From Amazon.com...
"Sookie Stackhouse just can't seem to stay away from the supernatural denizens of Bon Temps, Louisiana. In Dead to the World (2004), she found herself embroiled in vampire politics; this time around, she's involved in the machinations of the Were-people, whose pack leader has just passed away. -Alcide Herveaux asks her to accompany him to the funeral, where Alcide's father declares his candidacy against a slimy, calculating rival. Angry at being drawn into the conflict, Sookie can't distance herself entirely, because a sniper has been taking shots at Were-people, and the community suspects Sookie's brother, Jason, a new shape-shifter. Sookie's love life is every bit as complicated as usual, and her collection of would-be beaux continues to grow. Also, someone wants her dead, which she learns when an assailant sets fire to her beloved house."
My Reviews of: Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, and Dead to the World
I'm just going to be straightforward here: this was my least favorite Sookie book. I read it because I needed to in order to get to the next book.
The plot wasn't as captivating as the other novels. This might have something to do with the lack of vampire action; this novel focused mainly on the other Supernatural aspects (weres, shifters, etc). I became easily frustrated with the amount of potential suitors Sookie has strung along from all of the different supernatural communities (Alcide, Eric, Bill, Sam, Calvin, Quinn, etc). I'm just not a fan of the endless romantic allies — one, two, or maybe even three are plenty. With plenty of romance to go around (literally), the plot was also very violence heavy. Many may think this adds up to the perfect novel (and I would normally agree), but to me it just seemed overdone. If a page wasn't filled with emotional romantic turmoil, Sookie was getting shot at or her house was getting burned. In this sense, I thought the plot was all over the place.
I still loved the characters and found myself appreciating the extra information in regards to the non-vampires. But, again, it seemed like Harris was trying to get Sookie a boyfriend within each supernatural community. Rather than getting a chapter of each potential suitor, I would have preferred a whole book on each of these interesting men (but, really, who am I?).
This seems like a harsh review, but I think it's just because after Dead to the World I was so ready to return to Eric and continue on that train of thought — and it really didn't happen. I am, of course, still slightly obsessed with the Sookie books and can't wait to begin "Definitely Dead." I'm counting on a stronger plot for the next novel.
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 5/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10
Theme: 8/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 3/10
Overall: 78/100 C
To the FTC, with love: Bought