Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Kindle, 481 KB
Buy this book: Amazon
Author's Website: http://www.charlaineharris.com/
Synopsis from Goodreads
It’s vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart…Diving In...
Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’d rather not know. And now that she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’d rather not see—like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.
There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet—Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard—especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.
Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.
**This review contains minor spoilers**
I actually hate to do spoiler reviews but this many books into the series it's hard not to. It's especially hard when everyone already knows the characters so well.
I was so excited for this book to come out, even after the last 2 were so unmemorable. I finished the book I was reading and ended up staying up until 1am to finish this one. I was NOT happy at all when I got to the end. Here is my take on this book series. The first 7 books were great, so much so that I have read them all at least 2 times and I have read a couple of my favorites (book 4) at least 3 times. The next couple were just books for me, I read them because I enjoyed the first ones so much. The one about Eric's maker was decent, if only for the fact that it delves into Eric's character more.
I hate to compare the books to the HBO series too much, but I like Godric so much better than I liked Appius! That is one place where Alan Ball did Charlaine a service by making the series better than the books. Maybe he knew the direction the books were heading and decided that he wanted to make the series better in the long run and that's why all the diversions from the original stories and characters.
If you know me at all you know how much I like Eric, he is one of my favorite vampire characters, but Charlaine is making me not like him. Right now, just 9 hours after I finished the book I am pretty ticked of with Charlaine Harris for what she is doing to these characters and the story in general. It feels to me like she is just finishing out this series because she got paid to write 13 books, not because she has anything else to say about these characters. It doesn't feel to me like she loves these characters as much as she did in the beginning. And it's not even because of what she is doing to Eric and Sookie, it's because this whole story and the last one, at least, seemed to be more about wrapping up the series, than telling a good story.
In the first couple books there is so much going on, people getting killed, kidnapped, turned to weres, etc... This whole book revolves around the very mundane murder of a girl that no one knows and no one really cares about, least of all the reader. I thought it was pretty obvious from the start who was involved in it so I wasn't at all excited to read through to find out "who done it" because I already had a good idea who it was. I only kept reading hoping to see Eric. Eric is in this entire book for maybe 5-6 pages, and when he is he and Sookie seem to be fighting about the marriage that Appius arranged for Eric before he died. Sookie wants Eric to choose her because he loves her, but he knows she has the Cluvial Dor and he wants her to use it's power to make the choice for him.
All the fae that were trapped out of Faery are drawn to to the Cluvial Dor. There is an appearance by Niall in the beginning and then again at the end and the Fae story line is essentially wrapped up. There is a Were showdown in the end when the girls killer is revealed. Sookie has to make a choice to use the Cluvial Dor to save someone she loves, but is she saving the right person? The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, per se, but it does leave things up in the air.
There are apprearances by Mr. Catalides and Daintha and even a phone call from one of my favorite characters, a certain were-tiger. All the regular characters are there, Alcide, Jason, Tara, JB, Terry, Sam, Pam, Bill, even an appearance by Bubba. There is no real profanity in this book and not one single love scene. I don't even recall Eric and Sookie even kissing.
I will read the last book if only to see how she resolves Sookie's relationships. I was SO disappointed in this book I can not even tell you how much. I am going to go re-watch season 4 of True Blood just so I can get my Eric fix now... Needless to say this one is NOT a re-read book for me just like the last 2 were not.
My advice is to wait until this comes out in paperback or borrow it from the library, it's definitely not worth paying $15 for.
Rating 5/10
love this review. I felt the same way about this book. I was SO STINKING MAD!!! I couldn't even sleep. I told the hubs what happened and he just blinked at me and said "sorry honey" with a damn question mark at the end of it...unacceptable. But of COURSE I will be buying the last book on release day...who am I kidding? ;)
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