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Sookie Stackhouse #12
Deadlocked
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Paranormal Fantasy (2012)Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on that there are things she'd rather not know. An 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.
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.
327 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
About the author
Charlaine Harris
397 books34.9k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.
Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.
Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.
When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.
The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.
Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.
Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.
Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.
Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.
When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.
The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.
Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.
Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,176 reviews
May 4, 2012
A fair warning: this review contains mild spoilers because writing my rant without them was next to impossible. Proceed at your own risk.
The Sookie Stackhouse series is dying a slow and painful death. Everybody knows it. Charlaine Harris knows it. She knew it even before she signed the deal for the last three books. What’s more, everyone who’s been following the series closely can pretty much tell when she stopped caring. What started off as entertaining and steaming hot (albeit poorly written), is now similar to a diseased and dehydrated animal, just waiting to be crushed by an oncoming car.
So now that we’re here, mourning, let’s make a list of Charlaine Harris’s sins, shall we?
• She wrote no less than ten books going in one direction, only to change course rapidly and unexpectedly in book eleven, thus disappointing countless fans all over the world.
• She created one of the hottest, most intriguing male characters in urban fantasy (and in general, ahem), and then she turned him into a monster I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Oh my. No cookies for you, Charlaine.
• Every alpha male that ever showed up in the series was (and is) attracted to Sookie. While I may believe that she’s pretty and likable, I fail to see what makes her quite so special. The list is pretty long: Bill, Quinn, Alcide, Sam, Eric and many others, including her cousin and her great-uncle – barf. Also, once they fall in love with her, they never stop pining after her. Never. She ruins them for all other women.
• Harris’s overly simplistic writing didn’t bother me back when her books were actually entertaining, but now that her plots are getting weaker with each book, her writing weaknesses are also showing a lot more than before.
• She is prone to describing ridiculously meaningless details of her heroine’s everyday life. Case in point: Sookie spends exactly 10% of Deadlocked filling out IRS forms, and another 5% making sweet potato pie. I kid you not. At least now I have the recipe.
• Sam. It’s pretty clear by now that Sookie is going to end up with him. He is the guy who’d failed to notice that he was dating a homicidal maniac (she wasn’t as secretive as all that) until a completely random stranger warned him about it. In my opinion, Sam needs to grow a spine before he becomes a serious love interest, and I don’t see that happening.
• In one of her many interviews, Harris said that the bond between Sookie and Eric is her biggest regret. The way she chose to get rid of that bond was ridiculous at best.
• Faeries. I don’t think I need to elaborate. Everything went downhill when Sookie’s heritage was discovered. Her great-great-grandfather freaks her out, she describes him as both creepy and scary, she saw him no more than five times total, and yet she insists that she loves him. Because he’s beautiful. And a prince. Duh.
• Monkey sex and ice packs. Enough said.
This was my very first urban fantasy series. It’s what got me hooked to what later became my favorite genre in the world. That’s why watching it bleed to death right in front of me hurts like hell. It really should have ended with book 8. After that, it just went from bad to worse.
You are more than welcome to contribute to the list in comments. I’ll add some of your comments to the actual list, together with your name, if you want.
Dead Ever After? No, thank you! (Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I’ll read it.)
The Sookie Stackhouse series is dying a slow and painful death. Everybody knows it. Charlaine Harris knows it. She knew it even before she signed the deal for the last three books. What’s more, everyone who’s been following the series closely can pretty much tell when she stopped caring. What started off as entertaining and steaming hot (albeit poorly written), is now similar to a diseased and dehydrated animal, just waiting to be crushed by an oncoming car.
So now that we’re here, mourning, let’s make a list of Charlaine Harris’s sins, shall we?
• She wrote no less than ten books going in one direction, only to change course rapidly and unexpectedly in book eleven, thus disappointing countless fans all over the world.
• She created one of the hottest, most intriguing male characters in urban fantasy (and in general, ahem), and then she turned him into a monster I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Oh my. No cookies for you, Charlaine.
• Every alpha male that ever showed up in the series was (and is) attracted to Sookie. While I may believe that she’s pretty and likable, I fail to see what makes her quite so special. The list is pretty long: Bill, Quinn, Alcide, Sam, Eric and many others, including her cousin and her great-uncle – barf. Also, once they fall in love with her, they never stop pining after her. Never. She ruins them for all other women.
• Harris’s overly simplistic writing didn’t bother me back when her books were actually entertaining, but now that her plots are getting weaker with each book, her writing weaknesses are also showing a lot more than before.
• She is prone to describing ridiculously meaningless details of her heroine’s everyday life. Case in point: Sookie spends exactly 10% of Deadlocked filling out IRS forms, and another 5% making sweet potato pie. I kid you not. At least now I have the recipe.
• Sam. It’s pretty clear by now that Sookie is going to end up with him. He is the guy who’d failed to notice that he was dating a homicidal maniac (she wasn’t as secretive as all that) until a completely random stranger warned him about it. In my opinion, Sam needs to grow a spine before he becomes a serious love interest, and I don’t see that happening.
• In one of her many interviews, Harris said that the bond between Sookie and Eric is her biggest regret. The way she chose to get rid of that bond was ridiculous at best.
• Faeries. I don’t think I need to elaborate. Everything went downhill when Sookie’s heritage was discovered. Her great-great-grandfather freaks her out, she describes him as both creepy and scary, she saw him no more than five times total, and yet she insists that she loves him. Because he’s beautiful. And a prince. Duh.
• Monkey sex and ice packs. Enough said.
This was my very first urban fantasy series. It’s what got me hooked to what later became my favorite genre in the world. That’s why watching it bleed to death right in front of me hurts like hell. It really should have ended with book 8. After that, it just went from bad to worse.
You are more than welcome to contribute to the list in comments. I’ll add some of your comments to the actual list, together with your name, if you want.
Dead Ever After? No, thank you! (Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I’ll read it.)
July 3, 2021
(C) 62% | Unsatisfactory
Notes: The very blah internal monologue of a small-town blonde, and the story of her very negligible murder investigation.
Notes: The very blah internal monologue of a small-town blonde, and the story of her very negligible murder investigation.
May 7, 2013
This series is dying a slow, painful death. Please, put it out of its misery while it's still the humane thing to do.
April 10, 2013
There are some spoilers listed below. So word to the wise.
Well ladies my predictions about this book were dead-ass wrong.
I just finished the latest Sookie Stackhouse and it's another steaming pile of poo. Halfway through book 10 this series should've ended. But no, this is going to be like those cartoons, where the character slams on the breaks of its vehicle and the car is ground into the road so severely that car parts fly off until all that's left is the steering wheel still in the character's hand. Scratch that, that's way too exciting a description for this series. Think more dementia. Everything I liked about this series is gone. Romance - gone. Sex - gone. A somewhat polite, considerate female lead - gone. ( Ugh! Sookie has more bitchy comments in this novel than a sixteen year old on the rag. I can go listen to my kids for that. ) Eric - not gone - but largely absent. A coherent mystery - gone. There is no reason of any logical merit why the villains perpetrate their crimes. None. N.O.N.E.
However: Mundane, chapter swallowing, menusha - thick on the ground.
I read on the CH blog that she was shocked to see that Dead Reckoning was listed as one of the worst books last year. Seriously? What did she think was good about it? Zero story? Random strings of events that kind of came together but didn't resolve themselves? Lots of talk about child rape....? Oh wait, I know, it must have been the dissolving of the single relationship that has had the vast majority of her readers coming back for more. And on that score, Deadlock is the last nail in that coffin. Unless, you could vamperize a relationship, Eric and Sookie are over. Like, Over-Over.
But you know what they say: When the sex ends.....so its not like I didn't see it coming. Literally, in one scene Eric was like, Can I stay over and fuck the shit out of you? {I'm paraphrasing} And Sookie was like hell to the no. HELLO? WTF! Does CH think I slog through these for the descriptions of her grandmother's sweet potato casserole recipe? Hotdish for those of you in the upper Midwest...Honestly, I think CH is crushing these books because she's mad at the bloggers who've ripped her a new one over the past two years, one. And two, I think she felt forced to get Sookie and Eric together by public demand; so she destroyed the relationship in a big flipping bird to those pressures. Nobody tells Charlaine what to do! Nobody!
Ugh I'm not wasting any more time on this, until next year when I will feel compelled to read the last one.
Well ladies my predictions about this book were dead-ass wrong.
I just finished the latest Sookie Stackhouse and it's another steaming pile of poo. Halfway through book 10 this series should've ended. But no, this is going to be like those cartoons, where the character slams on the breaks of its vehicle and the car is ground into the road so severely that car parts fly off until all that's left is the steering wheel still in the character's hand. Scratch that, that's way too exciting a description for this series. Think more dementia. Everything I liked about this series is gone. Romance - gone. Sex - gone. A somewhat polite, considerate female lead - gone. ( Ugh! Sookie has more bitchy comments in this novel than a sixteen year old on the rag. I can go listen to my kids for that. ) Eric - not gone - but largely absent. A coherent mystery - gone. There is no reason of any logical merit why the villains perpetrate their crimes. None. N.O.N.E.
However: Mundane, chapter swallowing, menusha - thick on the ground.
I read on the CH blog that she was shocked to see that Dead Reckoning was listed as one of the worst books last year. Seriously? What did she think was good about it? Zero story? Random strings of events that kind of came together but didn't resolve themselves? Lots of talk about child rape....? Oh wait, I know, it must have been the dissolving of the single relationship that has had the vast majority of her readers coming back for more. And on that score, Deadlock is the last nail in that coffin. Unless, you could vamperize a relationship, Eric and Sookie are over. Like, Over-Over.
But you know what they say: When the sex ends.....so its not like I didn't see it coming. Literally, in one scene Eric was like, Can I stay over and fuck the shit out of you? {I'm paraphrasing} And Sookie was like hell to the no. HELLO? WTF! Does CH think I slog through these for the descriptions of her grandmother's sweet potato casserole recipe? Hotdish for those of you in the upper Midwest...Honestly, I think CH is crushing these books because she's mad at the bloggers who've ripped her a new one over the past two years, one. And two, I think she felt forced to get Sookie and Eric together by public demand; so she destroyed the relationship in a big flipping bird to those pressures. Nobody tells Charlaine what to do! Nobody!
