Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse, #13) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

May 18, 2013 Regina rated it liked it

Shelves: listened-to-audio-only, audio-also-listened-to, urban-fantasy-uf, paranormal-pnr, should-i-or-shouldn-t-i, audio-narration-is-bad, shifter, narration-sucks, vamps, used-to-be-my-favorite-then-it-went

It seems like everyone who reads genre fiction has read at least one Sookie Stackhouse book. For me, Sookie was my introduction into urban fantasy and genre. This series was something I had never encountered before. Having now read my way through a library of urban fantasy and paranormal fiction series I know that Sookie isn't unique and wasnt even innovative. But I still appreciate the introduction into adult urban fantasy. So thank you Charlaine Harris, thank you for that.

Bill, Quinn, Eric, Sa It seems like everyone who reads genre fiction has read at least one Sookie Stackhouse book. For me, Sookie was my introduction into urban fantasy and genre. This series was something I had never encountered before. Having now read my way through a library of urban fantasy and paranormal fiction series I know that Sookie isn't unique and wasnt even innovative. But I still appreciate the introduction into adult urban fantasy. So thank you Charlaine Harris, thank you for that.

Bill, Quinn, Eric, Sam, Alcide, and Hunter's dad (whatever his name is, sorry I started not caring enough to pay attention). I am guessing any reader of this series knows what that list represents. Sookie's hopefuls, Sookie's possible mates - and various fans' favorites for Sookie. So this book - Dead Ever After - is the book to supposedly end the series and wrap up Sookie's story (except now there is another book coming out this fall??). What happened to the fun storyline of Sookie Stackhouse? Why are so many readers looking forward to the end? Somewhere along the line the world Sookie was in and the supe wars she fought in (too many to count, too many to remember) became less important compared with who would Sookie end up with.

What did I like about Sookie? Why was a I reading her for so many years? To be honest, I liked the routine. We all love to make fun of how Sookie cleans, runs errands and cookies. But the truth for me is that I enjoy reading that stuff. Harris has her own tone and I do like it. I liked the world. I loved how evenly and interestingly Harris blended her supe world with small town Louisiana. What I don't like about how Harris writes is how she is not loyal to the characters she creates or the world she builds. And that is what destroyed this series for me.

Look I don't care who Sookie ends up with and chances are if you a reading this review you know who she chose. But, my take on the ending is that doesn't really choose anyone. My take is that she moved on. She chose her life. She realized she had a business she wanted to invest time in and friends and community that loved her and supported her. Sookie chose herself. I think that is great and maybe that storyline could have been great. But the way it was written wasn't great, it was only mediocre. Why? Well let me tell you!

Inconsistent world building (I thought the blood bond was supposedly unbreakable - poof turns out it can be broken by an inexperienced witch. I thought vamps never got divorced - poof turns out they can! All the fairies are gone - poof they aren't, okay now they are really gone andddddd now they aren't gone again - oh and they are back again.) Character destruction Amelia, Quinn, Bill, Eric, and Alcide. Each of these characters started out with one personality and ended up with another personality. The worst sex scenes ever. Reading a Harris sex scene is like having my grandma describe an amorous scene. Awkward!

The wishy washy manner of telling the story is what really got me. I feel as if Harris did not have a story arc in mind, she did not know where she was going, never planned on a 13 book series and would change characters (and critical world building "facts")to accomplish something in one book. But by doing this, Harris damaged the world she had created. I am not criticizing an author's prerogative to write the story she wants. What I am criticizing is an author who writes one story and tramples all over it in subsequent books. I did not need Sookie to end with anyone in particular. It is not the romance that disappointed me, it is the story arc.

Dead Ever After was not bad. It was just okay. I believe I may have rated it higher (3 stars) because of how disappointed I was by the last 3-4 books in this series. Harris told this story as if she was explaining to her readers why Quinn didn't work out, why Hunter's dad wouldn't work out, why Eric could never work out, why Alcide wasn't a choice. It was a check list style of telling a story (who didn't appear in Dead Ever After?? Characters who are dead - and even those were mentioned or played a part.)

