Harry Dresden’s life has become infinitely more complicated since the beginning of The Dresden Files. He constantly struggles to balance his responsibilities as a member of the Winter Court, the White Council, and familial concerns.
Not to mention his role as a warden of an island that protects the world from dangerous magical creatures.
“I slung the weighted vest over my shoulder and started trudging back to the car. I had that sinking feeling that things were about to get hectic again.” pg 8
He’s developed a little bit emotionally since his carefree days of “wizard for hire,” but, in other ways, his personality has remained exactly the same.
“…you can’t ignore things that are real just because they’re uncomfortable.” pg 4
The Dresden Files is a fun escape into a fantasy world of magic (one could call it ‘book candy’) but part of the problem with the series is that it has built to a major crescendo. What can one person really do against powers of the universe that are so strong that they can be described as “gods”?
“I think someone you don’t expect is going to stab you in the back, Hoss.” pg 30
Another issue is how often the “winter mantle” takes over Harry’s mind so that he’s constantly thinking about strutting his stuff in front of the opposite sex. I get that it’s a reoccurring problem for him, but it gets repetitive after the first half dozen incidents.
It doesn’t help that he hangs out with a literal queen of the succubus, but I digress. 🙂
Some of my Goodreads friends pointed out that the start of this book is somewhat ridiculous- hanging on the idea that the fairies always repay their debts though readers aren’t given the reason why a debt was needing to be repaid. I agree the setup could have been more carefully constructed.
That being said, I read the entire book in two days. (Book candy strikes again!) So there’s something very enjoyable about the whole thing even with the balance of power problems, repetitive sexual fantasies, and suspension of belief required to get in to it.
Highly recommended for readers who have enjoyed the previous books in the series or folks who like urban fantasy reads without too much complexity.
Thanks for reading!
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