A review by marie_thereadingotter
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

   Is it just me, or is Harry Dresden a really bad detective? He seems to mostly luck his way out of situations. I know at the start of this book he's really distracted with trying to find a way to save Susan. But he doesn't always use his head. Harry spends the majority of the book fumbling around not know who's the culprit, nearly dies a few times, almost gets Murphy killed. And suddenly knows who done-it after being utterly clueless a page ago. I think he'd be a better detective if he wasn't checking out every body with breasts. 

 

   I really like the introduction of the White Council, but I don't like how every member is "just out to get Harry". It comes across as them being very short-sighted. Maybe that's the point but this is the first time really meeting the Council, so a more nuanced approach would've been better. I could understand if one member of the council still didn't trust him because of who his mentor was. But Dresden is I think in his mid-30s and that event happened when he was a teenager, so it's been about twenty years. You'd think if he was an evil dark wizard, he would have done something already. He's too rash to play any kind of long game.

   Leaning more about the Nevernever was interesting, the expanding world was nice to see as well. Learning more about the Fae-lands in this world was also nice, taking things out of Downtown Chicago was good for people like me who've never been to Chicago and have no frame of reference for anything. 

   

   I have heard that as the books go on the world expands, so I do plan on reading more. I just also hope that Dresden grows a brain-stem and stops being a moron.