When Sookie goes to work at Merlotte's Bar and Grill, owned by her pure-shifter friend, Sam Merlotte, Sam tells her that tonight is the night the shifters make themselves known to the human race. You can feel the excitement. When Sam and few other were-animals get the attention of the bar, do some explaining, then turn from human to animal, a hush falls over the bar. It's a little tense. But Sam, in collie-form, goes over to Sookie and lets her pet him. Some of the other shifters also play nice. Soon, people are laughing and telling Sam to turn back so he can fill their drink orders. Good job, Bon Temps, Louisiana. Good job. Apparently, folks in rural Louisiana can be pretty accepting. all except Sookie's ex-friend, Arlene. Arlene has been hanging with some Fellowship of the Sun "church" members. She calls for the other patrons to "strike dead" the shifters or God will. People shut her up and she and her buddies leave. Then the bar goes back to normal. Bill was there, and Sookie made polite conversation. Jason was also there with a friend named Mel who worked with him on the road crew. Sookie didn't speak to him. Business as usual.
Sam gets a phone call from back home in Texas. His mom revealed her true nature to his step-dad, and the jerk shot her. Luckily it wasn't fatal, but his siblings who aren't two-natured need some explanations, and his mom needs some caring for. So Sam has to leave the bar and Sookie cleans up and shuts it down. She'll be charge while he's gone.
The next day at work, Sookie learns some info about her brother's friend, Mel. Mel used to live in HotShot, the were-panther community that Jason is now pack-mates with since he was bitten and turned into a panther. However, since Jason was bitten, not born, he doesn't really fit in in HotShot. Mel didn't either, that's why he no longer lives there. Sookie didn't get any specifics, but figures if Jason has a new friend, then he must be doing ok.
One of Eric's underlings comes to the bar and tells Sookie that she needs to come to Shreveport when she gets off work. Eric needs to see her. He hands her something wrapped in velvet cloth and says she also needs to bring it. He gives her strict orders to hand it to Eric when she gets there in front of Victor Madden, the King of Nevada and Louisiana's second in command. Bobby, the underling, doesn't know what it is, Sookie is too busy running the bar to find out, and puts it in her purse.
After she gets off, Sookie heads to Fangtasia, the vampire bar Eric owns. Because of the blood-bond, or because she likes him, Sookie gets more and more excited to see him the closer she gets to the bar. When she gets there, she's greeted by Pam who guides her to Eric's office and reminds her to hand him the bundle Bobby gave her. When Sookie asks why, Pam says that she's saving her own skin. Well, that's pretty good motivation. Sookie doesn't waste any time giving Eric the bundle. Victor is watching intently as Eric unwraps the package to reveal a ceremonial and decorative dagger. Victor's face becomes serious, and he and Eric stare at each other for a minute. Sookie wants to ask questions, but gets a big push from Eric to not say a word. Victor says, "Very interesting. Then I'll take the tiger's request off the table. We acknowledge your formal attachment to this one." This one meaning Sookie. Turns out Quinn asked to see her privately, but he can't enter Eric's territory without permission. The handing over of the knife SPOILER ALERT made Sookie Eric's wife! So Eric won't give Quinn permission to enter his part of Louisiana, and now that he and Sookie are married in the vampire sense, Victor says he'll tell Quinn she doesn't want to see him. As much as the blood-bond makes Sookie happy to be near Eric all the time, she hates that he's managing her life. Understandable. Plus, they haven't seen each other in months. Not cool, dude. But Victor can't kill Sookie without facing Eric's and his boss's wrath now that she and Eric are married. So he helped some, right?
The next day Sookie gets a visit from two FBI agents looking into she and Barry the Bellboy and how they were able to help rescue people from the collapsed vampire hotel in Rhodes. They ask about Sophie-Anne, the now-late former Queen of Louisiana (whom Victor's boss had killed when he took over the state), and if Sookie has seen her. Big fat "nope." With the help of her roommates, Amelia and Octavia, Sookie evades the questioning well enough. Then the phone rings with news from Merlotte's. A woman's crucified body has been found in the parking lot.
