Grade: B+

Hello, kids. It is Ai and I’m back. Heh. I’m so funny. Or I somehow got Bam’s cold thru the internets and I’ve been chugging down NyQuil non-stop. Anyway, I was stuck in bed all day yesterday, so it was a good thing I had Charlaine Harris’ book to keep me company— especially since I refused to turn on the teevee in fear of hearing more about HRC’s delusions of actually beating Barry to become the Democratic… no. I won’t talk about it anymore. I haven’t been happy with the last books, mostly because I didn’t like Sookie Stackhouse’s new boyfriend, Quinn, and I sincerely thought Sookie was turning into some icky Merry Gentry clone, what with her menagerie of men and all, but this book made me realize that Sookie would probably think Merry Gentry is pretty gross, too. I was quite happy with the story developments presented in this contribution to the series, especially since I approve of Sookie’s love interest — and you can always tell who would be Sookie’s love interest by looking at the front cover and hey, it’s a vampire and there isn’t a hint of a tiger’s tail… YES! — and I really like how Sookie is developing as a person. The only thing that didn’t make this an A for me is that the book felt bloated with characters. There are so many people in this book— I know that part of this series’ charm is the citizens of Bon Temps— that the constant revolving door of folks wanting to talk to Sookie or assaulting Sookie drove me a little crazy. Poor Sookie didn’t have a second to herself. My favorite part: ERIC-love galore! Oh, and the Redemption of Bill Compton. Maybe.

Oh, and spoilers abound in this review.

The Plot: In the wake of the events of the last book, the vampire community is not so very happy. The Louisiana Queen, Sophie-Ann, lost both her legs in the explosion set off by some crazy fang-haters and combined with Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana vampires are very vulnerable right now, which is why the Las Vegas vampires think it is the perfect opportunity to snag themselves a new territory and kill all the other vamps who oppose them. In the were community, someone is killing off the females of the two werewolf factions in an attempt to make one faction think the other is responsible and vice-versa, so they would kill each other off. Sookie is heavily involved in both vamp and were communities, so it’s not like she can ignore what’s going on with either, mostly because the bastards keep dragging her into it. We are also once again haunted by the specter of Debbie Pelt, the were that Sookie killed in self-defense, but only because her family is 100 percent sure that Sookie had something to do with her death and won’t leave her alone. On the romantic side of things, Eric recovers his memory of what happened in the fourth book and is now pursuing Sookie in his own manner (oy vey iz mir!); Bill realizes he’s been a douchebag for the six books and seeks to make amends, though he’s still kind of a douche; Sookie dumps Quinn because she realizes he’s a douche with issues. On the familial side of things, Jason, Sookie’s brother is still the King Douche and Sookie has had enough of him; Sookie gains a new roommate, who I think is a welcome addition to her household because seriously, the girl needs guidance; lastly, Sookie encounters a long-lost relative (okay, two) who explains why she’s so special and he kind of creeps me out, but he’s also kind of cool, too.

The Heroine: Ah… Sookie. I have always been very fond of this girl. She is such a big ball of issues and confusion, but so down-to-earth that even though she’s the Most Speshul Girl ever, you can’t help but like her anyway. Ever since it was announced that Anna Paquin will be playing her in the HBO series, True Blood (terrible title, no?), I’ve been picturing Paquin in her stead and I gotta say, I got major love for Paquin, so it works out. I can even hear the accent Paquin used as Rogue in the X-Men movies. What I like about Sookie is how real her thought process is. Regarding Quinn: she doesn’t want to be with him anymore, because he’s got bigger issues than she does and for once, she would like to come first (heh-heh) with somebody. Understandable. Regarding Jason: She is fed up having to deal with an older brother who won’t act his age and tired of cleaning up after him, so she washes her hands off him. Sookie is fiercely loyal, but once you cross her one too many times, watch out ’cause she won’t hesitate to cut a bitch. She is tough and smart, but with enough insecurities that occasionally lead her to doing stupid things, which I think is what makes her someone you can relate to. She doesn’t think she’s the savior of the supernatural community, nor does she want to be. She just wants to lead a normal life, but even she’s starting to realize that it might not be possible. She’s just dealing the best way she can and while she’s not always wise, she can get usually find a way to get herself out of trouble. She’s a tough chick.

