Book Review: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Series, #9)
Summary:
Now that the pieces seem to have been picked up from the bombing at Rhodes, Sookie is hoping to just get back to her normal life and adjust to living with her two roommates, the witches Amelia and Octavia. Of course, that can’t last for long. After seeing how well things are going for the vampires being out, the shifters decide to come out as well. Soon there’s what appears to be a hate crime against a shifter Sookie knows, and the FBI comes knocking wondering how Sookie was able to find survivors at Rhodes. On top of everything, a fae war is brewing, and Sookie can no longer hide from the fact that she’s part fae.
Review:
This is without a doubt my favorite Sookie Stackhouse book so far. It’s dark and (I know this sounds odd to say about a paranormal story) realistic. Harris doesn’t let Sookie hide from her problems. She has to truly face reality and deal with it in a way she’s never had to previously in her life. She can’t hide from her telepathy, her exes, her friendships, her coworkers, or her enemies. In a way this book is all about Sookie having to grow up and deal with it.
Readers who started out loving the beginning of the series might not like the dark direction Harris has turned. I for one love dark, disturbing tales, but those who don’t should be aware that there are a few scenes they may find upsetting. I thought these scenes were quite creative, particularly for a series that is being told in the first person.
Of course, this book still faces the writing issues seen in the earlier books in the series. Mainly, some of the writing is painfully simplistic or uses the obvious analogies. Then again, Sookie isn’t exactly super-intelligent, so it fits her voice. Additionally, the sex scenes continue to be a bit cringe inducing. I know other reviewers have pointed out multiple times how the sex scenes are a bit ridiculous. That continues to be true, but they aren’t exactly the focus of the series, so I’m ok with that myself.
Overall, Harris has taken an idea that could have worn out quickly and moved it gradually to a much darker tale that is quite thrilling. The series continues to be complex, and readers who’ve enjoyed the series thus far won’t be disappointed as long as they can handle some disturbing scenes.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Previous Books in Series:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead To The World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
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Opinions of a Wolf 
I tend to like the sex scenes. Guess that makes me a bit pervvy lol. I still need to read All Together Dead, and then From Dead To Worse. And this one too. *sigh* So many, although I quite like this series.
Oh, it’s not that I don’t like sex scenes….it’s that I don’t like how Harris writes them. They strike my funny bone for some reason, which is kind of not the point of sex scenes generally, lol. 🙂
I mostly ignore sex scenes in books to be honest! I like to pretend they don’t exist. I’m not a prude, but they’re just always so awkward. I rarely come across one that’s written properly.
I really like this series and I think this was one of my favorites, too. I like the way it’s gone very dark and I agree that it feels more “realistic” although it is definitely strange to use that word to describe a vampire novel. I am really looking forward to reading the next one – I’ve had it reserved in the library for ages now and at some point I’m just going to capitulate and buy it!
Yes I’m on the waitlist on PaperBackSwap, but it’s *huge*, so I think I’ll have to cave and buy a copy too, lol.
One of these days I am going to read some more Harris. I have only read the one book and didn’t love it, but everyone seems to love her…
Well, I haven’t read anything by her except this series. I can say that the first two books in this series are kind of meh, but her writing and storytelling get better after that!