Dead to the World

 

Level: Explicit Lite

Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampires/Urban Fantasy

Obtained: Purchased at Borders

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

 About the Book:

Sookie is back in the fourth southern vampire novel. Our heroine is driving on her way home when she notices a half naked man wandering the streets, and it's none other than Eric Northman, who happens to be cursed and is unable to remember who he is.  Because the vampires are unable to keep Eric around in this state, Sookie keeps watch over him in her own home so that the witches that cursed him can't do worse. During this, Sookie's brother, Jason, ends up going missing as well.

Rating: 7/10

I have to say Ms. Harris has increased her writing skills in this book. Unlike Living Dead in Dallas, Harris was able to stitch the two plots together much better, and I have also found the characters becoming more real in this book as well. I know that at the end of the book, I am actually wondering whether a certain character was going to become a shifter or not. What's more is I actually found myself caring this time. 

As per usual, I thought the main plot was interesting, even if it is not the most original. The villain in this book in this book is the best by far: a group of werewolf witches that also drink vampire blood. Even the things that have been annoying me in the past books are better. One example would be the romance. Now, I doubt I will ever get behind Bill/Sookie ship, but Sookie's thoughts on Alcide and Eric were not near as grating as before, and even though you can see who the main romance is going to be a mile away, it was still integrated into the story quite well, and I could believe Sookie's worries about how it was going to affect her life. 

Another plot that kept coming up in the last book that was irritating to me was the Debbie Pelt plot. When it reared its head in this book, I was a bit worried that this was going to be dragged out. I will say it does get resolved (for the most part) in this book, or at least enough that it won't be the same subset of the plot. Then, even when Debbie was on stage, I could feel the tension more in this book than its prior counterpart. 

Now, the Jason part of the plot was extremely easy to figure out (and even easier if you had seen True Blood), but as I mentioned earlier, it flowed well with the overlying plot. Also, I could feel Sookie's concern for her brother at times though when the romance appeared, I did not feel it as much. 

Finally, some of the things that I disliked about the book. Sookie ends up getting another suitor. Granted, he wants her for reasons other than she's pretty, but still. The main thing that annoyed me though was the fairy. I am hoping they get cooler later on, because the glimpse of them in this book made them seem too perfect, and I honestly wanted to gag. I also find it interesting that Sookie's word of the day always ends up applying to what is going on in her life. Seriously, have you seen those things? Most of those words will hardly ever get used, much less used on the same day you read them.  

So, in general, Harris has brought more life to her characters, causing me to become more embedded in the book. She has also managed to change overused thoughts and plots enough to they don't seem as repetitive. I only hope the rest of the series stays on par (or hopefully even better)

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