Blood Rites
5 out of 5 Bloody Stars
"What can I say? I put the 'ick' in 'magic.' "
Whenever I think I know what to expect from a The Dresden Files novel, Butcher always surprises me. Time and time again he proves his talent as an author and outdoes himself with each new novel. His finesse at developing overall story arcs, along with addressing smaller, inner-plots within each individual novel, and how he continually has all his characters growing and changing -- not just Harry -- is what has me keep coming back and continuing my binge read with this series. Blood Rites continues the awesomeness that is The Dresden Files and Butcher really ups the ante in this installment.
"If experience had taught me anything, it was this: No matter how screwed up things are, they can get a whole lot worse. Case in point: our little standoff with Supertart."
Plot-Line:
First off, Blood Rites has a great opening sentence. "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault." Classic Dresden. Harry's completing a job (which is why the building is on fire, of course) and has asked White Court vampire Thomas to be his getaway driver. Thomas has helped Harry in the past, although we don't know why, and after helping Harry out on this case, Thomas asks for a favor. Harry agrees, but only if Thomas will tell him why he's been helping him. Thomas agrees, and this leads to Harry meeting Arturo Genosa, a motion-picture producer starting his own company, and a friend of Thomas. People, specifically women connected to Genosa, have been dying in extremely odd ways, and Genosa fears it is a curse called the Malochhio (meaning Evil Eye). Harry decides to help, which is how he finds himself under the disguise of a production assistant for Genosa's next adult film. It's no surprise then that Harry becomes more involved with the White Court, considering they're psychic vampires that feed on lust and have connections with Genosa. Add in Mavra of the Black Court and her scourge of vampires hanging around in Chicago, and Harry's got a lot of vampire-related problems to deal with.
"Justine DuMorne had taught me how to do magic. But it was Ebenezar who taught me why. That magic came from the heart, from the essence of what the wizard believed -- from who and what he chose to be. That the power born into any wizard carried with it the responsibility to use it to help his fellow man. That there were things worth protecting, defending, and that the world could be more than a jungle where the strong thrived and the weak were devoured."
Notable Parts:
As you can probably guess from the description of Blood Rites, we're given a lot of more information on different types of vampires, and Butcher's got some pretty cool ideas. The Black Court vamps are basically your traditional type of vampire -- holy water, garlic, wooden stakes, the whole thing. Out of all the vampire Courts, the White Court is the one that has the most near-humanity, making them even more dangerous. We're introduced to Lara, a White Court vamp, who is going to become a major player for future novels. Besides for vampire info, we're also given some info on Murphy, on her personality and why she acts the way she does. She helps Harry out big time during an important part of the novel, showing off her badassery, which is always awesome. Kincaid makes some appearances, too, and it was interesting getting more information on his character. We also get information on Ebenezar's past, which is really important. And, most important, we're introduced to a little dog named Mouse that quickly becomes one of my favorite characters. I wish I could have a dog like him!
"There's what's right, and then there's what's necessary. They ain't always the same."
Overall:
Butcher ups the ante in each novel he writes, and I love it. I love the characters, I love the stories and pace and development and everything about The Dresden Files. Blood Rites sheds light on information that is going to change the way Harry thinks, feels, and acts in future novels in ways that he can't even imagine. Brilliant arcs are being set up without the use of cliffhangers, which isn't an easy thing to do. Blood Rites is another great installment to an amazing series by an extremely talented author. I can't wait to see where Harry's troubles take him next. Dead Beat here I come.
"The hardest lesson a wizard has to learn is that even with so much power, there are some things you can't control. No matter how much you want to."
