Rating:


Author: Charlaine Harris

Publication: January 1st, 2004

Add: GoodReads | Amazon

Description: When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.
Via GoodReads.

My Review: 

As I'm sure you've figured out by now, I've become a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series. This book only futher convinced me of that, tying for my favorite book so far with book three, Club Dead.

Like Club Dead, Dead to the World brings a new level of action and excitement to the series beyond that of the first two books. Three things are going on at once in this book - dealing with the new, kinder Eric until they can restore his memory, figuring out what happened to Jason after he goes missing in the beginning of the book, and dealing with the nasty witches that cursed Eric and are ready to start a war to get what they want. Yup, I said witches. Now the Sookie series features vampires, werewolves, shifters, wiccans, and witches. Talk about a party. Not only was this book filled with both an abundance of action and a fun variety of magical creatures, but it also focuses heavily on my absolute favorite character of the series - Eric Northman.

At almost the very beginning of the book, Sookie is driving home from work and sees a white shape in the darkness up ahead. Is it a deer, a tree, no, it's a butt-naked Eric Northman!

“If there were an international butt competition, Eric would win, hands down—or cheeks up.”

Completely devoid of his memories, scared, and in need of a place to hide out, he ends up staying with Sookie for the rest of the book. Hallelujah! A book full of hot and fangsome Viking guaranteed. His mysterious memory lose completely changes his personality though. Gone is the confident, witty, sheriff vampire that we've come to know and love, and what's left is a caring, sweet man who puts Sookie above all else.

I could love you." His nostrils flared, and he looked suddenly proud. "I could work. You would not be poor. I would help you."
"Sounds like a marriage," I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. But my voice was too shaky.
"Yes," he said.”  

*Sigh* How cute is that? The one and only thing I didn't like about this changed-for-the-better Eric was the lose of his snark. Bye, snark! We miss you, though you were replaced by love and gentleness. Now Sookie can't help but wonder.. is his confidence only a mask, and is she only now seeing his true self? You'll have to find out for yourself by reading this book and the others in the series, but it certainly made for a fun time in Dead to the World for us Eric fangirls. As if the book couldn't get any better than that, filling it with my favorite character, it also takes out my very least favorite character.

My very least favorite character? Yeah, you guessed it, Bill Compton. Annoying, cold, self-centered... *mutters profanity* Bill. By the book "taking out" this characcter, I unfortunately do not mean that he was killed off. That's too much to hope for. But, in the beginning of the book he does go on a trip to Peru for his stupid computer program and doesn't come back until the end of the book. Sidenote - this whole computer program thing is really not helping his image any for me. Now I see a (as I said in a previous review) "Civil war sideburn sissy" hunched over a computer in a corner with his pants pulled up like he's expecting a flood. Am I the only one who sees this? But anywho.. It was really great not having to listen to his "Please, Sookie, I didn't mean to leave you for another woman without even saying goodbye. Take me back!" for page after page like we were starting to at the end of Club Dead.

This is the first series that I've ever read that literally seems to be getting better as I go. I definitely enjoyed the first two books, but these third and fourth books I loved. (Coincides with Bill's absence.. Coincidence?)

Summed Up:

This book is one of my favorites in the series! Great writing, storyline, and characters as usual, but with more action and funny parts mixed in. Plus - lots of Eric! Without his memory, he's sweet and kind but also loses some of his usual fun snark.

Sookie Stackhouse Series

Review for #1: Dead Until Dark
Review for #2: Living Dead In Dallas
Review for #3: Club Dead
Review for #4: Dead to the World
Review for #5: Dead as a Doornail
Review for #6: Definitely Dead
Review for #7: All Together Dead
Review for #8: From Dead to Worse
Review for #9: Dead and Gone