(Note: No big spoilers, only general book discussion)

Sookie Stackhouse is a modern day heroine – and I don’t mean one of those whiny ones in ‘Twilight.’

She’s strong, smart and fiercely independent.

At least she used to be.

Somewhere along the way, our Bon Temps waitress/vampire concubine/part fairy heroine completely lost her likeability factor.

Sookie was introduced in May 2001 as a feisty woman with more bosom than brains most of the time. It’s not that she wasn’t smart, she just didn’t think before she did something. As a woman, I think a lot of us can relate to that.

Sookie fell in love with the town’s lone vampire, Bill, a pouty and princely specimen that stole her heart, held it for a handful of books, and then ground it into dust (before biting and raping her in the trunk of a car).

She then flirted with, but never consummated a relationship with, local pack leader Alcide, before settling into a two-book relationship with the were-panther (and annoyingly charisma-free) Quinn. Finally, she embarked on her current relationship with Viking vampire Eric.

Whew. For a woman who was a virgin at the beginning of the story – she’s sure made the rounds.

Sookie has had a hard lot in life, there’s no getting around it.

She can read people’s thoughts – even when she doesn’t want to. That can turn into an intrusive and noisy part of her life. We also found out she’s part fairy and her blood is like an aphrodisiac to vampires – which essentially means she can never be sure if they truly love her or if they just love the taste of her.

Through the years Sookie has said hello and goodbye to a bevy of different friends, family and lovers in her life. Some have stuck (like Eric and Bill), while others have had the longevity of a fruit fly. Through it all, though, she always managed to maintain some level of decorum.

That is until they had her completely lose herself in her relationship with Eric.

In all her other relationships, Sookie managed to still be her. Not with Eric, though. With Eric she’s essentially a “yes” girl. Meaning, whatever Eric wants, Sookie does. That’s not the heroine we fell in love with.

Without giving to much away, Sookie does manage to reclaim some of the spark she has lost over the past five books or so at the very end of ‘Deadlocked.’ It’s just not enough.

There is only one book left in the series, and I think the one thing you can say about ‘Deadlocked’ is that it gives you a fairly clear indication who she’s going to end up with. There are a lot of shippers out there who are going to be ticked off, by the way.

The problem is, Sookie never used to be defined by who she was dating. She was defined by her own heroism, loyalty and dedication.

Even though I’m a fan of Eric the character, it’s clear that Eric and Sookie as a couple don’t mesh. He sucks the life out of her (figuratively and literally) and she can’t (or won’t let herself) be true to her own nature around him.

In addition to my problems with Eric the past few books, I've also had it with the fairy storylines taking over everything. Claude is not an entertaining character. He never was. Claudine was an entertaining character -- but her brother has never been able to be anything but boring. That also appears to have been taken care of in this book -- but we'll have to wait and see.

I admire Charlaine Harris for letting her cash cow go next year – even though it will probably hurt her pocketbook.

As much as I love Sookie – and I truly do – I think it’s time to let her go. Now if Janet Evanovich would just do the same thing with Stephanie Plum.

What do you think? Is Sookie Stackhouse still a viable heroine?