Review of Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It was developed into the television show True Blood.

Sookie Stackhouse has a disability. She can hear the thoughts of those around her.

She longs to meet a vampire now that they're legally recognized. Synthetic blood means they do not need to kill, and while they are mostly distrusted, they are fascinating to many.

One night, a vampire shows up in the bar Sookie works in as a server. Much to her surprise, she cannot hear his thoughts. However, she reads the thoughts of two people who intend to harm him, and she follows them into the parking lot to find them draining the vampire of blood that contains healing powers.

Sookie attacks to save the vampire and is nearly killed. The vampire offers her his blood to heal her. Bill, the vampire, takes care of her. The relationship turns romantic, and Sookie is delighted to get to know a vampire.

Then a killer closes in, murdering people close to her. Sookie and Bill must find who it is before it's too late.

I really enjoyed this book. It was mysterious but also lighthearted. A fun read that made the time pass with delight.

Sookie was well-developed and Bill, while mysterious in many ways, reacted in ways that showed he was not human and didn't follow social rules. Sookie's attachment to him was understandable, and he was sweet with her.

World-building was detailed enough to be imagined easily without overly describing it and creating boring expositional passages.

The tension built slowly but steadily until the intense climax. The action was described very well, and the descriptions were sufficient for my imagination to populate the town Sookie lived in and visualize the characters.

This book is well-written and enjoyable for lighthearted fun mixed with mystery and romance.

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