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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3 stars - I liked it
It’s been a year since the events in the previous book and apparently Harry has spent that working with Murphy and Michael to take down a sorcerer who had unleashed a demon. Clearly, Harry has made up with Murphy and the team but we never get to see that. Also we are introduced to Michael, a Knight Templar, who has been helping Harry and Murphy fight this sorcerer and now is helping Harry deal with ghosts. Also, Harry and Susan are still together apparently.
While I did enjoy this book overall, I was also very confused because it felt like I missed a book or short story that had really pertinent information to the overall story. We were constantly getting references to this case and were expected to know what they meant. So here are my other complaints about this book:
First, Michael is a brand new character but he was just thrown at us like we already knew who he was, which was very confusing. I did enjoy his character though and the brief glimpses of his backstory we got as this story played out.
Second, Harry’s godmother. This is one of the main plots of this story and it's another situation where we are just abruptly given a character and being told that she wants to capture Harry because of a past promise. There has been no hint of her in previous books but this one presents her like we already know about her. It was again a bit jarring and I am still confused as to why exactly she is trying to get her hands on him. Also, because of the introduction of her, it rewrites some of Harry’s previous discussions on his mother. In the first two books, Harry talks as if he barely knows his mother and her magic, yet in this book he presents his mother as someone who worked with his godmother and assigned her as his godmother. Again it was jarring and contradictory of what we already know of Dresden.
Third, Susan and Harry’s relationship continues in this one but sadly, Susan continues to be stupid and reckless. When Harry tells her not to do something because the situation is too dangerous for a human, she of course doesn’t listen and ends up in an extremely dangerous situation. While I didn’t mind Susan in the first two books, I found her annoying for the short bit of time she was in this one because of this, especially since she has dated Dresden for a year now and knows how dangerous this world is.
Basically, this whole story revolves around the case with the sorcerer. Harry is dealing with rampaging ghosts, vampire parties, running from his godmother, and his love life. But while I did enjoy the action of this story and how it will change things for Harry’s future, this still wasn’t what I was expecting from this series. I think this is partially why I struggled a bit with this one and keep putting it down.
TW: death, torture, rape, drug use, and nonconsensual feedings (vampire);
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read in reviews that this third book is a turn around for the series and that it gets a lot better starting with this book. The author actually says so himself on the audiobook. Sadly I didn't find this to be true.
This book has all the same problems as the first two have. No matter how hurt Dresden or his friends get they always manage to dig deep and do some powerful magic. So although they pretend that the opponents get stronger, Dresden also gets stronger to fix the situation. This takes away all tension in the book.
Normally the tension in these kinds of books comes from the secondary characters, who you can care about deeply but are not covered in plot armour like the main character.
Sadly the Dresden Files does not have any interesting secondary characters that you can care about. Each and every woman in this series is an uptight bitch. I don't go for that misogyny is everywhere crap, but I do feel Jim Butcher does not know how to write a normal woman. Murphy is supposed to be Dresden's friend and the other woman his girlfriend, but all they do is nag, nag, nag. Even Michael's wife right after Dresden risks his life to save her, only treats him like shit.
Michael is actually a decent side character and Bob the skull is fun, but they play such a small part in the book that it's not enough to compensate for the plotholes, bad female characters and down right lack of enjoyment when reading this book.
This book has all the same problems as the first two have. No matter how hurt Dresden or his friends get they always manage to dig deep and do some powerful magic. So although they pretend that the opponents get stronger, Dresden also gets stronger to fix the situation. This takes away all tension in the book.
Normally the tension in these kinds of books comes from the secondary characters, who you can care about deeply but are not covered in plot armour like the main character.
Sadly the Dresden Files does not have any interesting secondary characters that you can care about. Each and every woman in this series is an uptight bitch. I don't go for that misogyny is everywhere crap, but I do feel Jim Butcher does not know how to write a normal woman. Murphy is supposed to be Dresden's friend and the other woman his girlfriend, but all they do is nag, nag, nag. Even Michael's wife right after Dresden risks his life to save her, only treats him like shit.
Michael is actually a decent side character and Bob the skull is fun, but they play such a small part in the book that it's not enough to compensate for the plotholes, bad female characters and down right lack of enjoyment when reading this book.
[3.5] This book was my least favorite so far in the series. The gross narration/description of women was really apparent in this book and all the female characters are given shit narrative arcs. Also, the romance element between Susan and Harry was so unbelievable/rushed. The mystery was not nearly as tight as the last two books and the motivation for a lot of the villains is pretty unclear by the end. Also, Harry Dresden, so far, is a very magically knowledgeable person or he relies on his sources to get that info. Why the fuck was he just bumbling around and not knowing anything about fae laws/rules especially if he seems familiar with that world? Idk, I think the final action scene was cool and that’s why I gave it a 3.5 but I seriously am debating reading the rest of the series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Aug 2016: Jim Butcher truly is a genius. During the first read I just ate up the story, like the Nightmare eating up souls, this time, I drank it in slowly and savored every foreshadowing drop.
This is a ghost story, and to be honest, the many times that Harry is on the brink of death is almost disturbing, but it truly shows that he is willing to go as far as it takes to do the right thing. It also shows that at his weakest, Harry is still a super power.
Sept 2012: Another mystery/adventure with the bumbling wizard Harry Dresden.
This is a ghost story, and to be honest, the many times that Harry is on the brink of death is almost disturbing, but it truly shows that he is willing to go as far as it takes to do the right thing. It also shows that at his weakest, Harry is still a super power.
Sept 2012: Another mystery/adventure with the bumbling wizard Harry Dresden.