Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel, Book 13

(No spoilers.) I honestly don't believe Charlaine Harris wrote this book. I suspect she either supervised a ghost writer who needed a firmer editing hand, or she did write it and it's just an early draft that she either didn't care to improve or couldn't because of other commitments. The plot is ridiculous, contrived, crammed full of details in places and outright boring in others. The supernatural abilities of characters are inconsistent with our previous experience of them, with no explanation for why they can not do something they have done before or they can suddenly do something that was impossible. There are characters who step in for meaningless cameos, as if there was some casting obligation, but no actual plot point to give them. And for the first time in thirteen books and as many stories as I've read, except for a tag on one short story, the author has departed from her first person narrator perspective.

Some reviewers are rating the book low because they think she ended up with the wrong man. That's not my issue. This is the last book in the series. I expected the quality of story telling that kept me reading all these years and made me fall in love with these characters. This book did not have that quality. It's disappointing, and its a sad end to the Sookie series.

The story. Maybe Ms.Harris could of put forth a little more effort into the plot.

How could it? It's the last book of the series, which I adored for the most part.

Sookie of course. I always loved Pam.

Yes. It wasn't horrific.

I believe we, the fans who have come to love and cherish these books deserve more of a story. This book seemed like Harris just threw some ideas out there and settled. No great creativity seemed to go into it. I get it after 13 books Sookie's "been there and done that", and no new characters could really be introduced. But the characters she chosen to bring back were well, dumb, .Amelia was written out of the book as far as I'm concerned, as was her father, Bob, and the others I won't mention due to spoiling the story. I wish it could of been more focused on the core characters. But it went in so many different directions that the story didn't seem to be concrete.

After 13 books this final instalment felt completely out of place, as if the writer just went through the motions to conclude a story that she didn't enjoy anymore. The characters were shadows of their former selves, none exhibiting their usual characteristics that made me fall in love with them.It was also boring, the mundane details of Sookie's life were on the forefront and took up most of the time pushing the relationships and plot on the sidelines. I forgot what the story was about, so caught up with her checking her messages and emails. Her relationships as well were incredibly odd, her motivations, her love, it was as if none of the experiences she had in the past 12 books existed. What a pathetic end to this series. I wish I had never listened to it.

This book did not read like a SVM story. I felt like I was reading fan fiction story ideas. There was a very weak plot and uninteresting side stories. Ms. Harris seems to have wanted the readers to have one last visit from many old characters even if it was forcing a contrived story line. ****Spoiler****. It was ridiculous that Copley, Marley, Steve N and more were all murderously angry with Sookie. I don't mind that Sookie ends up with Sam, but the complete dismissal of Eric's character was disappointing. He was developed as a love interest for Sookie since book 2, growing even more important to each other after the summit. The characters in Book 13 had stark differences from the rest if the series. It was as if someone else wrote the book or that Ms Harris was sick of writing these stories and just wanted to end it. I would have been happier if she had stopped at 12 or maybe even earlier.

She developed Eric and then threw the character away without at realistic break up and good bye.

Diantha! Her fast talk makes me laugh.

Frustrated and disappointed.

Ahhhh...the Sookie Stackhouse series blessedly comes to an end. This book was better than #12, and many loose ends were tied up, but enough are left out there so that if Harris decides to, she can write more. It was a bit rushed, as if trying to touch as many characters and storylines as possible to satisy as many people as possible. I wish the series ended with the same humour and enjoyment it began with. Instead, it just ended.

The narration was excellent.

This book added nothing to the series. The previous book, as-is, would have been a much better end to the series. It was poorly written in many places and felt rushed.

Made the book less of a reunion of all past favorite characters. It stretches credulity and weakens them all.

She has a lovely accent, and each character has a very distinctive voice.

In many of the books, Sookie is badly beaten or threatened with rape. I generally skip those parts on repeated listenings. This is one of the few books in the series where no one beats the crap out of the protagonist, or tortures her, or nearly rapes her.

This is what happens when a writer drags out a series. Sookie should have been put to rest a few books back. Publishers do their authors and readers a disservice when they try to extend a series just because it's selling well. Harris just plain ran out of steam. Too many characters and plot elements were brought in without good reason. Too many things were predictable. Characters were not true to their prior behavior. I should have saved my money on this one.

***NO SPOILERS***
First, I really thought the entire first half of this book was boring and Harris wanted all the previous characters to make a cameo in the book just because it is the last book. There were really no reasons for most of the people who cameoed to be in the book, they served no real purpose. It made me feel like it was the end of a long loved tv series and everyone comes out to take a bow, even the extras. She could have taken out all those pointless scenes and made the book way more exciting.

I've been a fan of every sookie book written, even the not so good ones. This book lacks everything that is Sookie Stackhouse. I am very disappointed in this book as the ending of our beloved heroine. It just seemed so unrealistic of everything that happened and the loose ends were tied up too neatly it just seemed too unrealistic, even for Sookie's world. I am happy with who she ends up with but that's about all I can say I'm happy with.
Ugh... I have no more words to say how disappointed I am with this ending. It seems like C. Harris just threw it together and wanted everything put together nice and neat with a bow on top. I guess I just expected more from her.
Hopefully there will be fans out there that like this book/ending but I'm not one of them. I've waited so long to read this book and have been so excited about it and now that I'm done I feel like a deflated balloon.

What does everyone else think?

This book was a little more upbeat than the previous two books with Sookie showing some of her old optimistic personality, which I was glad for, however I felt her emotional responses to her love life was stagnant and un-heartfelt. Most of the loose ends were tied up neatly with no real feelings of satisfaction for me.

After finishing this book, and I thought about everything that had transpired in this last Sookie Stackhouse book, my overall feelings are that this series ending with a resigned whimper. I was hoping for so much more in this last book and was left with a unsatisfactory feeling of being let down.

The narrator Johanna Parker did superb job as usual with the different characters voices and accents. I think she nails Sookie voice to a T.

Even though Charlaine Harris says she hired an editor to help with continuity, it didn't work. If I hadn't bought audiobooks, I could have sent her my 12 books so she could look up what happened in the previous books. For example, Sookie says she only met Copley Carmichael once before. WRONG! Also, why include characters that have no purpose in the book just because they were in prior books? I felt like it was a final episode of a bad show where everyone who ever had a part had to take a final bow.

Probably not. Johanna Parker should have reviewed her voices and pronunciation of names from previous recordings. Also, could Sookie have sounded more whiney?

Quinn. What was he there for? His part could have been performed by any other animal. Harris included him just so she could wrap up any possibility of Quinn and Sookie. Talk about playing to her audience.

Charlaine Harris started with a great concept and character in her first book but by book 10 it was clear she was bored with the storyline. This book was nothing more than a contractual obligation for her - she promised 13 books and no matter what the quality, she was going to provide 13 books. I didn't care who Sookie ended up with although Sam is definitely the easy, vanilla way of ending the book. Oh wait, there's another book due out in October that will tell the future. As if I care anymore. And another thing. A DEVIL??!!! COME ON!!!

I solemnly swear upon my Audible account that I will never, ever, ever spend one more cent on a Charlaine Harris book. So help me God.