Kelly O. (astucity) - reviewed on 5/30/2010 + 18 more book reviews

I write this book review with no preconceived notion brought on by the show True Blood. I refused to watch that show until I read the books. I have just finished the first one.

Sookie Stackhouse is your typical disabled waitress in a small town bar in Northern Louisiana. Her disability is a far from common one; shes telepathic.

She was raised with her brother, Jason, by her aging grandmother after her parents died when she was young. While her older brother has moved out of the house a while ago, Sookie still lives with her grandmother.

Enter the Vampire Bill.

When vampires were allowed out of the coffin a few years back to be legally recognized citizens, theyve been received with curiosity, romanticism, and sometimes all out hatred; but Sookie couldnt wait to meet one.

When she met Bill, she was waitressing at Merlottes, the local pub and food stop in Bon Temps. She was taken with him, but she was Crazy Sookie after all, and Sookie doesnt date. Hearing other peoples thoughts at a constant rate kills that idea.

When Bill got up and left with the Rats, a local couple nicknamed that by Sookie due to their white trash status and last name, Sookie immediately knew they were up to no good. When she followed them out into the parking lot, they were draining him for his prized vampire blood, which has become the new it drug.

Sookie managed to get Bill away from them, and herself into a lot of mess.

Meanwhile; there is a serial killer in Bon Temps murdering young women, and the local detective has his sights on her older brother to fill the prison cell for it.

I cant get into all the different characters and aspects of this book so now its down to my final thoughts. Since I had not seen the show, I really genuinely loved this book. There were so many interesting characters and it really got into the vampire society aspect. Unlike books like Twilight, it isnt some sob story teen emo G rated romance but there isnt so much sex in it, as say Laurell K Hamilton, where you just groan and skip the five chapters it takes to complete one love scene. That is important to me. Romance scenes should only be included into a book when it benefits the story, not as a cover up for the writers lack of creativity to spin an actual storyline. This book delivers in this department. Harris is an excellent storyteller, and she did wonderfully by weaving in the whole Southern mentality youd expect from a story based in Louisiana.

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