Skin Game

 Skin Game by Jim Butcher    454 pages

Harry Dresden as Queen Mab's Winter Knight is "loaned" by Mab to a known villain she owes a debt to.   Seems the villain needs Harry and other's specific skill sets for a job he is planning (ripping off Hades - yeah, that Hades).   Very interesting storyline with Harry and Harry pulls Murphy in, too, straddling the fence between good and evil.    Of course, I recommend every book in the Dresden File series to middle-schoolers on up.  Oh and Maggie plays a bigger part in this one.

 - Shirley J.

Ghost Story

 Ghost Story by Jim Butcher    481 pages

The previous book in the series ends with Harry Dresden getting shot in the chest and falling overboard into Lake Michigan.   Heck of a cliffhanger!  This book opens with Harry coming to terms with feeling very much alive yet invisible to his friends and his brother.   His pets seem to know he is there but there are several theories on animals being able to see the otherworldly.   Harry tries to establish his presence and even in this ethereal place is forced to battle something out of the Nether-Nether.   Harry finds it hard to plan strategies when he can't pick anything up because his hands go right through.   Which is worse?   Having just expelled the Red Court from the earth or trying to fight big ugly nasties with no solid body?   Yikes!   Good book if stranger than strange.   Dresden dead? What the .......?   Yes,   I highly recommend the series.

 - Shirley J.    .

Small Favor

Small Favor by Jim Butcher   Book 10 in the Dresden Files series    560 pages

It is never good to owe favors especially when the favor owed is to Mab.   She calls Harry on it and astonishingly it is going to be to the benefit of local gangster,  Gentleman Johnny Marcone.   So much more to this story, thank goodness for McAnally's Pub for a little safe downtime and coversations that couldn't take place anywhere else.    As Molly sharpens her skills she becomes more and more valuable to Harry though he doesn't let her know just how much.  It is going to tax everyone's skill set and damage Michael in the process.   Good series - I highly recommend it to middle schoolers on up.                   

 - Shirley J.

Turn Coat

Turn Coat  Book 11 in the Dresden File Series  by Jim Butcher   576 pages

What is up when Wizard Morgan seeks out Harry Dresden for help and a hideout from the Wizard's Council when circumstantial evidence points a murder rap in Morgan's face.  Morgan who has given Harry hell and called for Dresden's death at the age of 16 when Harry made a major magical boo boo in his ignorance of magical laws.  Ebeneazar McCoy stood good for Harry before the Merlin and other council members to become Harry's mentor and teach him the right ways of wizarding.   Morgan tried every way he knew how to thwart Harry and catch him messing up so he could still put him to death and now here he is on Harry's doorstep asking for Harry's help.   What the ...Good story here, very well developed.   I continue to highly recommend this series.   It is a great one.  Middleschoolers on up I think will enjoy it.

 - Shirley J.

Dead Beat

Dead Beat (Book #7 in the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher   528 pages

When Mavra lays the task on Dresden to find the Book of Kemmler in 3 Days and give it to her - Harry doesn't really know what he is in for.   Necromancers and lots of them.   He is fighting 3 factions here all vying to be the first with the the WORD of Kemmler which along with the correct spell will turn them into a lesser god.   Harry outdoes himself in this one which was so fun to visualize.   I keep hearing that, "Alley Oop" song in my heard, and the reader is also introduced to evil Bob in this one.   Good book you bet I recommend this one.  TO one and all fans of sci-fi, paranormal and of course, Harry Dresden.

Proven Guilty

Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files Series) by Jim Butcher   576 pages

I had to go back and re-read this one after having read it out of order some time ago.    It helps to follow the ongoing story in order or you miss a lot of references to the book prior.   Michael, the Arch Angel's daughter is grown up and attending Splatter-Con  a horror convention in CHicago and when the movie monsters start showing up for real, Harry has his hands full.   Much happens here, Not as great as Harry riding a dinosaur but pretty interesting and entertaining Dresden fan stuff.    Mollyis at the mercy of the Wizard's  Council and Harry finds what few friends he really has there.    Good book, good story.   I would and do recoommend this series but warning - read them in order and they will mean more. 