Ugh I'm not wasting any more time on this, until next year when I will feel compelled to read the last one.
May 20, 2012
Wow, I didn't realize how down everyone was on this series til I came here! I am *eagerly* awaiting this book, and I don't see why everyone has a huge problem with the series. I think its great. I re-read them all within the last month or 2 because it had been so long, I had forgotten a lot of the details, and it just made me want to read more. Maybe I'm just in the (apparently) small minority of people who enjoy long series. I hate to say goodbye to characters I've come to know and love, and I, for one am hoping this is *not* the last book in the series. So there :P
Edit: Read it (in one night even,couldn't put it down!) and was quite happy with it, save for the end-i wanna know more! Obviously this book is building to Sookie and Sam ending up together. Thru the 1st half of the series, I hated that idea, but now I think that would probably be the best conclusion to the series. Or that could all be a giant misdirection, who knows? I definitely do not like the enormous wait between books!
Edit: Read it (in one night even,couldn't put it down!) and was quite happy with it, save for the end-i wanna know more! Obviously this book is building to Sookie and Sam ending up together. Thru the 1st half of the series, I hated that idea, but now I think that would probably be the best conclusion to the series. Or that could all be a giant misdirection, who knows? I definitely do not like the enormous wait between books!
December 28, 2017
Am I the only one that thinks that Sookie ends up marrying Sam and running the bar with him? I think that vampire politics are too much for her, as are were politics, (which excludes most of her lovers like Bill, Eric and Alcide). She loves working for Sam and all the men in her life seem to think there is more going on there than Sookie is aware of. I think harris will end the series with her and Sam getting married and running the bar while Eric marries his Queen, and Bill moons around the way he has for the last couple of books.
**************************************************
OKay, so Now i've read it and It was pretty freaking good. I was disappointed at the lack of a hot, sexy scene a la shower in book 4, but it was still action packed. It also reinforced my belief that Sookie ends up with Sam!
**************************************************
OKay, so Now i've read it and It was pretty freaking good. I was disappointed at the lack of a hot, sexy scene a la shower in book 4, but it was still action packed. It also reinforced my belief that Sookie ends up with Sam!
May 3, 2012
Short on Story, Harris' Newest Book Fails Again***
**Or, How Harris Let Alisha Down (who loved Sookie forever and ever)**
Rating details: I gave this three stars out of pity, then I got mad the more I thought about the crap I'd just read, so I changed it to one star.
I'm about to lay down the harsh on the newest installment in a series I adore and it isn't going to be pretty because quite frankly, I'm pissed. If you want to disagree with me, please do so. I have a lot to complain about and I didn't put it all down, so please, tell me HOW AWESOME this book is. Just try.
First, there wasn't much story. My head was NOT spinning with new info to absorb as some readers have expressed. Harris does not succeed in pulling her series out of a nose dive. It wasn't better than the last book. Those that maintain the opposite seem to have come by an advanced copy of the book. Perhaps you gave the book a few pity stars because you love Sook? Or maybe, you are like I was, HOPEFUL. Hopeful that the story would advance? Hopeful it would improve? I get you.
I'm sad that Harris is letting this series die, as Sookie has been much loved. I'm sick of her though. I'm sick of Harris too for all she complains about Sookie; in her 20+ years of writing she's never had a character that's been so popular.
**Warning--side rant about the TRUE BLOOD EXCUSE**
Too many times I've read the excuse that because It-Was-Made-Into-True-Blood-the-Work-Suffered. That line of BS does not follow, folks. Harris is the author of her books. Alan Ball is the creator of True Blood. Harris' book have lost their way. True Blood is HBO's biggest money maker since the Sopranos. If Harris was unable to continue quality story lines for the series, she didn't need to accept the contract. Instead, she accepted the contract, and punished her fans. That's right Charlaine, I'm feeling punished for having loved the previous books. It's quite cruel.
**Back to the book**
The plot did contain a mildly interesting mystery, but there wasn't much push to solve it. As a reader, I wasn't concerned the way I ought to be. For example, mysteries like Who is Plotting to Bomb The Pyramid of Giza Hotel?, Who Killed Maria Starr?, or Where the Hell is Bill? made me read on.
Too many glossed over days left me skimming for actual story. Harris falls back on her standby Sook went to the store, picked up her mail, cooked dinner, and washed her hair because there were no great revelations today BS. Listen, you can't do that. It's cheating. There's no story. I'll let you do it once, maybe twice, but by the fifth time, if it weren't on my Kindle, I would have chucked the book across the room.
Where's the beef? There was relatively zero Eric, and what was there became horribly flat. Bill has more moments, which are nice, but again, there's not much there either. What we are left with is head time with a character that needs a script for Zoloft. Being in Sookie's head isn't a pleasant place.
**Relationship Gripes**
If we are to buy that Sookie is in love with Eric, I'd expect more passion. Yell, fight, screw, but do something!
If she were in love with Sam, I'd expect more than vanilla. I don't buy any of it.
Rather than tell Eric where he could stick it, Sookie hung up on Eric or told him to go so many times I lost count--and what's worse is that in most cases, he'd only been present in the scene for a page give or take.
Even if you don't like Eric, Sookie runs from nearly all confrontation, which makes me dislike her, and made me ask, why? I have a few theories, but the most plausible is that Harris simply didn't want to write it. Gosh, that would take effort!
As an author, one doesn't need to destroy characters just to end a romance between them. Leave us with something, please, even if we end up hating Eric, at least we'll feel something for him, other than tired.
Absent from book 12
Sex
New and fresh descriptors
Physical attraction to anyone that is exciting
Fun, humor, anything interesting
Engrossing mystery
Present in excess
Angst
Avoidance
Cooking, picking up mail
Waitressing
Second tier characters doing boring town stuff
**WARNING: Bon Temps is a snooze, move to Monroe**
Harris spends too much time in Bon Temps with D characters. I don't care about Tara and JB. I don't care about Jason and Michelle, or Holly and Hoyt, or...you get the picture. Harris fails badly. They don't advance the plot.
WAIT, Alisha. Isn't there a point to all the babies and weddings? Yes, but there are better ways to let us know that Sookie wants a family without Tara and JB--who are the poster couple for surrender-to-any-nice-man-so-you-can-have-kids message that is becoming all too familiar in this series. Gag! What a pessimistic point of view on love and marriage! Should Sookie settle for less like Tara, who married JB because she wanted kids and he loved her? Dear God, NO! In many ways, this is the most demoralizing aspect of book 12.
Harris created a world of fantasy and romance, but is bull dozing it with a level of reality I find concerning. I miss Eric wearing leather, Sookie running from potential kidnappers and hiding in Bill's hidey hole--naked. I miss Sam turning into a lion. I miss Claudine showing up to a fight in pajamas. I miss the silliness and fun.
Listen, just get it over with. Send Sookie to Sam, send Eric away, leave Bill pining as he always has. I don't care anymore what happens to her and neither does Harris.
**Or, How Harris Let Alisha Down (who loved Sookie forever and ever)**
Rating details: I gave this three stars out of pity, then I got mad the more I thought about the crap I'd just read, so I changed it to one star.
I'm about to lay down the harsh on the newest installment in a series I adore and it isn't going to be pretty because quite frankly, I'm pissed. If you want to disagree with me, please do so. I have a lot to complain about and I didn't put it all down, so please, tell me HOW AWESOME this book is. Just try.
First, there wasn't much story. My head was NOT spinning with new info to absorb as some readers have expressed. Harris does not succeed in pulling her series out of a nose dive. It wasn't better than the last book. Those that maintain the opposite seem to have come by an advanced copy of the book. Perhaps you gave the book a few pity stars because you love Sook? Or maybe, you are like I was, HOPEFUL. Hopeful that the story would advance? Hopeful it would improve? I get you.
I'm sad that Harris is letting this series die, as Sookie has been much loved. I'm sick of her though. I'm sick of Harris too for all she complains about Sookie; in her 20+ years of writing she's never had a character that's been so popular.
**Warning--side rant about the TRUE BLOOD EXCUSE**
Too many times I've read the excuse that because It-Was-Made-Into-True-Blood-the-Work-Suffered. That line of BS does not follow, folks. Harris is the author of her books. Alan Ball is the creator of True Blood. Harris' book have lost their way. True Blood is HBO's biggest money maker since the Sopranos. If Harris was unable to continue quality story lines for the series, she didn't need to accept the contract. Instead, she accepted the contract, and punished her fans. That's right Charlaine, I'm feeling punished for having loved the previous books. It's quite cruel.
**Back to the book**
The plot did contain a mildly interesting mystery, but there wasn't much push to solve it. As a reader, I wasn't concerned the way I ought to be. For example, mysteries like Who is Plotting to Bomb The Pyramid of Giza Hotel?, Who Killed Maria Starr?, or Where the Hell is Bill? made me read on.
Too many glossed over days left me skimming for actual story. Harris falls back on her standby Sook went to the store, picked up her mail, cooked dinner, and washed her hair because there were no great revelations today BS. Listen, you can't do that. It's cheating. There's no story. I'll let you do it once, maybe twice, but by the fifth time, if it weren't on my Kindle, I would have chucked the book across the room.
Where's the beef? There was relatively zero Eric, and what was there became horribly flat. Bill has more moments, which are nice, but again, there's not much there either. What we are left with is head time with a character that needs a script for Zoloft. Being in Sookie's head isn't a pleasant place.
**Relationship Gripes**
If we are to buy that Sookie is in love with Eric, I'd expect more passion. Yell, fight, screw, but do something!
If she were in love with Sam, I'd expect more than vanilla. I don't buy any of it.
Rather than tell Eric where he could stick it, Sookie hung up on Eric or told him to go so many times I lost count--and what's worse is that in most cases, he'd only been present in the scene for a page give or take.
