DEADLOCKED by Charlaine Harris-a new release review

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DEADLOCKED by Charlaine Harris-a new release review

If rumors are to be believed, Deadlocked is the penultimate book in the long-suffering Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Midway through said book…I was praying for a merciful death myself. UGH. It’s not that it’s poorly written; not at all. Ms. Harris retains her wit and delivers a great story. I can only speak for myself, but THIS Team Eric fan clamors for some resolution regarding Sookie’s heart! Could there be anything of more importance? Ms. Harris decided instead to hurl this book at me, mocking me, and has nearly managed to crush my hopes.

I cannot fathom the tenacity and focus required by an author to maintain the ethic or organic character of its heroine, but Sookie’s dilemmas and choices have become complacent and monotonous. Particularly infuriating since Dead Reckoning, Sookie just can’t stop second-guessing her boyfriend, Viking Vampire Extraordinaire, Eric Northman. By the time we reach Deadlocked, their relationship is in full crisis mode.

Deadlocked hits the ground running with Sookie embroiled in yet another, if not several, supernatural disasters in play. Not only has Felipe, King of Louisiana, shown up to dispense punishment upon Eric for his alleged involvement in the mysterious death of Victor (to which not only was Sookie hands on involved, but instrumental in its planning), the King’s Second in Command, but on the opposite side of the spectrum, Tara, Sookie’s BFF, has just delivered a healthy set of twins. Although genuinely thrilled by her friend’s prosperity, the baggage Sookie’s been lugging regarding her future with Eric is suddenly magnified. Sookie finds herself lamenting over a future that cannot exactly welcome beautiful babies or an all-American, down-home HEA. More and more, Sookie expresses her desire to be rid of the “supes” and a general wish for an uncomplicated life. Add fuel to the already furious fire? Sookie walks in on a “twoey” (half human half were) spread across Eric’s lap, salaciously offering up both blood and body for his consumption!

As if! Eric’s being set up. Ms. “Twoey” is a mere piece to the puzzle. Enter secondary characters. The wolves have plenty of drama to drag down Sookie. Not only was Sookie deliberately delayed to cement Ms. “Twoey’s” availability, but she was made even more irresistible by adding a sprinkle of “eau de fairy”, a weakness for vampires thus ensuring Eric’s certain compliance. Segue into the problematic fae community. But this set of rascals Sookie’s almost willing to overlook, as she’s part fae herself; courtesy of Adele, Sookie’s grandmother, who had an affair with Fintan the fairy. Sookie actually lives with her fae great-uncle, Dermot and Claude her fae cousin, who is very scandalous. But I digress….did I happen to mention Ms. “Twoey” ended up dead on Eric’s front lawn? Oh, how the story unfolds…

Not to be outdone, tension is spiked to an all-time high with the appearance of Freyda, Queen of Oklahoma, who happens to be the intended bride of Eric. You said what now?! A last order made by Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, before his true death. While not in love with Freyda, Eric cannot dismiss this final, legally-binding contract, and, well, it’s Eric and Eric loves power. Sookie snappishly becomes jealous and insists Eric disregard the order and put HER before everything else. Yeah…because you’ve been his pillar of strength, right, Sookie? I cannot tell you how many times Sookie outright denied Eric from coming over or refused to talk to him in this book!

I’d now like to introduce to you the Cluviel Dor, an ancient, last of its kind, fairy artifact gifted to Adele by Fintan as a token of their forbidden love. The object, now in Sookie’s possession, can grant a wish on behalf of someone she loved. Perfect timing! If Sookie used it to keep Eric from marrying Freyda, an action she’s seriously considering, gone would be the proverbial albatross. Or would it? Sookie’s in such turmoil over the ruins of her relationship with Eric, she thinks it wouldn’t be a “meant for each other” type of love if she utilized the properties of the Cluviel Dor. UGH! Eric will not beg Sookie to use it as a means to eradicate their Freyda friction, but he clearly implies the power is hers to use. I thought he meant to change Sookie into a vampire, but no, it was something MUCH SIMPLER. Do it for the love of all that’s holy, Sookie! What wouldn’t we do for love?

In my opinion, Sookie has been reduced to a judgmental, vacillating nightmare! When Sookie finds pleasant to mean the absence of bad, when it’s blissful to think about being supernaturally-free….it’s time to move on. Ms. Harris does not treat us to a SINGLE love scene. If any of you are familiar with Eric’s sexual prowess and stamina, it’s really something to look forward to. Denied. Eric is simply an afterthought in Deadlocked. An afterthought? Reduce Eric to ex-boyfriend status like Bill (don’t get me started on Bill!)? That’s a planet I don’t want to live on! Maybe I’m a little biased? It wouldn’t be the first time I thought the heroine wasn’t good enough for the dazzling vampire, hello! 😀

The ending was so depressing; I shudder to predict where we’re being led. Just be done with it already, Ms. Harris. Put the fork in Sookie.

Reviewed by Carmen P.

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25 thoughts on “DEADLOCKED by Charlaine Harris-a new release review”

  1. wow Carmen that was some review. excellent and honest review. You did a great job telling us about the book and hitting all the important points.
    You certainly have a way about showing how you feel. I have not read this series, though I have watched trueblood. I gather Harris isn’t doing justice to Sookie, but even on the tv show sookie is a bit flighty. lol

    • Thank you, Barb! I can’t tell you how I had to force myself to just STOP writing. I wanted to compare it to the HBO True Blood series, but I refrained.

