Jim Butcher: Furies of Calderon

Hi everyone

Furies of Calderon is het first book in The Codex Alera series, written by Jim Butcher. I read this on my e-reader.

"For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal. But now, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, grows old and lacks an heir. Ambitious High Lords plot and maneuver to place their Houses in positions of power, and a war of succession looms on the horizon. Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat - return to the Valley, he will discover that his destiny is much greater than he could ever imagine. Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave named Amara. But she is actually a spy for Gaius Sextus, sent to the Valley to gather intelligence on traitors to the Crown, who may be in league with the barbaric Marat horde. And when the Valley erupts in chaos - when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies - Amara will find Tavi's courage and resourcefulness to be a power greater than any fury - one that could turn the tides of war."

I liked this but I didn't love it. 
The characters were great, they were nuanced, relatable and well thought out. The magic is interesting (but I would like to know more about it) and the worldbuilding is nicely done.
The plot however was rather thin and predictable. Some things get repeated too many times and that got on my nerves too. It never gets boring and there's lots of action going on to keep the tempo high and the story interesting.

I will read the second book because it's a promising series and I'm curious to see how it will go on, but we'll see about reading the complete series after the second (or third) book.
Also, I really, really enjoy The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, so that's another reason to continue.

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: Small Favour

Hi everyone

This is my review for Small Favour, the tenth book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
My copy has 433 pages and I got it from Bol.
You can find all my reviews on the series here.

                                                *    SPOILERS    *

I loved this book. The series is getting better and better and I can’t wait to read the next one.
That also makes it harder and harder to review each new book in the series.
There’s so much going on in this book and it all comes together in the end. By this time the world is incredibly complex but it’s still manageable as a reader to keep track of everything that’s going on because Butcher takes the time to explain to the reader what happened and why.
These books are so much fun to read!
I think Butcher has a lot more in store for us because there are hints throughout the novel about bigger events, a traitor and other overarching plotlines that have yet to come to the surface.
The characterization gets better in every book and I love seeing older characters return every so often and every time they reappear there’s more to them.
The opening scene with the snowfight made my heart melt; it was so, so sweet.
And the scenes at the hospital made me tear up like a child. Too true I’m afraid.

Loved it. Highly recommended series.

5 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: White Night

Hi everyone

This is my review for White Night, the 9^th book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
I got my copy from Bol and it has 416 pages.
You can find all my Dresden Files reviews here. 

                                                *    SPOILERS    *

Keeping up with the plot was (up till now) never a problem, but White Night is definitely more complicated plot-wise then the previous books. Old characters reappear and older plotlines play a part. Add to that a bigger cast of characters and a broader, richer world-building and you really have to try and keep up with what’s going on.
I love Mousse more each time and Elaine is pretty awesome. Dresden is Dresden, an incredibly heroic, chauvinistic, funny, smart, wiseass.

I like how we get to know the characters a bit more in every book. They all grow a lot in every book. We get to see Harry outside of his normal Chicago-home and it explains some of the changes we’ve noticed in him.

The book is filled to the brim with action with the occasional joke to let us take a breather.
And the ending is so great! Unexpected and funny.
I can’t wait to find out where this is going and what will happen next.

5 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: Proven Guilty

Hi

Proven Guilty is the 8^th Dresden Files novel and it’s written by Jim Butcher.
I got my copy from Bol and it has 470 pages.
You can find all my Dresden Files reviews here.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

I really, really enjoyed this one.

Proven Guilty is much darker than the previous books in the series.
It has more depth, Harry seems more mature and the other characters are much more rounded too.
The themes are not as black-or-white as they used to be, it’s not as easy to pick a side now.
The plot is definitely much more complex; it has several threads at the same time, some from previous books that are still a part of Harry’s life now (and will be for some time to come I expect) and it isn’t as thin as it used to be. I can actually see him fail one of these jobs. With disastrous consequences obviously.
The White Council Traitor is an awesome addition and I’m really curious to find out who it is.
Charity seems like a real person this time whereas she used to be very one-dimensional. Their utter faith still tends to aggravate me because it’s so cartoonish. Molly needs a bit more work, but I actually like her too so I can’t wait to see the things she’ll do. I don’t expect her to be a purely ‘good’ wizard though. I think she’ll be a problem.
The fight scenes were great and I loved the movie references in this book.

Proven Guilty is definitely a setup for the following books in the series. Molly and The Black Council are introduced and I think there were some smaller things mentioned that will become important later on.
On a side note, I love Thomas and I hope we’ll learn more about the things he’s up to.

4 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: Dead Beat

Hi everyone

Dead Beat is the 7th book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
My copy has 442 pages and I got it as a gift for Christmas from my grandmother.
You can find all my Dresden Files reviews here.

                                *  SPOILERS  *

 I really, really enjoyed this one.

The story, is fast, action-packed and very entertaining. It’s also dark and gritty in places.
Dead Beat is gripping, exciting, suspenseful and humorous.

