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!

Of True Blood and Flipping Out (spoilers ahead)

I'm zipping through the third season of True Blood through Netflix rather quickly, only one disk left. That's because it's utterly fascinating and goes even faster than the second season. It helps that I'm watching this season alone, as my daughter has lost interest, so I can proceed at my own pace. Two episodes left.

I've read the books, up to and including the newest one, Dead Reckoning. So I consider myself somewhat spoilproof for the series. Except I'm not. Because the books and the series do some deviating. But not in that godawful trainwreck of a way that Vampire Diaries does. I can understand for the most part where the changes are necessary in translating the books to the screen. It's unlikely that they'll ever reach as many seasons as there are books, especially considering that the books aren't done, so they needed to deviate a bit and maybe condense. For example, the character of Franklin Mott, as Aly tells me, is a composite of Mott and another character Mike. There are a whole bunch of characters in the books, it's not feasible to have them all.
 *********spoilers************
Where to start? Franklin Mott is played by James Frain. You may remember him as the sweet but repressed Forney in Where the Heart Is, or as Thomas Cromwell in The Tudors; he was also in Titus with Anthony Hopkins. At first he seems very sweet and protective of Tara, who is struggling with the tragedy of her lover Eggs' death. But he soon reveals himself as all kinds of crazy and Tara finds herself in the mansion of Russell Edgington, vampire King of Mississippi, where she's in for a world of hurt.

The season begins where the second left off - Bill and Sookie are at a restaurant, Bill has proposed and  Sookie's gone to the ladies' room, only to find on her return that Bill is missing. The third seasons starts with her search for Bill, which also leads to revelations regarding her own nature, which she has long wondered at. Of course I knew the answer to that, it's in the book. Sookie is part fae. I'm wondering if the series will ever get around to having her learn that it was her beloved Gran that strayed from her marriage bed in order to have children? Should be interesting.

In finding Bill, we get to meet Russell Edgington, the king of Mississippi, and his cute consort Talbot.  They've been together for many years. But that doesn't stop Russell from trying to wed Sophia Ann, the queen of Lousiana.




Things get complicated when the magister comes to call at Fangtasia, trying to discover who is selling V, or vampire blood, which is quite illegal, especially for vampires. Eric claims it was Bill Compton's doing. He is told to bring him in, and in the meantime, the magister is going to torture Pam and hold her hostage. The thing is that Eric is selling the V - at Sophie Ann's behest! And we also learn that Eric has a thousand year old vendetta against Russell, for the death of his family.

Jason, as usual, is looking for trouble, and he's found it in Crystal Norris. She comes from Hot Shot, a dirt poor rough town, where she's been promised to someone since she was four, and her father Calvin is very abusive (this is not like the books at all, the book Calvin was handsome and a gentleman). What Jason doesn't realize is that this is a whole town of shifters. And I assume, if it follows the books, he's gonna get bit and become a were-panther.

Sam has tracked down his birth family: mother, father, and half-brother Tommy. He'd have been better off if he didn't do that. Trash, trash, trash. Even the brother. The mother and Tommy are also shifters. And con artist. And thieves. And liars.  I could go on, but I think you get it. I guess the lesson is sometimes you're better off not knowing who your family is. Sam does his best, but damn, these people are pretty much beyond redemption.

Jessica - what can I say? I love her, I think she's great, and at one time I actually hated her. But Bill's baby vamp has come a long way since he was forced to turn her, and I'm hoping she and Hoyt can make a life together.

Arlene is pregnant. She says it's with Rene's baby, but I'm not sure how that works, I'd need to see a timeline. I mean, he's been dead since first season, how little time has passed between then and now? She's with Terry Bellefleur, Andy's shellshocked cousin, who is sweet but not entirely stable. He wants to raise the baby anyway, so we'll see, cause I don't think that was in the books.

Also new this season is Alcide Herveaux, werewolf and hottie, who is ordered to help Sookie seek Bill, which is how they end up in Jackson Mississippi together.  Alcide is easy on the eyes indeed! He has an ex-girlfriend, Debbie Van Pelt, who is a major bitch, and who Sookie is forced to put down in self-defense. That should haunt her later in the form of her crazy sister. While Sookie finds herself attracted to the handsome wolf, nothing happens.

On the other hand, Eric....

Eric Northman is damn good looking, played by Alexander Skarsgard, son of Stellan Skarsgard. Since he's gotten his hair cut, he looks a whole lot like his dad, it's uncanny.  I miss the hair.

We learn a lot about Eric this season, about his past, and about him as a person. Er, vampire. He isn't all bluster and teeth, he has a heart deep down inside. But he is very pragmatic. And very determined.

He ends up accused of the magister's death, and he and Pam end up in a lockdown at Fangtasia. He lets Sookie know that Bill has a file on her. Bill smoothed it away with the explanation that it has to do with learning what she is, to see why Eric is so interested in her. But it's more than that, and I know it. Bill was ordered to meet Sookie, by Sophie Ann, and to bed her if necessary. She should find out about that, maybe in the last episode, and make her break with Bill.  It was fascinating to see him in two historical scenarios - one, as a Viking, and the second as an SS officer. He was really hot in both.