Even if you don't like Eric, Sookie runs from nearly all confrontation, which makes me dislike her, and made me ask, why? I have a few theories, but the most plausible is that Harris simply didn't want to write it. Gosh, that would take effort!
As an author, one doesn't need to destroy characters just to end a romance between them. Leave us with something, please, even if we end up hating Eric, at least we'll feel something for him, other than tired.
Absent from book 12
Sex
New and fresh descriptors
Physical attraction to anyone that is exciting
Fun, humor, anything interesting
Engrossing mystery
Present in excess
Angst
Avoidance
Cooking, picking up mail
Waitressing
Second tier characters doing boring town stuff
**WARNING: Bon Temps is a snooze, move to Monroe**
Harris spends too much time in Bon Temps with D characters. I don't care about Tara and JB. I don't care about Jason and Michelle, or Holly and Hoyt, or...you get the picture. Harris fails badly. They don't advance the plot.
WAIT, Alisha. Isn't there a point to all the babies and weddings? Yes, but there are better ways to let us know that Sookie wants a family without Tara and JB--who are the poster couple for surrender-to-any-nice-man-so-you-can-have-kids message that is becoming all too familiar in this series. Gag! What a pessimistic point of view on love and marriage! Should Sookie settle for less like Tara, who married JB because she wanted kids and he loved her? Dear God, NO! In many ways, this is the most demoralizing aspect of book 12.
Harris created a world of fantasy and romance, but is bull dozing it with a level of reality I find concerning. I miss Eric wearing leather, Sookie running from potential kidnappers and hiding in Bill's hidey hole--naked. I miss Sam turning into a lion. I miss Claudine showing up to a fight in pajamas. I miss the silliness and fun.
Listen, just get it over with. Send Sookie to Sam, send Eric away, leave Bill pining as he always has. I don't care anymore what happens to her and neither does Harris.
May 5, 2012
If you are dying to read a step-by-step description of Sookie's mundane daily activities, such as checking email, washing dishes, sorting the mail, showering, or changing clothes, then you will absolutely love this book.
If you enjoy reading about the dullest, one-dimensional, Dollar Store generic versions of characters you used to love (all while trying to slit your wrists with you favorite bookmark), then pick up a copy of Deadlocked!
However, if you expect more than 5 sentences out of Eric's mouth or long for some semblance of passion/excitement/intrigue from the early books, you will be disappointed. I didn't become interested in the book until the 70% mark. Up until then, I skipped paragraph after paragraph of poke-your-own-eyeballs-out dull narrative. I seriously do not give two shits about Sookie taking off her work uniform and changing into shorts and a tank top she got from her brother, and I doubt other readers will either. The resolution to this novel's "conflict" was predictable and didn't move the series forward, but it did increase the novel to a notch above unbearable.
Oh, and Ms. Harris....if you want me to believe that Sookie has glorious brown legs, perhaps you should stop stuffing her with Sonic chicken sandwiches, Taco bell quesadillas, Dairy Queen Oreo Blasts, and chocolate cake. You are turning Sookie into Snookie! The product placement for State Farm was a little obvious, too. Maybe one should focus on the series instead of churning out screenplays as books and expecting your loyal readers to play along?
If you enjoy reading about the dullest, one-dimensional, Dollar Store generic versions of characters you used to love (all while trying to slit your wrists with you favorite bookmark), then pick up a copy of Deadlocked!
However, if you expect more than 5 sentences out of Eric's mouth or long for some semblance of passion/excitement/intrigue from the early books, you will be disappointed. I didn't become interested in the book until the 70% mark. Up until then, I skipped paragraph after paragraph of poke-your-own-eyeballs-out dull narrative. I seriously do not give two shits about Sookie taking off her work uniform and changing into shorts and a tank top she got from her brother, and I doubt other readers will either. The resolution to this novel's "conflict" was predictable and didn't move the series forward, but it did increase the novel to a notch above unbearable.
Oh, and Ms. Harris....if you want me to believe that Sookie has glorious brown legs, perhaps you should stop stuffing her with Sonic chicken sandwiches, Taco bell quesadillas, Dairy Queen Oreo Blasts, and chocolate cake. You are turning Sookie into Snookie! The product placement for State Farm was a little obvious, too. Maybe one should focus on the series instead of churning out screenplays as books and expecting your loyal readers to play along?
May 8, 2012
Edited to add: I spent some time today (completely wasted and lost time I should add), skimming the bulk of Deadlocked and reading the last few chapters. This does not change my rating or my opinion of the book. I am relieved, however, that Harris is closing down the series and pointing Sookie toward a mate. But the method by which she is doing this stinks.
***
I stopped at 26%. Nothing was happening and it is incredibly boring. These is a lot of recap, recap and recap. By now we have all read the other books! We know about the war with fairy, we know about Jason's past marraige, we know, we know, we know. In Deadlocked, there are characters who have never been important to the books and the storyline that are suddenly front and center. Harris seems to have forgotten what made these books special. She wrote interesting characters (initially) that acted according to their characters' personalities and were involved in interesting intrigue and mysteries. Oh and there was scary monsters too. Well that is not in this book.
Does Harris just wake up and decide that plot lines she wrote in to her past several books were a bad idea? I really get frustrated with how Harris has something big and game changing happen in one book and then suddenly she changes it back to how it was before the game changer in a later book. Why the heck the struggle then and the war in the previous books if with one knock on the door in a subsequent book it is all erased?!! This is not the first plot line she has changed with the flick of her pen (i.e. the blood bond) and she has done this to characters. If she wants to end the possibility of a relationship, then Harris has that power. She can write in circumstances and still keep the characters in tact. But Harris never does that. She has spent the past few books destroying both Alcide's and Eric's characters. Alcide's actions in the last book (along with Amelia's) were so ridiculously out of character. In the past few books, Eric was not even a caricature of the vampire she had previously written. Well it continues with Deadlocked. I never thought Eric would be boring! I never thought (outside of the book about the witchs' spell) that he could be so dumb. I never imagined a strip club scene could be so boring. Sorry I just can't do it. And I am sad about it, sad that I invested so much money and time in to this series and author (often buying both the ebook and then the audio book). Sometimes the story arc is done and it has to be ended. This can be done without disappointing readers and gutting the soul out of the books. Really it can.
So I may return to this book in a day or two to skim, I am just too disappointed right now to continue.
If you would like to read a more thought out and more in detail review that isn't just a rant, please check out BadAssBookReviews.
***
I stopped at 26%. Nothing was happening and it is incredibly boring. These is a lot of recap, recap and recap. By now we have all read the other books! We know about the war with fairy, we know about Jason's past marraige, we know, we know, we know. In Deadlocked, there are characters who have never been important to the books and the storyline that are suddenly front and center. Harris seems to have forgotten what made these books special. She wrote interesting characters (initially) that acted according to their characters' personalities and were involved in interesting intrigue and mysteries. Oh and there was scary monsters too. Well that is not in this book.
Does Harris just wake up and decide that plot lines she wrote in to her past several books were a bad idea? I really get frustrated with how Harris has something big and game changing happen in one book and then suddenly she changes it back to how it was before the game changer in a later book. Why the heck the struggle then and the war in the previous books if with one knock on the door in a subsequent book it is all erased?!! This is not the first plot line she has changed with the flick of her pen (i.e. the blood bond) and she has done this to characters. If she wants to end the possibility of a relationship, then Harris has that power. She can write in circumstances and still keep the characters in tact. But Harris never does that. She has spent the past few books destroying both Alcide's and Eric's characters. Alcide's actions in the last book (along with Amelia's) were so ridiculously out of character. In the past few books, Eric was not even a caricature of the vampire she had previously written. Well it continues with Deadlocked. I never thought Eric would be boring! I never thought (outside of the book about the witchs' spell) that he could be so dumb. I never imagined a strip club scene could be so boring. Sorry I just can't do it. And I am sad about it, sad that I invested so much money and time in to this series and author (often buying both the ebook and then the audio book). Sometimes the story arc is done and it has to be ended. This can be done without disappointing readers and gutting the soul out of the books. Really it can.
So I may return to this book in a day or two to skim, I am just too disappointed right now to continue.
If you would like to read a more thought out and more in detail review that isn't just a rant, please check out BadAssBookReviews.
January 18, 2018
This was already the 12th book!!!
AND
The love carrousel is still spinning! WTH?!?! O_o
Who shall it be, Miss Stackhouse?!
Eric
Bill
Alcide
Calvin
Quinn
Sam
Did I miss anyone?!
Let’s pick up the last book.
Maybe that will finally bring me some clarity. *lol*
AND
The love carrousel is still spinning! WTH?!?! O_o
Who shall it be, Miss Stackhouse?!
Eric
Bill
Alcide
Calvin
Quinn
Sam
Did I miss anyone?!
Let’s pick up the last book.
Maybe that will finally bring me some clarity. *lol*
June 8, 2012
Another Harris-penned, Sookie-themed literary abortion.
Nah, it's not that bad.
It would have to be a lot better to be that bad.
I can't see anyone new to the Sookie-verse starting with this one, so my assumption is that everyone interested in reading it is familiar with the series, used to love it, and (like me) is only reading further because we've committed so much already. I'm probably not the first to tell you, there's a further downward spiral.
Truth is, it's boring. Dull. A waste of words. And it is a far cry from the delicious, girly, smutty, paper pillow-fight we all loved in books 1-7 (maybe 1-9). The action is absent, the characters are hollow and the sex... WHAT SEX?! Hell, Twilight had more romance than this!
The first 60% of this book follows Sookie's day-to-day obligations - checking her mail, making dinner, working at the bar... literally nothing happens. Conversations with the denizens of Bon Temps prompt Sook to run thru events past like a TV clip show: "Remember that time when something exciting happened involving that supernatural creature..." This is apparently in lieu of having any NEW adventures in THIS book.
The last 40% is actual plot. Kind of. It's not so much that stuff happens, as much as it sets the stage to happen in the NEXT (and final) book. Which of course we all will read. Sigh...
I was so disillusioned by the end of this yawn-fest I didn't even care enough to review it when I finished it a month ago. I felt nothing! Even books I hate make me feel something. I was just glad this was over.
