Our Eric and Sookie lovin’ friend, Whitney over at Tor.com shared her thoughts on her reread of “Dead As A Doornail” (DAAD) and “Definitely Dead” (DD).
We thought you would like to know what she said, plus our own favorite quotes from her reviews.
You can read her review of DAAD here.
What are our favorite parts?
Eric uses Sookie also, but at least Eric is honest about it. He cares about her, and wants to understand her. In a revealing moment, Eric says:
“I wish that I could read your mind as you can read the minds of others. I wish very much that I could know what was going on in your head. I wish I knew why I cared what’s going on in that head”
Classic “I don’t like having feelings” moment. We see the caring side of Eric, the funny side, but we also see a new, creepier side. Before Mickey arrives with Tara, Eric smells Sookie’s neck, and thinks aloud: “Should I just bite you, and end it all? I would never have to think about you again. Thinking about you is an annoying habit, and one I want to be rid of. Or should I start arousing you, and discover if sex with you was really the best I’ve ever had.” He begins with contemplating murder, and ends with wanting to become her lover again. It’s so easy to forget that Eric’s a vampire, but those key phrases make it clear once again. Eric is not human, and though he cares for Sookie, he is still unpredictable and dangerous.
That’s one of the things we love about Eric too…even though he’s unpredictable and dangerous, he shows his caring and funny side, which makes him seem a little bit less so and not as creepy as if someone else was doing the same thing. *cough* Bill *cough*
We also love how confused Eric seemed in this book and did it surprise any of us that Eric would use Sookie’s favor as a way to get answers from the time when he suffered memory loss? I don’t think so…if Eric is anything, he’s practical.
We loved what she said about Sookie as well…
We see so many aspects of Sookie’s character in this novel. Her strength in dealing with one catastrophe after another—her house burning, being shot, etc. Her loyalty even when her friends don’t deserve it (i.e. Alcide). But Sookie also admits something important to herself. “Joining in the secret clans of the two-natured and the undead made my life in human society much more difficult and complicated. And interesting. And sometimes…fun.” As much as her life in the supernatural world is difficult, at this point, Sookie wouldn’t change it—she thrives on the adventure, and her ability to overcome obstacles.
What I find most interesting, however, is Sookie’s willingness to kill. When Tara tells Sookie of her problems with Mickey, Sookie asks “Why didn’t you kill him?” and only calls Eric because Tara refuses to kill Mickey herself. I don’t believe Sookie would have contemplated murder, even of an abusive vampire, so casually in the first book.
Yes, our girl Sookie is maturing as an individual. At this point of the series, you can tell she is starting to realize her strengths and learning how to overcome obstacles in the Supe world.
Now, let’s move on to her review of DD… 
You can read her review of DD here.
Here’s our favorite part of her review – although…it looks like Whitney likes Quinn too. We better convince her – the Viking is better!
Eric struggles in this book, both with his feelings for Sookie and how to properly express them. Sookie herself isn’t sure how she feels. In the first few chapters, as she is driving around town,
How nice would it be if Eric were here with me in the car….he’d enjoy the moment. Well yeah, before he burned to a crisp. But I realized I’d thought of Eric because it was the kind of day you wanted to share with the person you cared about, the person whose company you enjoyed the most. And that would be Eric as he’d been while he was cursed by a witch….Eric as he would never be again.
This is part of Eric’s conundrum. He wanted to stay with Sookie when he was without his memory, but the real Eric cares about her as well. Do you think Eric is confused about how Sookie feels about him, or just concerned about his own feelings? Does he truly want to explain it away through Sookie’s fairy blood?
To answer Whitney’s questions…yes, no and definitely not!
Yes, Eric is extremely confused because he’s never felt that way towards another woman…not even Pam. I think he’s always looked at Pam as more of a companion to help make him feel less lonely, whereas Sookie is the love of his life and makes him feel things he’s never felt before.
No, Eric doesn’t care about his own feelings. He’s not selfish or ambitious, otherwise he would have become King if he had wanted to. I think he’s mostly confused as to why it is Sookie (after all this time) who makes him feel that way.
As for explaining it through Sookie’s fairy blood…I think if you look at what happens in latter books, you realize it’s because of his connection to Niall and why Niall got Eric to introduce Niall to Sookie and why he and Eric had Terry help them keep a watch out for her. It’s an “a-ha!” kind of moment and nothing really to do with being highly pleasurable to vampires. Not that Sookie understood this at the time…
I do have to mention how bittersweet it was to find out about Bill’s betrayal of Sookie. On one hand…yay! This is the final nail in the coffin. You have to be pretty stupid to forget a betrayal like that. On the other hand…poor Sookie. To find out everything she thought she knew or believed had all been a lie…my heart broke for her. Glad Eric was around to help lessen the blow.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts below.
