Not so toothsome
These are somewhat the silly side for my tastes. I read the last two or three while home sick, just blew through them. The writing is not the strongest. There are a few humorous moments here and there, but they're just not that good. I do give credit that Sookie develops somewhat; she's not as 'green' as she was in the first book, and I like that she grows. The concept is a bit different with a woman who can read minds and she's intrigued by vampires because she can't read their minds, and gets introduced into all this intrigue and whatnot. Perhaps if this didn't go on into seven or eight books and actually got resolved without some major battle in each book and Sookie always battered and bruised and deciding who to sleep with and yadda yadda yadda. I also don't care for all the odd characters, the fairies and angels and werewolves and the hierarchies. I mean, yeah, if you have one supernatural creature why wouldn't you have other kinds? But I just don't care for it. In terms of fantasy I've much preferred The Book of Lost Things or The War of the Oaks. Maybe I just have vampire fatigue, because there are a lot of vampire chick fiction books out there right now. But if you like vampire chick lit you probably will like this.

Sookie Branches Out
Reviewer: Renee S. NYC July 24,2008.
Since there are already a plethora of reviews both praising and denigrating this book, I'll only tell you why I loved it.
I was happy that Ms. Harris was letting Sookie move on and out, in terms of new situations and new types of characters. A Fairy Grandfather,witches and, of course, Bob the Cat. I was also glad to see Barry the Bellhop show up again. Sookie needs to know someone else who is in her own "line of business".
As for the naysayers who weren't happy about our heroine's lack of acumen in not having figured out what was going to happen, fie on them. She is NOT supposed to be a superwoman, just a human with telepathic abilities. I'm perfectly happy with letting Sookie know what she knows when she knows it, even if I figured it out before she did. It's all about her journey, not mine.

one of the best vampire series around...laughs and tears....love it
I love these books....I alternately laugh and cry....I cannot wait for a new one and once I have it I cannot stop til I am done....I think the house could burn down and while I was escaping I would still be reading.....

Where's the Action?
I love this series, but this installment is just disappointing. There's no romance to speak of, no sexual tension, no witty banter, and all those great guys Sookie's introduced us to over the years barely rate a mention. Plus, the plot is pretty thin, and Harris devotes long passages to pretty mundane things like shopping. The plot of this book is mainly boring political intrigue, with Sookie sounding more like an embittered and inflexible Lily Bard (from Harris's Shakespeare series) than herself. I sure hope the next installment is better.

Sookie reigns supreme!
A suitable continuation of the Sookie series. I couldn't put it down any more easily than any of its predecessors! Definitely worth owning -- even on a book-buying diet!