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Jayson's Reviews > Dead to the World
Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)
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by
Jayson's review
bookshelves: audiobook, author-american, genre-gothic, genre-small-town, read-in-2025, z-saturday
Oct 31, 2025
bookshelves: audiobook, author-american, genre-gothic, genre-small-town, read-in-2025, z-saturday
Read 2 times. Last read November 6, 2025 to November 13, 2025.
(B) 72% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Pablum-fraught, just sex for plot ("story" sets the stage), witches feature—should be creatures—hard to feel engaged.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)
Notes: Pablum-fraught, just sex for plot ("story" sets the stage), witches feature—should be creatures—hard to feel engaged.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)
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Reading Progress
May 22, 2011
–
Started Reading
(Hardcover Edition)
May 24, 2011
–
Finished Reading
(Hardcover Edition)
August 1, 2013
– Shelved
(Hardcover Edition)
March 24, 2015
– Shelved as:
author-american
(Hardcover Edition)
March 25, 2015
– Shelved as:
200-299-pp
(Hardcover Edition)
March 27, 2015
– Shelved as:
subject-vampires
(Hardcover Edition)
September 15, 2016
– Shelved as:
read-in-2011
(Hardcover Edition)
February 28, 2017
– Shelved as:
genre-gothic
(Hardcover Edition)
September 23, 2017
– Shelved as:
genre-small-town
(Hardcover Edition)
October 30, 2025
– Shelved
October 30, 2025
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 30, 2025
– Shelved as:
audiobook
October 31, 2025
– Shelved as:
author-american
October 31, 2025
– Shelved as:
genre-gothic
October 31, 2025
– Shelved as:
genre-small-town
November 5, 2025
– Shelved as:
read-in-2025
November 5, 2025
–
0.0%
"
Notes:
(1) So, as far as I can recall from my first read of the series, this is the point where the novels and the TV show completely diverge.
- Hence, I can't see how I can use GIFs in updates anymore—the last book was a real struggle!
- I think the only holdover element is the Eric amnesia storyline, and more-or-less only in concept. Though, given that, voilà: status GIF."
Notes:
(1) So, as far as I can recall from my first read of the series, this is the point where the novels and the TV show completely diverge.
- Hence, I can't see how I can use GIFs in updates anymore—the last book was a real struggle!
- I think the only holdover element is the Eric amnesia storyline, and more-or-less only in concept. Though, given that, voilà: status GIF."
November 6, 2025
–
Started Reading
November 6, 2025
–
9.0%
"
Notes:
(1) Okay, let's do math: if Arlene is 5'8" and she's 2" taller than Sookie, that means Sookie is 5'6", and if she's 10" shorter than Eric, that means he's 6'4".
- I get that Vikings were tall, but medieval "tall" was like 5'7".
(2) "Oh, God, puppy dog eyes. From a 6'4" ancient Viking vampire. It was just too much."
- No, "too much" is doing math for no reason!"
Notes:
(1) Okay, let's do math: if Arlene is 5'8" and she's 2" taller than Sookie, that means Sookie is 5'6", and if she's 10" shorter than Eric, that means he's 6'4".
- I get that Vikings were tall, but medieval "tall" was like 5'7".
(2) "Oh, God, puppy dog eyes. From a 6'4" ancient Viking vampire. It was just too much."
- No, "too much" is doing math for no reason!"
November 7, 2025
–
24.0%
"
Notes:
(1) Pam: "[Witches] wanted—they want—to take over Eric's businesses ... or make Eric pay them to leave him alone."
- Just lazy all around. Leeching off of someone else's hard work was the plot of the last book too!
(2) "[Eric] relaxed completely. After a moment's tension, I did, too, and then I was dead to the world."
- It's always fun to stumble upon a titular line!"
Notes:
(1) Pam: "[Witches] wanted—they want—to take over Eric's businesses ... or make Eric pay them to leave him alone."
- Just lazy all around. Leeching off of someone else's hard work was the plot of the last book too!
(2) "[Eric] relaxed completely. After a moment's tension, I did, too, and then I was dead to the world."
- It's always fun to stumble upon a titular line!"
November 8, 2025
–
40.0%
"
Notes:
(1) "I've never been able to squeeze my budget enough to afford a cell phone, so I began driving home."
- Believe it or not, back in the day, phones were attached to your house!
(2) I'm not saying that Shreveport is less exciting a town than Dallas or Jackson, but most of this plot is just Sookie driving around.
- No supernatural hotels or night clubs... nothing new."
Notes:
(1) "I've never been able to squeeze my budget enough to afford a cell phone, so I began driving home."
- Believe it or not, back in the day, phones were attached to your house!
(2) I'm not saying that Shreveport is less exciting a town than Dallas or Jackson, but most of this plot is just Sookie driving around.
- No supernatural hotels or night clubs... nothing new."