Fine. Whatever. Just end it already.
Nah, it's not that bad.
It would have to be a lot better to be that bad.
I can't see anyone new to the Sookie-verse starting with this one, so my assumption is that everyone interested in reading it is familiar with the series, used to love it, and (like me) is only reading further because we've committed so much already. I'm probably not the first to tell you, there's a further downward spiral.
Truth is, it's boring. Dull. A waste of words. And it is a far cry from the delicious, girly, smutty, paper pillow-fight we all loved in books 1-7 (maybe 1-9). The action is absent, the characters are hollow and the sex... WHAT SEX?! Hell, Twilight had more romance than this!
The first 60% of this book follows Sookie's day-to-day obligations - checking her mail, making dinner, working at the bar... literally nothing happens. Conversations with the denizens of Bon Temps prompt Sook to run thru events past like a TV clip show: "Remember that time when something exciting happened involving that supernatural creature..." This is apparently in lieu of having any NEW adventures in THIS book.
The last 40% is actual plot. Kind of. It's not so much that stuff happens, as much as it sets the stage to happen in the NEXT (and final) book. Which of course we all will read. Sigh...
I was so disillusioned by the end of this yawn-fest I didn't even care enough to review it when I finished it a month ago. I felt nothing! Even books I hate make me feel something. I was just glad this was over.
Fine. Whatever. Just end it already.
Want to read
March 24, 2012I must tread carefully because this series is becoming as thin as the ice on a newly frozen lake. I loved and devoured the first 9 books of the series, but since then I have been slightly more disappointed with each new book. The series is reading like each book is an episode rather than a book that stands alone. That is one of the things I liked about the early volumes of the series; they contributed to a larger overall story but they were able to stand alone. The Sookie I once knew and loved seems like a fond memory now. Current Sookie seems content to complain constantly, lord over everyone else's life, and stir up shit for Eric. I wish all this nonsense with Eric can just be cleared up already.
As much as I love the series the larger story does not seem to be leading anywhere. It seems like there is always another person gunning for Sookie for no particular reason other than her involvement in supernatural affairs and her elusive mind reading (which she hardly does anymore anyway). If Eric just turned her Harris couldn't sell me any more books though. I just want to know what all of this is leading up to instead of it being just another chapter in the life of Sookie Stackhouse. The series needs to be headed somewhere and I think that is what has disappeared in the past few novels. I guess I figured Sookie would KNOW by now if she wanted to be turned or not. If not, cut your losses and move on. If so, great! Lets get on with it already! I'm rambling.
I know I will read this book but if it is more like the past 2 novels and to a lesser extent the past 3rd one, than the first in the series I will not be reading any more. Come on Harris, I KNOW you have it in you to write something amazing! Just stop staring at all those digits in your bank account and get back to what really matters. Put your heart back into it and I know the book will be genius! (I should say that since the book is already finished and just waiting to be published it's sort of a moot point at this stage of the game, a girl can dream that her prayers will be answered.)
As much as I love the series the larger story does not seem to be leading anywhere. It seems like there is always another person gunning for Sookie for no particular reason other than her involvement in supernatural affairs and her elusive mind reading (which she hardly does anymore anyway). If Eric just turned her Harris couldn't sell me any more books though. I just want to know what all of this is leading up to instead of it being just another chapter in the life of Sookie Stackhouse. The series needs to be headed somewhere and I think that is what has disappeared in the past few novels. I guess I figured Sookie would KNOW by now if she wanted to be turned or not. If not, cut your losses and move on. If so, great! Lets get on with it already! I'm rambling.
I know I will read this book but if it is more like the past 2 novels and to a lesser extent the past 3rd one, than the first in the series I will not be reading any more. Come on Harris, I KNOW you have it in you to write something amazing! Just stop staring at all those digits in your bank account and get back to what really matters. Put your heart back into it and I know the book will be genius! (I should say that since the book is already finished and just waiting to be published it's sort of a moot point at this stage of the game, a girl can dream that her prayers will be answered.)
March 20, 2021
It took a little while to get too, but the twists, turns, and surprises were the best they've been in several books. I can tell she is starting to tie up all loose ends in preparation for the end of the series.
May 3, 2012
A satisfying edition to a beloved series! Lots of resolution and a set up to a conclusion in 2013! Full review up on http://paperbackdolls.com/?p=10788
Try as I may, it is almost impossible for me to review this book without mentioning some details from previous books in the series and after 12 installments, can you blame me? So, just in case you haven’t read the earlier Sookie adventures, consider this a warning of possible spoilers and some teasers.
In many ways DEADLOCKED showcases the true strengths in Charlaine Harris’ writing. Despite all the suitor wars (Bill Lovers, Eric Lovers, Sam Lovers etc…) at it’s core the Sookie Stackhouse books were quirky mysteries where some of the characters just happened to be supernatural. Somewhere along the way, whether it was the readers who got caught up in the supe craze or the authors intent, those paranormal elements began to out shine the mystery that is (and always has been) the foundation to each book.
I admit, this is a tough book for Sookie and Eric. So many things seem stacked against this favorite couple. No character is perfect in this series and I think that is what allows readers to relate to the characters making these books strike a chord with so many different people. Even with all the turmoil, Sookie repeatedly says over and over that she is in love with Eric and loves him . . .
There is so much that goes down in this book. Charlaine Harris seems to be tying up all those loose ends. So often when author’s of long running series attempt to conclude their story certain things can feel rushed and unnecessary but this is not the case with DEADLOCKED. Readers will be delighted to see
Even Sookie feels like she is in a better place than she has been in the last few books. She goes out with friends, visits people, tans and daydreams like Sookie of old but that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of tough times and sad moments, just that the character’s growth is evident.
The writing in DEADLOCKED was improved and at times even poetically beautiful. As in these passages:
Not only was there real emotion conveyed in the text, but at times it felt as if Harris was really enjoying her characters, even poking fun at some of the tired behaviorism’s of various characters in a “Laugh out loud” scene between Eric, Pam, Bill and Sookie something that I haven’t really seen since the earlier books.
With everything that is answered in DEADLOCKED there are lots of surprises and revelations that leave so many possibilities that will keep fans guessing all the way to May, 2013.
Try as I may, it is almost impossible for me to review this book without mentioning some details from previous books in the series and after 12 installments, can you blame me? So, just in case you haven’t read the earlier Sookie adventures, consider this a warning of possible spoilers and some teasers.
In many ways DEADLOCKED showcases the true strengths in Charlaine Harris’ writing. Despite all the suitor wars (Bill Lovers, Eric Lovers, Sam Lovers etc…) at it’s core the Sookie Stackhouse books were quirky mysteries where some of the characters just happened to be supernatural. Somewhere along the way, whether it was the readers who got caught up in the supe craze or the authors intent, those paranormal elements began to out shine the mystery that is (and always has been) the foundation to each book.
I admit, this is a tough book for Sookie and Eric. So many things seem stacked against this favorite couple. No character is perfect in this series and I think that is what allows readers to relate to the characters making these books strike a chord with so many different people. Even with all the turmoil, Sookie repeatedly says over and over that she is in love with Eric and loves him . . .
There is so much that goes down in this book. Charlaine Harris seems to be tying up all those loose ends. So often when author’s of long running series attempt to conclude their story certain things can feel rushed and unnecessary but this is not the case with DEADLOCKED. Readers will be delighted to see
Even Sookie feels like she is in a better place than she has been in the last few books. She goes out with friends, visits people, tans and daydreams like Sookie of old but that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of tough times and sad moments, just that the character’s growth is evident.
The writing in DEADLOCKED was improved and at times even poetically beautiful. As in these passages:
...I inhaled his scent. It was a little sad to remember how attractive I'd found him when I first met him, how I'd allowed myself to daydream that this handsome and hardworking man might be my soul mate [...] Our eyes met. I wanted to say something to him, something sincere and meaningful, but under the circumstances I really couldn't imagine what to say. And the moment slid by. Chapter 7
I woke up to a summer day that mocked me by being beautiful. The downpour had washed everything, cooled the air, and renewed the green of the grass and the trees. The delicate pink of the old crepe myrtle was unfurling. The cannas would soon be open. (Chapter 9)
Loved ones, friends, acquaintances had been mown down by the Grim Reaper. So I was no stranger to loss and to change, and these experiences had taught me something. (Chapter 9)
Not only was there real emotion conveyed in the text, but at times it felt as if Harris was really enjoying her characters, even poking fun at some of the tired behaviorism’s of various characters in a “Laugh out loud” scene between Eric, Pam, Bill and Sookie something that I haven’t really seen since the earlier books.
"We came by to wish you a happy day [...]And I suppose as usual, Bill will want to express his undying love that surpasses my love, as he'll tell you-and Pam will want to say something sarcastic and nearly painful, while reminding you that she loves you too." Chapter 14All these things combined to make reading this book a real treat and left me nostalgic for earlier books, wishing I could re-read them all again from a first time perspective.
With everything that is answered in DEADLOCKED there are lots of surprises and revelations that leave so many possibilities that will keep fans guessing all the way to May, 2013.
Read
December 11, 2012Raise your hand of you're dreading this book but know you put too much time in to not read it
August 16, 2017
Everyone knows that Charlaine Harris books are not serious works of fiction, I don't expect them to blow me away with their awesomeness. That is not why I read them. Up until this book I have considered this series to be a guilty pleasure of mine because despite the consistent ridiculous nature of these stories they were still fun and entertaining and I love them for no realistic reason.
I was not a huge fan of book 11 either but it wasn't as downright awful as this installment (which is quite surprising, believe me.) If I hadn't become such a dedicated reader over the years I wouldn't have been able to make it past the first 10% of this one.
The problem with these books is that they seem to be produced so rapidly that absolutely zero thought seems to be put into their creation. In Deadlocked there is no new story, it seems like the same old shit just keeps happening again and again and too many details are put into the daily life of Sookie. Honestly? I couldn't give a shit less if she shaved her legs or not. And the writing? Charlaine Harris, as stated above, does not write serious fiction - HOWEVER, she's taken it to all new lows. Let me share with you a few lines that really had me wanting to rip my hair out:
'Even I, who had already seen the whole package and knew how disagreeable Claude could be - even if I was feeling a little jolt of excitement down where I shouldn't.'
