Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: #11 of the Sookie Stackhouse books
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Adult
Age restriction? (Much) Older Teens, 16+
Published: 3 May 2011
Recommended for: Die-hard fans of Sookie and/or Eric and/or Beel
Buy: Dead Reckoning
@ Amazon
Disappointing. Weak story, weaker characters, lots and lots of telling. I wouldn't bother unless you're already a fan.
DESCRIPTION: Well, if you need a description, you probably don't want to read this book. Seriously. Sookie and Eric have trouble in their relationship. Sookie messes up. Lots of people (and non-people) are out to kill Sookie. Vampire Politics Plot. Fairy Politics Plot. Cue Curtain.
REVIEW: Dead Reckoning left me feeling flat. I've enjoyed all the books in the series so far (yes, even 9 and 10, which fans bitched about), but this? This was beyond pale. Weak, flat story with no real action, danger or mystery. Predictable to the extreme and all of it told instead of shown. No character development at all.
A flicker of interesting happened when Sookie went with Hunter to size up his new school, but once again, everything was told and then it's the last we hear of Hunter (whose relationship with Sookie could be a really invigorating change to what's become a plot-by-numbers series). When I say "everything is told", I mean "everything is told". Almost zero showing going on. Like with Tara's baby shower, we are told there are some women and a few names are mentioned, and we are told Sookie is told a really nice story about her gran and we're assured that this makes her feel better.
Yeah. The whole book is basically like that.
I don't know, it's as if the TV series has sucked the blood and originality out of the books, which is funny considering that they're only similar in an "inspired by the books" kind of way, and it's almost as if Charlaine Harris herself is getting bored with it all.
THIS IS WHY SERIES SHOULD END AT SOME POINT. Ahem. Just sayin'.
Still, I did find it intruiging enough to finish, and it had one or two fun moments, so two stars it is.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Die-hard Sookie book fans (not the series, the books), who hope that the next one will be better or will finally end the damn series.
I'm sad to admit it, but it does seem like Sook's running out of steam... for a long time, one of the driving forces of the series was the tension between Sookie and Eric--and it just doesn't seem to be there anymore.
ReplyDeleteI do agree the series should end sometime... While I *DO* still enjoy the series, the magic from the first few books just isn't as potent anymore *sad*