November 9, 2025
–
54.0%
"
Notes:
(1) To the extent this has a "story," it's entirely about setting up situations where Sookie and Eric have sex.
- Call me crazy, but isn't that the definition of porn?
(2) It can't just be me who considers the end of sex scenes as "surviving another one," right?
- See, this is why I don't read more romance novels: there's a decent chance I'll literally die of cringe."
Notes:
(1) To the extent this has a "story," it's entirely about setting up situations where Sookie and Eric have sex.
- Call me crazy, but isn't that the definition of porn?
(2) It can't just be me who considers the end of sex scenes as "surviving another one," right?
- See, this is why I don't read more romance novels: there's a decent chance I'll literally die of cringe."
November 11, 2025
–
66.0%
"
Notes:
(1) We're officially introduced to Claudine. She couldn't be more different than the show version.
- Basically the goddess Aphrodite: sex in a dress, if a bit ditzy.
(2) "The closest hospital was not in Bon Temps, which is way too small to have its own (we're lucky to have a Wal-Mart)..."
- Frankly, I'm impressed. My city has tons of hospitals, but only one Wal-Mart."
Notes:
(1) We're officially introduced to Claudine. She couldn't be more different than the show version.
- Basically the goddess Aphrodite: sex in a dress, if a bit ditzy.
(2) "The closest hospital was not in Bon Temps, which is way too small to have its own (we're lucky to have a Wal-Mart)..."
- Frankly, I'm impressed. My city has tons of hospitals, but only one Wal-Mart."
November 12, 2025
–
81.0%
"
Notes:
(1) Maybe it makes women swoon—I don't know—but it creeps me out to no end how Eric calls Sookie "lover."
- It's just so pretentious, the pet name equivalent of wearing sunglasses indoors.
(2) "Eric’s skills did not include map reading, so I had to pull over to check my Shreveport map to plot our course..."
- Eric's Gen-Z? JK! The opposite, in fact… he's pre-roadmap."
Notes:
(1) Maybe it makes women swoon—I don't know—but it creeps me out to no end how Eric calls Sookie "lover."
- It's just so pretentious, the pet name equivalent of wearing sunglasses indoors.
(2) "Eric’s skills did not include map reading, so I had to pull over to check my Shreveport map to plot our course..."
- Eric's Gen-Z? JK! The opposite, in fact… he's pre-roadmap."
November 13, 2025
–
90.0%
"
Notes:
(1) "The air was so permeated with scent, I was reminded of passing a candle shop in a mall."
- I was with her until she said "candle shop." That's a thing?
- Where I am, it's soap shops… suffocating!
(2) "I felt better when I had the knife, which was real pretty and felt very sharp."
- Personally, middle of a bloody battle, "pretty" would not be my initial reaction."
Notes:
(1) "The air was so permeated with scent, I was reminded of passing a candle shop in a mall."
- I was with her until she said "candle shop." That's a thing?
- Where I am, it's soap shops… suffocating!
(2) "I felt better when I had the knife, which was real pretty and felt very sharp."
- Personally, middle of a bloody battle, "pretty" would not be my initial reaction."
November 13, 2025
–
100.0%
"
Notes:
(1) In sum: not enough of everything I like about the series and too much of everything I hate.
(2) Usually with mysteries, two seemingly-separate cases/incidents are eventually revealed to be related. With this series it's the opposite.
- I didn't like it before and I don't like it here with Jason's disappearance—it all feels very "Oh yeah, almost forgot, this too.""
Notes:
(1) In sum: not enough of everything I like about the series and too much of everything I hate.
(2) Usually with mysteries, two seemingly-separate cases/incidents are eventually revealed to be related. With this series it's the opposite.
- I didn't like it before and I don't like it here with Jason's disappearance—it all feels very "Oh yeah, almost forgot, this too.""
November 13, 2025
–
Finished Reading
November 30, 2025
– Shelved as:
z-saturday
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
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Sarah Ellen (only have the emotional capacity for cozy murders right now)
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added it
Nov 16, 2025 05:09PM
Candle shops ARE a thing! Granted I used to take my kids to the mansion of founder of Yankee Candle for trick or treat, and the flagship store is two towns away from me - but (at least in New England) stores just of smelly candles exist! Or at least they did in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
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Sarah Ellen (in a slump) wrote: "Candle shops ARE a thing! Granted I used to take my kids to the mansion of founder of Yankee Candle for trick or treat, and the flagship store is two towns away from me - but (at least in New Engla..."Thanks, Sarah Ellen! That's all very enlightening. I live in Canada and there's no equivalent candle shops around here. Ironic how I only just learned of Yankee Candle from reading a series called The Southern Vampire Mysteries 😅
Mai wrote: "LMAO but Eric"Indeed, definitely the most interesting of Sookie's love interests... choice of pet names notwithstanding 😅🧛♂️
