Review by nicosta_music - Proven Guilty

nicosta_music 's review for:

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

4.25

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Even though I genuinely enjoyed Proven Guilty, I have a lot of mixed feelings regarding this installment in The Dresden Files. On one hand, it showed a lot of really good character growth across the board, and it introduced a new character and relationship dynamic that I'd really enjoy reading in future installments. The action and plot was on par with previous installments, which is to say it was pretty good. The book's emphasis on

faith was heartwarming, if a bit overbearing and preachy at times.

My main issue stems from Butcher's portrayal of

Molly. I am generally opposed to the sexualization of teenage girls, and given The Dresden Files' overarching themes of misogyny, Molly's constant sexualization both by the narrative and by her own choices left a bad taste in my mouth. That being said, I was also once a teenage girl who was friends with plenty of girls who acted like Molly, so I can't say it's entirely unrealistic. I think the only saving grace of how Molly was written is that her interactions with Dresden showed just how much his character has matured over the past few books. I'm fully convinced that Storm Front Dresden would have taken advantage of Molly, and the fact that he gave her a very mature and reasonable rejection says a lot about his development. I guess if a guy is being a sexist creep, you just have to knock him around for seven or so books to get him to behave.

Content Warnings