Crystal, Jason's estranged wife, is strung up on a cross with nails through her were-panther paws. Because her two-naturedness was on display the FBI agents who followed Sookie to the bar believe it to be a hate crime. Sookie calls Sam and gets him to come home. Luckily Jason had an overnight visitor the night before, and isn't a suspect. Calvin Norris shows up at the scene and tries to get a scent of the killer from Crystal's body. There are too many smells on her though, and Calvin's sniffing doesn't give him any information. Jason's friend Mel comes by and takes him home. Sookie gets in her car to wait until the crime scene is cleared away. She begins reading the newspaper and learns that there are mixed reactions to the coming-out of the two-natured community. The government is unsure of their rights as humans (vampires don't have equal rights), churches and religions are conflicted about accepting them, and many people feel betrayed or confused by the revelation. Sookie can start to comprehend how someone could have murdered Crystal, a werepanther, and left her body on a cross outside of a bar owned by a shifter.
That night, with the bar still closed from the police investigation, Sookie heads to Fangtasia. Sookie tells Eric about her day, and to reciprocate, Eric actually reveals some of his past. We learn a bit about his days as a Viking and how he was turned into a vampire by a gay vampire named Appius Livius Ocella. Sookie learns about Eric as a young and not so in-control vamp. Not very pretty. But then he reveals the reason that he was running by Sookie's house the night he got bewitched and lost his memory SPOILER ALERT: the curse had a part in it that he would be close to his heart's desire without ever realizing it. Cute, right? Then they finally talk about the elephant in the room: their "marriage." It turns out that if Eric hadn't laid his claim on Sookie, she would have been shipped off to Nevada to sit in on the new King's meetings day in and day out. She'd be his human pet. So there is an upside, but she still can't find out how to get out of it.
The next morning, Merlotte's is cleared to open, and Sam is back in town. His mom is doing fine. Mending quickly because she's a shifter. His mom and step-dad are getting a divorce though. Understandably. Sookie shares with him her new relationship status with Eric, and he is none too pleased. So much so to make Sook mad enough to leave the bar. She heads to Tara's clothing store and shares her news with her. Tara isn't too happy about it either since she is very weary and untrusting of vampires. However, she listens to Sookie's story and asks questions. It's good girl time for Sookie.
Sookie goes to work that night and Bobby is there again. He gives her an envelope from Eric. She puts it in her purse and sends Bobby on his merry way. The FBI agents also come to the bar. And what do you know, Sookie's fairy great grandfather, Niall comes to the bar too. Sookie is a popular lady. Niall and Sookie talk some about Crystal's murder, and he promises to help. He also tells Sookie that there is trouble for the fairies, but doesn't go into much detail. He says that if Sookie sees any other fairies besides himself, Claudine or Claude, that she should call him immediately. Not comforting.
Most of the people in the bar are thinking about Crystal's death and Jason's innocence or guilt. However, the FBI agents are thinking about Sookie. They think she has a gift that can help the FBI save people and help them and the country. But Sookie knows her telepathy doesn't work that way. She isn't psychic; she can't find the answers by digging through people's heads. She also knows that she would never be free again. Between the FBI or Victor Madden and the new King of Louisiana, she begins to think it's not so bad to be married to a vampire.
