Dead Until Dark book review

For those who don't keep up with such things, there is a burgeoning subgenre of fantasy/horror romance fiction out there. Dead Until Dark, the first in a series of the Sookie Stackouse novels, is far from any Anne Rice novel. It is quite different, and that is why I liked it. The main protagonist in Dead Until Dark is a 25-year-old high school-educated Louisiana waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who lives with her grandma and is able to read minds. It is either an ability or a curse, depending on how Sookie looks at it. I think it is a great twist to have a human with a gift.

A Japanese biomedical group has created synthetic blood substitutes that finally allow vampires to live "mainstream" among humans. Sookie is a bit of a spinster because her mindreading complicates relationships. By strange coincidence, she can't read the mind of her small town's newest vampire resident–Bill-and those same powers prevent Bill's "glamour" from working on her. Soon enough, an unlikely romance begins. And then there is also the murder mystery happening all around Sookie and all hell breaks loose. But even the murder mystery wasn't scary; yet another reason I enjoyed this book very much.

Not only that, but this book gives the reader a glimpse into the minds of small town, Southern Americans. I like the characters in that they are just ordinary people...surrounded by vampires. The only thing that I didn't like is that Sookie seems a bit too simple and uneducated. But then again, if she were smart, she wouldn't be dating a vampire now would she?

I give this book a rating of a 4 out of 5. A short, easy read with just the right amount of drama, romance and suspense.