Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3)

And The Dresden Files series continues, now moving onto book number three, titled Grave Peril.

Grave Peril

4 out of 5 Ghostly Stars

"Vampire Court is now in session."

Jim Butcher does not disappoint in this continuation of his series, The Dresden Files. He delivers non-stop action, presents his characters with seemingly-impossible decisions, and sucks his readers into each scene, having his audience feel like they're fighting right along with our hero, Harry Dresden. We're told even more about the magic in this world, ranging from earth magic, evocations, thaumaturgy, sorcerers, vengeful ghosts, and faerie godmothers. Well, technically sidhe godmothers, but same thing. Harry has some really bad foes to face in this chapter of his life, and things start to look really grim. Can this next big bad be defeated, or has Harry met his match? 

"Working on the assumption that some sadistic higher power would make sure my evening got as complicated as it possible could, I had formed a plan."

The Plot-line:

Grave Peril starts off with our favorite wizard Harry zooming down the street in his Blue Beetle with his friend Michael, speeding to get to a hospital before the sun sets. I admit, for awhile there I was confused on what was happening. Who is this Michael person? What's going on at the hospital? However, by the end of the second chapter, things become clearer; the border to the  Nevernever is in a state of flux, making it easier for ghosts to travel to the human world. And some of these ghosts are acting pretty pissed. Harry soon finds out that these ghosts are being tortured, having black, ice-cold barbed wire wrapped around them from neck to ankle, and the pain is causing these ghosts to go mad. Who is behind this black magic? And why are they targeting these ghosts at Harry and his friends? While Harry is dealing with the spirit-world acting all crazy, he also has to deal with the vampires of the Red Court, whose leader Bianca has invited Harry to witness her elevation in rank to Margravine of the Vampire Court. Nothing suspicious there at all. And then there's his evil sidhe Godmother, who is hellbent on making Harry uphold a bargain he made years ago. Harry's got a lot on his plate in this novel, and he better watch his back, or he may wind up becoming a ghost himself.

"Hell's bells," I swore. "I hate it when I don't figure out the mystery before it's too late."

Notable Parts:

There are some great metaphors and similes in Grave Peril, and I found myself really liking them -- enough for me to mention them. Butcher's writing style really flows throughout his novels, making them easy and enjoyable to read. His signature blend of humor and wit mixed with action and mystery makes his books very entertaining. We're also introduced to some new characters, one being Michael (mentioned above), who happens to be the Fist of God and wields a very powerful magical sword, named Amoracchius. There's also Thomas, a vampire of the White Court, who may not be half-bad. Murphy doesn't play as large a role as she normally does, while Susan becomes very important during the second half of the novel. Some tough decisions are made towards the end of the novel, and the effect of these choices will play a large role in the next novel, Summer Knight. We also get some interesting scenes and information about ghosts that I think is pretty cool. The foreshadowing throughout Grave Peril is great; the readers cannot disregard anything -- everything Butcher writes, he writes for a reason. This makes solving the mystery that much more fun. 

"I felt guilty for that -- maybe irrational, true, but if I'd been a little smarter or a little faster, maybe I could have saved those people's lives. No one else saw it that way, but I did."

Reason for knocking-off 1 star:

*see quote above* I am not fond of all this self-blame that Harry irrationally feels over every bad thing that happens. Bob and others even tell Harry that he's being irrational, but Harry seems stuck in his ways of feeling responsible for everything that happens to everyone he knows. He even admits to himself at times that he's being irrational, and yet he continues to blame himself. This character trait doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon -- or ever -- so I guess I'll have to learn to look past it. Harry is also still 'chauvinistic' to a fault, even stating that character fault himself: "I hate it when a woman asks me for help and I witlessly decide to go ahead and give it, regardless of perfectly good reasons not to." If Harry himself notices these things, why doesn't he try to change them? He gets himself into some sticky situations that could easily be avoided if he didn't try to console and/or reason with the evil females in this novel and just do his job. This probably will not change either, so I'll learn to deal with it. The Dresden Files are an amazing-enough series that I will look past these annoying character faults, because everything else is awesome.

“I'm not a philosopher, Harry," [Michael] said. "But here's something for you to think about, at least. What goes around comes around. And sometimes you get what's coming around." He paused for a moment, frowning faintly, pursing his lips. "And sometimes you are what's coming around.” 