When Sookie gets home, Octavia introduces her long lost boyfriend who has come to take her home. Sookie is down a roommate, but it's for the best. The next morning, Amelia heads off to work at the insurance agency, and Sookie is home alone. But not for long. Andy Bellefleur and Agent Latesta are soon at her doorstep to ask about Crystal's murder. Sookie is as helpful as she can be without giving away her secret. After they leave, Sookie goes outside to do one of her favorite (and mine) activities: laying out and tanning. Diantha, the friendly part-demon messenger we met in the previous book, comes up to warn Sookie about the fairy unrest. Sookie is in danger. Niall is on one side of the war and the fairies on the other want to hurt Sookie to get at him. Turns out the bad fae killed her grandfather Fintan. The main fairy leading the opposition is named Breandan, the only other fairy prince. Sookie knows a few things about hurting fairies: iron and lemon juice, but that's still not a lot of information. She goes to meet up with Claude and Claudine at the mall. She asks them to spill about Niall and the fae troubles happening. Breandan is Niall's cousin. After his father Rogan died, no one has been able to rein him in. Breandan disagrees with Niall on his policy regarding humans. Breandan believes fae shouldn't fraternize with humans at all, and that they should shut the portal to Faery. Niall loves humans, obviously. There is another fairy royal on Niall's side: his son Dillon, Claude and Claudine's dad. Breandan has Dermot on his side. Dermot is Niall's son, Sookie's grandfather Fintan's twin brother, and looks shockingly like Jason. He's only half fairy, but hates his human half. And he's one bad dude.
When Sookie goes home, she decides it's just too pretty to stay in. She grabs an old trowel and starts weeding her Gran's flower beds. She hears a voice say, "I'll enjoy killing you for my lord." Sookie comes up with the trowel in the stomach of the would-be attacker who turns out to be fae. He crumples from the iron in the trowel. Dead. Sookie calls Niall, who comes very quickly along with Dillon. The fairy Sookie killed was a friend of Breandan's. Turns out, fairies turn to piles of glittery dust when they die. Sookie ends up just washing the dead fairy away with a water hose. Niall and Dillon tell Sookie that she did a great thing in killing her enemy, and they're both really proud. They also say the stay sharp, because more fairies could be coming. Cue the dramatic music.
When they leave, Sookie is looking forward to getting back to her relaxing day that has now turned into evening. But knowing Sookie, that's not going to happen. Who should drive up but Quinn, the were-tiger. He's pretty pissed at Sookie, and Sookie just isn't in the mood. She may have not been delicate when telling Quinn that she didn't want to see him again, but she was plain. However, Quinn has a lot to say, mostly about how Eric doesn't really love Sookie, and she'll always come in in after his bar, and his immortality. He was being really rude. Then Bill comes over and all hell breaks loose. Quinn vs Bill; were-tiger vs vampire. Whew! Rough. ...and Sookie gets knocked unconscious. Thanks, guys. Good job.
Sookie wakes up in her room with Eric tending her. Bill and Quinn will be ok, just a few cuts and bruises. Bill was sent over there when Quinn was sighted entering Eric's territory. Eric gave Sookie some of his blood to help her heal. After some other things that make her feel even better, she gets to tell Eric about her very interesting day. When Eric invites her to come stay at his place and quit work until the fairy scariness ends, she realizes he expects her to be a kept woman now. Sookie definitely disagrees. Men. She's not 100% sure if she can trust her feelings for him because of the blood exchange, but she knows she isn't his property now - regardless of the knife ceremony.
The next morning, Jason comes over. It's the first time Sookie has really spoken to him since he set her up to walk in on Crystal cheating. They talk about the funeral and how Jason is holding up. His friend Mel has been keeping him busy and helping him feel better, but Jason says he misses Hoyt. Then Jason asks Sookie to "listen in" on people and help find out who murdered Crystal. He thinks if he could end the mystery, he could get back his life. Sookie realizes Jason is a changed person - grimmer, less carefree.
