ISBN: 0-441-01589-1 Order from: Amazon.com
A likable heroine, a non-stop but well-paced and logical plot, and a good support cast make this continuation of a series an enjoyable read.
Reviewed by David on August 24, 2008
Genre: Fantasy (Vampires, ESP, Mystery, Alternate Reality, American South)
Synopsis: Sookie is a waitress in a small Southern town, a few years after the vampires have "come out of the closet." The vampires are officially suffering from an "unkown virus", and can feed on synthetic blood now.
Much against her will, Sookie has been involved in Vampire politics. The afteraffects of the Hurricaine Katrina and a human extremists' blowing up a Vampire summit are keenly felt in the small town of Bon Temps. Sookie is worried about not hearing from some people, while inundated by newcomers displaced by disasters or looking for opportunities in their wake.
Full Review: Sookie continues to be the appealing and very down-to-earth center of the story. She has an appealing mixture of courage and earthy passion, mostly held in check by her low-key manner and common sense.
This book combines Sookie's personal development with supernatural politics. Sookie finds out more about her ancestry and talents, observes, and too often participates in supernatural power struggles, with a smooth interleaving of the two themes.
There is plenty of deadly action, as the supernatural power shifts are drastic and accompanied by death. There are also personal conflicts, extracting nearly as much emotional price from Sookie.
The appealing waitress changes in this book. She becomes more pragmatic in dealing with death-or-life situations, but does not lose her compassion. Her friends, accquitances and enemies behave in logical ways, supporting both the plot and the universe.
On the whole, the book is very satisfying, incorporating significant developments while not losing the likable aspects of the major characters and the world.
Copyright: 2008
Overall: 7; Plot: 7; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6.5; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 6.5;
Berkley Publishing Group (Ace), May 2008, Cloth, 359 pages
ISBN: 0-441-01589-1 Order from: Amazon.com