Summer Knight (Book 9 in the Dresden File Series)

Summer Knight (Book 9 in the Dresden File Series) by Jim Butcher    528 pages

Harry's adventure in this book deals with a group of more than wiccan but slightly less than wizards who meet in small groups all across the country.   Several of the members are turning suicidal or so it seems and Harry wants to find out why.    Worse yet, he finds his brother Thomas somehow mixed up in what is going on.   As an aside Kincaid has given Murphy her own small machine gun with a gold plate on it reading, "We'll always have Hawaii."    That succubus living inside Harry is starting to sound real good, too.    What is a wizard to do?   Good book, yes, keep the Dresden fires burning and read this one and all the books in the series in order.   It will help you keep your sanity when references (and there are several) are made to things that happened in earlier books.   Excellent series.   Love the humor and the good guy paranormals.   

Posted by Shirley J. 

Blood Rites

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (Book 6 in the Dresden File Series)  416 pages

Holy Moly!  A vampire Harry knows asks him to take on a case for a famous Porno Film Director who seems to be under some kind of spell.   People near him on his latest project are coming up severely hurt or dead.   This story has Harry pretending to be a production assistant to wheedle the information he needs out of those close to the director.   In the director's defense he only does porno films where there is a good story line with genuine love between the main characters, hey, that is what it says which is why the director gets interviewed by the best talk show hosts.   The story has lots popping and revelations about Harry's family tree come to light not to mention a new Foo Dog in the menagerie, not menage.   One of my favorite of the books so far.  I highly recommend this book and the series for lovers of paranormal, sci-fi and detective stories.   Well done, Jim Butcher.

 - Shirley J

Missed post from April: Turn Coat

Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files Audio Book 14 hours, 45 minutes - 420 pages

In this book in the series Harry finds romance,  He continues mentoring Molly when all hell breaks loose within the Wizards Council- with an unlikely crime and suspect.   Murder, mayhem and monsters abound in this paranormal whodunit.   I really liked the humor in the dialogue.   I do highly recommend this series to all who enjoy a little magic with their murder.
 - Shirley J
(email missed by Jen O.)

Missed post for April: Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files  Book 10 in the series by Jim Butcher
14 hours 420 pages

What do Mab, the Billy Goats Gruff, Ivy the Archive,  Arch Angels, Fallen Andels and a cake doughnut with light vanilla icing and sprinkles have in common?   This story.  Excellent as always with a huge cliffhanger.   I highly recommend this series.

- Shirley J  (and missed in my email to post - Jen O.)

Proven Guilty

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher  489 pages


Wow! So many nether creatures come to life at "Splatter-Con"  the Horror Film Convention that just happens to be being attended by the Arch Angel Michael's oldest daughter, Molly and her friends.    There is much more going on that Molly's piercings, tattoos and horror show makeup.  When the horrific characters come to life from the screen some kind of black magic is conjuring them up and Harry has to put himself and those he cares about in jeopardy to find the source. Has Harry over stepped himself?   The Merlin is out to bring him down.    good story,   Yes, I am hooked on the series and I do highly recommend all who find the paranormal fascinating to indulge.   You will be glad you did. 

 - Shirley J.

Grave Peril

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher    378 pages

Probably the most moving storylines I imagine that will come of this series.   This one tears at Harry Dresden's heart.   The nightmare ghosts don't hold a candle to what is going on with the vampires and just how far far will a girl go to get a story?   A photographer once said, you have to get close to get the photo but if you get too close, you die.   Good story.   I recommend this series whole heartedly.

 - Shirley J.

Magic Bites

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews 260 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

I put this book down twice, but only because I absolutely had to! I’m not starting the second book until I have 4 hours of uninterrupted free time.  The heroine, Kate Daniels, lives in a world where our current technological age has been overtaken by magic and supernatural forces.   There are vampires, shapeshifters, necromancers, deities, and ordinary mortals.  When magical energies flood the atmosphere, technology functions badly or not at all, to the point of sometimes collapsing whole buildings.  During supernatural fluctuations, electrical power can go out, and Fey lights come up, and people (supernatural or otherwise) ride horses or use magical vehicles instead of cars.

Kate is special.  Throughout the book we get hints at the origin of her specialness, but we never learn exactly what she is. She’s strong, able to withstand a lot of pain, but she is neither shapeshifter or vampire, and she stays away from supernatural law enforcement agencies like the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, even though she could have a guaranteed job with them.  She instead chooses to be a Mercenary, until her Guardian is killed by a new kind of monster, unfamiliar even among the supernatural communities.  The People, the vampire organization, and The Pack, the shapeshifter organization, both suspect each other, but neither side wants a war.  Since Kate’s Guardian was a member of the Order, she works with all three groups to solve the murder.