      Call me a hypocrite, though: I’ll read the last book, too! 😉

    • That’s a relief!

      Again with the hindsight: I felt I was a little too harsh, but it was just giving my honest opinion. Remember, I’m a fan of the series. I could have gone on! 😀

      Thank you for the opportunity. Looking forward to the next one!! ; )

  4. Yeah Carmen!!!!!!!!!! What a great review, even if I haven’t read the series, or watched the tv show. You did a great job explaining the story but also telling how you felt and I really enjoyed reading it. My sister is a True Blood fan, loves Eric, who doesn’t, even I find him hot and I don’t watch the show. 😉 However, when it comes to the books she doesn’t like the way they are written. She’s not a fan of Ms. Harris’ writing style at all, and many times gets frustrated with the story line. By the sounds of what you’ve just said, I don’t see this book sitting well with my sister. I’ll let you know when she reads it.

    • Thank you, Marcie!!! And I’m glad that you have your sister to compare “notes” with. Yay!

      Like I told Barb, I’m a hypocrite because I’ll see the series till the end AND I watch the dang show, too! But don’t get me started on True Blood. Ugh, if you thought Twilight was abused on film (that wasn’t just me, right?), HBO has annihilated this series. Superficial me takes delight in ERIC and ALCIDE….swoooooooooooooon…..

      Thanks for the generous comments!!! 😉

    • Awwww, thank you so much, Mary Ann. As harshly as I reviewed it, I was/am? a genuine fan of the series, so it’s really a bittersweet moment.

  6. Yes i have to Agree Loved your Review Carmen:
    I tried once to get into one of Ms. Harris Books and if i’m not in , in the first 2 chapters then all the chocolate in the world is’nt going to help me .This is just one arthor i’m sorry too say does nothing for me .

    • Thank you very much, Lori!!

      I DID thoroughly enjoy the series, however. It just seems Ms. Harris has lost interest in Eric, specifically, and I don’t understand how you just dump a character?! Like I said in the review, I’m a hypocrite because I will read the last book. I just won’t have major expectations. 😉

  8. Great review Carmen!!! I haven’t read this series yet! It’s been on my TBR for a loooong time. Loree, my book sharing friend, says that I will love them, but I just haven’t gottent o them yet. I tried to watch True Blood, but, it was………….. too bloody for me!! LOL!!! I just coudn’t get into it.

    And, I hate that you were disappointed in the book. It really irks me when I’ve waited along time for a book, you read it and then you’re like “what the heck was that??”.

    • UGH, so true, Vickie! The wait was, well, I’ve been reading other stuff, but I was excited to read it nonetheless. And then I get THAT?! Boo.

      Season 5 of True Blood starts June 10th, I believe? I guess I have to upgrade my DIRECTV to get HBO going again. But then all I’ll do is complain, so why set myself up??? ;D

  9. Great Review Carmen! Wow, the book is sooooo nothing like the show! I will never understand why people will take things and just butcher them . Freaking call it something else for crying out loud! Right?

    Eric, swoooon! I love that vamp! The guy who plays him…I always pictured him as Talon in Sk’s dark hunters

      • As do I, my friend. Alexander….swooooooooooon-worthy!!!!

        Alcide, honestly….the ONLY wolf that makes me swooooon. Unless, of course, you consider the wolf form our Carpathians shift into. 😀

    • NICE!!!!! Yeah, I’ve admitted to being super shallow regarding True Blood: I watch, specifically, and in this order, for ERIC and ALCIDE. It’s just gotten ridonculous.

      Thanks, Lis!!!! 😉

  10. I couldn’t agree with you more Carmen and I am definitely on the Eric team Although what she used the Cluveil Dor for was to keep Sam alive and I don’t think she had a choice there. I like Sam. The last two books have been a disappointment to me and if the next one isn’t much better I may drop the series. Great honest review.

  11. You read it, yay!! I didn’t want to give that last part away, but now that you have, LOL, I will say that while I enjoy Sam, I have never found them to be “inseparable”. Having said that, and considering she is so TIRED of the supernatural community (of which she’s a part of, hello!), she chooses to use it on Sam, a shifterI? I was supremely disappointed. 🙁 When you’re in love, deeply in love, you do crazy, passionate things. Eric was left out to hang. BOO, SOOKIE.

    But I can’t stop there. Didn’t you feel like Sookie kept convincing HERSELF that she loved Eric??? I am sooooo mad at CH for that. It was only when she felt jealous or threatened that she readily admitted to loving Eric. All around, I am just OVER Sookie. She felt that he was “using” her by urging her to use the Cluviel Dor, but why doesn’t she see that she was using Eric as well by asking him to go against his maker’s contract? UGH….

    Thanks for your kind words, Fran!!! The next book is the last. 😉

    • I get the feeling Carmen she is trying to convert the books to closer to the TV series . They have been getting progressively worse to me and I love the booksat one time. She is only doing one book a year now and nothing on her other series. Getting to many royalties I guess. If I sound bitter I am I loved this series and it has went downhill.

      • Without a doubt, Fran. Not the bitter part, of course, but about the series going downhill. Sookie used to be an ass-kicker! Now she gets involved, but complains and/or criticizes the events as they unfold.

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