After Jason leaves, Sookie checks her answering machine to find a message from Arlene tell her that she is sorry for everything and to come by her house and talk. Sookie is a bit suspicious. After all, Arlene said some terrible things about her and Sookie isn't sure she wants to mend that friendship. But Sook calls, and Arlene says to come over, just give her some time to clean up the house. Sookie, however, leaves for Arlene's as soon as she hangs up. She just feels like something is up. Sookie pulls up behind Arlene's house on a hidden road-that-isn't-a-road and creeps up behind Arlene's trailer to scope it out. There is a lady leaving with Arlene's kids that says "She's only getting what she deserves." To which Arlene responds, "I'll call you when the kids can come back." Getting creepy now. Then add on that there are long pieces of wood in the back of a pick up parked in front of Arlene's. There are two guys inside with her and Sookie listens in to learn that they have terrible things planned to do to her - like what they did to Crystal. Sookie calls Sheriff Andy Bellefleur who says that he needs some evidence of Sookie's findings, and asks her to go in while he and the FBI agents head her way. They're 7 minutes away. Sookie goes for it. As Arlene is outside about to leave while the men are inside (yeah, she was totally leaving those guys to it), Sookie comes out. She reads Arlene's mind and learns that the men didn't kill Crystal, they were just going to do the same to Sookie to emulate her death. Sookie keeps Arlene in the yard by telling her the horrible truth about what's inside her head. Arlene screams and the men come out with rifles as the cops come out with guns of their own. It was a firefight! (Please read that in the style of Willem Dafoe.) Agent Weiss is shot though not fatally. The bullet that hit her grazed Arlene. Sookie is shaken up but uninjured. One of the bad men is dead and the other injured. While Sookie is recuperating in stunned silence as the police and paramedics round everyone up and start asking questions, she sees in the woods the figure of a man. It's a fairy. He vanishes before Sookie can get to him, and she is called away to talk to the sheriff and lots of other people. What a day. But then Sookie goes to work. Luckily for her, nothing happens, which is a rarity. Though if I had been shot at, I think I would take a personal day.
When left with her thoughts at work, Sookie almost gets overwhelmed about the week's events, but her ability to compartmentalize pulls her through to closing time when she and Sam are cleaning up. His family is going better, those his sister-in-law is distrustful now that she knows what Sam and his mom are. (Throughout the books, Sams relationships seem to echo the general population's views about the "abnormal.") He and Sookie exchange small talk until her hugs her and smells Eric. Sam isn't too happy about that, but what can he do? So he walks Sookie to her car and she goes home.
The next day, Sookie gets a call from Remy Savoy, the father of Sookie's cousin's child, Hunter, who is also clairvoyant. Remy wants some help with Hunter so he can learn to control his "gift" and hide it from other people. As much as Sookie wants to help, being on the look-out for murderous fairies doesn't leave a lot of time for tutoring in supernatural powers. Good thing Sookie has some lemon juice to fight the fae off. It's deadly to them. Later, Amelia is getting ready for a date with the Were Tray and invites Sookie to come along to meet his friend Drake. When Amelia says that "Drake" looks strangely like Jason, flashbulbs of warning go off in Sookie's head. She tells Amelia to steer clear of "Drake," who is obviously Dermot, Niall's son who is on Breandan's side of the fae war. Then she calls Eric. Since the new king owes her, Sookie is thinking he could give her some protection. Eric offers to talk to Victor about it.
Jason's friend Mel came into Merlotte's when Sookie was working and she was listening in on people's thoughts. She found herself wondering why the werepanthers of HotShot kicked him out. Sookie also got a couple of text messages that brightened her night though. One was from Eric saying that protection was coming, and the other was from Alcide who said that Tray told him Sookie was in some trouble and that his pack owed her. Sookie rolls deep, y'all. With vampire and Were protection, plus the lemon juice she was keeping at her hip in a plastic squirt gun, the girl was doing alright.
