Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Ace (September 3, 2008)
Age Group: Adult 18+
Pages (Mass Paperback): 292
Series: Sookie Stackhouse* 1
Source: Bought
ISBN-13: 978-0-441-01699-0
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Mystery
*Originally: Southern Vampire Mysteries

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. Then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life...

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hands with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next...

_________________________________________________________

Having watched True Blood before reading this book, I struggled with interest in it because it was as if the show had been ripped right off the pages, most of it word for word. I pushed through the lack of interest to realize that there were elements of the show that I loved and the book left out the ones that I were uninteresting (Note: If you are going from the show to reading, there is no drug usage).

The first thing that stood out in Harris' writing was her ability to convey voice. The creation of Sookie Stackhouse's first person was done phenomenally well. It really gives the appropriate mood and draws you into the setting of the backwards Louisiana town it is set in. There was not a moment where Sookie's voice flawed.

Sookie is a solid character that is able to interact with slew of amazing support characters including Sam, Bill, and Eric Northman. Her "disability" is shut down with her interactions with them and she is really able to shine as her own person. Set in the first person, at the point in the series, we have not had the opportunity to really understand and construct ideas of the support characters other than Bill.

As an adult read, this book provides detailed, not obscenely graphic, but rather short adult love scenes, As a paranormal romance reader, I thought this book would take the turn the show takes and be heavy on the "romance" but rather, it is more geared as a mystery in the book setting. I was disappointed though; when it came to solving the clues and putting the pieces together of the murderer, Harris doesn't provide a lot of points to go on other than finger-pointing at Jason, Sookie's brother. This leads to an unbelievable end to the book because there was no reason to suspect who was really behind the idea. This left me feeling unfulfilled in terms of a suspenseful mystery.

If you are an adult fan of Twilight and paranormal romance, this book comes highly recommended due to the uncanny similarities of mind readers, "shields", human-vampire love, one of them fighting the weirdness of the relationship, the other "love" interest, etc.

Rating out of 5:

Please disregard any inconsistencies you may notice in the coming reviews.

I am working on a new template.

In My Mailbox (7)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren; here we share with you, the lovely readers, what books came to us this week whether it be in the mail, from the library, purchased or borrowed.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Won:

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

From the Library:

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

XVI by Julia Karr

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Thank you Starry Sky Books!

Be sure to let me know what you got in your mailbox this week!

Adult Release Spotlight

Even though this blog, and the majority of what I read is YA, I still read and enjoy select adult books and there are some highlights, some precious gems, that need to be shared this week!

Dead Reckoning - Sookie Stackhouse #11
By Charlaine Harris

"With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . . ."

 Destined for an Early Grave - Night Huntress #4

by Jeaniene Frost

Okay this one isn't new, but somehow it was in my populated list!

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

 Waking the Witch - Women of the Otherworld #11

by Kelley Armstrong (Author of The Gathering and more YA) 

At twenty-one, Savannah Levine – orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer – considers herself to be a full-fledged member of the supernatural race that rules the Otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot tall, motorcycle-riding, jaw-dropper with a full arsenal of spells that she’s not afraid to use when she gets caught in a bind. There’s only one small problem – her adoptive parents. Paige and Lucas don’t always trust her. Of course, she’s given them plenty of reasons... but those are in the past. People can change, right?

When Paige and Lucas take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge of their detective agency, Savannah is presented with a case that she can’t turn down, and one she can finally call her own. Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington – a small, almost shell of a town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman is dead, and darker forces seem to be at play.

Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious – and far more dangerous – than she realizes. Caught up in a web of lust, false identities, and lies, Savannah must summon strength from her depths and fight like she’s never fought before.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren; here we share with you, the lovely readers, what books came to us this week whether it be in the mail, from the library, purchased or borrowed.

This week is excellent; in addition to a few books, I GOT A NEW BOOKSHELF! It isn't anything fancy but is double the size of the tiny one I have now and I am very excited about the presence it will add to my living room! But the bookshelf is only as awesome as the book that goes on them!

This week in books...

I bought...

• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Goodreads
• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - Goodreads

Both of these are the first in their series and I have heard great things about them; was very happy to find them at Half Priced Books and use my coupon!

I borrowed...

• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - Goodreads

My seventeen year old sister has not shut up about the impact this book has had on her; its her favorite book and I bummed it from her shelves.

I was gifted...

• Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler - Goodreads
  

Happy Easter to my from my Grandmother! It was a tough selection between this, Wither, and The Hunger Games but I went with the one I hadn't checked the library for; I have also heard good things about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse series. I was glad to have her gift me my first brand new book to christen my new bookshelf she also gifted.

That's all I've got for this week! What have you gotten in your mailbox!?