Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (also on Vox)

At last, my first review as part of BethFishReads' Sookie Stackhouse Challenge. This is actually a hard review for me to write. I just finished watching Season 1 of True Blood. So as I was re-reading this book, I kept comparing it to the series - what the series included, didn't include, how it was different ... In fact, when I started the book, my mental voice has a distinct Southern accent. It was quite distracting! Another problem is I know what is going to happen (with Bill, Eric, Bubba ...) so my reading was shaded by what I know the future is going to hold for these characters. But still, I enjoyed Book 1 and getting to know Sookie's world and all the characters in it.

Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's bar in tiny Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has a "disability" - she can read people's minds. Due to this disability, Sookie is uber-happy to meet vampire Bill, because she can't read the minds of vampires. Vampires came out of the coffin recently, thanks to the Japanese's invention of synthetic blood. Some vampires, like Bill, are trying to live amongst the humans. Other are not fully on board. Humans are also trying to deal with the now-legal vampires. Some humans, like Sookie, are more accepting of vampires. Others, not so much. In fact, someone seems to be killing off women who have relationships with vampires. Sookie has to evade a killer at the same time she tries to navigate her way through a newly discovered supernatural world.

This book is a great introduction into Sookie-verse. What I love most about Sookie is that she's just a girl who happens to read minds. She's practical and sensible, but she also has a temper, gets her feelings hurt, and tries her best to deal with work, family, love and romance.

It's hard to review the book without mentioning the True Blood series, which follows the book pretty faithfully. I do have a few comments though. First, I never pictured Anna Paquin as Sookie, but she does a good job. I think the Sookie character is pretty faithful to the book. However, in the books, her brother, Jason, is more selfish and less of a loveable idiot. I think Bill and Sam are well portrayed. While there are some deviations from the book, it's mostly very well done. Except for the Tara storyline ... not so sure about that part.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books before watching the series (I know it's only in Season 2).

As for the book: B+.