After finishing the 8th book in early January, I have been anxiously awaiting this book and was so thrilled when I woke up this morning to find that it had been delivered to my Kindle. So thrilled that I've spent my entire workday sitting at my desk, ignoring real work and reading this book. I read it in one sitting. Yes, it was THAT good.
Dead and Gone picks up a few months after the last book ended. Sookie, the telepathic barmaid, is back to work.The weres and shifters have decided to go public as the vampires did years earlier. At first, all goes well. Then someone kills a werepanther and Sookie is drawn into the middle of the investigation. Meanwhile, there is trouble brewing between the fae and Sookie gets dangerously involved in that via her great-grandfather, the fairy prince Niall.
On the romance front, the scenes with Eric and Sookie are amazing - Team Eric will certainly be pleased. It was wonderful to learn so much about Eric's past and his time as a human, it made him all the more endearing. If you didn't already love Eric (how is THAT possible?), you will at least understand and respect him a little more now. Oh, and the sex is HOT! Charlaine Harris is one of the only authors who can write sex scenes that don't make me cringe or laugh out loud. Almost every one of Sookie's past suitors lays it on the line and this one, and it seems that Sookie is finally starting to understand and deal with her personal relationships. I have to admit that I nearly dropped a tear or two at the scenes with Bill/Eric/Quinn, and at this point, I could live with whoever Sookie ends up with - they have all proven themselves to be wonderful. And they are all willing to fight for her, which will make for some interesting reading in the remainder of the series. My favorite line of the book - "I will make a rug of you for my floor." Hilarious.
There was also a lot revealed about Sookie and her family tree. Her fairy relatives have played a huge role in her life so far, and it's both astonishing and difficult to read about just how big that role was. Sookie as a character has been so well developed throughout the series and the development continues here. Of course, the mystery and action kept the pages turning and after 8 books mostly centered on weres and vampires, being introduced to the fae world was quite enthralling. Unfortunately, Sookie didn't escape unharmed and I agree with a previous reviewer - would somebody PLEASE take her on a vacation?!
This was definitely one of the best in the series, and I hate the thought of waiting a year to read the next book. It doesn't help that this one ended with a wicked cliffhanger. It was a huge improvement over the last two books, IMO, just in terms of the plot, story and character/relationship development. If you're new to the series, please do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. There is no way you can start here and fully appreciate how great this book really is. Charlaine Harris has really outdone herself this time! Definitely 5 stars and highly, highly recommended.
As a side note, I'm NOT going to join the chorus of people complaining about the $14. One because it was worth it, and two, you always pay a little extra to read your favorites immediately. I don't like it, but it is what it is.
Posts
