Deadlocked

 

Level: Explicit Lite

Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampires/Urban Fantasy

Obtained: Borrowed from library

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover:

Although this image doesn't show it, this cover is doused in glitter. All of the green light is glitterised, along with a few strands of Sookie's hair. Is this a bad thing? Honestly, I'm not so sure. The glitter is eye catching, but personally, I think it would look better with less glitter. As for the actual artwork, like the Sookie covers before it, it's not too great. The writing is nicely placed, but the artwork seems childish and does not seem to go with the novel/series. Sookie also seems to be randomly floating in midair again, though this time there seems to be an explanation. Still, I am wondering why the artist has a fondness for making characters randomly float? The last major issue I have is the way Sookie is drawn. It makes it look like she has one giant leg, and it is something that could be easily fixed. Other than my usual complaints though, I found the colouring for the cover to be quite appealing, and I like how the artist tied all the supernatural elements together. Overall though, it's still a poor cover, and I could hardly see this bringing in tons of new fans. Still, at least it doesn't look like every other cover out there either.

About the Book:

Trouble has followed Sookie for quite some time, and things are no different in the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Deadlocked. For starters, Felipe de Castro, vampire king of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada, has decided to visit to see what happened to his regent, Victor (who Eric killed and can be punished for). To make matter worse, a girl Eric was feeding on is found dead in his front lawn. It's quickly apparent to Sookie and the others that this girl was sent as a trap. The question is why. However, Sookie isn't only having vampire issues. She is having problems with the fairies as well. Niall, her great fairy grandfather, returns to collect Claude, Sookie's fairy cousin, so that they can figure out who had cursed Dermont with insanity. However, with Claude gone, they fey left in the human world start to grow restless, but that's not all Sookie has to worry about. More and more people seem be after the culvical dor, a magical fairy wishing device, and it is putting her in more danger. Then, if that wasn't enough, she and Eric are also having relationship issues to the point where love may not be enough.

Rating: 7/10

I have to admit that I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. I had read a lot of reviews that said this book was little more than one giant gossip fest, and I remember thinking, "Oh, joy." After reading Deadlocked however, I'm not quite sure where the gossip complaints are coming from. Sure there was town gossip in Deadlocked, but I didn't see any more than any other Sookie novel. There was some relationship drama, but again, I didn't think it was more excessive than the other Sookie Stackhouse installments.

Overall, I liked this book. Is it a great book? No. I can't even say it was one of the best Sookie books, but the plot flowed along pretty well (even if it was one of the easier ones to figure out), and I thought the more personal dramas were well spaced throughout the reading. I certainly didn't feel any major drag in this book.

Honestly, I think my major issue with Deadlocked was that it was almost too easy to figure out. I tend to be one of those people that enjoys the ride more than the trying to figure out how it works so when I say it's simple, it's pretty simple. I didn't think it made the reading less pleasurable though. It also seemed that Harris had Sookie making some pretty stupid decisions (like leaving with the weres) just so she could put her heroine into a situation, which Sookie should have been intelligent enough to avoid. I realise Harris has had Sookie do this before, but it still remains irritating.

Overall though, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable book. The plot moved along nicely and tied up many loose ends from the overall series. Sure there were some annoyances, but I didn't think it killed the book. Is it worth taking the time to read? I guess so. Is it worth the money? Personally, I'd, at least, wait for paperback.

What I'm Reading Next: