22 August 2009

"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Genre: fiction, supernatural, vampires
From my TBR list?: Yes

Book #1 of an ongoing series (10 books so far)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dead Until Dark, the first book in the Southern Vampire series, introduces the readers to a world in which vampires are recognized as citizens. Their advanced age is explained away by a "virus" that makes them appear dead but that hasn't helped them become accepted by the general population. However, the main character Sookie Stackhouse is fascinated by vampires, probably because she also has a supernatural ability herself. All of this surrounds a murder mystery that the officials seem eager to blame on Bill, a new vampire that's just moved to town.

Honestly, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. When a book has a lot of hype surrounding it, I tend to view it more critically than other books. However, the story charmed me right out of my inclination to be negative about it. I especially enjoyed Sookie's willingness to be open to new experiences. One aspect I did have to overcome was Sookie's naivete. It was difficult for me to imagine a 25-year-old in the modern world being as innocent as she seemed to be.

There is a bit of sex in this book; not as much as I've heard is in the TV adaptation, but still more than I want in a book that I hand to my teenager (yes, I'm a protective mom). I don't think the sex is graphic enough to offend an adult, though. I would say that if you were a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed and haven't had a supernatural fix since they went off the air, this might be the series for you.

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2 comments:

Beth F said...

So glad you liked SOokie. There really is something addictive about the books. I like them because they are fun and light. There is more sex to come, but I don't think it's offensive.

Dani In NC said...

Beth, I didn't find the sex offensive in the first book. I'm just not comfortable handing books with sex scenes to my daughter yet :-).