Overall:

Grave Peril is great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Harry and friends are interesting characters that are placed in tough situations and have to rely on their unique skills to save themselves and others. Butcher is a very talented writer, and he knows what his audience wants to read. I can't wait to start the next book in The Dresden Files, called Summer Knight. To anyone who hasn't started this series yet, I strongly suggest picking up Storm Front right away; to those that are caught up in the series, no spoilers!; and to those keeping pace with me, know that Grave Peril is a great installment in a top-notch urban-fantasy series.

"Magic defines a man. It comes from down deep inside you. You can't accomplish anything with magic that isn't in you, somewhere."

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2)

Next stop, the second installment of The Dresden Files: Fool Moon.

Fool Moon

4 out of 5 Wolfish Stars

“Sometimes, being able to use magic was so cool.” 

Wow. Fool Moon may not have as much mystery as Storm Front, but the action is a thousand times better and the pace moves quicker, hooking the audience with each scene. There's not much time to rest during this novel, as it moves from scene to scene, delivering new facts and problems to face during each one. As you might be able to guess from the title, Fool Moon deals with werewolves, but Butcher adds a nice twist to the common werewolf, and he grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the very end of the novel.

“Whatever had killed him, it hadn't been human. His face was gone, simply torn away. Something had ripped his lips off. I could see his bloodstained teeth. His nose had been torn all the way up one side, and part of it dangled toward the floor. His head was misshapen, as though some enormous pressure had been put upon his temples, warping his skull in.” 

The Plot-line: 

As I said before, the pace moves much quicker in Fool Moon than it did in Storm Front, and we're given a very interesting take on werewolves. Not only are there werewolves in this novel, but also hexenwolves, lycanthropes and loup-garous. Each different type has its own distinct qualities, and at first it is hard to remember which is which, but as the story goes on it becomes clearer. Now, for the story-line itself: there's been serial killings happening, a group of them a month earlier from when the story starts, and then again during the current timeline. S.I. Lieutenant Karrin Murphy seems to be the only one who realizes these killing are happening around a full moon, and is quick to turn to Harry Dresden for help, especially when she sees a wolf-pawprint at one of the crime scenes. It's up to Harry to determine what's really going on in the supernatural sense, and he is one-hundred percent correct when he says, "It never rains, but pours." It's almost like a snowball effect throughout the whole novel; just when you think it can't get any worse, Butcher proves you wrong. Poor Harry can never catch a break. We're also introduced to some new characters, specifically FBI agents who only seem to get in the way of Harry and Murphy doing their jobs, but are actually very essential to the story of Fool Moon. Butcher adds twists and turns whenever he gets the chance, and he really knows how to write some good action scenes.

"Don't mess with a wizard when he's wizarding!"

Reason for knocking off 1 star:

Butcher likes to remind his readers about how Harry considers himself old-fashioned and chauvinistic, and this really becomes prominent in Fool Moon. I noticed it in Storm Front, but it didn't really bother me too much. However, I could not look past it in this novel. It's one thing to be chauvinistic, but completely different to treat all women like they are damsels in distress. Harry constantly refers to the women in The Dresden Files as vulnerable, even going so far as to relate Murphy to a cheerleader basically each time she's mentioned. Murphy is a kickass female character in this series, handling deadly supernatural creatures better than anyone else, and is very adamant about upholding the law at all costs, even if that means arresting Harry if she has to. And then Harry comes in, talking about her cute little button-nose again, which when mentioned once is fine, but when it's constantly repeated begins to get on my nerves. Also, I understand that Harry feels he needs to protect others and blames himself when things go wrong, but I also reach my limit with this aspect, too. Harry keeps others in the dark, hides information from them, and justifies his actions by telling himself he's protecting them. And then he blames himself when others get hurt, mainly because he didn't share important information. Harry needs to understand that he may be a powerful and knowledgeable wizard, but even he has his limits and cannot protect everyone. It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when main characters constantly blame themselves for things they couldn't have stopped anyway, but I do understand why they feel that way. Being powerful comes with responsibility, and I understand the need to protect everyone and blaming oneself when you couldn't protect someone important to you. I also would have liked more information on Harry's past; we're told a bit, but not much, and I need to know more about what happened with Elaine and Harry's old mentor, Justin, and how Harry has become who he is today. Stop teasing us Butcher! We need to know! 

“My magic. That was at the heart of me. It was a manifestation of what I believed, what I lived. It came from my desire to see to it that someone stood between the darkness and the people it would devour.” 

