Book Review: Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)

This is the fourth installment in my favorite urban fantasy series and I couldn't have been happier with it.  While number three was all about the action, this one was all about the color and the imagination.  The NeverNever was amazing, the faeries were amazing, the everything was amazing!  Butcher's descriptions were so real I felt like I was watching a movie.  He pulled from Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, and other assorted fairy tales to populate his magical world and I never wanted to leave (which is the very point of the fey).  In fact, I think the cover is perfect for this very reason.  At first glance it's nothing special.  You might use the word nice to describe it.  But then you look closer.  You look at the shades of yellows and greens, the monsters, the small red accent, and you go, Oh!  This is sorta amazing.  Which was how I would describe Butcher's imagination leaking into the pages.

 

Equally amazing was Harry's growth.  I feel like, out of all the books I've read so far, this is the one that has most defined him.  In this book I can really see who Harry is and I can understand him.  Somewhere along the way we shared a soulgaze, because finally, finally, I truly understand this character.  All walls have been broken down and every installment after this will be all the better because he has grown into a permanent thing in my life.

 

Plot-wise I was completely surprised by the big revelation.  The lead-up investigation was my favorite so far and the hints throughout the novel towards where it was going were well placed and subtle.  The re-appearance of old characters made my heart sing and the insight on the White Council was great, as well.  The battle at the end really takes the cake, though, and I can see that Butcher has a talent for fantasy (Codex Alera, his other series).

 

My biggest problem is that I would like to see more of Murphy.  Yes, in this book, she does make great leaps and bounds into the world of the supernatural, and that was awesome and kick-ass, but she still remains sidelined for the majority of the story.  I want to a see her take center stage with Harry for a bit longer at some point, but there are many books to go, so my wish may yet be granted.

 

Overall, I'm giving this book a 4 3/4 stars, just shy of a perfect five.

 

Hell's bells, that was a good book.

Book Review: Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)

Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book.

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....

From the very beginning it’s nonstop action. With a slew of new and interesting characters (I loved, loved, loved Michael and Thomas was pretty awesome, too) and villains that actually make you cringe in fear this book is pretty much un-put-down-able.

Really, the pace is so fast you don’t have much time to breath, and neither does Harry, who’s put at a major disadvantage not even halfway through. His magic is zapped from him (well, a lot of it, at least) and as interesting as that it is, I feel like he’s never really been able to use the full extent of his powers in any of the novels so far. They keep saying he’s this great wizard (and while I love him) I haven’t seen much proof of this at all. The mystery is original, although a little confusing. I feel, too, that some parts are left unexplained. No major plot point, but it’s a little annoying that I didn’t feel like the story truly completed like they normally do.

Of course, being the fan girl I am, I loved this book. For those of you who weren’t fond of the first two, I feel you. This book (if you feel like you can get through another, and you should try) really makes you love the series. Butcher has finally found his niche in writing, developed characters, and now he’s just playing with them, comfortable in their skin as he writes. A wonderful book. I’m giving this one 4 ½ stars.

Music: Gypsy

Book Review: Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2)

And here we are again, talking about that other wizard named Harry. Funny enough, I’m currently re-reading Sorcerer’s Stone.

This book has twice the action the first one has and it’s so much better for it. It starts off slow and dry, but by the end, culminates in a pinnacle of “OMG!” that has you getting all these wonderful feels. Harry again manages to get himself into the worst situation possible by pissing off every single type of werewolf there is, Johnny Marcone, and Murphy. This book is also high on magic, there’s so much more here than in the first one where it also had a great deal to be solved in a more traditional method.

There aren’t any new characters that need much of a mentioning, but going back to Marcone, I think he may be a favorite. There’s this scene near the end where (well, I won’t tell you what’s happening and spoil it, will I?) and it just had me sold on what kind of a character he is. I wouldn’t stretch and call him an anti-hero, he’s a villain through-and-through, but maybe there is something underneath that hard exterior. Anyways, Dresden himself remains my favorite character in the book.

This plot, like the first one, keeps you guessing until the end when you’re so blown away by what’s happening that you don’t get to marvel at the way-to-complex mystery involved. I give it 3 ½ stars.

Book Review: Storm Front

I'm here to talk to you about the other wizard name Harry.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out that 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in.

Harry is the best at what he does - and not just because he's the only one who does it. So whenever the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal capabilities, they look to him for answers. But business isn't just slow, it stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get . . . interesting.

MAGIC - IT CAN GET A GUY KILLED.

I've wanted to read this book for quite some time but I hadn't gotten around to it for various reasons.  In fact, I hadn't even picked up a copy. Well, that all changed when I ran over to my neighborhood Half Price Books and snatched up the best edition I could.  Which just happened to be the UK version.  Which is absolutely gorgeous, by the way.  This means that (being the OCD cover person I am) when I buy the other books in the series I'll have to buy them from the UK.  Which means it could take a while for a review of another one of these books.  But there will be another review because I absolutely LOVED this one.

Harry is such a great character.  He's not easy to pin down with one word, but he's almost an anti-hero, I would say.  He has that kind of vibe to him, even though he really isn't one.  He also has a lot of weight on his shoulders, a lot of problems, and I have to give him a lot of credit for being able to function under all these things going against him.

The other character's were good, but they weren't the fleshed out.  They didn't really need to be, but with the complexity of Harry, I almost wished they were.  I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing the supporting cast in the next installments, though, so I'm not worried.

The mystery in this book is rather twisty, but not surprising.  You can see where it's going and know where it connects, to an extent, but it's not really set up for the reader to guess what exactly is going on until Harry does.  The reader gets the information with Harry, and he even chooses to keep some to himself.  I wish there were some more surprises, but it isn't necessary and the book is balanced well.  The right amount of story, mystery, action, and character.

This is an urban fantasy, through and through, and as such, all the mythology has to work in conjunction to the real world, which it shadows.  The magic used is a little scientific, a little otherworldly, and a little high-fantasy.  The laws are pretty cut and dry to magic, but they're also broad enough to allow some wiggle room.  The creatures in this book seem to range from the well known to the obscure, which is always enjoyable.  The White Council makes sense (unlike in some books where councils are just made up because they're needed and don't really carry any weight for the reader) and the way the world is set up to "hide" is believable.

I'm giving this book *****4 3/4 stars***** and look forward to continuing the series.