BOOK REVIEW - Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“Dead Until Dark” is the first in a series of books by Charlaine Harris that are currently all the rage thanks to the success of the TV Series based on the novels, “True Blood”. I have seen the first season of “True Blood” on HBO and I thought it was excellent. I decided to read the first book to see if I would like the entire series of novels. The main premise of the series is that synthetic blood has been created and since it's advent vampires around the globe have come “out of the closet” so to speak. The main character is Sookie Stackhouse who falls in love with one such vampire. The first season of “True Blood” closely followed the novel. A string of murders have occurred in Bon Temps, Louisiana and the intrigue surrounding who may have committed these murders propels much of the plot. Unlike the television series, the novel does not have as rich a cast of characters and the book does not follow the lives of the other supporting characters as closely. The plot in the novel is very linear where the series is rich with stories and action surrounding the lives of different characters such as Jason Stackhouse, Tara (absent completely from the novel) and Lafayette. If you've seen the first season of “True Blood” you know how the book will end. You could practically skip this book and go right to the next without missing anything. I thought the book was difficult to read. The writing is too colloquial and too fractured to be a smooth read. However, the book is only about 300 pages long and the story is easy to follow because it is so linear. I didn't find the novel very suspenseful but I attribute part of that to knowing the ending. I also did not enjoy the more graphic parts describing sex acts. They distract from the flow of the story and in my opinion belong only in romance novels. But in reality these passages are the only parts that keep this book from being just another “tween” vampire novel. By the end of the book though, I found this to be just another vampire romance novel. If you find the love between a woman and a vampire alluring then this may be the book for you. If you're looking for more of a thriller, or a horror story, or a fantasy series or all three, I suggest you go elsewhere. Otherwise “Dead Until Dark” is sure to disappoint. View all my reviews >>