#BookReview ~ Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel

Title:  Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel

Author: Charlaine Harris

Rating: 2 stars

THE FINAL SOOKIE STACKHOUSE NOVEL

There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart....
Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

NOTE: After having a day away from the book to cool off a bit, I just want to put a side note here that I feel very bad about having to leave a 2 star review. I try so hard to never be a negative person and I understand how hard creating something from nothing and pouring yourself into the pages is. However, after thinking on it all night, I still think my review is accurate and fair. 

My Review:

Ugh and what? I am so upset and disappointed by the way this series ended as a whole. I feel like promises were made to the reader about what would happen clear back in the fourth book, and the author failed to deliver on those promises. That is to say nothing of the awful writing itself, or how hard this book was to read.

I pre-purchased this book months before it was due out. Before I had a chance to read it, I saw a post on Facebook of Charlaine Harris' about how upset she was about people not understanding her artistic vision and attacking this book. Already having a clue for what I must be in for, I decided to put off reading it, in the hopes that once my expectations were no longer there, I'd be able to enjoy the story and forget about the negative hype.

First off, was this even written by the same author? The writing throughout is just...horribly hard to read. When switching from first person point of view with Sookie, suddenly we are in third person and not only do we not stick with just one person, it jumps to the heads of each person in the room. I got whiplash wondering who's thoughts I was reading. A single paragraph would take up an entire page in my Kindle and switch topics so many times...with even more than one person speaking in the same paragraph. Was there a ration on how many times the author or editors could hit the enter key?

Then, there are all the extraneous details that were absolutely pointless! Description after description of food and conversations that went no where while they were eating. I kept thinking that surely there must be a reason behind these conversations, this elaborate description of their every mouthful while they ate. No...it was all filler. Nothing ever came to matter. Nothing! At one point, a neighbor stops by (who I'd never heard of) to drop off some food when Sookie has been hurt, and they sit and talk about the tomatoes Sookie gave her (which I don't remember seeing happen in the play by play we were given) and discuss the tomatoes. The great details on the garden throughout the entire book, I thought that would be significant. Maybe it was in a way, but not for the amount of time spent on it. After the neighbor finally leaves, while we are waiting to see what happens in the next room, Michele calls. While this at least did lead to something happening, it seemed a rather drawn out conversation...maybe because I was already annoyed.

There was time after time of those instances. Now, on to the spoilers which I never do, but I'm so upset.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Eric... After all their trials and triumphs, after killing anyone who got in his way including a king, after defying everyone and everything for them to be together...he just gives up? What the heck? He risked everything before to be with Sookie, and now she's not worth it? Eric is a freaking 1000 year old vampire. He's really going to go with Freyda and do something he doesn't want to do as long as they promise not to hurt Sookie? Really? Leave Pam in charge of his little bar and not take her along wherever he went? This is the story line I was most disappointed in. They always worked together before (even if Eric was devious in ways). Last time someone threatened them, they pulled off an elaborate plot  and killed their enemies. This made absolutely no sense and I'm angry at what the author did here. She broke every promise the entire series held. 

And Sookie? Don't get me started on her. Oh, my boyfriend just left me but I'm not sad because I'm a heartless bitch in this book. Don't worry about it. I'm going to have hot, steamy, mind blowing sex with Sam and everything will be okay. I'm going to be happy for my life because I always wanted to be with Sam. - Her reactions were so unrealistic and so bad.

Finally, Claude. Seriously? I would have been okay with this, if it weren't for the blatant homophobe conversation. At first, I rolled my eyes because it seemed the author was trying too hard to make homophobe's the bad people. Then, I was left reeling because the way she ended portraying it, left me feeling she feels gays are the real problem. From everything I've read about her, I know that isn't true, but that is how it came across. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth that I won't soon forget. 

***Spoilers over*** 

In the end, I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1 in honor of the 9 books in this series that I did love. I wish I had stopped reading at book 10 and forgot about the final books (also skipping book 5, which I didn't particularly enjoy). I have enjoyed books by this author before, but after this I don't think I will be buying her books again. Although I would skip this book if I had the choice again, every reader is different. 

I'm off to new horizons, on to the next book on my list. Happy reading, my friends! I hope you find great books to love!

~~ Chantel ~~