How could I neglect to mention that hot and cute V-selling Lafayette? He ends up going to see his mama (played by Alfre Woodard), in the institution which he pays to have her kept, and he meets Jesus, her nurse. They end up hooking up, and they are totally cute together! The shared trip they take after doing V will blow your mind!  Lafayette deserves some happiness. Jesus better not fuck it up!

As  you can see, there's a whole lot going on in Season 3, and it's not quite done yet. It's been a fascinating series. I'll hate to see it end, cause I have to wait a long time to catch season 4, not til it comes out on DVD.

I think I went on too long for today, so I'll save Jeff Lewis and the fifth season of Flipping Out til later. Tomorrow, I have a guest, Gail Carriger. Saturday I'll be at the hotel, but I'll be back Sunday with Sci Fi Sunday, so Monday.

I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite couple.
I think it's sweet that they are engaged in real life. Also that he actually has a British accent, not a Southern one. He's very good at it, just like Hugh Laurie's House.


Any questions or comments? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, take care!

♥  Julie

Dead Reckoning Review

Dead Reckoning   

Author:  Charlaine Harris

Publisher:  Ace Books/Berkley Publishing

American release date:  May 3, 2011

Format/Genre/Length:  Novel/Fantasy/336 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

It’s been two years since Sookie Stackhouse has been up in her own attic, not since she went up there to look for her Grans’ wedding dress, thinking she should be buried in it. Now she’s there on a mission—it’s time to clean it out and decide what to do with everything. She’s got her fae kin with her to help out—Dermot and Claude. Sookie decides that watching them work at the task shirtless certainly makes it more interesting. Although she doesn’t take kindly to Claude’s suggestion that everything be piled in the yard and burned, she compromises by promising to go through it and sorting it out into things to keep, things to give away, things to sell and what’s left can be burnt.

Synopsis:

At work that night, she tells Sam about her project, and he knows a place in Shreveport where she might be able to sell some of it. In fact, if she wants,  he’ll go with her, he needs to get something for Jannalynn, his shifter girlfriend, there. Sookie is pleased—until Merlotte’s is unexpected firebombed! Damage is luckily minimal, but it leaves the question of who and why?

Because of their bond, Eric is on the scene as fast as vampirely possible, which is pretty damn fast, concerned for the welfare of his “wife”. Noticing that Sookie’s hair is singed, Eric calls for Pam, who brings with her a young man named Immanuel, who is both a hairdresser and the brother of Pam’s lover, Miriam. While Sookie’s getting her hair done in her home, Pam and Eric get into it for some inexplicable reason, making a shambles of her kitchen. Annoyed, she sends them both away.

Sookie and Sam go to Claude’s strip club, Hooligans, to confront him and Dermot about why Sookie is feeling more and more fae—what’s up with that? There she meets Bellenos, her first elf. Her kin promise to fill her in when they come home that night—which conveniently doesn’t happen.

Business is down at Merlotte’s. Sookie suspects that it has something to do with the shifters coming out, and Sam’s true nature being revealed, and also the opening of a rival bar—Vic’s Redneck Roadhouse. Then Eric says he wants to take her to a new dance club between Bon Temps and Shreveport that Victor (the Louisiana proxy for Felipe, King of Nevada, Arkansas and Louisiana) has just opened. This can’t be good. Victor knows they killed his minions, even if he can’t prove it. He’s a dangerous vamp.

Pam is upset because her lover, Miriam, is dying, and she can’t get permission to bring her over, because Victor is withholding his permission just because he’s cruel that way. The visit to his new club is more of a command performance, meant to show Eric his place in the scheme of things. By the time they leave the club, they’ve decided—Victor must die. The only question that remains is how.

 Commentary:

As always, this book has what you’ve come to expect in a Sookie Stackhouse novel—it’s chock full of Sookie goodness and the tangled threads of her complicated life. Her relationship with Eric is getting rocky, while his with Pam is downright contentious. With Amelia’s aid, and without thinking it through too much, Sookie does something which may or may not prove to be a good idea. She isn’t really happy to figure out what the beef is between Eric and Pam, and what it will mean to their own relationship, if he doesn’t do something about it. As if she needs more on her plate, Sandra Pelt, the crazed lunatic who’s convinced Sookie killed her sister Debbie  (well, she did) is on the loose and gunning for Sookie. Sookie learns things about her late grandmother that blow her mind. She receives what might be a very powerful gift. She has a naked encounter with Bill Compton. And she is hosting a baby shower for Tara, who is carrying twins. Dermot is fixing up the attic, to her surprise. She didn’t quite see him as the dyi type. And an old friend, never forgotten, makes a spectacular reappearance!

I love Sookie more and more with each volume, she is the best heroine ever—she transcends even the lovely gentlemen in her life for being interesting, much as I love Bill and Eric. She is just so very sweet and genuine—she makes me wish I could be her friend. Also in this volume, we learn a great deal about the circumstances surrounding her gift. Sookie has a great deal to think about. And decisions to make.

The writing is excellent as always, fast-paced, dramatic and always moving. You’ll just keep turning the pages until there are no more to turn. Can’t wait to see the next one! A definite must-have for the Sookie-phile!