I picked up my first Sookie Stackhouse mystery novel for light reading on my honeymoon. Really, you can't spend all your time with your new husband, can you? :)
The one that I happened to read first was Definitely Dead, number 6 in the series. Now, normally, I would never read a series out of order, since the development of the characters and the change in the author's style over time is one of the most interesting parts of reading a series; however, this book's cover had a glittery image of a blonde girl riding a tiger through the air with a vampire reaching for the tiger's tail. It just doesn't get any better than that. Also, ever since reading The Life of Pi, I've had a fondness for books with tigers.
Anyhoo, I read the book during a couple of down hours on my luna de miel and absolutely loved it! The storyline was not difficult to pick up and Sookie is absolutely adorable as a cocktail waitress/mind reader from Northern Louisiana. The vampires were approached from a new angle, I love the whole Kings and Queens thing, and the whole tone of the writing is just light and downhome and fun! This actually came as something of a surprise to me, as I have seen these books in Borders for years and have dismissed them as yet another cynical attempt by a mainstream author to capitalize on the recent popularity of paranormal fiction. Instead, this really is a fresh new series with a series joie de vivre and an evolving story line.
The romance thread throughout the series is a lot of fun, though I for one am hoping that Sookie does not end up with Sam. He's cute, but just not exciting enough. The other players in Sookie's love life are: Vampire Bill; vampire Sheriff Eric; werepanther Calvin; Were Alcide; weretiger Quinn, and a little Christmas gift from her grandpa, a fairy disguised as a werewolf! After all, Sookie's chances with a human are hurt by her ability to read the minds of human beings.
The gradual introduction of new characters and new aspects of the paranormal world keep each book fresh and interesting. Sookie's evolution from quirky and naive to even quirkier but much less naive is good, but I'm still hoping for good things to come to her, especially now that we know that she is 1/8 fairy!
The books might be a little embarrassing to be seen with, but at eight books and counting, I'd say that they are worth a little pink in your cheek. Go forth and read!
- Dead Until Dark
- Living Dead in Dallas
- Club Dead
- Dead to the World
- Dead as a Doornail
- Definitely Dead
- All Together Dead
- From Dead to Worse
- Dead and Gone (to be released May 5, 2009)
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