The first couple of chapters has a lot of descriptions and set up for the series, but I didn’t find it slow or dull, although the person that suggested it to me did.  I did find the gore and machismo and action/fighting scenes over done, and written for male readers (probably by the husband in the husband and wife team), and I personally felt like much of it could have been edited without the story suffering.

I appreciated that it was “romance” (paranormal or otherwise) written for women that are mature, satisfied adults that don’t need every chapter to have sex in it.  There’s a lot of hot and juicy bits, but this is not a bodice ripper or panacea for the uninitiated or unfulfilled.

Kate Daniels is a strong, self-contained woman that can take a man if he’s worthy, and leave him if he’s not.  But she's also a tough outsider, a longer by necessity, and a cynic when it comes to men.  I don’t want to give any spoilers, but that is why the situation with Dr. Crest was so bittersweet and achingly emotionally honest.

The story is well-plotted and suspenseful, and only sometimes predictable, and even then, the world Daniels’ inhabits has surprises for the reader.  I loved that the authors did thorough research on esoteric and ceremonial magick, and appreciated the references to obscure mythologies and demons. 

A great book for strong women, looking for adventure in an alternate paranormal world, with a little romance in the mix.  I think fans of Harry Dresden, The Invisible Library, and/or the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer would enjoy this book.

The Dresden Files

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, (14 books, 6005 pages)

As I was reading past reviews it occurred to me that while I reference Butcher, or the Dresden Files in comparison to other series, I never took the time to review the Dresden Files themselves. I did briefly gloss over them in my review of Butcher’s 15th book Skin Game, but this series needs a longer review. So let us look at the rest of the series.

Yes, that is a wizard with a shotgun.

Harry Dresden is a wizard, it even says so in the Chicago phone book. “HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment.” Despite this charming ad, Harry still has trouble finding work. It might be because people think he is crazy or it could be because most people believe magic is not real. With cases a rarity, most of Harry’s time is spent assisting Chicago Police Department’s Special Investigation unit and more directly Detective Karrin Murphy.


The Dresden Files are basically hard-boiled detective meets urban fantasy. It has werewolves, vampires, wizards and other beings, but also car chases, shootouts, kidnappings, and the mafia. In other words it is awesome.

The main reason I use the Dresden files when comparing fantasy series, is because Butcher got it right. In the Dresden Files the hero does not always win. In fact he routinely gets beat up, only figuring out who was behind the mayhem in hindsight or after everything is over. Magic is more of a crutch, rather than a fix all. At time magic simply doesn’t work, or screws things up further. Better yet, the characters are realistic and corruptible. They are neither saints nor devils but fall in that grey area like normal people. All of this combines to make a truly believable fantasy realm.

And that is why I highly recommend this series to everyone.

P.S. if you do not like reading books without pictures, there is also a graphic novel series for the first couple books

Indexing

Indexing by Seanan McGuire       404 pages

The Aarne-Thompson Index classifies folklore and fairytales. The ATI Management Bureau is a secret government agency dedicated to keeping those fairy tales from taking over the world, because a classical “happily ever after” tends to leave bodies in its wake.

Indexing was originally released through Amazon’s Kindle Serials program, and the transition to traditional print isn’t seamless. Especially early on, there are a few dangling bits of redundant exposition, a couple loose plot threads left hanging, but nothing too bad. “Dark, modern-day fairy tale” is well-trodden territory by now, but McGuire does it well. It’s not my favorite among her books, but it’s a pleasant read nonetheless.

Bride of Death

Bride of Death by T. A. Pratt   238 pages

Marla Mason, former chief sorcerer of the city of Felport, now part-time death goddess, claws her way out of her own grave and immediately resolves to be a better person. This she does by killing as many supernatural monsters as she can get her hands on before the month is up and she has to go back to the underworld.

