Horror Book Reviews
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Title: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries | Book 1) |
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Review of Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1)
- Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed. (Susan Sizemore)
Praise for Charlaine Harris:
Harris writes neatly and with assurance. (New York Times Book Review)
An author of rare talents. (Publishers Weekly)
Book Description
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Comments for Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries | Book 1)
- Posted on 2008-06-02
Good Book
I am really enjoying this series. I get so wrapped up in Sookie's life as soon as I finish one book I pick up the other.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-06-01
Not as good as I'd hoped
I've had a lot of people recommend Charlaine Harris to me over the past few years, and I had the pleasure of seeing her in person and seeing how charming and funny she was then, so I bought the first Sookie book, hoping it would live up to its hype. I won't bother with plot reviews because this late in the game, there are a ton of other reviews up that have that, but honestly, I spent most of the book waiting for it to get as funny and charming as people claimed. I found Bill to be dull as dishwater, and Sookie alternatingly annoying and dim. I stuck with it because there were sections that genuinely entertained me. I most enjoyed Sookie's boss, Sam, and kept hoping Sookie would drop the boring vampire to be with him. I've heard a couple spoilers for later books, so I've bought the second, hoping it gets better. I love ongoing series, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-05-31
Really wanted to like this
I'm getting extremely discouraged with this genre (paranormal/vampire romance). The books that are consistently recommended just aren't very good. This one being a prime example.
First of all, the plot was an utter bore. Murder. Okay - can we be more original than that? Maybe I've read too many of these books recently but nearly every vampire romance starts off with a murder. Then the the whole book is spent with the dingbat of a heroine (who is supposed to be smart) figuring out who the murderer is with the help of her vampire boyfriend. Yawn.
On top of that, the characters and setting were just plain flat and not very interesting. For the same reason I didn't enjoy the characters or setting in Holly Black's Tithe, I didn't enjoy them here. There are plenty of books with low-income, uneducated characters who are thoughtful and insightful (Huck Finn anyone?). But Sookie doesn't demonstrate any particular capacity for thoughtful reflection or insight. Her POV doesn't add to the story. And it should.
Ultimately, I couldn't really tell if the author wanted her to be smart or not. Some of her dialog was borderline intelligent and some of it was incredibly stupid. And supposedly she reads a lot but where is this shown? There isn't a single scene where she actually picks up a book. She could be reading Teen Beat magazine and drooling over the Jonas Brothers for all we know.
She's also 25, living at home and letting her grandmother cook and clean for her. She's a virgin until halfway through the book - kinda weird for someone who's 25, telepathic or not (and I only say that because her telepathy is supposedly the reason for her *chastity*). She shows no interest in improving herself via education or some other means. She's just content to live her life as a barmaid and have lots of sex with her not-very-well-described-beyond-being-super-horny vampire boyfriend. Um, okay. Why is this interesting?
This brings me to another point. From the cover, you might make the mistake of thinking this is a YA novel. Not so. Lots of sex. I have nothing against that, but most paranormal romance books I've read have something quasi-indicative of the nature of the book on the cover (refer to LKH or JR Ward). However, since the author often has no say in this so I'm not slamming Ms. Harris for it - just pointing it out. Maybe the publisher will take note.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. Wish I could say otherwise but I can't. Dull plot, boring and/or unlikable characters, and inconsistent character logic made it a less than enjoyable read.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2008-05-27
Learn how to write, Charlaine!
This book is so very awful it makes me lose faith in humanity. The fact that so many people seem to actually like it is horrifying.
There are many things wrong with this book so I will list just a few.
(1) In every scene, the author describes what each character is wearing. Every scene, every character. Apparently it is essential to the plot that we know what everyone is wearing AT ALL TIMES. Also, Charlaine believes that details about the main character's mundane daily tasks such as showering, brushing her hair, shaving her legs, and putting lotion on are VERY IMPORTANT for the readers to know about.
(2) The main character has the intolerably stupid name of Sookie Stackhouse. She is accompanied by vampires with names like Bill and Pam.
(3) Characters actually say things like "pleased as punch" and "happy as a clam." Give me a break!
(4) Charlaine does not understand the proper use of punctuation. Commas appear randomly and without reason. Can she not afford a proofreader?
(5) There is - and I say this in all seriousness - a part where Bill the vampire is described as "looking very vampirey." I'm sorry, but what the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you too lazy to use adjectives that actually exist, Charlaine?
And much, much more. Do yourself a favor and skip this poorly written series. It's not even worth the read to laugh at how awful it is.
Score: 1
- Posted on 2008-05-16
Great series!
Wow, so glad I found this book!
This is a very enjoyable book, funny, great language, very thouroughly constructed characters and the world. You feel like you actually know these people and therefore care deeply as to what happens to each one of them! Nice intricate plot - twists and turns all around!
I highly reccomend this.
Score: 5