What does everyone think? What are the implications?
Who do you think will die in Season 6 of HBO’s True Blood?
So many questions, so few days until we find out – and yet the wait is STILL excruciating!
(Photo Credit: HBO Inc.)
Okay, now the last time I read a series final of a much loved book series I was so bitterly disappointed that that book (The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel) remained sitting in the spot I threw it until we decided to sell our house and it HAD to be moved.
Jean M. Auel GUTTED me with that final piece of Ayla and Jondalar drivel. For my entire adult life I had been waiting for the moment when Ayla’s past (ie. her children) would rear their ugly heads and fight to the death – AS THE AUTHOR HAD INDICATED several times during the series. Instead all I got was a bad retelling of book 3 (The Mammoth Hunters) and the assumption that the author believed all women who work should be punished. To get a full insight into how bad this series final book is, you can read some of the reviews here.
So it was with trembling hands that I picked up Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris early on Mother’s Day. I had only one expectation – that Charlaine Harris stay true to Sookie Stackhouse and not cave to the mass hysteria that was threatening the Sookieverse. That is all I asked – did Charlaine deliver?
I WILL BE DISCUSSING THE END OF THIS NOVEL, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING, PLEASE RETURN TO READING THE BAD REVIEWS ON JEAN M. AUEL’S BOOK.
WALK AWAY NOW…
*My Book Review*
DISCLAIMER: This book/eBook being reviewed was purchased by reviewer.
Yes, I think she did! I will be addressing my reasoning behind that later. Right now I just want to reach out through cyberspace and bitch slap all the readers out there threatening to kill themselves and egg Charlaine Harris’ house just because she didn’t provide Sookie Stackhouse with a man who was not suited to her.
No author should be threatened like that.
Ever.
Did none of you fans read ANYTHING Harris wrote in the 12 other Southern Vampire Mystery books?! Sookie DID NOT want to be turned! Sookie wanted babies more than anything else. She also wanted to be NORMAL. How on earth is Eric Northman supposed to provide any of that?
Eric Northman’s butt (played by Alexander Skarsgard’s butt in HBO’s True Blood) – Yes, this is a gratuitious attempt at calming the angry masses
I might just add here that I am a BIG fan of the Eric Northman character. I subscribe to many of the various Alexander Skarsgard-loving websites and think that Dead to the World is the best book in the Sookie Stackhouse series – so much so that I own TWO copies of it! HOWEVER (and this is not just because I want that Viking all to myself), if Charlaine Harris were to give Sookie Eric, she would have sold herself short as an author.
See, this is the horrible truth about writing. Sometimes you have to kill your darlings. Sometimes you just need to write the outcome that is plausible and honest – regardless of what the fanbase think. Jean M. Auel could not do this, yet Harris had the guts to and I applaud her for it.
All you Team Eric fans out there need to stop for a minute and go back and read the ENTIRE series. Yep, pull those books off the shelf (if you haven’t already burned them along with your effigy of Charlaine Harris) and start from the beginning. Now, instead of cooing over the fact that Sookie says more than once that she hates Eric (‘but really, we all KNOW she doesn’t mean it’), why not look at the references made by the author about Sam. Instead of pointing at sections and saying ‘See, Sookie says she only like Sam as a friend,’ why not apply the same logic you use when Sookie says something about Eric you ‘know’ isn’t true – maybe she’s lying? It’s not the first time in the history of the world that people have denied feeling for another person. And it sure as shit ain’t the first time someone has stayed platonic with their boss to avoid complications should they break up further on down the track.
If you want to see Sookie and Eric together, then go and read some fanfic – or write your own! There’s PLENTY of awesome stuff out there. Besides FanFiction.net, I also follow a whole heap of Team Eric role players on Facebook and Twitter. Their versions of the Sookieverse are just fantastic. Not only do these authors in their own rights keep Eric and Sookie together, they manage to steam up my glasses every time I’m reading their fanfic.