Turns out Sookie vamp protection is good ol' Bubba from Memphis, and the Were protecting her is Tray. Bubba has the night shift and Tray has the days. Early the next morning, Sookie wakes up early to hear Tray getting sick the bathroom. Weres just don't get sick. Turns out he was poisoned by a woman he met out in the woods saying she was Bill's new girlfriend. He couldn't resist what she offered him to drink, which seemed like wine, but turned out to be vampire blood. Because Tray is so sick, Sookie sends him home and calls Jason to come protect her. After she walks Tray to the door, she turns to find Niall who has come to warn her that the fighting has escalated. So Sookie calls Jason when Niall leaves. She definitely needs a bodyguard today. Jason tells Sookie a story of a guy who showed up at his place this morning that looked a lot like himself. Jason also said the man was crazy and started talking to him like Jason knew him. When Mel, who has spent the night after drinking too much, got in between them, the man threw him across the room, called him a killer, then went into a spiel about their great-grandfather. Dermot, as we know the man to be, said all cross-breeds must die, but that Jason was obviously his kindred. He called Jason ignorant and the he didn't know or understand what was going on around him. But Jason is fine, and brings Mel to Sookie's to spend the day protecting her. Sookie fills Jason in on their fae heritage and the war. Jason finds a way to blame their troubles on vampires. If they hadn't come "out of the coffin" things would still be normal. Then he goes on to say that he hates fairies and he'll kill Dermot if he sees him again. Speaking of killing, Jason decides he needs his gun, so he and Mel head back to his house to get it. Sookie leaves shortly after to go pick them up to run errands. On the way, Sookie calls Amelia who is at work. She hasn't heard from Tray and wants to check on him, so she and Sookie make plans to meet at his place after Amelia gets off work. As Sookie drives on, she thinks about Dermot's confrontation with Jason and Mel. How Mel was the only one banged up, and why a reclusive, crazy fairy would keep trying to meet them. Sookie thinks she's onto something, and calls Calvin to meet her at Jason's. When she arrives, she feigns concern for Mel's injuries from being thrown across the room and touches him to be able to look deep into his thoughts. He was Crystal's killer. Calvin Norris and few other HotShot pack members show up to hear Mel confess. Mel is gay and in love with Jason. Crystal came by one day while Jason was out and Mel was there. She started taunting him about how Jason would never love him back and said some pretty trashing things about Mel and herself getting it on. Classy. Anyway, Mel slapped her, and she fell onto some wood he had on the tailgate of his truck. He thought he killed her, but she wasn't dead. This we know because she bled on the cross when she was crucified and lost the baby at that time too. But Mel says he went in the house to have a drink and think about where to move her, and when he came out, she was gone. He thought she just got up and left. He also swears he didn't crucify her. However, pack law and all that. Sookie drives away as the HotShoters start tearing Mel apart. Sookie goes where Sookie always goes when she needs to get things off her mind - work.
With her mind on other things, Sookie almost forgets to meet Amelia after work at Tray's, so she gets there late. However, when she arrives, she doesn't see Amelia's car and there are no lights on inside. Sookie calls her house, Amelia's cell phone, and Tray's house phone - no one answers. Then she calls Bill (because he's closer, right? Right? Uh huh.), and Bill comes up to meet her at Tray's. She sends Bill, who is always the gentleman, to check for dead bodies. While he's inside, Sookie gets a call from Amelia. She's safe at home. She had gone to Tray's but he wasn't there so she went home. Whew! But where is Tray? When Bill comes out of the house, he tells Sookie that there has been a fight; there's lots of blood inside. Sookie is really worried and tells Bill about the woman Tray met when he was trying to bodyguard her. Bill says he doesn't have a girlfriend, so now they really have no clue who could have poisoned Tray with vampire blood. Figuring that maybe someone stole Bubba's blood to give to Tray, Sookie and Bill take off for her house with Bill in the car behind hers. Sookie beats him there and tries to run inside, but she hears mumbling then blacks out.
Sookie wakes tied up in an abandoned house with a male and female fairy. They tell Sookie that will keep her here until Niall gives into Breandan, then Breandan will shut up the portal to Faery. All things considered in her current circumstances, Sookie thinks that's not too bad of an idea. Niall doesn't want to portal closed because he wants to be able to visit his human kindred. Sookie's captors talk about how they eventually found her, and admit to finding Jason first, along with a "gift outside in a truck." Crystal. They crucified her and left her for all to see. Now they can have fun with Sookie. Anything, short of death. It's not looking good for ol' Sook.
For the next hour, Sookie is tortured by her captors. Thankfully, Harris doesn't go into much detail, but judging by how utterly insane and sociopathic these fae are, it is not a good time. While they were cutting Sookie and enjoying her pain, they revealed that SPOILER ALERT they were instrumental in the death of Sookie and Jason's parents. Sookie becomes sure that they aren't going to be able to leave her alive. They can't control themselves that much. Then SPOILER ALERT she sees Bill sneak up behind them. AND. THEY. GET. THEIRS. It's a great telling at this part. Harris does a great job of suspense build up and the satisfaction of the two insane fae meeting their ends. It's rewarding.
