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victoriakerr131's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
nicosta_music's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
For a book coming off of my Anti-TBR list, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Storm Front. To get this book's glaring issue out of the way -- yes, main character Harry Dresden spends the first few chapters randomly mentioning how much he "respects" women while also being incredibly misogynistic. But honestly, some of his takes were so ridiculous that I thought it was hilarious. Like, come on:
“Women are better at hating than men. They can focus it better, let it go better. Hell, witches are just plain meaner than wizards. This feels like feminine vengeance of some kind to me.”
Comedic gold. No person grounded in reality says things like this. It's also extremely telling how the minute Harry
Despite the weird misogyny and perviness that occasionally spewed from Harry's mouth, I thought he was a bit of an endearing character. He reminded me of a lot of my IRL guy friends -- sort of like the quiet, loser-type nerds who are actually chill when you get to know them (except my IRL guy friends grew out of the weird chauvinist attitudes).
The plot was fine. Nothing special, but I appreciate a mystery with magical elements. The way things always seemed to conveniently work out for Harry was also funny to me and kept me entertained. I'd recommend this book to anybody who think's they'd enjoy reading about an incel who lacks self-awareness bumbling his way through magic and crime scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Animal death, and Child death
quiet_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Child death
tanman's review
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is book has officially sold me on the Fantasy Genre. It is riveting from beginning to end. It doesn’t let up.
I only mark it down a star for being inappropriate at times and for a slightly lackluster ending. Still satisfying, just not at epic as i was hoping.
I only mark it down a star for being inappropriate at times and for a slightly lackluster ending. Still satisfying, just not at epic as i was hoping.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, and Drug use
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
necroplasm's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
normally i quite enjoy grizzled sarcastic messy bitch detectives like harry dresden, but good LORD is this man constantly in need of a cold shower, it feels like for at least half the book every time a female character is in the scene he's using like,, the horniest descriptors he can use in a non-erotica novel, i nearly tapped out during his visit to that vampire woman's house because this guy is just TOO down bad. thankfully that stuff kinda slows down near the halfway point- at least it seemed like it did, maybe i was just getting used to it- and it wasn't as annoying to finish as i was afraid it would be. i'll check out the second book because i'm juuuuust interested enough in the setting to see where this could go, but GOD do i hope dresden starts being less of a horndog because i don't know if i can handle looking through his Womanizer Goggles for another book lmfao
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Blood, Murder, and Drug abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
jonwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was more entertaining than it had the right be. Honestly was thinking 3 stars, but have to admit compared to other books I’ve read recently it kept me reading past when I’d normally stop. Guess the best description I have is a guilty pleasure.
Given the length of the series, this book seems structured as a tv pilot to introduce the world and status quo that I expect to be shaken later. I will say, some of the magic descriptions I found tedious when he seemed to described the science of it, I’d rather things just be given rules of what can and can’t happen, don’t ask me to think critically about fantastical things, I’d prefer to accept they happen and think about the story instead.
Given the length of the series, this book seems structured as a tv pilot to introduce the world and status quo that I expect to be shaken later. I will say, some of the magic descriptions I found tedious when he seemed to described the science of it, I’d rather things just be given rules of what can and can’t happen, don’t ask me to think critically about fantastical things, I’d prefer to accept they happen and think about the story instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Death, and Blood
The main character can be seen to fit in the mold of noir hard-boiled detective, and comes equipment with the causal sexism that character type often entails.ekcd_'s review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was very plotty, but the characters are infuriatingly static. Aggressively unchanging, not nearly as charming as the author wants them to be.
It’s first of like twenty books, I certainly won’t be reaching for no2 right away but maybe if I get a slump or find it in a Little Library I’d keep it in reserves.
It’s first of like twenty books, I certainly won’t be reaching for no2 right away but maybe if I get a slump or find it in a Little Library I’d keep it in reserves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Car accident, Drug use, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Vomit, Car accident, and Misogyny
bookcaptivated's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Sexual content
kitterring's review
Bizarrely misogynistic while having an unimpressive narrator. Just gave up trying to like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
greebkit's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A different book of this series, Grave Peril, was recommended to me a while ago, but I haven't had time to read it. The series has since been recommended to me a couple times so I decided to download the audiobook for Storm Front to see if it was worth getting into (and because James Marsters narrates the audiobooks).
The concept is genuinely interesting. Injecting fantasy into a classic noir/detective novel really works well. However, I have issues with how the female characters are portrayed. Early on there is a cringy "nice guy" speech that is only missing a neckbeard and tipped fedora. In it, the protagonist professes to be old-fashioned and not think of women as just a pair of tits, but then proceeds to describe every female character in terms of looks. I tried to move past that, but throughout the whole book every female character is written to secretly love the main character (either subtly or overtly). What's funny is that I really enjoy the noir/detective genre and I have enjoyed books with some outdated and sexist elements, but I have never cringed as much as with the characterizations in this book.
I think it's a shame because it is an interesting world within the book. The hints of the backstory are interesting. The way the rules of magic are portrayed is interesting. I really wanted to like it, but I can't ignore the sexist portrayals that are throughout the book. However, this is the first book in the series so I am going to try the next book so it is not so bad that it's unreadable. It just has a lot of cringy portrayals of women that don't serve a purpose except wish fulfillment. This cringy writing made an interesting concept less interesting and more annoying.
The concept is genuinely interesting. Injecting fantasy into a classic noir/detective novel really works well. However, I have issues with how the female characters are portrayed. Early on there is a cringy "nice guy" speech that is only missing a neckbeard and tipped fedora. In it, the protagonist professes to be old-fashioned and not think of women as just a pair of tits, but then proceeds to describe every female character in terms of looks. I tried to move past that, but throughout the whole book every female character is written to secretly love the main character (either subtly or overtly). What's funny is that I really enjoy the noir/detective genre and I have enjoyed books with some outdated and sexist elements, but I have never cringed as much as with the characterizations in this book.
I think it's a shame because it is an interesting world within the book. The hints of the backstory are interesting. The way the rules of magic are portrayed is interesting. I really wanted to like it, but I can't ignore the sexist portrayals that are throughout the book. However, this is the first book in the series so I am going to try the next book so it is not so bad that it's unreadable. It just has a lot of cringy portrayals of women that don't serve a purpose except wish fulfillment. This cringy writing made an interesting concept less interesting and more annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Sexism