I just can’t understand the HATE involved with this book. Now if Charlaine Harris had promised Sookie would decide who she loved in the last book and then presented a novel that went off on some long meandering tangent about the history of Sookie’s house and didn’t resolve the main plot line – then I could understand your fury.
Not only are people complaining that the Eric vs. Bill vs. Sam vs. Alcide vs. Quinn resolution issue ending is shit, but so too is the writing. Hello? I dare anyone to include EXAMPLES of how Harris’ writing has changed from book 1. Go on, tell me in in the comments below – cut and paste all those sections you loved along with the ones you hated and tell me how her writing has nose-dived. Oh, and the continuity issues? Why don’t you try writing 13 books and not have ONE SINGLE CONTINUITY ISSUE – I’ll even let you assign an actual continuity editor to the task. Really, that’s what is pissing you off? The fact that Sookie can no longer read Sam’s mind? Go blow it out your arse!
Yeah, there were a few books (especially towards the end of the series) that had a whole heap of ‘Sookie had lunch, and then she watched a movie…’ etc and then there were entire books that seemed to be nothing more that bridges joining one great plot line to the next. But, overall, I don’t think the quality of writing decreased that much.
Sometimes I think people just confuse ‘I’m not happy with how this book ended’ with ‘this author is a bad writer’.
Regardless of what the blinkered fans thought, Charlaine Harris addressed the burgeoning attraction between Sam and Sookie very early on in the series. The pair ending up together was pretty obvious and, to be honest, a welcome reward. Sookie FINALLY gets her normal happy ever after!
All in all, I am giving Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris 4.5 stars out of 5.
“I am Sookie Stackhouse. I belong here.”
Thank you Charlaine for keeping Sookie real!
Welcome to my review of book 11 in my Dystopia Reading Challenge of 2013, hosted by Blog of Erised.
The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills its victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regiments have failed.
Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut. The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom.
Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental antitoxin and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine.
DISCLAIMER: This book/eBook being reviewed was provided free of charge for an honest review.
Okay, first off the bat, I’m going to say that I wouldn’t actually classify this book as dystopia. It is definitely apocalyptic and awesome though! I am still including it in my Dystopia Reading Challenge though for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the author sent me a copy to review specifically for the challenge. Secondly, while it is apocalyptic, the story is told from the viewpoint of a corrupt government, and this is a classic dystopian theme.
“Ray Bradbury was right, the Earth does look like a dirty baseball, Astronaut Doug Greene observed as he peered through the space shuttle’s tiny porthole.”
Against Nature starts with this cracker of first sentence as the author hurtles you head first into his cautionary tale of governmental corruption, social agendas gone wild and super bugs from outer space. The reader is grabbed from the onset and while the ride never slows or allows you to catch your breath, every minute is a treasure.
I found myself instantly in love with this story and all the paranoia created thanks to the tale being told from the viewpoint of the government of the day. So many apocalyptic and dystopian novels are told from the perspective of your average every day Joe that this novel is a refreshing change. I don’t think I have ever read a novel of this genre written from the other side of the fence. It was fantastic to finally see the justifications of war from the governments perspective.
This doesn’t mean that all the characters are arseholes though. Quite the opposite. While there are many I was glad to hate, a handful of generous and caring individuals helped to keep the story afloat.
The author, John G. Nelson, really knows his stuff too, when it comes to how a country is run. While a lot of the information went straight over the top of my head (I am neither an American or into politics) and there was probably too much information supplied at times, there was still plenty that added great depth and realism to the story. There were moments, while reading, when I felt I was living the moment. If the format was newsprint rather than eBook, I would have completely believed every word read!
Conspiracy theorists will LOVE this novel. Not only is the world believably set up with plenty of details as to how it is run, but there are also many underhanded moments when the government hides things and twists facts in order to control the general public. There is plenty of references to America’s health system and how it is failing it’s users as well as falling behind all those of the western world, which will appease dedicated dooms-dayers.