(Claude. Her COUSIN. Barf.)
"You haven't got the right to question me," Niall said, in his most royal voice. "I am the only living prince of Faery."
"I don't know why that means I can't ask you questions. I'm an American," I said, standing tall.
(Sookie? I hate you. You're an idiot.)
"I'm sorry I've upset you," he said, even more miserably.
I felt guilty again.
(She felt guilty. Because she finally decided to tell her great-uncle that she would no longer sleep in the same bed as him. Even though they don't have sex, well, it's just become too weird and they should stop. Have I mentioned Sookie is an idiot?)
'I stayed gossiping at the bar for a few minutes, and on the way home I filled up the car with gas. I got a chicken sandwich from the Sonic and drove home slowly.'
(Really? We really needed to know you went to Sonic? Really don't care for the extra detail. In fact, it's more annoying than informative.)
"Horst, don't mistake Miss Stackhouse's cheerful looks for any mental deficiency."
(Why not? I do.)
Then there was the time when she referred to her great-uncle as 'Sexy Farmer' and another time when she had a conversation with her toes... and it pretty much stayed consistently horrible throughout the remaining pages.
What happened to this series?! Sookie is barely tolerable and she used to be a fun and interesting character. I loved when she finally got together with Eric because I loved Eric and the two of them together was so exciting. I think that died a long time ago though (or at least when the ice pack was introduced in the last book). Their relationship has grown dull and I'm sick of it all. Deadlocked was seriously disappointing.
I know that book 13 is supposed to be the final nail in the coffin of this series but I can't even bring myself to get even mildly excited for it. So when you see that shit on my Currently Reading list be sure and point and laugh at me. I'll deserve it.
I was not a huge fan of book 11 either but it wasn't as downright awful as this installment (which is quite surprising, believe me.) If I hadn't become such a dedicated reader over the years I wouldn't have been able to make it past the first 10% of this one.
The problem with these books is that they seem to be produced so rapidly that absolutely zero thought seems to be put into their creation. In Deadlocked there is no new story, it seems like the same old shit just keeps happening again and again and too many details are put into the daily life of Sookie. Honestly? I couldn't give a shit less if she shaved her legs or not. And the writing? Charlaine Harris, as stated above, does not write serious fiction - HOWEVER, she's taken it to all new lows. Let me share with you a few lines that really had me wanting to rip my hair out:
'Even I, who had already seen the whole package and knew how disagreeable Claude could be - even if I was feeling a little jolt of excitement down where I shouldn't.'
(Claude. Her COUSIN. Barf.)
"You haven't got the right to question me," Niall said, in his most royal voice. "I am the only living prince of Faery."
"I don't know why that means I can't ask you questions. I'm an American," I said, standing tall.
(Sookie? I hate you. You're an idiot.)
"I'm sorry I've upset you," he said, even more miserably.
I felt guilty again.
(She felt guilty. Because she finally decided to tell her great-uncle that she would no longer sleep in the same bed as him. Even though they don't have sex, well, it's just become too weird and they should stop. Have I mentioned Sookie is an idiot?)
'I stayed gossiping at the bar for a few minutes, and on the way home I filled up the car with gas. I got a chicken sandwich from the Sonic and drove home slowly.'
(Really? We really needed to know you went to Sonic? Really don't care for the extra detail. In fact, it's more annoying than informative.)
"Horst, don't mistake Miss Stackhouse's cheerful looks for any mental deficiency."
(Why not? I do.)
Then there was the time when she referred to her great-uncle as 'Sexy Farmer' and another time when she had a conversation with her toes... and it pretty much stayed consistently horrible throughout the remaining pages.
What happened to this series?! Sookie is barely tolerable and she used to be a fun and interesting character. I loved when she finally got together with Eric because I loved Eric and the two of them together was so exciting. I think that died a long time ago though (or at least when the ice pack was introduced in the last book). Their relationship has grown dull and I'm sick of it all. Deadlocked was seriously disappointing.
I know that book 13 is supposed to be the final nail in the coffin of this series but I can't even bring myself to get even mildly excited for it. So when you see that shit on my Currently Reading list be sure and point and laugh at me. I'll deserve it.
November 30, 2015
Yet another curiously addictive Sookie story! Such a shame there is only 1 book to go!
There was no shortage of deaths in this book, and we got some answers as to what was going on with the faeries too. I have to say I was pleased to see the back of but on the romance front it seems that
7 out of 10
May 16, 2012
Hope it's more than 352 pages.
May 12, 2013
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a 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 out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.
My Review: Entry #12 in the seemingly eternal Sookie Stackhouse novel series. Why bother reviewing entry #12, you ask, with perfect justice, when after 12 books you're either on the bus or not interested in going where the bus is going.
Recently I reviewed book 13 in the Meg Langslow mystery series, to say auf wiedersehen to that giggle-loaded fun fest of a series. That book left me feeling that Donna Andrews was decorating the narrative with little bits and bobs from the past entries, and had in fact lost interest in doing anything new with it.
Charlaine Harris hasn't lost interest in Sookie, at least not visibly. Sookie and Eric and Bill and Pam and Sam...everyone's here and accounted for, and each one still has stuff to do that makes the book move forward. Likewise Sookie's fairy family. Sookie's life changes, not to say that Langslow's doesn't, but Sookie's life-changes come out of a story being told that has its arc. I didn't feel that in the other case.
And this isn't to say that I've loved every Sookie book. No indeed! A few have been middle books, in that they gave the whole arc a push forward but in and of themselves weren't that satisfying. But it's crucial to note that, each and every time I've read a Sookie book, I've felt Harris's authorial presence making something happen. And after 12 books, she's still in it, still working out the ideas and making them happen in prose that's got a voice, that's made an effort to please my aesthetic sense and still make me laugh. Harris is still out to seduce me.
It worked.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a 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 out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.
My Review: Entry #12 in the seemingly eternal Sookie Stackhouse novel series. Why bother reviewing entry #12, you ask, with perfect justice, when after 12 books you're either on the bus or not interested in going where the bus is going.
Recently I reviewed book 13 in the Meg Langslow mystery series, to say auf wiedersehen to that giggle-loaded fun fest of a series. That book left me feeling that Donna Andrews was decorating the narrative with little bits and bobs from the past entries, and had in fact lost interest in doing anything new with it.
Charlaine Harris hasn't lost interest in Sookie, at least not visibly. Sookie and Eric and Bill and Pam and Sam...everyone's here and accounted for, and each one still has stuff to do that makes the book move forward. Likewise Sookie's fairy family. Sookie's life changes, not to say that Langslow's doesn't, but Sookie's life-changes come out of a story being told that has its arc. I didn't feel that in the other case.
And this isn't to say that I've loved every Sookie book. No indeed! A few have been middle books, in that they gave the whole arc a push forward but in and of themselves weren't that satisfying. But it's crucial to note that, each and every time I've read a Sookie book, I've felt Harris's authorial presence making something happen. And after 12 books, she's still in it, still working out the ideas and making them happen in prose that's got a voice, that's made an effort to please my aesthetic sense and still make me laugh. Harris is still out to seduce me.
It worked.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
May 6, 2012
While reading Deadlocked, the latest novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series, I was reminded of a quote by Stephen King from On Writing:
"If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind — they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative cutting edge starts to rust and I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace. Worst of all, the excitement of spinning something new begins to fade. The work starts to feel like work, and for most writers that is the smooch of death."
This is what I imagine happened to Charlaine Harris while writing the last few books in this series. The characters have become stale, and the pacing and plot are all over the place. I don't get the sense that Harris got any enjoyment out of writing Deadlocked and I certainly didn't get much enjoyment out of reading it. The plot was almost nonexistent. I honestly don't think that Harris had enough story to fill three additional book when she signed that final book deal. As a result, this book is packed with a lot of boring filler about mundane tasks like filling out IRS tax forms and checking email. Harris also spends an entire paragraph talking about the installation of employee lockers at Merlotte's, I kid you not. The fairy storyline continues to bore me. The only positive thing I can say about the plot is that it looks like the fairies may be gone for good this time so I won't have to read about them too much in the next book, although I won't be surprised if they make an appearance.
The characters also feel like flat cardboard cutouts, completely unrecognizable from how they were at the beginning of the series. Sookie spends an extraordinary amount of time being angry and pitying herself. Harris continues to trash Eric's character in order to justify Sookie ending up with someone else . Even Bill, who I never liked, seems to have lost what little spark he had. He spends all of his time pining over Sookie and creepily showing up at her house randomly. Alcide continues to be unlikable, and pretty much every female character who catches the attention of one of Sookie's many love interests (both current and former) turns out to be evil in some way.
It's sad to see what has become of this once entertaining series. I will be reading the next installment but only because it's the last in the series and I hate to leave things unfinished when I'm this close to the end.
"If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind — they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative cutting edge starts to rust and I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace. Worst of all, the excitement of spinning something new begins to fade. The work starts to feel like work, and for most writers that is the smooch of death."
This is what I imagine happened to Charlaine Harris while writing the last few books in this series. The characters have become stale, and the pacing and plot are all over the place. I don't get the sense that Harris got any enjoyment out of writing Deadlocked and I certainly didn't get much enjoyment out of reading it. The plot was almost nonexistent. I honestly don't think that Harris had enough story to fill three additional book when she signed that final book deal. As a result, this book is packed with a lot of boring filler about mundane tasks like filling out IRS tax forms and checking email. Harris also spends an entire paragraph talking about the installation of employee lockers at Merlotte's, I kid you not. The fairy storyline continues to bore me. The only positive thing I can say about the plot is that it looks like the fairies may be gone for good this time so I won't have to read about them too much in the next book, although I won't be surprised if they make an appearance.
