Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris: Book Review

Publication Date: May 2005
Pages: 291
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #4
Reason I Read It: I saw the first season of True Blood


Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie’s gift: she can read minds. That’s not exactly every man’s idea of date bait – unless they’re undead; vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that’s just the kind of guy Sookie’s been looking for. Maybe that’s why, when she comes across a naked vampire, she doesn’t just drive on by. He hasn’t got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy – and dead – as ever. But now he has amnesia, he’s sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie’s help – because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

I am not sure how Sookie gets herself into these supernatural situations. When I drive from home from work, nothing extraordinary happens. The strangest thing that might occur is that someone makes an illegal right on red turn. In this fourth Sookie Stackhouse book, Sookie finds a naked, amnesiac vampire on her way home. It turns out some witches want Eric's property (and blood) and have decided to make things difficult for him. Sookie does the neighborly (and financially sound) thing and lets Eric hide out in her house until his fellow vampires can rectify the situation. You would think that this is enough emotional upheaval for Sookie, considering she just broke up with her vampire boyfriend Bill and he took off for South America. Well, no, apparently this is not enough stress for her. Sookie's brother Jason has disappeared, and no one is claiming to be the perpetrators of the crime. Poor Sookie, she never catches a break.

This was another fun romp in Bon Temps, Louisiana. As always, Sookie has to take control of the crazy supernatural situation that is happening, because the supernatural folks either can't or won't figure out what is going on. I am confused on vampires and the other supernatural folks have been managing their affairs all of this time without Sookie, because Sookie seems to be the only person able to figure out who is behind the caper of the week. Maybe the supernatural folks just killed everyone involved in previous difficult situations and moved on with their lives. In any event, Sookie is able to find work-life balance by being able to go work, look for her missing brother Jason, and discover who these witches are who put a spell on Eric. Oh! I almost forgot that she gets to have some fun times with Eric too. I need to have a conversation with Sookie about how she manages her time. She probably watches less television than I do. 

If you have been able to get this far in the series, without shouting shenanigans, this is another great installment in the series. As I not so quietly hinted above, Sookie is awesome and is able to figure out everything. You know what? I don't care. When I am listening to these books (the audio books are fantastic), everything seems reasonable. I also like that the crime stopper in this series is a female and that she is not perfect in every way. Yes, she feels perfect in a lot of ways, but she is not a total Mary Sue. I find Sookie Stackhouse to be a relate-able character. I also like the fact that Sookie is a sexually-independent character. Although she broke things off with her boyfriend fairly recently, she seeks out a fling with Eric and continues to have crushes on other characters. I find this refreshing. Many times in these types of series, if the protagonist is a female, she has one guy throughout the series. I like that she is seeing different men. 

If you are looking for another fun Sookie Stackhouse book, look no further. I would recommend reading these books in order; however, if you have a basic idea of who the characters are, you will not be too confused.

I give this book 4 out of 5 vampires.


6 comments:

Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer said...
October 9, 2013 at 4:25 PM

Pamela, for some reason I bought books 1 to 11 and haven't read them, they look pretty on my bookshelf though..LOL Wonderful review :)

Unknown said...
October 9, 2013 at 9:59 PM

LOL. Don't worry I have done the same thing with other book series. I will get a really good deal on them, and I figure I will read them at some point. The covers for this series are pretty cute, so you are definitely getting use out them.

Angie said...
October 10, 2013 at 10:43 PM

This one is easily my favorite of the series! :D

Unknown said...
October 10, 2013 at 10:55 PM

This series is far better than I was expecting! I am really enjoying it. I am enjoying this series much more than the television show.

Tabitha (Pabkins) said...
October 17, 2013 at 7:27 PM

I loved this series up until a certain point - I don't remember at which book I fell out of love. I still plan to finish it but I can't even remember which book I left off on now. So I'm curious to see you read through them in the coming weeks/months. So I can see what you think if you end up writing reviews for each.

Unknown said...
October 17, 2013 at 10:15 PM

I am glad that I can help! :) Seriously, I have gotten great book suggestions and knitting help through other people's blogs, I am glad that I can be that for you!

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