ideas as to how the series should end. But as Charlaine Harris explains at the beginning of the book, she knew she couldn’t please everyone, so she went with the plan she always had.

Personally, I never thought about it one way or another. Maybe I had my wishes of how it would work out, but I didn’t get obsessed with it. And honestly? I find her ending just right. And real. And honestly Sookie.

The last book is certainly full of what we’ve come to love in the series, as befitting a finale. Old friends and new friends, as well as a few enemies. Endings and beginnings. I can’t say I shed a tear for Arlene, considering. But I was excited to see some of the people that showed up to make their final appearances.

Sookie has to sort out how she feels about Eric and what he may or may not be about to do, plus the way the vampires are all acting toward her is confusing. She’s got Jason’s wedding to get ready for and help her brother through. Plus she’s got a murder rap to beat. And there are people who are out to get her.

There will be some who complain that the ending isn’t right. But I say it is, because it’s realistic. Sookie’s life is going to go on, even after this book. We just won’t see it.

Or will we?

Actually, there’s one more book, although not a novel. Coming out in October is After Dead, which will tell us what happens to all the characters we’ve come to love.

I loved Dead Ever After and savored every page. I think all Sookie’s fans will too. A fitting end to a wonderful series. And I can’t wait to read After Dead.

Deadlocked Review

Deadlocked    

Author:  Charlaine Harris

Publisher:  Ace Books/Berkley Publishing

American release date:  May 1, 2012

Format/Genre/Length:  Novel/Fantasy/327 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Sookie and some of her girl friends—including a very pregnant Tara—decide to visit Hooligan’s on lady’s night. The girls are dying to see Sookie’s cousin Claude—as much of him as they can—and Sookie goes along with them, although truthfully she’s seen Claude in the altogether, and not by choice, as her faery cousin has no inhibitions and wanders the house in the buff.  Luckily, none of the ladies notice anything odd about the establishment, or those that frequent it. The show is nice, but comes with an unexpected surprise in the form of JB du Rone, Tara’s husband, stripping onstage.

Synopsis:

With Sookie where there’s one surprise, there’s generally more, and tonight is no exception, as she receives her great-grandfather Niall in her home, last seen when most of the faeries departed and the entrance to Faery was closed. Sookie isn’t happy about the way he treats his own son, Dermot, her great-uncle who could be Jason Stackhouse’s doppelganger. When Niall leaves, he takes Claude with him, leaving a heart-broken Dermot behind.

The next morning Eric’s dayman, Mustapha, shows up on his motorcycle to warn her that the shit’s about to hit the fan—Felipe de Castro is coming to Shreveport to talk about the disappearance of his buddy Victor. Not that he’ll find him, of course, as Sookie and Eric, among others, were party to his death. Sookie is disturbed that he found out through Janalynn that Sookie has loaned some money to Sam Merlotte—that should have been private business. 

Sookie’s Gran left her a powerful gift in the form of an ancient cluviel dor, and Sookie is unsure where to keep it, vacillating between hiding it in her drawer or carrying it with her. She doesn’t even know how it works or what it does, just that it’s very powerful and very rare.

There is to be a meeting at Eric’s house with Felipe and his group, at nine Pam says, but Mustapha calls back to tell her to make it ten. Not that she’s in the mood anyway, but she agrees, as Eric’s wife. When she arrives, Bill is on patrol outside and warns her to go, but she says she can’t. Inside the house, the guests are behaving badly and crudely. When she asks for Eric, she’s told he’s in the bedroom, so she heads to find him, only to catch him in flagrante, drinking from the neck of a younger, skinner blonde!

As if this isn’t bad enough, Sookie realizes the blonde has been “enhanced” with faery blood, to make her even more irresistible to vampires. If Sookie hadn’t shown up, or been later, he’d possibly have lost control and killed her! Sookie and Pam manage to get rid of the girl, but unfortunately she turns up again later—dead, on Eric’s lawn!

Sookie has to prove Eric’s innocence while dealing with the usual confusion in her life, among them Claude’s absence, the murder of the girl, the appearance of Eric’s “betrothed”, Felipe’s investigation—not to mention the cluviel dor and what to do with it.

 Commentary:

Not much time left, only one Sookie book remains. I know I shall miss this spunky heroine very much. Nothing is ever simple for Sookie; makes you wonder where’s her happy ending and when’s it coming? And who will it be? Although by the end of the book, there’s evidence of who it won’t be, never say never until it happens, ‘cause appearances can be deceiving.

This book has its fair share of surprises along with some tender moments, such as with Tara and JB’s twins. Andy and Halleigh are expecting too, and both Hoyt and Jimmie and Jason and Michele are preparing to tie the know.

I enjoyed this twelfth volume very much, and anxiously await the next and last volume. I’ll say it—I want Sookie to end up with Bill. I’m not holding my breath, but if it would happen, I’d be happy.  Most importantly, I want Sookie to be happy.

So now we wait for next year and the final story in the Sookie Stackhouse saga!