uncannyem 's review for:

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

4.0

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This one was a slow start for me. And I literally checked if I had the right book of the series three different times. I felt like I'd missed something crucial in the plot. I hadn't, it was just a clumsy kind of flashback thing. But still where the hell did the Fist of God come from? Michael's just there like I'm supposed to know him already & it doesn't work. I googled even thinking I'd missed at least a short story... nope. And I feel the same about Lea. Harry has a fairy godmother? Ok cool. Her introduction also left me feeling like I'd missed a part of the story. The three of them being introduced that way is a little bizarre. And then Michael and Charity with their constant moralizing are just...unbelievable. A woman in labor while in the rain and being attacked by a supernatural baddie telling an ally to watch his tongue is not believable. A man taking "hell" as an actual bad word is not believable and they're a hard pair to like because of it. The priest comes off less holier-than-thou. But then the middle of the book hits and it's everything I love about this series. Harry getting back up when he's down and kicking ass.
To sum up: not the best story in the Dresden Files series but still better than most books.

2nd reading (audiobook):
I don't know how but I forgot how much I love the Dresden files starting at this book.
Some of them get a little ...unimpressive... but this isn't one of them. The noir element is strong and the mystery winds nicely. This is where the war with the vampires begins with a BANG.

I've put together a list of Dresden-verse stories in reading order including short stories , graphic novels, and online micro-fiction. I've opened it up for public view with this link.