Book #5 in the Sookie Stackhouse series
Jason Stackhouse is now a werepanther, courtesy of being bitten by Felton Norris. Calvin Norris, leader of the inbred community in Hotshot, helps Jason with his transformation. Calvin keeps making it clear that he would love to get to know Sookie a whole lot better, but she is confused as to whether she wants him or his medical benefits his job gives him.
A series of shooting attacks on shapeshifters takes the South by storm. Sam is shot in the leg and needs to ask Eric for a temporary bartender to help out. Charles Twinning is sent from Fangtasia, and the eccentric pirate becomes a favourite amongst the drinkers of Bon Temps.
Colonel Flood, leader of the Long Tooth werewolf pack of Shreveport is killed by the mysterious assassin, and that means it is time for the unorthodox elections werewolves hold in such an event. Alcide invites Sookie to Flood’s funeral, but he has ulterior motives: his father is taking part in the elections and they need to know what the man is planning against him. Sookie is furious, but somehow Alcide has discovered she killed his ex-girlfriend, Debbie Pelt. She tells Alcide that his father’s opponent plans to bring his father’s gambling debts into the picture, and that is enough for them to start shielding against.
Bill brings Selah Pumphrey to Merlotte’s, and Sookie is jealous but knows she needs to accept that Bill is going to date other women as they are not a couple anymore. One night, Sookie’s house is set alight and she is saved in time by Charles and the fairy Claudine. She moves into one of Sam’s rentals until her house is restored, but the drama just won’t end – after visiting Calvin Norris, who was also shot in the sniper attacks, in the hospital, she is gunned down and lives just because she heard the other person’s excitement seconds before the shot. Sookie’s house is also burnt down, and she knows that someone wants her out of the picture. Who is behind the shifter attacks? Who placed a hit on Sookie even though she is not a supernatural creature? Can Eric accept that he might never fully remember what happened when he had temporary amnesia?
Rating: 6/10
Before completely finishing this book I really felt the need to take a break from the Stackhouse series. I returned after watching the first two seasons of True Blood, and had to get my fix until I could start on Season three.
This is the first book in the series that begins to show gaps. The torching of Sookie’s house was so ill explained. Yeah, Charles did it, but I thought so many strings were left untied with the loose explanation that was given.
Tara Thornton: Literature vs. True Blood
Right now I’m not sure which character leads as my least favourite version of her. The sub plot involving her is not required at all and not even juicy enough to make it worth the pages it is written on. Tara book version is still less annoying than Tara True Blood version, but not by far.
The book is still “Everyone loves Sookie so much” but that’s okay – Twilight was built on the same premise. I just wish there was one desirable character that didn’t want Sookie, you know. That girl lived her entire life chaste and now everyone wants a piece? Doesn’t add up.
A subplot still terribly underused is Jason becoming a werepanther. I didn’t find it significant enough to be interesting, but it could have had more show time.
Everything seems to happen at once: shootings, arson, werewolf elections, Bill’s petty relationship with someone else, etc. etc. The inclusion of Quinn could be interesting, but I am not getting my hopes up. It will probably just be another way of Sookie playing with someone’s feelings because she just isn’t sure about what to do.
Not the best of the series, but still fun enough to quickly read when your brain is exhausted from daily life!
Life of this city girl 