Sookie wakes up in a pseudo-hospital. She is hurt very badly. Very very badly. It would be hard just bouncing back after being tortured. Claudine is there knitting at Sookie's bedside, and Dr. Ludwig, the supernatural doctor, tell her she'll be alright. But not anytime soon. Claudine says she's lucky, but Sookie doesn't feel lucky. She knows she'll have scars from this, and not just those on her skin. She came so close to death that it will take a while to feel real happiness for awhile. Her captors are dead, but Bill has silver poisoning. Niall is waging full out war now. Claude is with him. Claudine is guarding Sookie. Eric is on his way. Bill and Tray are in another room recuperating. Tray was badly hurt. They're sure Breandan is trying to find them, especially since his henchmen are dead. Claudine reveals that she's going to have a baby. It's huge news because it doesn't happen easily or often for the fae. When Eric arrives, Claudine leaves to give them some space. He is enraged, and checks over Sookie's wounds. Her face is bruised and cut. He legs look like a shark had taken some chunks out of them; the fairies bit her repeatedly. More of her is badly hurt as well. It's not good. Eric feeds Sookie some of his blood to help her heal, so she'll be able to move. Breandan's forces are on their way, and they can track Sookie by scent now. You can literally feel the suspense building. Stuff is about to go down. Sookie learns that Bill and Tray are in the next room. Neither are well enough to be moved, though Bill is being fed. The fairies had fun with Tray before they found Sookie. He is so terribly hurt that he wouldn't survive being moved out of the hospital. Sookie asks why Eric didn't come to her rescue instead of Bill. He says he has a reason, but can't explain right then. He takes Sookie to Bill's room to see him. Bill is grey and looks like death. Not even death warmed over, just death. The silver has spread to every part of his body. It will take a lot of blood to get it all out.
Suddenly, Eric says Breandan's people are here. The few in the room that can fight get weapons. Sookie has her lemon juice water guns and a set of crutches. Bill stands to fight. Tray is still in his hospital bed. Eric and Clancy, who was feeding Bill, have iron swords. Someone takes an ax to the door. All hell breaks loose. As suddenly as it began, it ends. Breandan killed Tray where he lay, but Bill killed Breandan. Sookie killed a fairy with her lemon juice pistol. Niall comes through the door. He is a shining white knight, except for where he's covered in blood. Niall has won, but at a high cost. Claudine has died. It just adds to the torment Sookie feels.
When the dust settles, Bill is still alive, though Clancy didn't make it. Tray's body is taken to his house and the story is that someone broke into his home and tortured him, though no one really knows why. Amelia is torn up about losing him. Sookie is torn up about a lot of things.
A couple of days after the last battle, Niall comes to Sookie to tell her that he is closing the portals to Faery after all. The fairies will have to chose which side to be on, but those that return to Fae will stay there. Sookie won't see Niall again. Though he made her life complicated, and put her in a lot of danger, it was good to know that she had some family that loved her. Niall tells Sookie that Dermot was the one who pulled her parents into the stream where they drowned; it wasn't just the tortuous duo. When Niall leaves, he kisses Sookie on the forehead and says, "The vampire is not a bad man, and he loves you." He vanishes. But which vampire did he mean?
This is probably my favorite book that I've read of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. There is so much action. While it's regrettable what happens to Sookie, the way Harris tells it and shares Sookie's thoughts and feelings with us is incredibly poetic. I've never been tortured, nor have I met someone who has been, but I can believe that they would think and feel that exact way Harris portrays Sookie. It's so incredibly believable. I think that's how you know you've read a good fantasy novel - no matter what crazy, other worldly, or inconceivable thing happens, you can still believe it. Harris is a great story teller, and a fantastic character creator from start to finish. I have enjoyed every single one of her books, in this series and her others.
This will be my last review of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, though I have continued to read them. I hope I have persuaded you to pick up a few and try them yourself. Happy reading!
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