A bit of explanation first: this is the seventh book of a completed series spanning ten books (plus several short stories and novellas comprising sundry pre- and interquels). Books one through four were published by Bantam Spectra, but books five through ten were published through a combination of crowdfunding, self-publishing, and an independent press. Books five and six are also available to read for free online. I didn’t know this, and jumped from book four to book seven, which was... a little confusing. What happened to all of the cliffhangers? Why did Marla get exiled? Why did she start the book dead?
After getting over that speedbump, though, this was a fun, fast-paced read. Marla is, unusually for an urban fantasy heroine, angst-free and bullishly straightforward. She’s made mistakes, bad ones and lots of them, but she doesn’t wallow in regret. Instead she works to remedy her mistakes, usually through the direct application of magic and/or violence. This doesn’t always work out—some problems are subtle and/or complicated enough that this approach only worsens them. While Marla’s genuinely well-intentioned, her good deeds come with plenty of collateral damage, which only gives her more problems to solve. It’s an entertaining little downward spiral she’s on.

Amaryllis

Amaryllis by Jayne Castle (Book 1 of Curtain: Futuristic World of St. Helen’s) 328 pages

Set several hundred years after groups of humans traveled through a space anomaly from Earth to this planet, and then were cut off from Earth, this tells the story of the society created after the curtain closed.  People began developing paranormal strengths about fifty years after the two worlds were cut off, and now most people have some paranormal abilities and some work as prisms that can focus these abilities for longer periods of time. Amaryllis is a prism who works for a company that provides prisms to work with different peoples’ skills.  Lucas needs to hire a prism to focus his abilities as a detector to find out if one of his employees is selling company secrets.  What they discover leads to much more than expected and much more dangerous than they planned.  In a society that puts much value in solid families and marriages, both Lucas and Amaryllis our outsiders because of their family history.  Adventure, fantasy, and romance mesh to create an exciting story not to be missed.

Lord's Fall

Lord’s Fall by Thea Harrison (Book 5 of the Elder Races series)    298 pages

During the first book of this series, Dragos, dragon and leader of the wyr demesne, violated a treaty with the Elves by chasing Pia into Elven territory.  Since then, trade agreements have fallen and both demesnes have lost money. While the Elves want nothing to do with Dragos, they have invited Pia to visit them, since some of them remember her mother quite fondly.  Pregnant with their child, Pia doesn’t really want to leave Dragos, but knows this meeting could help smooth things out with the Elves.  But it turns out to be anything but easy.  An ancient force is at work and set to greatly disrupt the world unless Pia, Dragos, the Elves, and the Wyr can work together to stop it.  Pia and Dragos are still learning how to be a couple and save the world at the same time.  This series continues to be a favorite of mine.  Several of the secondary characters are becoming more developed, just adding to the fullness of this world.  I would recommend starting at book one and reading all the books in order, including the short novellas, to get a real sense of the complexities of this world.

Dragon Bound

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (Book 1 of the Elder Races series)  312 pages

Pia is running very scared because her despicable ex-boyfriend blackmailed her into using a trick she can do to steal something from Dragos, Leader of the Wyr races who is a dragon shifter and one of the oldest creatures in the world. No one steals from a Dragon and gets away with it, so the hunt is on.  This is the beginning of one of my favorite books and of a wonderful continuing series.  Harrison has a way of pulling you into a world where humans have known about other races for years and the many different types of creatures have conflicts, border disputes, and long-held grudges. Pia is half human and half wyr shifter, but how we find out about that identity is part of the wonderful storytelling.  Action and romance are equally developed as we follow Pia and Dragos’ adventures.  Humor also plays a part, so the intensity of the action is relieved by a few laughs. 

Wicked Deeds

Wicked Deeds by Heather Graham (Book 23 of the Krewe of Hunters series) 315 pages

Vickie and Preston are on their way to Virginia where Vickie will start training as an FBI agent and a member of the Krewe of Hunters.  They decide to spend the weekend in Baltimore to relax, but the murder of a popular author in the wine cellar of a Poe-themed restaurant where they had dinner the night before changes their plans.  The appearance of Poe in his ghostly form invades Vickie’s dreams and her waking hours.  He wants to know who is killing, using his stories as inspiration.  This popular series follows a special unit who use FBI methods, but also paranormal visits from ghosts and spirits to solve crimes.  This is the third book following Vickie and Preston, which has given us more time to get to know these two.  While some of the steps seem a little convoluted, I enjoyed the parallel investigation into both the current murder and to Poe’s death.