The premise sounds great but Mavra’s part in the actual story is surprisingly small. She’s only there to push the plot in a certain direction and I found that to be disappointing. Why even mention her at all? It would have been nice to have her in a more important role again.

And since we’re talking about the characters in the book; I’d like to talk about a few of them.
Butters is a great character. He changed so much throughout the story he’s the one we would all like to be. Afraid but still smart and courageous.
Even though Murphy is an important element to this story, she doesn’t play a role in the book and I missed her.
Mouse is adorable! He’s a giant now, but he’s still so cute and he always makes me smile.
I like Thomas and I hope he’ll have a more important role in the next books because here he was nothing more than a sidekick.
The Alphas are a nice addition too. They grow and progress even when they’re not part of the stories. Every time we catch up with them is like seeing old friends again. Much has happened but you still hit it off straightaway.
I love Harry but he can really annoy me sometimes. Some situations don’t call for him being a sexist or a wise-ass. He has changed though. He’s much darker and he can be truly scary. I like it.

When will we see some other spells than Forzare?

The final battle is pretty epic and a hilarious Jurassic Park parody. Butcher's fight-scenes in general are pretty good, unpredictable, different and suspenseful.
Why the villains in The Dresden Files always talk instead of kill Harry goes beyond me but I guess that’s part of the ambiance of the series. It’s funny at least.

Butcher adds something to the ‘universe’ with each book and it gets larger every time. A lot of those smaller and bigger elements from previous books come together. The series has become much more complex than I’d imagined when reading the first and second book. And that’s an amazing tour de force.

Those minor grievances asside; I loved the book.

Happy reading!
Helena

Having a lovely evening.

Jim Butcher: Blood Rites

Hi

Blood Rites is the sixth novel in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
I got my copy from Bol and it has 384 pages.
You can find my reviews on the previous books in the series here.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

I enjoyed this book so much! 

I’ll be short because there’s not much to add to my other reviews only that this one is the best so far in my opinion.

Butcher always manages several plot lines at the same time while giving Harry not a single moment to rest and reflect. His plot is super fast without any apparent slips and it’s amazing how it all comes together in the end. And even more amazing is how every new book builds upon the previous ones.

The writing is sharp, strong and very, very vivid.
His world is terrific,  rich and intriguing, the magic system is really well constructed.
The characters are great and we get to know them a lot better in this one.
I found this book even funnier than the other ones.

But I still hate Harry’s dual attitude towards women. Admiring their asses and bosoms and being overly chivalrous at the same time?
If the bitch is evil, just kill her already.

4 STARS

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: Death Masks

Hi

Death Masks is the fifth novel in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
My copy has 413 pages and I got it from Bol.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

This is my favorite novel in The Dresden Files so far.

The premise is absolutely stupid and ridiculous, but somehow, Butcher makes it work.
The book is very fast paced and filled to the brim with action; there’s not a breather in the whole novel. It’s suspenseful from start to finish and a lot happens.

I like how every new novel is grounded into the events of previous novels; events from other stories continue interfering with events in this novel, making every new novel that much more exciting because on top of all those previous interfering events there’s always something new, some new catastrophe or threat. This book has so many more layers then the first one and I expect the series will go on this way.

Butcher’s characterization is amazing. Every character feels very real and they grow so much throughout the series. His villains are especially well done in this book.
And I love Shiro and and Sanya. Sanya especially is my favorite.
Susan is back and she has grown into quite a badass character with more depth, coming from being merely a romantic interest for Harry.
Harry himself is better fleshed out too. For the first time he gets really fed up with events, he is tired, vulnerable, he can’t take it anymore and he is hurting mind and body. The scene with the baseball bat was very understandable and so satisfying.

Butcher made some very clever new additions too. The Archive and The Denarians are great, interesting, different and very unique characters. He also offers new rules to make it all work in a believable framework.

Death Masks is a rather dark novel but Harry Dresden is the same witty wizard he always was and that makes the novel not altogether dark and bleak. I loved the duck for example. Laughed so much with that.

Very enjoyable novel, best one yet.

4 STARS

Happy reading.
Helena

Jim Butcher: Summer Knight

Hi

Summer Knight is the fourth book in The Dresden Files.
I got it from Bol and it has 413 pages.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

The world building definitely went up a level. And I love that. The White Council is really interesting and the Realm of the Fae is just incredible.
We get enough details about the characters and I do feel like I know them. Or at least, I know them as Harry would.
The Alphas are awesome and they changed so much.
This fourth novel is the start of an overarching plot for the whole series because we know Harry has two more tasks to fulfill for Winter Queen of Faerie.
Harry opening up to Murphy made me very happy.
And the Vampires are mentioned too so there’s something going on there.
Food for the next novels! I can’t wait to read more Dresden Files.

