Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Storm Front

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

30 reviews

galacticknight's review against another edition

I wanted to like this book. Really, I did. The worldbuilding was fun and I liked the humor, but what turned me away was how the female characters were written. For a guy who claims to be chivalrous and respectful of women, Harry Dresden seems to sexualize every woman he comes across. It was too much for me. Note for writers: if your main character has to tell the audience that they respect women, then they probably don’t.

Maybe one day I’ll give this series a second chance.

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dingus_8's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I loved it!! I think it balanced the dark aspects with hope and also a light tone in a really good way. It left a little bit to be desired, but i’m not sure what. I still really loved it

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rogueaesir's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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maddierandolph's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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eat_sleep_read's review against another edition

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THE ABSOLUTE UNENDING MISOGYNY OF THIS BOOK. No no no no no no no!

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cheruphim's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

(reposted from Goodreads)
This was a read that left me conflicted. On the one hand, 2000s fantasy writing scratches a nostalgia itch for me, and reading something from that time period gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling of reading books of that ilk as a middle-high schooler. The urban fantasy element is top-notch, and the author does a fantastic job at setting the scene and describing the main character's world.

On the other hand, whew is this book flawed in the way it describes female characters. Like, I get it, it's from 2000 and the author was probably getting a feel for the character, as well as the setting and writing in the mind of a neo-noir detective. But it doesn't make it any easier to digest. Every female character in this book is described as stunning, drop dead gorgeous, with the perkiest breasts and legs, save for maybe one, and even she is described as being 'like a cheerleader' in figure. I don't think I'd mind it as much if the main character described one female character like this, but it's with every single one, and frankly it gets exhausting.

Throughout this book, it reminded me of something very familiar, and by the end of it, I was able to pinpoint it: The CW'S Supernatural. Of course, Storm Front precedes this television series, but it feels similar in vein to it, from the urban fantasy aspect to most of the female characters being 2000s 'it-girl' hot chicks. Whether that is a plus or a minus depends on how you feel about Supernatural.

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nicosta_music's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

For a book coming off of my Anti-TBR list, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Storm Front. To get this book's glaring issue out of the way -- yes, main character Harry Dresden spends the first few chapters randomly mentioning how much he "respects" women while also being incredibly misogynistic. But honestly, some of his takes were so ridiculous that I thought it was hilarious. Like, come on:

“Women are better at hating than men. They can focus it better, let it go better. Hell, witches are just plain meaner than wizards. This feels like feminine vengeance of some kind to me.”

Comedic gold. No person grounded in reality says things like this. It's also extremely telling how the minute Harry

becomes mentally impaired a la concussion, he immediately starts sexually harassing every innocent female unfortunate enough to be within spitting distance.

Despite the weird misogyny and perviness that occasionally spewed from Harry's mouth, I thought he was a bit of an endearing character. He reminded me of a lot of my IRL guy friends -- sort of like the quiet, loser-type nerds who are actually chill when you get to know them (except my IRL guy friends grew out of the weird chauvinist attitudes).

The plot was fine. Nothing special, but I appreciate a mystery with magical elements. The way things always seemed to conveniently work out for Harry was also funny to me and kept me entertained. I'd recommend this book to anybody who think's they'd enjoy reading about an incel who lacks self-awareness bumbling his way through magic and crime scenes.

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