The characters also feel like flat cardboard cutouts, completely unrecognizable from how they were at the beginning of the series. Sookie spends an extraordinary amount of time being angry and pitying herself. Harris continues to trash Eric's character in order to justify Sookie ending up with someone else . Even Bill, who I never liked, seems to have lost what little spark he had. He spends all of his time pining over Sookie and creepily showing up at her house randomly. Alcide continues to be unlikable, and pretty much every female character who catches the attention of one of Sookie's many love interests (both current and former) turns out to be evil in some way.
It's sad to see what has become of this once entertaining series. I will be reading the next installment but only because it's the last in the series and I hate to leave things unfinished when I'm this close to the end.
July 8, 2012
A truly torturous reading experience.
I can't believe that there was a time in the past that I actually used to enjoy this series. The books have gone from fairly entertaining to just plain atrocious.
The plot was dull and predictable and it also reminded me of plots from the previous books. The writing was absolutely horrendous - I thought the writing in most YA books was bad but this is on a whole other level. I would have probably been able to overlook the writing if it had something else going for it like I don't know, the plot, the heroine, the characters or even the romance. Alas, there was NOTHING good about it AT ALL. I'm just glad I lent it of a friend instead of actually wasting my own money on it.
Sookie is one of the worst heroines EVER. Just a few of the things Sookie says and does that make her such an insufferable bitchdog:
-Sookie goes on and on about how sexy her cousin is, how fit her uncle is and how beautiful her great grandfather is. She sounded like she was on heat or something. The way Sookie compares how her great grandfather holds her and how Eric does is beyond disturbing - why would anyone even think to compare the two?! She was disgusting.
-I was sick of hearing about Sookie's good hosting skills and how she was bought up to be polite - ugh just piss off Sookie. Her obsession with good manners and making sure things were presentable was just ridiculous. What was the point of it?! It made Sookie sound like an old woman instead of a 20 something year old. There's paragraph after paragraph of Sookie describing all the mundane things she does - like getting ready for work, cooking, cleaning and all the boring little jobs she did at work - how does that pass for entertainment?! Where's the actual effing plot?!
-Sookie is so up herself, she's constantly judging and looking down at other women. Any woman that gets involved with the men in her life are either lacking in some way or are psycho bitches - no one is good enough for her men. She blames women for every thing bad that happens, heaven forbid one of her boys actually be responsible for their own actions. When Sookie sees Eric all over another girl she excuses Eric's behaviour and puts all the blame on the girl. Sookie cares far more about the men in her life and all the feelings they have than she does about any of her female friends. Sexist bitch.
-Sookie thinks every guy should be at her beck and call. She gets pissed when she thinks Sam's happy in his relationship when her relationship with Eric's on the rocks. What a complete cow - what kind of person would want a friend to be unhappy just because they were?!
-Sookie is vile, her blase attitude when it comes to people that have upset her in anyway die is repugnant. She just doesn't care, she actually thinks they deserve it. Yet, if Eric or one of her other lover boys hurts anyone, she's not bothered but if someone dares to hurt her boys or her, she's all about punishing them - the hypocrite.
I've never really liked Sookie all that much, but at least before I could enjoy other characters like Eric, Pam, Quinn and Alcide. Unfortunately Eric's gone from a powerful, enigmatic and dangerous love interest into a weak, needy, boring emo that gets pushed around by Sookie. Yet, even at his worst, I still can't understand what he sees in bitchdog Sookie. I got tired of Eric constantly referring to Sookie as his lover - it wasn't romantic it was just cringey. Pam was a shadow of her former self - what happened to her humour, charm and attitude?! All of the characters were just absolute rubbish.
I believe there's only one book left, I've put up with the series for this long so I might just read the next one for completion's sake. I definitely won't be buying it though - I'll just have to borrow it of a friend.
I can't believe that there was a time in the past that I actually used to enjoy this series. The books have gone from fairly entertaining to just plain atrocious.
The plot was dull and predictable and it also reminded me of plots from the previous books. The writing was absolutely horrendous - I thought the writing in most YA books was bad but this is on a whole other level. I would have probably been able to overlook the writing if it had something else going for it like I don't know, the plot, the heroine, the characters or even the romance. Alas, there was NOTHING good about it AT ALL. I'm just glad I lent it of a friend instead of actually wasting my own money on it.
Sookie is one of the worst heroines EVER. Just a few of the things Sookie says and does that make her such an insufferable bitchdog:
-Sookie goes on and on about how sexy her cousin is, how fit her uncle is and how beautiful her great grandfather is. She sounded like she was on heat or something. The way Sookie compares how her great grandfather holds her and how Eric does is beyond disturbing - why would anyone even think to compare the two?! She was disgusting.
-I was sick of hearing about Sookie's good hosting skills and how she was bought up to be polite - ugh just piss off Sookie. Her obsession with good manners and making sure things were presentable was just ridiculous. What was the point of it?! It made Sookie sound like an old woman instead of a 20 something year old. There's paragraph after paragraph of Sookie describing all the mundane things she does - like getting ready for work, cooking, cleaning and all the boring little jobs she did at work - how does that pass for entertainment?! Where's the actual effing plot?!
-Sookie is so up herself, she's constantly judging and looking down at other women. Any woman that gets involved with the men in her life are either lacking in some way or are psycho bitches - no one is good enough for her men. She blames women for every thing bad that happens, heaven forbid one of her boys actually be responsible for their own actions. When Sookie sees Eric all over another girl she excuses Eric's behaviour and puts all the blame on the girl. Sookie cares far more about the men in her life and all the feelings they have than she does about any of her female friends. Sexist bitch.
-Sookie thinks every guy should be at her beck and call. She gets pissed when she thinks Sam's happy in his relationship when her relationship with Eric's on the rocks. What a complete cow - what kind of person would want a friend to be unhappy just because they were?!
-Sookie is vile, her blase attitude when it comes to people that have upset her in anyway die is repugnant. She just doesn't care, she actually thinks they deserve it. Yet, if Eric or one of her other lover boys hurts anyone, she's not bothered but if someone dares to hurt her boys or her, she's all about punishing them - the hypocrite.
I've never really liked Sookie all that much, but at least before I could enjoy other characters like Eric, Pam, Quinn and Alcide. Unfortunately Eric's gone from a powerful, enigmatic and dangerous love interest into a weak, needy, boring emo that gets pushed around by Sookie. Yet, even at his worst, I still can't understand what he sees in bitchdog Sookie. I got tired of Eric constantly referring to Sookie as his lover - it wasn't romantic it was just cringey. Pam was a shadow of her former self - what happened to her humour, charm and attitude?! All of the characters were just absolute rubbish.
I believe there's only one book left, I've put up with the series for this long so I might just read the next one for completion's sake. I definitely won't be buying it though - I'll just have to borrow it of a friend.
May 7, 2023
Deadlocked: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel by Charlaine Harris
Sookie has finally grown up, and while it may only have been about 2 years for her, in real life, it has been many years. We may not like the direction that Sookie has taken; we have seen her do some ugly things, her morals and ethics compromised, but we can finally see that she has taken off her rose-tinted glasses and come to terms with and taken responsibility for, some of the ugliness in her world.
In this book, we see her come to terms with toxic relationships (both male and female), and while it may hurt us AND her to get rid of some of them, in the long run, I’m hoping that the best man will win.
Eric, Bill, and Sookie have to do something about the king who is visiting; Felipe de Castro and his entourage are trying to make trouble for Eric (it’s always Eric isn’t it?), but there is someone else in the picture causing much more problems for Eric and
Sookie. Actually, there are many people looking to not only break these two up but to kill Sookie.
We will also see an end to the Fae in Sookie's life and ‘our’ world, which was a bigger surprise than I expected.
We will see Sookie make a sort of unconscious decision on which man is most important in her life. And this will lead to somewhat of a cliffhanger.
I don’t feel that this book was slapped together or a cut-and-paste effort. I think it is a difficult book to digest because it pulls all the threads of Sookie's life together in anticipation of the last book. With so many plot lines to close and so many aspects of her life that have been left dangling and almost unexplained, I felt that this was a wonderful effort in bringing everything to an end.
SPOILERISH---------------------->
What I can say, without ruining too much of the story, is that I and whoever else was rooting for Sam MAY see things go their way. At least, I can hope. I’ve always thought that he was the best man for Sookie, and since she makes such a choice during a shocking and crucial moment, I hope that means that Sam will be the one. He is, after all, the only one that has never consciously hurt Sookie, either mentally OR physically!
Sookie has finally grown up, and while it may only have been about 2 years for her, in real life, it has been many years. We may not like the direction that Sookie has taken; we have seen her do some ugly things, her morals and ethics compromised, but we can finally see that she has taken off her rose-tinted glasses and come to terms with and taken responsibility for, some of the ugliness in her world.
In this book, we see her come to terms with toxic relationships (both male and female), and while it may hurt us AND her to get rid of some of them, in the long run, I’m hoping that the best man will win.
Eric, Bill, and Sookie have to do something about the king who is visiting; Felipe de Castro and his entourage are trying to make trouble for Eric (it’s always Eric isn’t it?), but there is someone else in the picture causing much more problems for Eric and
Sookie. Actually, there are many people looking to not only break these two up but to kill Sookie.
We will also see an end to the Fae in Sookie's life and ‘our’ world, which was a bigger surprise than I expected.
We will see Sookie make a sort of unconscious decision on which man is most important in her life. And this will lead to somewhat of a cliffhanger.
I don’t feel that this book was slapped together or a cut-and-paste effort. I think it is a difficult book to digest because it pulls all the threads of Sookie's life together in anticipation of the last book. With so many plot lines to close and so many aspects of her life that have been left dangling and almost unexplained, I felt that this was a wonderful effort in bringing everything to an end.
SPOILERISH---------------------->
What I can say, without ruining too much of the story, is that I and whoever else was rooting for Sam MAY see things go their way. At least, I can hope. I’ve always thought that he was the best man for Sookie, and since she makes such a choice during a shocking and crucial moment, I hope that means that Sam will be the one. He is, after all, the only one that has never consciously hurt Sookie, either mentally OR physically!
