Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*********SPOILERS AHEAD********** Many of the reviews of this book have understandably and justifiably dwelled on the lack of value for money its meager content offers. Allow me to take a different tack and dwell on the content itself, which in its way is just as much of a rip-off as the book's price. If you're someone who, like me, grew increasingly disappointed in the last few books of the series, you won't find much here to comfort you. In fact, quite a few details seem designed mostly to pour salt in the wounds. As with Dead Ever After, there's a palpable sense of Ms. Harris unloading one last time on those whom she feels have dissed her, 'misinterpreted' her stories or just annoyed her on some level. I don't know about you, but I don't much enjoy the sensation of an author working out her grudges on me while I fork over money for the privilege. I challenge any reader to identify a goodly number of the characters whose fates are presented here without help from The Sookie Stackhouse Companion. Did Charlaine really feel it was essential to let us know what the children of Sookie's insurance agent ended up doing for a living? There's far too much of that kind of filler in the book, which make the accusations of the whole thing being a money grab extremely hard to refute. Other characters that are more relevant get sad or even bizarre endings. Even some of the characters left happy in Dead Ever After have their happiness undone in this book. Why? As for our 'mains', after all the sturm und drang of the series, Sookie settles down to a life that is disappointingly prosaic. She marries, has kids, runs her business and retires. The sense throughout the series that she had some special role to play in the world, some grand future to embrace (exemplified by the 'essential spark') came to nothing, really. We read 13 books (and a myriad of short stories and novellas) for this? I guess she would call herself happy, but it's always a disappointment to watch someone you care about fail to reach their potential. And as a reader, it's a disappointment to see a character who once held such promise end with a whimper. Ms. Harris continues to insist that due to his pragmatism and well-honed survival instincts, Eric is able to find happiness in slavery with Freyda...except that dog won't hunt. The chilling parallels to Eric's early years with his domineering, abusive maker, Appius Livius Ocella, hang over his life with Freyda like a bad smell. Despite CH taking pains to characterize Freyda as 'strong but fair', the fact that Eric spends the first years of his marriage pining for Sookie and his old life (just as he once pined for his children and his human life when he was turned by Ocella) merely hammers home how much his own will has been denied in this situation. CH tells us that as with Ocella, Eric learned to care for the one who had taken everything from him, and to enjoy the life offered by her...eventually. So much so that when offered his freedom, he decided to stay with Mama. Seriously? He comes off as an abuse victim falling into familiar patterns, not a pragmatist going with the flow. Who knew that beneath the alpha-male persona, Eric was at heart a big ol' submissive who was just waiting for the right person to roll over his hard-won personal autonomy like a Mack truck? The utter decimation of this character has been painful to witness. And of course, Ms. Harris just couldn't resist a tip of the hat to the man who helped destroy her mojo for this series while lining her bank account, Alan Ball, by making Bill King of Louisiana - despite the fact that it makes zero sense. Bill of the books has always been mostly a loner who prefers to stay out of vampire politics and maneuvering whenever possible. But, as both this book and Dead Ever After prove, Charlaine thinks that stuff like established characterization, continuity and world-building is way overrated. So why not make him king, and continue to glorify this character beyond belief? Maybe he'll run for President next. The bottom line: if you want to draw out the pain of seeing a once-great series implode, this is the book for you.