The book was very enjoyable, fast-paced, witty, full of action, fun and easy to get through. The series has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
I also feel like it is written better than the previous novels.
Summer Knight is not as dark and suspenseful as Grave Peril because Harry never was in as much danger as he was then and I enjoyed it more because of that. I don’t like it when my characters suffer; it makes me feel sorry for them.

It is still pretty sexist, but not as much as before so it wasn’t as aggravating.

Highly recommended. This is such a guaranteed, comforting, fun, series. I know I’ll be having a good time reading a Dresden book.

Happy reading.
Helena

Writing a review.

Jim Butcher: Grave Peril

Hi

Grave Peril is the third book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
I got it from Bol and it has 359 pages.

                                *   SPOILERS   *

This third novel is quite different from the ones before. There are more characters, more action and it’s all a lot faster.
This is also the most complicated plot yet. It’s not as straight-forward as the other ones and it has multiple interesting sidelines converging towards the end of the novel.

The story is fast, action-packed and it doesn’t slow down. Towards the end when you start counting the pages left and there aren’t a lot left you really start wondering how the heck Butcher is going to fix it all.
 

I liked the story a lot.

The whole setup feels very real. Butcher writes vividly and with a minimal of over-the-top magic and the likes. Everything is grounded; every action, every conversation and every creature/person has a reason for being in the novel. It’s great world building throughout. It still feels as modern day Chicago, but just a ‘bit’ different.

The characters are all very well characterized. We even get to know the new ones pretty thoroughly.
I must say I have a mixed relationship with Michael. He’s so much a godlover that it’s funny, but he too righteous to stay funny. I’d had it with him after a while and I was glad he wasn’t part of the whole novel so he could stay in my affections.
Susan is a walking cliché.
But so is Harry in a way and I don’t mind him or I wouldn’t keep reading the series.
All in all, I like these characters and I can see this series going pretty much anywhere.

I hate Dresden’s views on women though. On the one hand he practically drools every time he sees a woman and he can’t help himself thinking about her ass, her breasts or her legs. And on the other hand he thinks every woman, no matter how bad or vicious she is, is a damsel in distress. I hate it when writers do that. I would much rather see Dresden killing a woman vampire then have him thinking that he shouldn’t because she’s a woman.

Asside from that, I enjoyed it very much.

Happy reading!
Helena

Jim Butcher: Storm Front

Hi

Storm Front is the first novel in The Dresden Files; a series by Jim Butcher.

I read the second one a couple of months ago because I found it rather cheap. I knew my father likes the series, it is a very popular Urban Fantasy series and I wanted to find out for myself.
I did like Fool Moon.
So I decided to collect the series too.
Storm Front has 307 pages with a 7-page interview and I got it from Bol.

“Harry Dresden -- Wizard Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment. Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things — and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a — well, whatever. There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get… interesting. Magic. It can get a guy killed.”

This was a very, very enjoyable read. It’s not Literature with capital ‘L’ but it is pure entertainment.

Butcher created a wonderful world that’s just different in some ways with vampires, werewolves, a council of Wizards and faeries. It’s our world but with a few extras and still very believable.
The magic is very realistic too. Harry has studied, but still, you can’t know everything so he needs Bob the Skull to help him with potions.
And Toot-toot! I loved him too. And Mister, the cat.
Harry is witty, sarcastic, chaotic and so clumsy at times!

The villain is very over-the-top and cheesy but that’s ok because it’s the only ‘cheese’ in the novel.

And I know, as a woman, I should be affronted by Dresden’s opinions and views on women. But I’m not. It’s so over-the-top that it’s clearly humorously meant.

Storm Front is filled to the brim with action, humor, chaos, magic and darkness.
It’s fast-paced and almost impossible to put down.

Highly recommended!

Happy reading to you too.
Helena

Friday Night!

Jim Butcher: Fool Moon

Hi

Fool Moon is the second novel in The Dresden Files. I haven’t read the first novel so I can’t compare them.
The cover is intriguing and the book has only 341 pages.

“Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment. Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane. But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...”

It’s a detective story with magic! How can you not love that?

Don’t expect fantastic prose or in depth characters. Why not? Because it’s not in there.
The writing is simple and to the point; it’s effective.

Why read it then?
It’s pure and simple entertainment; it’s perfect escapism.
The novel is full of adrenaline-charged action, witty dialogue and dark, ironic humor.
Harry is a wizard but he doesn’t save the day everytime with some dumb magical trick of spell. Instead he gets beaten up, saved, beaten, saved, beaten up again en he saves himself a few times. He is not a typical hero and I like that.
It’s kind of adorable how Harry and Murphy are mad at each other for protecting one another. Harry by keeping secrets from Murphy and Murphy by not employing Harry to keep him from getting arrested. Sweet right?
The whole history and theory behind the werewolves is very detailed and I like that. I hope there’s more in the other novels.

I am certainly going to read other novels in this series. It’s very promising!

Happy reading!
Helena