Dead in the Family – Charlaine Harris

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the shifters' coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. Also, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side - and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.

Genre: Fiction, Series, Paranormal Romance, Vampire, Werewolves, Faery, Gothic, Mystery, Fantasy
Year: 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Rating: 3/5

Sookie Stackhouse. How I love thee. Sookie is one of my favourite heroines! She is feisty, assertive and smart. She knows how to kick arse and refuses to let the big bads get her down. On the other hand, she has a soft side when it comes to the sexy and complicated Eric Northman. She can't seem to work her love life out and suffers from all the same insecurities most of us have felt at one time or another. Sookie is a well-rounded and realistic character... well, besides all the mind-reading and love affairs with paranormal beings.

I just can't get enough of the Southern Vampire novels. This is book number 10 in the series. It came out in May last year but I had to wait until April this year to purchase it. Why, you may ask? Because all my books in series need to be in the same covers. Sad but true. So I will always have a 11 month wait between the release date and when I get to buy the new Sookie book.... *sigh* isn't life hard? 

In this novel Sookie is recovering both physically and emotionally from the Fae War; she is working out her relationship with Eric; she finds herself entangled in a problem with a dead body; the Weres call in a favour and the the portal to the Faery world may not be as closed as it seems. Phew! Once again Sookie has a lot to contend with, not to mention trying to juggle the everyday tasks of running a house and holding down a steady job! Life sure is busy. 

If you are a fan of the Southern Vampire Series then I am sure you'll enjoy this book.

Want to grab a copy of this book? Try Book Depository or Amazon!

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey - Book 1)

I admit it. I bought The Iron King because I liked the cover. It is just oh so pretty, isn't it? I figured it would look great on the YA shelf on my bookcase. 

Since I bought it, I figured I should read it. I was pleasantly surprised!

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Faery, Young Adult

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Year: 2010

Rating: 4/5

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school... or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. 

But she never could have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face... and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart. 

Meghan Chase is a misfit. No one seems to notice her. Even her own family don't pay her much attention, except for her four-year-old, half brother Ethan. Her only friend is Robbie. Fellow outcast. 

As Meghan's sixteenth birthday approaches, she senses something changing. Then all hell breaks loose. She is made the butt of a very cruel joke at school, she overhears a strange conversation and she arrives home, on the afternoon of her big day, to find her mother laying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Her little brother towering over her, grinning manically. 

Meghan just can't comprehend what is happening. The only person who can explain things is Robbie. Someone who Meghan has been friends with her whole life.. someone who she trusts... someone who she realises, she doesn't really know at all. In fact, Meghan lives in a world that is different than she thought, and she is descendant from a king who she did not even realised existed. Until now. 

Meghan's world is changing and she must enter the land of the Fey, a place called the Nevernever, in order to save her brother. A dangerous place where not everything is what it seems and not everyone is happy with her existence. 

What did I think?

I enjoyed this book. After the last book I read and did not enjoy, I was looking forward to an easy, fun read. The Iron King provided just that.

I liked the characters in this novel. Meghan was easy to warm to and Robbie was a light-hearted but sympathetic character. 

I hadn't read any books about the Fey before, so I was curious to see if I would enjoy reading about them or not. In this case, I did. Although they are proud, cold and superior creatures, they were interesting. They seemed kind of bad.. yet good. I guess it's hard to ascribe human emotions to creatures that are far from human.

I also loved how this novel was full of action and adventure. Meghan travels throughout the Nevernever, meeting strange creatures and fighting for her survival. There was never a boring moment. Although there was the obligatory romance storyline, it did not take over the story. There was diversity, which was very refreshing.

The Iron king borrows from a lot of other stories but this is something that the author does not try to hide. She is quite open about some of her inspiration. She was most obviously inspired by A Midsummer's Night Dream and Alice in Wonderland. I also got a bit of a feel of The Labyrinth (film) from this novel.

Despite that, I didn't feel that it made the story any less interesting, nor did it detract from my enjoyment. I am planning on reading the second novel in this series.

If you like reading YA fantasy novels, or stories that are full of adventure in far off lands, then I am sure you will like this book.

Have you read this? What did you think?

Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone is book number nine in the Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire series. This book has Sookie dealing with not only vamps and weres, but her long lost family members who never seem to show up with good news!


Genre: Fiction, series
Publisher: Ace Books
Year: 2009
Rating: 3/5

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps - and nothing about Weres. Until now. The Weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world, and the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew. But her determination to find out who is responsible for the murder is put aside in the face of a far greater danger. A race of unhuman beings - older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves - is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too-human pawn in their battle....

The Sookie Stackhouse series is my guilty pleasure. Along with crime fiction or a good mystery, I love nothing more than to curl up with a Sookie Stackhouse novel to forget my troubles. I had wanted to read book number nine in this series since last year but I had a hard time finding it in a cover that matched the rest of my books. It has to match right? size.. cover art.. all that is important. At least to me.  So I waited, I searched bookstores and the internet, untilI finally found this copy on eBay and I was very excited to get it in the mail last week! 

This book picks up from the last. Like all Sookie books it is a fun read, full of mystery, suspense and humour. I have said it before, and I will say it again, one of the things I love about the Sookie books is the fact that Sookie still goes about her normal life (running errands, working, paying bills) all while the supernatural world is chaotic around her. Sookie is a refreshing heroine. Full of spark and 'normality'... well as normal as you can get when vamps, weres and fae are knocking down your door! 

I don't want to say too much about this book as I feel this series is something you need to experience yourself. It would be too easy to ruin the plotline of this book if I attempted to review it in too much detail. But this book was a quick and fun read! I can't wait to read Dead in the Family... although I am not looking forward to the even longer wait to get book number ten in the right cover!!