The Hero(es): Ooookay, I’m going to admit something: I love Eric Northman. Much like Bam, I would like him on my Desert Isle Five (mine also includes: Fox Mulder, Bear Grylls [duh, if this guy can eat a sheep’s eyeball, he’ll know how to survive on a desert isle], Clark Kent on red kryptonite, and Christy from To Love and to Cherish). In this contribution to the series, Eric remembers the time he spent being Sookie’s lover when he was an amnesiac (book 4, it was a maenead) and whooo, sister, is he ever sexy. Yo, I’m a homo, and this guy totes did it for me. He’s so gruff and protective in his own way and though he is quite ruthless, he’s also got principles to live by. Me likey Eric. And then there’s Bill. I used to adore Bill Compton, but then there was the whole character assassination thing where it turned out he only seduced Sookie because the Queen ordered him to get close to her. Boo. In this book, Bill seems to realize what an asshole he’s been and wants to be Sookie’s lover again and says somewhat dirty things to turn her on. Too little too late, Bill. Oh, and if you’re wondering about Quinn, keep walking, sister. He only shows up in a couple of scenes and Sookie dumps him. WOO-HOO! It’s like Charlaine Harris realized no one actually likes Quinn and wrote him off as an afterthought. Mwahahaha.

The Secondary Characters: I really like Sookie’s new roommates, Amelia and Olivia, the two resident witches. Amelia is a bisexual who inadvertently turned her lover into a cat. She’s got daddy issues, is super-neat around the house, and takes care of Sookie (she has spells that protect the house) Olivia is Amelia’s mentor, an older black lady neglected by her own relatives, whose house was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, much like Amelia’s. I think she might serve as a mentor/mother-figure to Sookie in the upcoming books. I think it’s great for Sookie to have these females to bond with because her life is so male-dominated and the females she’s known, besides Claudine the fairy, have all turned out to be self-serving and have hurt Sookie in some way. Pam, one of Eric’s female minions, is here too and she’s adorable as always. Jason, Sookie’s brother, is as useless as always, just like the pack of wolves who depend on Sookie to solve their problems. Alcide the werewolf is a psycho, though some of you may find him hot. There’s also Sam, the owner of the bar where Sookie works, who serves as Sookie’s bodyguard, backup, best friend, confidant, and I hope they don’t ever have a romantic thing because I think Sam is the only person in this universe that doesn’t have an ulterior motive and genuinely only wants to be there for Sookie. And then there’s… Sookie’s great-grandfather who turns out to be some kind of Fairy prince. He’s grandfatherly and creepy at the same time. We gotta watch out for this guy; he is up to no good.

Ai! Grabe… Says: What I really enjoy about these books is the universe that Charlaine Harris has created for her readers. The town is alive, we know the people who live in it, and Charlaine Harris’ use of Hurricane Katrina is inspired. It makes everything seems more down-to-earth and accessible (much like Marvel comic storylines occur in the “real” word, while DC in a made-up world with made-up names). We see the devastation the hurricane had caused these people; even the vampires and the werewolves, who are supposed to be so powerful, are humanized by the tragedy. What also sets this paranormal series apart from the others is that the vampires and the werewolves are not inexplicably rich. They all work for a living, some of them in blue-collar jobs. They’re not all sophisticated and cooler than everyone else. And then there’s Sookie, who narrowly avoids being a Mary Sue by being more messed up than everybody else. The girl can be tough when she has to be, but she also knows when to let the big guns handle things. She doesn’t rush headlong into danger and though she’s not necessarily brilliant, she can stop and think things through before acting. I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than the others in the series. I think the books are better when they happen in the tiny town of Bon Temps; it gets a little overwhelming when Harris sets them somewhere else because the town is a character itself, in a way. My biggest problem with this book is that so many things happen at once. It’s one BIG thing after the other and every scene seems to have a revolving door of people walking in and out of it. It doesn’t allow Sookie much time to sit down and just process it all. Nevertheless, I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I think it’s going to have a bunch of cool things like: The redemption of Vampire Bill, the evolution of Sookie’s relationship with Eric now that he knows, what it means for Sookie that her great-grandfather is some kind of fairy royalty, and Sookie’s ever-dysfunctional relationship with her brother, Jason. Just when I thought this series was getting stale, it yanks me back in. Good stuff. I want more!

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Books, Grade: B, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Reviews by Ai! Grabe.... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.