One downfall I found with this book, was it’s religious undertones. While the odd reference to religion and the characters beliefs were fine, sometimes it seemed their beliefs waxed and waned and then were crammed down your throat, making it not ring true. I felt that the author could have made the religious moments either stronger and more consistent throughout the book, or dropped them altogether. Personally, though, I would have liked to see them tightened and bought more to the forefront – which would make this another first in this genre, a religious book that isn’t preachy.
The other problem, was it’s lack of time and perspective breaks. There was not an asterisk is sight. Even a decent gap would have helped the reader know that either a new person’s perspective is being introduced or the time has altered significantly.
Overall, I am giving Against Nature by John G. Nelson 4 out of 5 stars!
The author, John G. Nelson, loves feedback from his readers and believes his novel should spur comments, questions and conversation. If you feel compelled to comment, you can do so at his blog: http://johngnelson.blogspot.com/
With only 38 days to go until Season 6 of HBO’s True Blood starts, I thought I’d better start posting stuff 
Here’s the latest promo video to whet your appetite for all things bloody!
You can also follow all the latest news on TrueBloodNet.com – and I know it’s reliable, because I write for them! And make sure you check back here when Season 6 starts so you can read my recaps on each episode.
Source: YouTube - True Blood Season 6 Trailer
(Photo Credit: HBO Inc./Rachel Tsoumbakos)
Welcome to my review of book 10 in my Dystopia Reading Challenge of 2013, hosted by Blog of Erised.
When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves… Talia herself.
Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.
She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.
If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in.
DISCLAIMER: This book/eBook being reviewed was provided free of charge for an honest review.
I’m going to start off by saying that I think the genuine young adult audience will love Talented by Sophie Davis. There’s action, romance, creative world building and plenty of gorgeous clothes! The older audience who like to read the YA genre, may find it a little trying though.
The books starts with a really interesting twist on how Talia, the main character, and all the other people become ‘talented’ in this novel. The use of a common event that could occur in our world, yet twists it to suit the world building required in Talented is great. I also loved the fact that these talented individuals were ostracised rather than their magic talents be rejoiced in by the general community. There is an honesty that runs true with this philosophy. Having to have all children tested for talents also added a really great element of paranoia to the dystopian world.
There are moments when there is a LOT of back story discussed at the start of this book. It’s just one of those things that occurs with novels that involve a different world to the one we live in. While large chunks of back story at the start of a novel can be mind-numbing, Davis manages to keep the reader on track with her interesting prose – most of the time.
I found this book could have done with one more go over by a line editor There were occasions when whole paragraphs involved sentences beginning with the same word (ie. ‘I’) as well as the same words being repeated in close proximity to each other. There were also plenty of instances where the author over-explained situations.
While there are plenty of beautifully flowery descriptives throughout this book, at times, I found myself scanning through all the flowers to find the actual story. There were certain parts of the book were completely riveting – and these were usually the times when Talia stumbled across something she loved or she lowered her inhibitions. I wish I could have seen more of this Talia and less of the uptight one.
The blurb of this book discusses the main character’s agenda, which is wanting to kill the person responsible for her parents murders. Unfortunately, the opportunity for this doesn’t occur until you are two thirds of the way through the book. I would have liked to see less on the schooling process and love interests of the main character and more on her need for vengeance.
And it is when Talia finally gets the chance for retaliation that this story really grabs the reader and sucks them in. If you are finding it hard to make it through the first part of this book, then I urge you to persevere, it really is worth it. Talia’s character develops and grows and we finally get to the real bones of the story – revenge!
I am giving Talented by Sophie Davis 3 out of 5 stars.
(racheltsoumbakos.wordpress.com)
Siege is the conclusion to Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy, which should appeal to fans of The Walking Dead. Both The First Days and Fighting to Survive won the Dead Letter Award from Mail Order Zombie.The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner.
The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.
Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors
Goodreads
· What was your inspiration for Nerit’s character and do you know anyone with similar military background?
