It is with a bit of sadness that I write this blog and talk about the final Sookie Stackhouse novel. Dead Ever After is the thirteenth novel in the series by Charlaine Harris and it ties up many loose ends. I have enjoyed watching Sookie develop and grow into the strong woman character that she is now, and I will enjoy going back to the beginning and re-reading the first one, Dead Until Dark, in a few months. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's, in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. She is a telepath, and has spent her life trying to deal with her special ability, until vampires start "coming out" and co-existing with humans and paving the way for other supernatural beings (such as shapeshifters, werepanthers, werewolves, demons and fairies) to share their existence too. Sookie dates a vampire and is introduced into this interesting world where her ability is appreciated by most supernatural beings. The events of Dead Ever After begin a few weeks after Deadlocked, the previous book, ends. Sookie and her boss, Sam Merlotte, are trying to cope after Sookie brought Sam back to life, and life is bumpily moving along until Sookie's old waitress friend (who tried to murder her) is suddenly released from jail. When she turns up dead after asking Sookie for her old job back, Sookie becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Her group of friends bands together to help clear her name, while encountering twists and turns along the way. Does Sookie end up with her past vampire flame, Bill Compton, her current vampire lover Sheriff Eric, werewolf Alcide or shapeshifter Sam? I encourage you to read the book and discover for yourself! Although the HBO series TrueBlood is based on these books, the books are much different than the television show. Visit Charlaine Harris at www.charlaineharris.com and on facebook.com/Charlaine Harris to learn more about her writings. I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Harris at a Mississippi Library Association Conference several years ago and enjoyed spending my evening talking to her and discussing what would happen if HBO decided to bring her characters to life. I wish her good luck as we say goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse--you will be missed!
In the words of Charlaine Harris from the dedication page of Dead Ever After :
This book is dedicated to the loyalreaders who have followed this series from beginning to end. Some of you were reading the books before True Blood, and some came after, but you were all amazingly generous with your ideas, speculations, and votes on Sookie's future. There isn't a way I could make all of you happy with the ending of the series, so I've followed my own plan, the one I've had all along, and I hope you agree that it's fitting.
I know you have heard me talk about this author before, but I have to tell you...every one of her books that I read just gets better and better! Yasmine Galenorn's newest book, Blood Wyne is the newest installment in the Otherworld series. Blood Wyne is told from the point of view of Menolly, one of the three D'Artigo sisters who ae half-Fae and half-human and are living Earthside instead of in the fairy realm. The three sisters are each a different type of supernatural beings--Camille is a witch, Delilah is a shapeshifter who turns into a cat and a panther and Menolly is a vampire. They live with Iris, a house sprite, are raising a baby gargoyle named Maggie and have a wide assortment of supernatural beings as friends and lovers. The basic premise of the series is that the three sisters are fighting against Shadow King, a very nasty demon, who is trying to find all of the spirit seals and open a permanent portal between Earthside and Otherworld. In this installment of the series, Menolly is helping to track down a vampire serial killer who is targeting young women and threatening to make Earth very intolerant of vampires! The stories are based in Seattle and it is refreshing to read descriptions of places I have visited and visualize where the stories' action is taking place. Galenorn's writing is magical--her characters are fascinating and the world she weaves is very believable. I look forward to reading the next installment in this wonderful series! If you'd like to "try" reading the Otherwold series, start with the first one, Witchling. The stories can be read alone, but since the characters lives build throughout each book, you will be less lost if you start with book one! Plus, the library has purchased these books in paperback so they are very handy and can be slipped into your purse for convenient "reading-on-the-go!" Yasmine Galenorn is the author of several other series, including the Indigo Court Series, several Berkley Prime Crime titles and casmetic-focused series she writes as India Ink. Check out her website at http://www.galenorn.com/ or follow her at www.twitter.com/yasminegalenorn.
One of my favorite characters in the book world today has to be Sookie Stackhouse. I have been a fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series of books since before the HBO series "True Blood" began production. The latest book in this series is Dead Reckoning, and it stars, once again, all of Sookie's interesting boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, friends, family members and enemies. I adore all of the supernatural creatures that find their way into Sookie's world and how she takes it all in stride. Sookie is a telepath and a waitress at Merlotte's, a bar and restaurant owned by her shape-shifting friend Sam, located in a small town in Renard Parish, LA. In this installment of the series, Sookie has an enemy who keeps trying to kill her, and the Vampire King of Louisiana has a big bone to pick with Sookie's vampire husband, Eric Northman. A lot of action occurs in this book as well as some very interesting twists with Sookie and Eric, Eric's "second-in-command" vampire Pam, and Sookie's fairy cousins. You definitely have to have read the other books in the series before you read this one or you will be hopelessly lost with the novel's plot. A special treat is a surprise appearance by Bubba (Sookie fans will know exactly who he is :)) I truly enjoy reading about the food and atmosphere of Louisiana and the believable characters, supernatural or not that are in this book. Charlaine Harris is truly a talented author. Be sure to also check out Harris' Aurora Teagarten and Connerly siblings series.
It is with a bit of sadness that I write this blog and talk about the final Sookie Stackhouse novel. Dead Ever After is the thirteenth novel in the series by Charlaine Harris and it ties up many loose ends. I have enjoyed watching Sookie develop and grow into the strong woman character that she is now, and I will enjoy going back to the beginning and re-reading the first one, Dead Until Dark, in a few months. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's, in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. She is a telepath, and has spent her life trying to deal with her special ability, until vampires start "coming out" and co-existing with humans and paving the way for other supernatural beings (such as shapeshifters, werepanthers, werewolves, demons and fairies) to share their existence too. Sookie dates a vampire and is introduced into this interesting world where her ability is appreciated by most supernatural beings. The events of Dead Ever After begin a few weeks after Deadlocked, the previous book, ends. Sookie and her boss, Sam Merlotte, are trying to cope after Sookie brought Sam back to life, and life is bumpily moving along until Sookie's old waitress friend (who tried to murder her) is suddenly released from jail. When she turns up dead after asking Sookie for her old job back, Sookie becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Her group of friends bands together to help clear her name, while encountering twists and turns along the way. Does Sookie end up with her past vampire flame, Bill Compton, her current vampire lover Sheriff Eric, werewolf Alcide or shapeshifter Sam? I encourage you to read the book and discover for yourself! Although the HBO series TrueBlood is based on these books, the books are much different than the television show. Visit Charlaine Harris at www.charlaineharris.com and on facebook.com/Charlaine Harris to learn more about her writings. I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Harris at a Mississippi Library Association Conference several years ago and enjoyed spending my evening talking to her and discussing what would happen if HBO decided to bring her characters to life. I wish her good luck as we say goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse--you will be missed!
This book is dedicated to the loyalreaders who have followed this series from beginning to end. Some of you were reading the books before True Blood, and some came after, but you were all amazingly generous with your ideas, speculations, and votes on Sookie's future. There isn't a way I could make all of you happy with the ending of the series, so I've followed my own plan, the one I've had all along, and I hope you agree that it's fitting.