Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, Book One)


Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, Book One)
Charlaine Harris, 2001

Premise: Sookie is a waitress; she mostly keeps to herself. She sort of has to, otherwise she ends up reading people’s minds and knowing things she’d rather not. She’s intrigued when the first vampire shows up openly in their small town, which quickly turns to worried when her new friend is suspected of murder.

This was....fine. Nothing special. It’s cute, I guess, and the writing is competent and I was curious enough to get to the end, but in the end I just thought it was fine.

My main problem with the book was Sookie. Laying aside her annoyingly cutsie-pie name, she’s irritatingly dense. Why are you surprised when something paranormal happens? YOU CAN READ MINDS! You ARE paranormal! And then, why are you surprised the next time something paranormal or scary happens? And the time after that? And the time after THAT? I know it’s a lot to take in, but she is really incapable of rolling with a situation, and I find that off-putting in a heroine.

The rest of the supporting cast is fine, the twist of the end of the mystery was okay but nothing amazing. The other intended twist maybe was a surprise in 2001, but at this point my reaction as a reader was: “of course that is the case, I knew from page two. That’s how these books work.”

I guess I just felt like checking off the boxes to me. Plucky Heroine: Check. Paranormal Ability: Check. Hunky Vampire: Check. Romantic Angst: Check. Romantic Rival: Check. I know that it was early in the trend, but I’m not sure there’s any reason to get into this series now unless you already love the characters from watching True Blood (I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know how similar/different it is).

That is, if you’re a reader of sci-fi/fantasy/urban fantasy/mystery/etc. If you’re primarily a romance reader, I can see coming at this from a totally different angle and seeing it as new and different. However, I don’t think the romance adds much to the book from the angle of a genre reader.

2 Stars - An Okay Book

Comments

Post a Comment

FYI: Most comments are moderated, and will not appear immediately.

Popular posts from this blog

The Santa Claus Man (crosspost)

Image
The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York Alex Palmer, 2015 Premise: In the early 1900s, more children began to write letters to Santa, and the Post Office asked for help. Enter John Duval Gluck Jr. and his creation: The Santa Claus Association. This was an interesting book overall, although the payoff is smaller than I would have preferred. The book paints a complex and intriguing picture of New York in the first few decades of the twentieth century, particularly around Christmas. The specific story of Gluck and his various "charities" is only the largest thread; the book also explores early influences on the image of Santa, how various staples of Christmas (public tree-lightings, parades, etc.) started or became notable in New York City. Read the full review on Mainlining Christmas
Read more

If the Fates Allow (crosspost)

Image
If the Fates Allow Edited by Annie Harper, 2017 New Release! I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of review. Premise: Five stories of love, hope, and forgiveness at the holidays. Do you need some warm and fuzzy holiday cheer? Do you love love? This new collection features five LGBTQ holiday romances that make your heart feel full of sugarplums. I smiled and sighed and giggled. It's seriously sweet, without being too sweet. Read the full review on Mainlining Christmas
Read more

The Silence of the Elves (crosspost)

Image
The Silence of the Elves Meg Muldoon, 2016 Premise: Holly's been demoted right out of the North Pole through no fault of her own, but she'll need more than hope to get her life back on track. You may recall that I kind of liked another one of Meg Muldoon's holiday-themed cozy mysteries , so when I saw she had a new series that was explicitly about Christmas elves, I had to try it. Read the full review on Mainlining Christmas
Read more