WARNING: Spoilers
The Plot Points:
- A hitman currently targeting Bon Temps!
There’s a shooter on the loose and all their victims seem to have one thing in common: they’re shapeshifters.
- Another new vampire comes to visit.
Charles Twining, the new bartender working under Eric (in case you don’t remember), gets loaned out to help Sookie and the bar she works at. But is Charles really as trustworthy as Sookie thinks?
- A new pack leader is to be decided for Alcide’s pack (again if you need a refresher).
Sookie gets invited by Alcide to watch the competition for the new packmaster. Little does she know it was only because of her “gift”.
The Tolerable:
- Making fun of America (even if that wasn’t the author’s intention).
Charlaine Harris, the author, makes multiple references to America throughout the book and reading it now, in “modern times”, it’s kind of ironic.
Sookie, thinking to herself about“Drainers” (those who drain blood from vampires) and their reasons behind it, mentions that the most important reason “for Americans [is] an enchanted physical appearance” (15). Considering today’s world and how this idea of constantly wanting to “better” one’s appearance has become an even greater topic, it’s ironic how even in this fictional world humans still are greedy and insecure.
In the next America mention, it’s extremely hard to tell if the author is joking or not, but it is hilarious to read.
When Sookie’s human friend, Tara, is telling Sookie about how she’s being sold off between vampires, Sookie responds with: “But this is America… How can they do that?” (207). This quote pretty much speaks for itself…
- Sookie finally kind of sticks up for herself.
In the previous books (and in this one), Sookie gets constantly stepped on by men and never seems to notice or care enough to do anything about it. However, this time she does… only once or twice, but it’s better than nothing.
Alcide comes to Sookie’s house to talk her into helping him with his father’s campaign for being packmaster. Sookie, clearly upset by Alcide constantly assuming how she should feel, “[holds] up a hand. [She] want[s] to finish” (160). Sookie has finally become tired of how Alcide was treating her and his assumption of her feeling honored by his invite. This small act of just putting up her hand to silence a man might not seem like much, but it is a point of character development for her.
The Rage Fuel:
- Sookie: she’s still a hater.
Sookie will never be a girl’s girl… ever. Sometimes being a hater is valid, but in Sookie’s case it’s judgemental, rude, and puts other women down for unnecessary reasons.
Starting the book off strong, Sookie describes the new bar’s short-order cook, Sweetie, stating that she “wore a lot of makeup for someone who was going to be out of sight” (8). Who cares if Sweetie or anyone wears makeup even if they aren’t going to be watched at all times? Let the woman wear what she wants in peace. Not everyone dresses for the approval of others.
Another example of this is when Sookie meets a random woman and criticizes her, asking to herself, “had the woman never heard of a tanning bed?” (74). Sookie is friends with literal vampires who have translucent skin and she’s worried about one random person?
When Sookie’s ex-vampire boyfriend, Bill Compton, brings in another lady into the bar that Sookie works at she makes her jealousy quite known. Behind the lady’s back she tells Bill that she is a “dreadful b*tch” who has “skinny thighs” and an “elitist attitude” (177). Tell us how you really feel, Sookie.
It’s ironic for Sookie to be upset when she’s also moved on with Eric (in the previous book) and has cheated on Bill in the past. She’s not really one to talk about being a “dreadful b*tch”.
- Seriously, what is wrong with these characters? Part two.
Having to read the book from Sookie’s perspective is painful enough, but most of the characters in these books are awful to read about. However, most of what this section includes is about Sookie, because not only is she overly judgemental, but she’s also just a horrible character in general.
Part of Sookie’s house gets burned down by a mysterious person seeking vengeance. The family and police are trying to ask Sookie about the person who was blamed and killed for setting her house on fire. When the police start trying to ask questions, Sookie, selfishly and apathetically asks why they’re talking to her. After telling her that the family of the accused arsonist is grieving (because he was murdered by Charles), Sookie tells the officer that she is grieving “[her] home” (137). Most people are empathic enough to know a life is worth more than a house and using it as an excuse to get out of answering a couple questions is very self-centered.
Now there are way more instances of the weird-gross characters in this book, but one thing that happened to pop up was about a more serious topic. Again this comes from Sookie and her constant flow of thoughts that the reader gets to follow.
After killing Charles who was trying to kill Sookie, Sookie (the author) compares it to a more serious topic that has happened throughout history and still has the occasion to arise even in more modern times. Sookie thinks to herself: “Of course, it was tempting to think this was an echo of the terrible days, when black men had been lynched if there was even a rumor they’d winked at a white woman” (290). What a way to end the book off. This comparison is nowhere near “tempting”. It’s pretty easy to not compare the death of a vampire to a lynching or to even think of that as an example.
The vampire was killed because he was trying to harm a human for unjustified reasons. That has nothing to do with an innocent black man being killed because of rumors and racism, and it’s an understatement to say that as a reader, reading that sentence caused a flood of shocked emotions.
There are still seven more books to follow and, considering how the past five have been, expectations are low.
The Review:
- Speechlessness: 8 out of 5 jaw drops
- Ironicness: 5.5 out of 5 light chuckles
- Off-put: 5 out of 5 silent look-arounds
- Overall: 2 out of 5 stars