Overall:

I really enjoy Fool Moon and think it is a wonderful addition to The Dresden Files. Butcher creates some interesting supernatural creatures, and I really like his take on werewolves. Similar to Storm Front, once the mystery is solved, everything is quickly wrapped up in a couple of pages. However, Butcher adds a new avenue of thought at end -- there have been too many coincidences happening lately of Harry getting put into dangerous situations, which leads to the question: who's trying to kill Harry? I like that this is added on at the end, and I hope that we readers get an answer to this question soon. Fool Moon is a fast-paced, highly entertaining novel, and I can't wait to start book three, titled Grave Peril.

"It isn't enough to stand up and fight darkness. You've got to stand apart from it, too. You've got to be different from it."

Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1)

Wow, it's been awhile! Sorry for the disappearing act everyone; it's been pretty busy lately. I haven't been able to read many books as I've wanted to, but I've finished a few that I'd like to get a review out on, specifically the first novel in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher!

Storm Front

4 out of 5 Wizardly Stars

HARRY DRESDEN—WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.

Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. 

No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or

Other Entertainment.

I've heard very good things about The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, and it's about time I read it! Butcher has created a world in which wizards, vampires, werewolves, demons, faeries, ghosts, talking skulls, dark magic and more are alive and kicking. Most humans don't seem to believe that these supernatural beings exist, but there are some who do, and who turn to the local wizard -- Harry Dresden -- for help.

Storm Front begins with Harry Dresden being contacted by Chicago P.D. Special Investigations Lieutenant Karrin Murphy. There's been a double homicide, and Murphy needs help. She'll need a wizard's insight to catch whoever's been using black magic to commit murder, and Harry's the best -- well, only -- wizard for the job. Thus begins the investigation to find the murderous black mage before he strikes again, and to prevent him from taking out Harry in his next deadly spell.

"My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk.” 

Harry Dresden:

Harry Dresden is the only known wizard that is a private investigator for hire. He's also a consultant for the Chicago P.D. on crimes that surpass mortal capability and seem unexplainable. He's the guy to go to when situations don't make sense, when suspicious magic-related crimes occur. After a brutal murder in which two people's hearts are literally ripped out of their chest, Harry's called in for his expertise. Quickly after this, Harry finds himself involved in a complex, deadly situation involving crime, mystery, dark magic, demons, a mob boss, a vampiress and lots of danger. However, he's the only hope for the police in finding this powerful killer and stopping him before he strikes again. Harry's a very likeable character, although a bit old-fashioned, and you can always count on him to mix in some humor along with all the danger and lighten up the situation a bit. We're given hints about his past, about how he got where he is today, but nothing too in-depth. I look forward to learning more about him in the next couple of books. One power that Harry has that I find very interesting is his ability to soulgaze. “When I look into someone’s eyes, into their soul, their innermost being, they can see mine in return—the things I had done, the things I was willing to do, the things I was capable of doing.” This is only one magical ability that a wizard has among many. Potions, spells and summoning circles oh my!

"Magic. It can get a guy killed."

Story line:

The plot-pace for the first novel in The Dresden Files is a bit slow, but necessary to explain and build this different world. We're given information on how magic works, the different ways it can be used, the power-players in Chicago's underworld, the people on the White Council who run the Laws of Magic, and the faerie realm of the Nevernever. I like how all the plot-lines and different parts of the story are all intertwined. The pace really picks up towards the end and becomes very intense, but the story seems to wrap up too neatly with a nice bow on top once the mystery has been solved and the main battle fought. I figured out the mystery a little bit before Harry, and it is definitely entertaining watching him investigate the murders. The different clues and important, dynamic players were handled brilliantly. I would have liked more information on the magic side of this world, but all in due time. 

"Magic came from life itself, from the interaction of nature and the elements, from the energy of all living beings, and especially of people. A man's magic demonstrates what sort of person he is, what is held most deeply inside of him. There is no truer gauge of a man's character than the way in which he employs his strength, his power." 

Now, the reason for knocking off 1 star. I feel some parts of the novel are a bit predictable, and while I really like the story Butcher has created, there is nothing that made me absolutely love Storm Front. Don't get me wrong though: it's engaging, has a good mystery and very likeable characters, and is a great start to the series. This is definitely a series I'm going to be keeping up with -- actually catching up with since 15 books in the series has already been released! I've  already started the next novel -- Fool Moon -- and am about halfway through, and so far, the story is awesome. I'm trying to pace myself with it, but the plot-line has really sucked me in, and we get to experience more magic! If you haven't read this series yet, I strongly suggest picking up Storm Front and getting started -- The Dresden Files is the definition of Urban Fantasy.

I was Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. I was a wizard. Wizards control their power. They don't let it control them. And wizards don't use magic to kill people. They use it to discover, to protect, to mend, to help. Not to destroy.