Book Review - Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The blurb:
'Folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps-and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works-and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there's a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.'


This latest instalment in the life of Sookie Stackhouse certainly had a lot more events happen in such a small timeframe than some of the other books in the series. This kind of made me feel a bit rushed thoughout the whole book, kind of like the author was trying to cram every idea she had into this book rather than wait until she wrote another one.

It did have some positives though, such as the further developments with Eric (what every reader really wants!) and the whole storyline of the were-animals coming out into the open like the vampires. Unfortunately, I thought this 'coming-out' was going to be a main part of the story but it kind of got lost among the rest of the happenings.

Sookie and Jason's fairy heritage is expended on a lot more in this book, something which I think is starting to steer away from the original genre of these books and something that I'm not too sure how I feel about as yet. I was attracted to this series because of the whole vampire/supernatural theme, as I'm sure were most people, but the fairy aspect isn't really something that appeals to me. But hey, that's just me, others may find it an interesting plot development.

One thing I did find with this book is the fact that people keep dying left, right and centre around Sookie, largely because of her, and she just keeps going on with her business seemingly unaffected by it all. I know she is most likely being portrayed like this to make her the tough herione that everyone can admire for soldiering on, but it seems a bit much now to keep her being so indifferent to all the awful events that keep happening around her.

Overall, it's another fun, quick read that doesn't require a lot of thinking. As most stories in this genre are so serious and dark it's nice to read something a little more lighthearted.

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This is the first book I've completed in my Summer Reading Challenge so far. I think I may have been a bit adventurous with how many books I want to get through over the next couple of months but at least I've got my first one out of the way!

The next one I am tackling is The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay. I know nothing about this book so hopefully I won't be disappointed.