Club Dead

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 third installment of the southern vampire series. Bill has been distant lately, and it seems the reason as to why is because he is working on a secret project for the queen vampire of Louisiana. Soon, Bill goes off elsewhere because of this secret business, leaving Sookie alone. It's not long until a motorcycle gang member shows up and tries to off her, but not only is he a biker, he is also a werewolf. Eric, the local sheriff of "area five" tells Sookie that Bill seems to have gotten kidnapped. To find Bill, Sookie teams up with a handsome werewolf and heads off to Jackson, MS. 

Rating: 5/10

Again, I have not found myself overly pleased with these books. I honestly could care less what happens to these characters they are so poorly written. The plots are mediocre, but remain decent enough that I don't find this a complete waste of time (perhaps my money though). I find myself getting fed up with these books rather quickly though, and I am thinking the second installment only seemed as good as I thought because I was so bored through most of the first one. Sookie seems like she could have been a likable character, but with the way Harris writes her characters, she has been grating me more than anything. To start off, Sookie has only been dating Bill a few months now, and already she constantly bringing up marriage in her mind. Although, wanting to get married and actually being engaged are separate, it seems to be brought up several times in the last two books. Also, Sookie, it seems EVERY main supernatural character wants to be with her (and as we know, they are the only ones that matter in paranormal romance). Luckily, it has gotten no where near as bad as Anita Blake or Bella Swan. Yet. Three books and she has three men pawning over her. 

And although the action of the plot kept me reading, the romance section had me sludging through. Granted, I am not a romance reader. However, I do like some romance in books as well. God knows, I really liked the romance drama in the earlier Anita Blake novels, but I can't help but feel like I am drinking store brand coffee. Even the sexual moments, I find dull and boring. These moments are not the most detailed, but that shouldn't matter. I found the sexual HINTS in Anne Rice's vampire chronicles stimulating yet Harris just has me going "Next!" The only part I did find somewhat erotic was when Sookie was feeding from Eric and he gets quite aroused (all over her back).

The other thing that bothered me was Sookie's reaction to Alcede, the werewolf. All through the book, she was saying how he looked like a REAL man, ate meat like a REAL man, and had a pickup truck like a REAL man. Maybe it's a Southern thing, but any time I saw this, I really wanted to toss the book across the room. Perhaps it is a part of Sookie's nature to like "real men" but all of Harris' vampires tend to be the pretty type. No, they are not as bad as Rice's or near as bad as Hamilton's or Meyer's, but still.

Easily, the best part was when they were in Russell's house. I was itching to know how they would get Bill out. However, even with the action of the plot, I found myself thinking that it felt dragged out. In fact, it felt like all the little problems in this book just kept repeating in similar ways such as Debbie and Alcide or the werewolf gangs constantly hunting Sookie.

So overall, the characterization is still poor while the romance and sex seems tedious and boring. The main plot was pretty decent, but the little ones that made up the overall plot ended up being repetitive, which caused the book to feel stretched too thin.

What I'm Reading Next:

  

Living Dead in Dallas

Level: Explicit Lite
Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampires/Urban Fantasy
Obtained: Purchased at Borders
Reviewed by: Nic Echo
 
About the Book:
To start off, another murder has happened in Bon Temps. Layfette is found in Andy Bellefleur's car, but Sookie has other matters on her mind. Eric has loaned her out to the Dallas vampires to help them locate one of their own. With her telepathic abilities, Sookie might have luck finding out clues to his whereabouts. While helping the Dallas vampires, Sookie is led to the Fellowship of the Sun, a dangerous cult against vampires and those who condone with them. Then, after finishing her work with the Dallas vampires, Sookie returns home and tries to figure out the true murderer of Layfette.

Rating: 6/10
I must say, I enjoyed this novel much more than it's prior counterpart. After reading Dead Until Dark, I was a bit worried that I may have wasted my money on this series. However, this book I found quite enjoyable. There are still issues I found in it though such as the horrible grammar. If I am spotting a  lot of grammar mistakes, you need a new editor since I am one of those people that barely notice these things when reading (especially the first time). I also find myself still wishing the characters had more to them. They seem very flat to me, causing me to care less about most of them. Honestly, the only ones I do like are Eric and Sam, and even then, I barely care because they have no depth to them.

However, the plot was quite interesting, even though I had seen the True Blood season.  It was different enough that it held my attention to see where it went. So I would say Living Dead in Dallas in worth a read. However, there seemed like the maenad plot should have been extended more or cut out. It was like bookends that didn't need to be there. It was interesting, but seemed out of place, and I think True Blood did well to focus on mostly on that since it was brought in the beginning and there at the end, but TB used it throughout.

What I'm Reading Next:

Elisabeth Sladen

I know this is not a book review, but it needs to be posted. You will be missed.
                Rest in Peace Elisabeth Sladen | February 1st, 1948 - April 19th, 2011

Dead Until Dark

Level: Explicit Lite
Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampire/Urban Fantasy
Obtained: Purchased at Borders
Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Book:
Sookie Stackhouse is a girl living in a small town called Bon Temps in Louisiana. However, Sookie isn't like any other girl. She is able to read the minds of those around her, and it can be a real chore for her not to hear their thoughts. Then, she meets Bill, who is a vampire. It is only recently that vampires "came out of the coffin" as they try to become accepted by society. Sookie, however, finds Bill very pleasing for one major reason. She can't hear his thoughts. Meanwhile, there are a series of murders happening in Bon Temps involving girls who are known "fang bangers" or someone who sleeps with vampires.

Rating: 4/10 
It wasn’t the worst thing I ever read, but certainly not the best either. I ended up picking up most of the series for several reasons. One of the reasons was because I had fallen in love with the HBO series, True Blood. The other main reason was because I was trying to find a new series to replace the crap that is now Anita Blake, and I had heard excellent things about the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Now, before I started the books, I was aware that they would be quite different from the show, especially the sexual content. I was fine with, and quite happy, with this fact, because I was sick of all the vampire romances out there with a severe lack of plot. I have no problem with romance in my books as long as there more to the plot than the romance and/or sex.

I was fairly entranced by the first couple chapters, but the book quickly started to lose my attention after a while. I thought it could have been possible I wasn’t as interested since I knew how it would end so the plot wasn’t able to capture me. However, neither did any other aspects of the book. I found the writing style bland and boring, for the most part, and I got no sense of the characters from the books.

One of the things I did like was the idea of the series and the main character. I recall reading in an interview that Charlaine Harris thought there ought to be a reason for a girl to want to date a vampire, and she did come up with an excellent reason: peace of mind.

So all in all, I would suggest borrowing this book rather than buying it, but I wouldn’t say it’s a complete waste of time either.

Next on My Reading List: