Review - Sookie: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Isalys's Review:
Charlaine Harris definitely kept us intrigued and occupied with this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse Series. There was enough action and mystery throughout the entire book to keep you engrossed…and of course, Sookie is smack in the middle of it all!

In this book, the Weres decide to follow the Vampires lead and publicly announce their existence to the world’s shock and dismay (and occasional excitement) and soon, one of their own turn up dead. However, the Weres aren’t the only ones with problems. The Fairies are back and with a vengeance. There is a serious battle brewing in Faery (their world) and Sookie becomes a target because of her relationship with Niall, the Fairy Prince. The only ones that have any relative peace are the Vampires…and even they aren’t clear of the danger. Because of the ever present danger that Sookie finds herself in, she ends up calling favors from both the Vamps and the Weres, but it comes at a heavy price when lives are lost. 

I genuinely enjoyed this latest book more than the last (Sookie: From Dead to Worse). I am a big fan of Eric so I was glad to have him back in Sookie’s life, even though their relationship became increasingly complicated. I loved that you not only learned more about his own human past, but you learned more about the Fairies as well. My only criticism is that there may have been too much going on at times and it became a little difficult to follow. Overall, I really enjoyed this book (as I do the entire series) and am ready for book 10…based on the way this one ended, I’m sure it’s on the horizon!

I give this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Vanessa's Review:
Book 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse series is, in my opinion, one of the best in the series. I absolutely LOVE how Eric and Sookie's "ship" (relationship/friendship) has changed in a suprising way! There's a hot and steamy scene involving Sookie and ... (I'll never tell!) I think it's GREAT that Bill is still there trying to save Sookie's life. Even though I'm personally a little upset at him for some of the actions he's taken in the previous books, I can't seem to stop sighing everytime he calls her sweetheart and vows to protect her even if it costs him his life! There's a line in the book where he says, "Sweetheart, I have always loved you and I will be proud to die in your service". **Sigh** Does the fact that I sigh for both Eric AND Bill make me a fangbanger? Hmmm...? Now the REAL question is, does BILL actually die?!

I'm a little surprised at Charlaine Harris for having Sookie reflect on her decisions and how they affect her Christianity. She hasn't really done that before. There's a part where Sookie says to herself, "That made me a bad Christian, I realized. Though I knew I wasn't a deep theological thinker, I sometimes wondered if crisis moments in my life hadn't come down to two choices: be a bad Christian or die? I'd chosen life everytime." I think it's fine for Sookie to have these thoughts, after all, she IS human and she IS a Christian, but I really hope Charlaine doensn't go all "Anne Rice" on us and start writing only Christian books!

Even though Charlaine tied up some loose ends from the previous books, she left a whole bunch of new ones! I cannot wait to read the tenth book! I sure hope we don't have to wait a whole year for the next one!!

Feel free to visit: www.sookiestackhouse.com or www.charlaineharris.com