Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series #6) by Charlaine Harris

The Barnes & Noble ReviewThis entry in Charlaine Harris's genre-blending Southern Vampire series -- an amalgam of mystery, dark fantasy, and paranormal romance -- is easily the most revealing and thematically pivotal volume to date. In the saga's sixth installment, Definitely Dead, telepathic Louisiana barmaid Sookie Stackhouse finds out jaw-dropping information about her first love, 130-something vampire Bill Compton, as well as equally astonishing insights into her own ancestry.

After her only cousin, Hadley, is murdered by one of the undead, Sookie travels to New Orleans to close out the young woman's apartment and collect her things. The unsavory job gets complicated quickly; Hadley was the "honeybun" of the bisexual vampire Queen of Louisiana, the seemingly ageless bloodsucker Sophie-Anne Leclerq. The queen has recently married another powerful sovereign in an attempt to forge a formidable alliance, and tensions in the supernatural community are running high. But when Sookie and her new love interest, a were-tiger named Quinn, are inexplicably kidnapped, the mind-reading waitress must unravel the mysterious circumstances of her cousin's murder before she ends up dead as well…

My thoughts:
I am sure this has been pointed out by many readers, but the thing I am always really struck by is how different these books are than the series.  So many details are changed and I wonder why.  I know TrueBlood just says it is based on the books, but why change so much?  If the story worked well in the book and sold well, wouldn't it follow that people would be interested in seeing that come to the screen?

That fact aside, I had a little trouble getting into this book, but once I was in I really enjoyed it.  I have the next two books to read and plan to read them soon while these details are still pretty fresh in my mind.  I am glad to see Sookie moving on in her dating life.  Sookie's cousin Hadley who was a vampire and the queens consort has met the true death and has left everything to Sookie as she was holding some sort of grudge against Jason.  Sookie travels to New Orleans to deal with the apartment and belongings and to make her required appearance with the queen.  Sookie gets a lot more than she bargained for in the apartment and gets pulled into some intrigue with the queen and her new husband, the King of Louisiana.  There is lots of action, lots of blood, plenty of vampires, witches, Weres and other were beings.Sookie makes a new witch friend in Hadley's landlord.

These books are a fun escape from reality.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780441014910
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Publication date: 3/27/2007
• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 352
• Series:Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series , #6

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Overview

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

My thoughts:
At the end of book 2 I just had to know what was going to happen, so I logged on with my Kindle and bought book 3.  Unfortunately the first night I was too tired to get very far.  I changed that the next day when I managed to finish the rest of the book.  I am a little sad as I think this might be it for the series.  Things wrapped up pretty well by the end, but that doesn't mean there isn't more that could be done.  According to Hawkins blog, Disney bought three books and her plans were to wrap things up by the end of book three, but she isn't against doing a bit more playing around with the world that Sophie lives in.

The end of book two was so tension filled that I was very glad that I waited until now to read the books since I was able to read them pretty much right after the other with no waiting in between.  While I love finding series when they are new, waiting for the next book can be hard and trying to keep track of each different set of characters and worlds they live in can start to get confusing, so there are times when procrastination pays off!

Sophie is without her powers at the start of this book, they are buried inside of her locked away by the spell she underwent before her removal was to take place.  She steps out of the Itineris to find herself in the forest with the Brannicks, who she thinks are the enemy of all Prodigium, but Cal has sent her there to find her mother so she trusts him and goes.  Turns out that not all is as it seems.  Someone high up in Prodigium society has been spreading rumors that are far from true about humans and those hunting Prodgium.  Just as someone has been raising demons on Graymalkin Island, right by Hecate Hall, not all the fires and destruction blamed on the Branicks and The Eye have been done by those groups.

Just as they are developing a plan of action, Sophie, Archer and Cal find themselves being magically transported back to a very different Graymalkin Island and Hecate Hall.  A spell has brought all the students back to create a force to take over the human world.  During the planning and battles that take place, a few things happened that made me pretty sad.  Archer learns the truth about his past and Cal sees what will be his future.  Sometimes knowledge is a good thing, but that doesn't always lessen the pain in can cause.

This series was really well done. I was glad to see on her blog that she is supposed to have a new series starting this summer as I really did enjoy her writing style and her way with characters.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781423121329
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 3/13/2012
• Pages: 336
• Series:Hex Hall Series , #3

Hex Hall (Hex Hall Series #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Overview

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father-an elusive European warlock-only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.
My thoughts:
This was on my TBR list for awhile and I had it on my wishlist on paperbackswap.com.  I had my turn a couple weeks ago.  This was a really enjoyable read.  I actually have book two waiting on my Kindle now as a Mother's Day gift.  It is waiting until I finish a few of my current reads so I can get it started.

I liked Sophie and the magical world she lives in.  She reminded me a bit of Rachel Morgan in Kim Harrison's series.  A witch who gets into trouble with her powers even when she is trying to do the right thing.  It also called to mind Jenifer Estep's YA series about the boarding school.  Imagine how hard it is to fit in when you are dealing, not only with the normal teenage angst, but also some added in powers and issues and friction from other types of witches and other supernaturals?

Sophie was a real seeming character, it was easy to see her as a flesh and blood person.  It was a little harder with the supermodel looking witches who try to get her to join their coven, they seemed a bit more cookie cutter like, but still believable as a clique you might meet in high school.  I am really looking forward to jumping into the next book!

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781423121398
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Publication date: 2/1/2011
• Pages: 352