A review by evdark
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

This was the book that put me into a reading slump with Dresden the first time. I liked it alright but when I re-read it all I remembered was him trapping Toot Toot the fairy with a pizza and him playing dungeon and dragons and with the Alpha werewolves at the end. I liked Elaine in this one and thought her dynamic with Harry was fascinating, but in order to write this review, I had to watch a review to jog my memory. I'm writing this a few months later and the whole story, except that he didn't want to become the Winter Night and there was a battle between Summer and Winter courts, escaped my mind. I remember there was an epic battle but it was hard to picture things in this book there was a lot going on. Some of it was beautifully written and I enjoyed it enough to start on Death Masks. What I really loved about this book is it is the first one that flew by. I liked Grave Peril a lot but it dragged and made no sense at times. This one felt like Jim Butcher really hit his stride in the plot department but then he bogged it down with a lot of world building where he did not hold your hand and it was hard to remember which character was in which court or what their "ranks" were (Lady, Mother, and Queen). What does it even mean to be the Summer Knight or Winter Knight? It sounds cool but after reading this, I could not tell you.

The major reason I'm rating this 4.0 is the Susan subplot I am so tired of this bitch.