Dead In the Family

She basically has a chapter before Chapter 1 trying to clean up book 9. For me this book started slow and was hard to get into. The pre-chapter was choppy and didn’t flow well, it basically tried to tie up a bunch of loose ends. It didn’t pick up until Chapter 3 – and it is not a big book. My biggest disappointment in this book is Sookie and Eric. Eric was there but not really. I understand that so much horrible stuff happened in DAG that it changed them both, but there was no passion between them at all. Charlaine left us at the bedroom door the whole book. It kind of felt like they were just going through the motions, but they are openly admitting how much that they love each other? We fell in love with Sookie and Eric and Bill and none of them were themselves in this book. I understand that a character needs to heal after the traumatic events in DAG; but I feel that Harris could’ve written that much better in this book. We still don’t know if they will be closer to themselves in Book #11 (a year away). And I feel that she will need another pre-chapter in book 11 to clean up book 10. It’s just not the writing that originally pulled me into the Sookie Stackhouse series – it just didn’t read like a Charlaine Harris book at all.

If you have been keeping up with Sookie, you will really enjoy some unexpected events that bring some unexpected closure for our telepathic girl. Some new people and occurrences that are surprises, but people who were in the background, influencing both Eric’s and Sookie’s lives in subtle ways. Trying to avoid spoilers, I will tell you that you will hear more about Dermot, Claude, and Alcide, tying Sookie tighter into their lives. The new characters introduced into Sookie’s world have a fascinating history, create quite an interesting and provocative story with their ties to Eric, and creating problems Sookie could surely do without! This book kept me up at night!

WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! Dead In the Family is Harriss latest installment in the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series. In this novel, Sookie, the vamps, the Weres and the fairies are recovering from the Fairy War. Just when Sookie and Eric seem to be settling into a rhythm with their relationship, Erics maker and brother vampire come to town. This is not good news. On top of this, the politics for the Louisiana vamps and the whole shifter community are gearing up for a clash. Oh, then there is the fresh dead body on Sookies land and a strange evil fairy lurking in her woods

Dont get me wrong, I love this series. I have read it more than once, and I hardly ever re-read books. I would have to say though that Dead In the Family felt like a bridge book between two bigger books, if that makes sense. I noticed when I hit page 260 (in a 311 page book), that I was still waiting for the plot to get going. I guess thats when I realized that all of this talking really was the plot. It was weird. Usually, I can count on my pulse to race several times while reading Charlaine Harris (either from the action packed plot or steamy Eric scenes), but I did get those feelings until I was in the final ten pages.

Dont get me wrong I still love this series, and I will be waiting in line for the next installment, but I felt this was one of the weaker books of the series. I do have to say that I liked certain developments in the characters. It turns out that sexy cousin Claude actually does have a personality. In a moment of feeling her age, Sookie contemplates turning vamp for the first time. We also see the impenetrable Eric at his most vulnerable. These are all necessary for the continuation of the series. I just wish the pacing would have been a little stronger.

Overall, I give Dead In the Family
Plot Development 2 bookmarks (not bad, but not what Im used to with Harris)
Character Development 4 bookmarks
Fight Scenes 1 bookmarks
Hot Steamy Vampire Sex 1 bookmark

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) I cant help myself. The TV series True Blood has wiped out all of the casting imagination I have and replaced it with the TV actors. Part of the reason that happened though is because the TV casting was so brilliant. Eric Northman is my favorite male in the series and Alexander Skarsgard has completely won me over with his Eric performance. Ive always thought Bill was a weenie, so the fact that I dont find Stephen Moyer that hot does not detract from things for me. Anna Paquin does a great job bringing camp and craziness to Sookie. Oh, and Ryan Kwanten as Jason is so unbelievably hot. (Its also nice that he’s agreed to save on the shows wardrobe budget by going naked most of the time!)

“Dead in the Family” has some shortcomings but I still enjoyed it. It is a sort of transitional book that answers several fan questions. Although, some progress was made in the Eric & Sookie relationship, I still came away with the feeling that they won’t get a HEA. Of course, since I am currently re-reading books 1-11 and have read the reviews for books 12 & 13, I already know what the future holds for them. However, I wouldn’t dare spoil it for those reading the Series for the first time. There was mystery, action, suspense and romance. However, the book just didn’t completely live up to its potential. This failing became unmistakably apparent around book 8 or 9. I attribute the increasing lack of substance, failure to fulfill potential and lack of depth to Harris’ rather limited writing abilities & writing style, Harris’ frequent failure to really flush out the details of various events and to what feels like Harris’ apparent growing boredom with and/or her seemingly growing indifference towards the characters and the series.

Don’t get me wrong, this book is by no means bad. It just could have been better. Moreover, having followed the series and now rereading it, I sense the growing lack of “depth,” and “focus”, for lack of a better words, and even the 2nd time around I find it very unfortunate and dismaying. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, Love the series and am off to reread the next book.

I have had a very up and down relationship with this series and it’s on a down again with this book. It’s a shame that a series with such promise and which still has real potential for exciting books, is slowly running out of steam.

Sookie and Eric are pretty loved up and both getting used to the idea that they are married in vampire style and that they feel each other so strongly through the blood bond. Sookie has some problems; Claude has decided to move in, there are 2 dead bodies on her property and an unknown member of the fae has been scented nearby. Eric is having some difficulties too with the aftermath of Sophie-Anne’s death and the arrival of his maker.

The good stuff:
* all the Eric and Sookie scenes are highlights. Their relationship is well-written and easy to engage in.
* Charlaine Harris has stopped describing everyone’s clothing in lengthy detail- hurrah!
* Hunter is back and the part of the book where he features is good fun although it adds nothing to the plot.
* Claude finds his human side- good times 🙂
* Octavia and Amelia are gone. Phew!

The problems with this book:
* Nothing, and I mean nothing, of any interest happens until exactly half-way through the book. Then it really picks up enough to hold your interest.
* The impending threat of the mysterious fairy out to get Sookie doesn’t seem very threatening and she doesn’t seem very scared.
* Sookie is getting more and more snarky and mean as the books go on. What has happened to her? She’s becoming difficult to like.

I think part of the problem is True Blood. Alan Ball is doing such a good job of beefing up the characters and the storylines that the books are starting to be a let down now. The True Blood version of Eric’s maker, Godric, was far more interesting than what Charlaine Harris has done with Appius in this book for one example.

So- I would say that if you have read all the others, pick this one up too. Just don’t expect to be wowed and thrilled by it, because it doesn’t have much going on and it’s not very exciting.

NB//The Kindle edition has a few errors but nothing major.

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