In the end, I am glad I read it. I won't read the whatever the update is that is coming out in the fall. This was enough for me. If you are at all interested, then I would suggest checking it out from the library or listening to the audio.

To read more of this review and others like it, check out Badass Book Reviews ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2013 Mashara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mad-max-battle-warriors-of-the-book

Well. My my my. That was amazing.
I'm going to miss Sookie very much.

The most interesting thing about this books (beside the fact that the vampire myth is kept pretty classic, which is not little) is what I like to call The Evolution of Sookie.
She starts as a lonely naive telepath, without friends or with only a couple that mostly use her to their convenience. Her life is dull, sad and she craves adventure.

Careful what you wish for, they say.In walks Bill Compton. The first vampire she has ever Well. My my my. That was amazing.
I'm going to miss Sookie very much.

The most interesting thing about this books (beside the fact that the vampire myth is kept pretty classic, which is not little) is what I like to call The Evolution of Sookie.
She starts as a lonely naive telepath, without friends or with only a couple that mostly use her to their convenience. Her life is dull, sad and she craves adventure.

Careful what you wish for, they say.In walks Bill Compton. The first vampire she has ever seen and all hell breaks loose in her life.

In the span of 13 books Sookie learns about love, about passion (and a lot about the difference between the two), about what makes her human (and more interestingly what means for her to be a good christian), she becomes ruthless, or the situations bring that out of her. But mostly even though she learns that she is not as alone as she thought, she realises that Sookie has to take care of Sookie.

description

She has come a long way and she really likes herself. She is comfortable in her own skin. In this book I haven't heard once how Sookie is fat. I did hear about her great boobs, and how good she is dancing. This book is told in the first person and what comes across is that, despite heartache and betrayal, she is going to be ok, because she knows who she is and she likes that person.
She doesn't want to change that person for anybody, and anybody that asks doesn't love her the way she is.
About the romantic end:
(view spoiler)

They are all very true to themselves.

And in the end she chooses herself. I can only do a fist-pump and put Charlaine Harris under the column "women empowerment writers". Well done. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2013 Courtney rated it it was ok

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I stand by my thoughts from the previous two reviews, that for Sookie to have a normal ending that is "settling," might make sense in the real world. However, because this is a series about vampires, werewolves, fairies and any other supernatural creatures..."settling" is not why we read these books. I really do think it betrays the spirit of the escapist candy of a read these books have been for so many of us. I've always said Sookie would end up with the person she ends up with, and I'm fine w ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 09, 2013 Rachel-RN rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2013

As someone who has enjoyed this series, I was worried about the final book. I successfully stayed away from the spoilers posted before the book was even released (and post release). What I did know was people were pissed. The dedication is fitting: "This book is dedicated to the loyal readers....There isn't a way I could make all of you happy with the ending..."
Like most of the previous Sookie books, this one takes some time to get started. Strangely, I don't mind reading about Sookie doing mund ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 07, 2013 Cee rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, paranormal, vampires, werewolves-shifters, adult-fiction

The final Sookie book! My expectations for Dead Ever After were so low, that I actually quite enjoyed it. I didn't like how Eric was portrayed, and the mystery was very far-fetched. Overall the last page didn't leave me with bitterness, but rather with sweet melancholy. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Cat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like · see review

Jul 03, 2013 Vivian rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2015

The final Sookie book:
Honestly, not as horrible as I have heard.

That's the quick review. Keep reading if you want to hear me ramble.

This was one of the first UF series I read. I looked forward to each new release and devoured it in a day only to wait another year (impatiently, I might add) for the next installment. Then the last few books were not as enjoyable and I jumped ship before finishing the series. My book memory has many holes in it and years down the road, I have forgotten most of thos ...more

Like · see review

May 18, 2013 Sherry rated it it was ok

To me, the book was just okay. Overall I felt it had a rushed feeling to it. Being the last of the Sookie books, obviously the author was trying to wrap it all up, but when it was all said and done I didn't feel a sense of resolve. I still love the series, just wish it would have ended a little differently. ...more

Like · see review