May 11, 2012
Sad to say I'm not even looking forward to this one. My Book Eric mojo died a long time ago, and my TV Eric mojo died after S4 of True Blood. Boo hoo. :(
----------------------------------------
Well it was slightly better than expected. Things are definitely winding down and loose ends are being tied up. We're no closer to knowing who Sookie will end up with (if anyone). Whatever. I'll see her journey through to the end because after all the shit she's had to endure I want to see her happy. Fingers crossed these past few lackluster books are paving the way to a kickass, awesome final book.
----------------------------------------
Well it was slightly better than expected. Things are definitely winding down and loose ends are being tied up. We're no closer to knowing who Sookie will end up with (if anyone). Whatever. I'll see her journey through to the end because after all the shit she's had to endure I want to see her happy. Fingers crossed these past few lackluster books are paving the way to a kickass, awesome final book.
Want to read
May 2, 2012I think I'll read this book next year when the final Sookie book comes out. No offense Charlaine but you should have ended the series at book 9,because after that the series started to suck.
July 6, 2012
Before I absorb what I read and comment further, here is a positive review of the book. I felt a little better after reading this review. A little. All I know is that when I finished the book, I was like "WTF!" I had a lump in the pit of my stomach. Please read the good review before I rant a little. I did agree with much of what SVB said in her review. She always has fabulous insights into the series.
http://www.sookieverseblog.com/2012/0...
I had some problems with this book. I gave it a VERY generous 3 stars.
1. Bon Temps citizens are obsessed with fried pickles and apparently, Merlotte's sells a lot of them.
2. Sookie wastes a lot of book time running errands that do not move the story forward. (I'm not the only one who thought this). CH spent oodles of time recapping events instead of giving us a meatier story.
3. Sookie is still a brat, and although she has grown up in some ways, she still needs to get a clue. I will give her credit for realizing that she is the cause of a number of Eric's difficult situations instead of blaming the vamps for all the negative drama in her life.
4. Sook was a stupid idiot for going with the weres. You would have thought that she would have learned something by now. Her little voice told her not to go, and she disregarded it. Very stupid. Might I add that this scene in the book was a little too close to the FU crew's kidnapping of Bill in TB season 3. I am so sick of the werewolf shit.
5. Up until now, we have not had a reason to seriously dislike de Castro. Now we do. Shall we just say that Victor must have been a favored protegee.
6. Both Eric and Sookie are feeling the effects of not having the blood bond to keep them in synch. Clearly the honeymoon is over and they are still not dealing with moving toward any common goals. They are still keeping things from each other and both are quick to assume the guilt of the other. Jealousy is in full swing. I wanted to smack the shit out of Eric and Sookie for not facing their feelings and relationship issues. They are so busy working against each other to work together as they have in the past to figure things out.
7. The fae storyline was wrapped up while leaving many things unanswered and choppy. Niall is an ass and seriously creepy. All of the fae were inappropriate about a lot of things.
8. Many of Sook's suitors were eliminated as prospects. Good.
9. Seriously, did we need the putty tat (Quinn) back to show that he is still as much of an ass and as pathetic as always?
10. Eric didn't give Sook a birthday present? Really?
11. Sookie considered having revenge sex because she was jealous/mad at Eric? With Beeeeeeel? WTF!
12. There were too many TB references here i.e. when did Bill start calling Sookie 'sweetheart' in the books since they broke up? That is a TB Bill line. At least there weren't as many of TB references as the last book.
13. Sookie didn't go with Tara to the hospital when she was having the twins? What kind of friend is she? Yet she does something magnanimous to save another friend.
14. Bill dared to chastise someone else for ogling Eric's woman when he does it himself and calls her sweetheart when they are alone.
15. Not nearly enough Eric Northman. I realize the series is told from the POV of Sookie but Eric is the ONLY reason I read the series anymore. Eric was very un-Eric like in this book.
16. Once again we were locked out of Eric/Sookie's bedroom except for Sookie to catch Eric slurping another chick's neck in that very room. It seems that in their post-coital bliss they usually have some meaningful dialogue and talk about their lives and day-to-day issues. That didn't happen here, and it needed to happen. I'm not saying that sex solves everything but that closeness is vital to them as they relate to each other. Without some closeness and caring, they will drift farther apart and will be less likely to deal.
17. We were introduced to Freyda up close and personal. I can understand her reasoning for wanting Eric as her consort. They are very alike (Eric and Freyda, that is). I think he would do well with her. I am almost to the point of saying that would be best for him in the long run. I don't know that Sookie will ever grow up enough or love him enough to put everything on the line for him. Eric is in a monstrous place himself, right between Sookie, Freyda and de Castro. No matter what he chooses, he is royally f'd. At this point, Eric and Sookie are deadlocked in a major way and things are not looking rosy.
18. Why oh why did you end this book that way?
My brain hurts now. I may write more later.
http://www.sookieverseblog.com/2012/0...
I had some problems with this book. I gave it a VERY generous 3 stars.
1. Bon Temps citizens are obsessed with fried pickles and apparently, Merlotte's sells a lot of them.
2. Sookie wastes a lot of book time running errands that do not move the story forward. (I'm not the only one who thought this). CH spent oodles of time recapping events instead of giving us a meatier story.
3. Sookie is still a brat, and although she has grown up in some ways, she still needs to get a clue. I will give her credit for realizing that she is the cause of a number of Eric's difficult situations instead of blaming the vamps for all the negative drama in her life.
4. Sook was a stupid idiot for going with the weres. You would have thought that she would have learned something by now. Her little voice told her not to go, and she disregarded it. Very stupid. Might I add that this scene in the book was a little too close to the FU crew's kidnapping of Bill in TB season 3. I am so sick of the werewolf shit.
5. Up until now, we have not had a reason to seriously dislike de Castro. Now we do. Shall we just say that Victor must have been a favored protegee.
6. Both Eric and Sookie are feeling the effects of not having the blood bond to keep them in synch. Clearly the honeymoon is over and they are still not dealing with moving toward any common goals. They are still keeping things from each other and both are quick to assume the guilt of the other. Jealousy is in full swing. I wanted to smack the shit out of Eric and Sookie for not facing their feelings and relationship issues. They are so busy working against each other to work together as they have in the past to figure things out.
7. The fae storyline was wrapped up while leaving many things unanswered and choppy. Niall is an ass and seriously creepy. All of the fae were inappropriate about a lot of things.
8. Many of Sook's suitors were eliminated as prospects. Good.
9. Seriously, did we need the putty tat (Quinn) back to show that he is still as much of an ass and as pathetic as always?
10. Eric didn't give Sook a birthday present? Really?
11. Sookie considered having revenge sex because she was jealous/mad at Eric? With Beeeeeeel? WTF!
12. There were too many TB references here i.e. when did Bill start calling Sookie 'sweetheart' in the books since they broke up? That is a TB Bill line. At least there weren't as many of TB references as the last book.
13. Sookie didn't go with Tara to the hospital when she was having the twins? What kind of friend is she? Yet she does something magnanimous to save another friend.
14. Bill dared to chastise someone else for ogling Eric's woman when he does it himself and calls her sweetheart when they are alone.
15. Not nearly enough Eric Northman. I realize the series is told from the POV of Sookie but Eric is the ONLY reason I read the series anymore. Eric was very un-Eric like in this book.
16. Once again we were locked out of Eric/Sookie's bedroom except for Sookie to catch Eric slurping another chick's neck in that very room. It seems that in their post-coital bliss they usually have some meaningful dialogue and talk about their lives and day-to-day issues. That didn't happen here, and it needed to happen. I'm not saying that sex solves everything but that closeness is vital to them as they relate to each other. Without some closeness and caring, they will drift farther apart and will be less likely to deal.
17. We were introduced to Freyda up close and personal. I can understand her reasoning for wanting Eric as her consort. They are very alike (Eric and Freyda, that is). I think he would do well with her. I am almost to the point of saying that would be best for him in the long run. I don't know that Sookie will ever grow up enough or love him enough to put everything on the line for him. Eric is in a monstrous place himself, right between Sookie, Freyda and de Castro. No matter what he chooses, he is royally f'd. At this point, Eric and Sookie are deadlocked in a major way and things are not looking rosy.
18. Why oh why did you end this book that way?
My brain hurts now. I may write more later.
May 1, 2012
This review was first published to my book review blog, Book Savvy Babe
If I could only make one comment about Deadlocked, it would be "Oh, Sookie." I realize that doesn't tell you much, but hopefully you will understand as I go through this review.
I am a long-time fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, I bought the first 8 books in the box set and read each of them at least 3 times 5 times each. (I know, obsessive) I watch True Blood each season (even though the TV show is only LOOSLY based on the books). I have bought each successive book, and I will admit that the last 2-3 books have been a bit under-whelming. However, I absolutely love Sookie Stackhouse, she is the girl next door, but she does have "extras." Sookie is a telepath, she is a tiny part fairy, and she dates supernaturals, mostly vampires. In Deadlocked, Sookie's relationship with Eric is on-the-rocks, big time. Eric is a vampire with major political struggles going on. His king is in town, investigating the death of a vampire Eric killed and a Vampire Queen is in town trying to snag Eric away from Sookie for good. Meanwhile, the were's and fairies are causing trouble for Sookie as well. Sookie is surrounded by supernatural problems and getting tired of dealing with the supes all the time.
I will hand it to Charlaine Harris, Deadlocked is definitely better than the last 2 books have been. I was caught up in the story the whole way through, I never wanted to put the book down. I kept wanting Sookie to stand up for herself, to really put Eric in his place. In the first half of the book, I felt that Sookie was letting Eric and others walk all over her. She caved to Eric, the fairies, the police... I just wanted her to show her spunk, that spunk that we all know she has. Sookie spends so much time being polite and taking care of others needs that she neglects to address all the problems in her own life. In the second half, Sookie does start standing up for herself a bit, she starts getting real with herself about the Eric situation (there is still a lot to be desired there though).
