Audio Book Review: Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris

I can now understand all the hype surrounding Dead Until Dark, and the other books in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I found Dead Until Dark to be unique among vampire books that I've read. Sookie, the main character, isn't a vampire, but she can read minds. The world Harris has created is interesting. Everyone knows there are vampires, and while they are discriminated against, they are tolerated in society. They must sleep in the dark during the daylight, they are very strong, and interestingly, their blood heals humans.

I enjoyed Sookie as a character. She's down to earth. She considers her special ability to be a handicap.  She comes from a small town, works in a bar, and associates with simple southern folks. She's never had a boyfriend -- it's not really an easy thing when you can tell what they are thinking about you!

When she becomes attracted to Bill, the vampire, her life gets more interesting and more complicated. I loved the conversations between the two. The romance was extremely well done.

The murder mystery kept me guessing until the end, but I really didn't find myself caring much about it. Some of the actions, on both Sookie and Bill's parts, were stupid and caused more unnecessary trouble. But, it still made a good story.

The thing is, I just don't think I want to read any more of the series. While I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Until Dark, I just feel like I've had enough, and I can't really say why. I can see older teens enjoying Dead Until Dark. There are some sex scenes, but not overly explicit.

The narrator of the audio, Johanna Parker, was very good. She has an authentic southern drawl, and used appropriate, but not annoying, voices for the characters. I would recommend the audio.

Published by Ace Books, 2001
Audio bookobtained from the library
292 pages

Rating: 3/5

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