Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me start by saying that my disappointment with this book has nothing to do with who Sookie ended up with. The problem with this book is that it felt like it was written by someone other than Charlaine Harris. The storyline was convoluted and had too many flaws to count. Sookie and just about everyone else acted completely out of character. Here is a short list of my issues: ***SPOILERS*** 1) The 3rd person POV added little if anything to the story and made the whole book feel disjointed. It felt like cheating to introduce this in the last book of the series. The villains' reasons for coming after Sookie were so weak, these chapters seem like they were inserted to try to make their motivation to kill Sookie more believable, but it didn't work. 2) "A Devil", really... This character was totally unnecessary, but again seems to have been added to give the villains stronger motivation, but the reasons just weren't there. The character of the devil had no development. Also, why would Carmichael use his second wish to try to get the cluviel dor, which would only give him another wish? A wish for a wish? Why doesn't he just ask the devil for the same thing he would use the cluviel dor for? Another weak plot device... 3) What is the deal with the garden growing out of control? I kept waiting for this to have some significance or meaning, but nothing. It was mentioned so often I knew there must be a point, but there wasn't, unless it was to deliver Niall's letter in the end. Maybe there was a point, but it was abandon, as so many other things were in this book. 4) Sookie ends up with Sam. Why? There is no development of a relationship between them. They have always just been friends, other than a brief interaction in Sam's office in DAAD. That was 7 books ago! The cluviel dor is given as a reason, kind of, but not really... 5) If you create a universe, you have to keep with its rules to make the story coherent and consistent. If you break those rules, it should be for a good reason that is written in a way that makes sense. Suddenly in the last book, Sookie can't hear Sam's thoughts?!?! She could hear Sam's complete sentences in the past. She could hear Alcide. Heck, she even heard Eric sometimes! But to cheat the ending, suddenly Sookie cannot hear Sam. 6) Poor, poor Eric... how did this character end up sold into slavery to OK? Eric consistently took a bullet for Sookie, both literally and figuratively. They fought together for their future, planned the attack against Victor together and even Bill said they had the same zeal for life. You can't just end that in a couple pages without it feeling like you've been gobsmacked. In DAG Eric promised Sookie that he would never turn her, because she didn't want that. Even though he said he would hate to lose her, he still promised he would never do it. Suddenly in this book, it was his plan all along? Whaaat? Another cop out to try to make this book make some kind of sense... 7) Would the real Sookie Stackhouse please stand up? Throughout this book, I really don't even like Sookie anymore. She seems to have become small minded and slightly bigoted. After all the foreshadowing for her character, it is hard to accept she is just going to settle down to a normal life with her annuity and marry Sam... What happened to ideas like Mr. Catalides, "Humans who are born with the essential spark are born to experience or perform something wonderful, something amazing?" Or someone pointing out that Dermot treats Sookie "...like a queen", or Eric's speech in DTTW "When this witch is defeated, I would bring you to my side. I will share everything I have with you. Every vampire who owes me fealty will honor you." Instead we end up with Sookie being financially stable, with the "safe" choice and living out your basic small town girl life free of vampires. What was it all for? The only saving grace is that this story seems so out of place, so not in the style of Harris, and so completely unlikely given the last 12 books, it is easily forgotten. I read my copy in one day, and promptly returned it. So sad, I was expecting something better for our Sook... If you choose to read this book, afterward check out [...] Helps to take the bad taste out of your mouth...