As for the humans in Sookie's life, they are all moving forward, Sookie's brother Jason has a serious girlfriend, Tara is uber pregnant, Halleigh is having her baby. Sookie starts feeling a bit left behind from her human friends and family. As to the fairies, the whole fairy situation in Deadlocked is a bit confusing, but Charlaine Harris manages to answer some questions from previous books and sets the stage to wrap-up the series. I really liked Deadlocked because for the first time in several books, more questions are answered than asked. As Charlaine Harris sets the stage to complete the series with the next book, some story lines are wrapped up, and the final story lines are set in motion (I think).
Deadlocked is a whirlwind of a book, all the prominent characters from the series are at least mentioned (even a cameo from a certain were-tiger), and all the various groups of supernaturals are tied together in the drama surrounding Sookie. In many ways, the ending was unexpected, but not all together surprising. When I finished Deadlocked, I was so excited by how it ended that I wished I could pick up book 13 right then and there, just to see how it will all come together (or apart). Don't get me wrong, the book doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, but Charlaine Harris does a fantastic job of building the anticipation for the next book.
Deadlocked is a very solid installment in the exceptional Sookie Stackhouse series. The characters are memorable and intriguing, and in the paranormal world Charlaine Harris has built, you never know what will happen next for Sookie. I do miss the strong, confident Sookie, but I have high hopes for the final book of the series. There is a lot to Deadlocked, and I really enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed this book so much more than the last few, and I am so happy to share my thoughts with you.
Paranormal and urban fantasy readers, the Sookie Stackhouse series is an absolute favorite of mine. I HIGHLY recommend this series, if you like paranormals, it's a `must-read.'
*I received this book for review*
If I could only make one comment about Deadlocked, it would be "Oh, Sookie." I realize that doesn't tell you much, but hopefully you will understand as I go through this review.
I am a long-time fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, I bought the first 8 books in the box set and read each of them at least 3 times 5 times each. (I know, obsessive) I watch True Blood each season (even though the TV show is only LOOSLY based on the books). I have bought each successive book, and I will admit that the last 2-3 books have been a bit under-whelming. However, I absolutely love Sookie Stackhouse, she is the girl next door, but she does have "extras." Sookie is a telepath, she is a tiny part fairy, and she dates supernaturals, mostly vampires. In Deadlocked, Sookie's relationship with Eric is on-the-rocks, big time. Eric is a vampire with major political struggles going on. His king is in town, investigating the death of a vampire Eric killed and a Vampire Queen is in town trying to snag Eric away from Sookie for good. Meanwhile, the were's and fairies are causing trouble for Sookie as well. Sookie is surrounded by supernatural problems and getting tired of dealing with the supes all the time.
I will hand it to Charlaine Harris, Deadlocked is definitely better than the last 2 books have been. I was caught up in the story the whole way through, I never wanted to put the book down. I kept wanting Sookie to stand up for herself, to really put Eric in his place. In the first half of the book, I felt that Sookie was letting Eric and others walk all over her. She caved to Eric, the fairies, the police... I just wanted her to show her spunk, that spunk that we all know she has. Sookie spends so much time being polite and taking care of others needs that she neglects to address all the problems in her own life. In the second half, Sookie does start standing up for herself a bit, she starts getting real with herself about the Eric situation (there is still a lot to be desired there though).
As for the humans in Sookie's life, they are all moving forward, Sookie's brother Jason has a serious girlfriend, Tara is uber pregnant, Halleigh is having her baby. Sookie starts feeling a bit left behind from her human friends and family. As to the fairies, the whole fairy situation in Deadlocked is a bit confusing, but Charlaine Harris manages to answer some questions from previous books and sets the stage to wrap-up the series. I really liked Deadlocked because for the first time in several books, more questions are answered than asked. As Charlaine Harris sets the stage to complete the series with the next book, some story lines are wrapped up, and the final story lines are set in motion (I think).
Deadlocked is a whirlwind of a book, all the prominent characters from the series are at least mentioned (even a cameo from a certain were-tiger), and all the various groups of supernaturals are tied together in the drama surrounding Sookie. In many ways, the ending was unexpected, but not all together surprising. When I finished Deadlocked, I was so excited by how it ended that I wished I could pick up book 13 right then and there, just to see how it will all come together (or apart). Don't get me wrong, the book doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, but Charlaine Harris does a fantastic job of building the anticipation for the next book.
Deadlocked is a very solid installment in the exceptional Sookie Stackhouse series. The characters are memorable and intriguing, and in the paranormal world Charlaine Harris has built, you never know what will happen next for Sookie. I do miss the strong, confident Sookie, but I have high hopes for the final book of the series. There is a lot to Deadlocked, and I really enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed this book so much more than the last few, and I am so happy to share my thoughts with you.
Paranormal and urban fantasy readers, the Sookie Stackhouse series is an absolute favorite of mine. I HIGHLY recommend this series, if you like paranormals, it's a `must-read.'
*I received this book for review*
November 8, 2020
“But you can’t erase a thought; once you’ve had it, it’s there to stay.”
They went to the strip club where Sookie's cousin is performing...it's a strong start...
“I love him," I said, but even to my own ears
I didn't sound happy about it.”
Oh god. All of ur bfs/exes suck. Break up with ur boyfriend, yeah, yeah, 'cause I'm bored.
Sookie:
Me:
God it was such a slow read. Nothing interesting happens. Didn't need to exist but whatever. FUCK!! I finally finished the fucking series. Some were excellent and entertaining, some were boring and some aka After Dead were an abomination... Anyways, the Sookie Stackhouse series has come to an end, unless i find the extra stories on sale and read them. I don't really remember exactly what happens at the end of book 13 and i'm kinda glad because i remember not being into it.
They went to the strip club where Sookie's cousin is performing...it's a strong start...
“I love him," I said, but even to my own ears
I didn't sound happy about it.”
Oh god. All of ur bfs/exes suck. Break up with ur boyfriend, yeah, yeah, 'cause I'm bored.
Sookie:
Me:
God it was such a slow read. Nothing interesting happens. Didn't need to exist but whatever. FUCK!! I finally finished the fucking series. Some were excellent and entertaining, some were boring and some aka After Dead were an abomination... Anyways, the Sookie Stackhouse series has come to an end, unless i find the extra stories on sale and read them. I don't really remember exactly what happens at the end of book 13 and i'm kinda glad because i remember not being into it.
Want to read
January 12, 2012Cannot wait, i love love these books. But i agree after 9 they r not as good. But i soooo love eric. I love how cocky he is. Bill is like edward cullen they just dont make good vampires. I like a cocky vampire ;)
April 1, 2019
2019 Re-Read
Sookie is trying to wish away some aspects of her life and makes the mistake of asking Bill about his favourite fantasy:
This is where Bill proves to me that he understands Sookie perfectly. He knows that she’s a creature of the sun and would never be happy in the darkness of the undead world. And that he still loves her.
It’s Sookie’s birthday, and she receives a delegation of the undead when darkness falls:
Once again, Pam is perfect: “Sookie, I brought you something too. I never thought I’d want to spend time with a human, but you’re more tolerable than most.”
There’s also a showdown with Freyda, the Queen who is courting Eric. She visits Sookie to size up her competition. Bubba is perfect as her guide—when she asks what people see in Ms. Stackhouse, the normally addled Bubba speaks right up, telling Freyda that Sookie is kind. And that’s it in a nutshell. She’s kind to everyone who allows it—even when they don’t really deserve it. Forget being a Christian, Sookie, you’re working on being a good Buddhist.
Almost there—I will be free of this re-reading trap with one more book!
Sookie is trying to wish away some aspects of her life and makes the mistake of asking Bill about his favourite fantasy:
“My favorite fantasy? You come down into my daytime resting place stark naked," he said, and I could see the gleam of his teeth as he smiled. "Oh, wait," Bill said. "That's already happened.”
“And that's your fantasy? That I come into your house naked and have sex with you?"
"After that, you tell me that you have sent Eric on his way, that you want to be mine forever, and that to share my life you will permit me to make you a vampire like me."
The silence now was thick, and the fun had drained out of the fantasy.
Then Bill added, "You know what I'd say when you told me this? I'd tell you I would never do such a thing. Because I love you.”
This is where Bill proves to me that he understands Sookie perfectly. He knows that she’s a creature of the sun and would never be happy in the darkness of the undead world. And that he still loves her.
It’s Sookie’s birthday, and she receives a delegation of the undead when darkness falls:
“We came to wish you a happy day,” Eric said. “And I suppose, as usual, Bill will want to express his undying love that surpasses my love, as he’ll tell you—and Pam will want to say something sarcastic and nearly painful, while reminding you that she loves you, too.”
Bill and Pam looked decidedly miffed at Eric’s preemptive strike, but I wasn’t going to let anything dim my mood.
“And what about you, Eric?” I asked on counterattack. “Are you going to tell me that you love me just as much as Bill, but in a practical way, while finding some way to subtly threaten me and simultaneously remind me that you may be leaving with Freyda?”
Once again, Pam is perfect: “Sookie, I brought you something too. I never thought I’d want to spend time with a human, but you’re more tolerable than most.”
There’s also a showdown with Freyda, the Queen who is courting Eric. She visits Sookie to size up her competition. Bubba is perfect as her guide—when she asks what people see in Ms. Stackhouse, the normally addled Bubba speaks right up, telling Freyda that Sookie is kind. And that’s it in a nutshell. She’s kind to everyone who allows it—even when they don’t really deserve it. Forget being a Christian, Sookie, you’re working on being a good Buddhist.
Almost there—I will be free of this re-reading trap with one more book!
May 7, 2012
Slow start, boring romance, some twists, heart breaking moments, betrayals, whiny Sookie, a different Eric and a weird ending.
Oh Eric, just what had happened to you? *sigh*
For that, I took away 1 star from the intended 3 stars review.
Thanks, Ms Harris.
So, 1 more book for the end of this series yah?
How exciting.
Oh Eric, just what had happened to you? *sigh*
For that, I took away 1 star from the intended 3 stars review.
Thanks, Ms Harris.
So, 1 more book for the end of this series yah?
How exciting.
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