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

This is only the second vampire book-world I have ever read, the Twilight series being the first.  Some of my girlfriends had said that this was a fun read, and it definitely was.  It's a murder mystery, with vampires and a couple other paranormal beings, set in a small town in Louisiana.  Apparently, True Blood is based off of this series.

The main character, Sookie, is pretty awesome.  She's down the middle between girly girl and tomboy, and she's smart and sexy.  Bill, her new vampire friend, is not as hot as Edward Cullen, but definitely more vampirish- I'd actually be afraid of Bill, but I was pretty sure Edward was never actually going to eat Bella, even though that's basically the whole plot of Midnight Sun.

I'm not sure of anything bad- this book is like Twilight, only BETTER in the sense that it's much more gritty.  If you hate Twilight but like this book (and think it's a crime to compare them), I'm sorry!  I enjoyed both of them.  I'm still in love with Edward, but Dead Until Dark IS WELL-WRITTEN and interesting and contains plot twists and Bill is definitely NOT a virgin.

I give this book 4 stars- it's grittiness might not be for everyone, but if you like vampires or think you might, give it a shot!  I will be reading the next book, but it's not at the top of my TBR list.

Have you read this book?  How did you think it compared to Twilight?  Have you read any of the other books in the series?