by Charlaine Harris

A Paranormal, 2010 by Ace Books, 320 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• We’re starting chapters with dates? That’s new for this series. Why change things NOW? Also, it didn’t continue. It’s only a few chapters. This feels like a weird decision.
• This plot is a bit convoluted. There’s a lot going on and a lot of “oh, that’s convenient” sort of incidents. It’s dry and boring, even when compared to the rest of the series. A lot of issues in this one. Not my favorite plot in this series, for sure.
• The sleepover with the cousin could’ve been better. I wanted more from the father than the blind trust. I wanted more from Sookie in the way of training. I was underwhelmed with what could’ve been a highlight of the book.
• What happened to Sam? Everything about him in this book felt like it was added to fill pages. He could be a bigger part of this book, he could’ve added a lot of dynamic plot points. Instead, he sort of fades into the background for most of the book and doesn’t add anything. 

What I Did Like:

• Jason came into his own in this book. He’s happy, he’s confident, and he’s intelligent. This I concluded myself, of course, since Sookie constantly points out that’s he’s not a genius. Girl, your brother is TRYING, give him a break.
• Backstory on Eric is great. Depressing, naturally (I mean, he’s a vampire, his backstory is going to be death) but also explains a lot about him. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the incidents from this book change him in future books. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of the series will continue slogging through, as I did, but this is the worst one so far in my opinion. 

My Rating: 2 Stars

• A serious lack of plot elements and a lot of things that don’t seem to fit with the series just make this one problematic.