I was inspired by three women I met at various points in my life. One was a young Israeli woman that inspired Nerit’s name, the other two were older Israeli women who were beautiful, intelligent, kind, and former Israeli snipers. While speaking to one, she explained that women made better snipers than the men because they are better shots and she shrugged off her talent as if it was nothing really unusual. She alluded to having taken lives, but didn’t seem particularly ruffled by this fact because she was doing her job. I marveled that someone so normal could have done something so extraordinary.
Nerit was born in a split second when I was writing the book and saw her standing on top of the old hunting store. I instantly understood the character and what she was all about. I think she is such a popular and fascinating character because she is the person who does what no one else can do. She is the master of doing the monstrous and terrible, yet retains her dignity. I love the fact that she’s 62, a woman, and yet a complete bad ass.
· Did you do any research on psychopathology to write about the after effects on your character’s psyche?
A ton of research. Both by reading and speaking to people who have gone through terrible calamities. I was able to talk to survivors of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and it gave me enormous insight into the mind of someone going through a life-altering experience like a national disaster.
Also, I read up on historical events that adversely affected humanity and how we survived. I remember one article that really struck me was how humans survive through community. That was just a profound realization. Most of the time zombie fans are in love with the lone survivor, or the groups of people fighting and destroying each other, but the reality of our history is that in the end we survive because of community.
As for the personal struggles, I did a lot of research on battered women for Jenni. The real challenge was Calhoun. Since Calhoun is schizophrenic, I had to understand how the illness affects his perceptions. I watched several videos where they depicted how someone who has schizophrenia and is unmedicated sees the world. It was extremely eye opening.
I’m a firm believer in creating realistic characters.
· You could have chosen any place in the world for your characters to hole up in during the end of days, yet you chose to keep your setting close to home. What were the perks & drawbacks to writing about a setting familiar to you, as opposed to choosing one you must research or create?
Actually, the characters are in a setting that is not familiar to me. I live in a big city. I’ve not experienced the small town community that exists in the book. I observed how these small towns operate during my former job and was exposed to the reality of a small town. I remember marveling at how a city secretary knew the name of every person in her town and where they lived. I was amazed. During my travels, I absorbed the whole energy of these small towns and the people who lived in them and transferred that into Ashley Oaks. It was a great experience.
I think the only book I have written so far where I didn’t have to do research on the location was PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES because it takes place mostly in Austin, Texas where I live. That made writing a whole lot simpler!
· If you were stranded on a desert island (with electricity?) what 3 things could you not live without?
My computer, my husband, my pets.
· What book would you absolutely have to have with you, and why?
My novel THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE. It is the one book I definitely wrote just because I wanted to read it.
· What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
Texan, author, Goth, goofy, boring.
Please follow the link below to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You will go into the draw to win the entire series in paperback format! How awesome is that?! Unfortunately it is only for US and Canadian residents only.
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.
(Photo Credit: MorgueFile.com)
So, now that I am reading and reviewing so many awesome books, I thought I’d add a new widget to my blog so you can see exactly where I am up to with my reading list. I have included the current list below, but, in future you can just go straight to my website and scroll down the page. My Book Review List will appear between the Dystopia Reading Challenge image and my list of recent posts.
These are the books I currently have on my ‘Review List’. They appear in the order I am reading them in. Check back regularly to see if your book is on the list. Or, alternatively, suggest a book for me to review.
*Talented ~ Sophie Davis (Finished, review to follow shortly)
*Against Nature ~ John Nelson (Currently reading)
*Nabka ~ Jason S. Walters
*Burning the Middle Ground ~ L. Andrew Cooper
Dead Living ~ Glenn Bullion
*Forgeign Identity ~ Becca J. Campbell
*Child of the Loch ~ Aurora Martinez
*Jungle Land ~ R.M. DuChene
*Perfect Flaw ~ Robin Blankenship
*Warm Bodies ~ Isaac Marion
*Vegan Zombie Apocalypse ~ Wol-vriey
*Later-Day of the Dead ~ Kevin Krohn
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