I just finished All Together Dead, the 7th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I have to say it, I'm really losing my patience with the series. I really enjoyed the first 4, but after Dead to the World, something just seems off.
I find myself caring less about Sookie, and more about the supporting characters. My biggest issue is that Sookie is now involved in some kind of bizarre love octagon. She falls in love with, or has some kind of romantic tension with every single man that she meets.
If you've ever watched a soap opera, you'll notice that there's a very specific way they prep female characters for an exit on the show. They'll take a very strong, independent woman and make her man crazy. She'll fall in love with one guy, and all of the sudden she's whiney, weak, and starts making stupid decisions. Eventually the audience stops caring about the character and she leaves the show. It almost feels like Harris is doing the same thing with Sookie.
The more Sookie involves herself with these men, the worse her decision making skills become. It makes her a much less entertaining or sympathetic character. Harris is also busy introducing so many new characters, like Amelia, that you hardly get to spend any time with the residents of Bon Temps.
Thank goodness for Pam. At the moment, she's really the only saving grace in the last few books. She's hilarious. I find myself reading in hopes that she'll make another appearance. Luckily she has a bigger role in All Together Dead, and the reader gets a glimpse of her back story.
I hope Harris is able to find the charm and humor that she had in the first few books. As it is, they are starting to fall into the category or predictable romance.
