emsemce123's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This one was a little bit of a scattershot. Still a solid story, and a good read, definitely holds the feeling you've come to know and like from a Dresden Files book. In this one Harry has a duel with a vampire of the red Court (nice to see this plotline being continued and staying relevant to the overall story), has to track down the stolen shroud of Turin, Dealing with mortal hit men, and the return of Susan. I love the way characters leave and return in this series (nice to see Johnny Marcone and Karrin Murphy, yhough I'd like to see them have more substantial roles in future books and not just brief cameos throughout, a story with Harry stuck with Murph and Marcone? Yes, please!) Michael returns in this one along with 2 more Knights of the Cross. More characters are introduced this time around with the possibility of becoming recurring characters. All the threads eventually tie together into a single cohesive mystery, though this time around it felt more like an action story than a mystery. They're both there, it just feels one gets more attention than the other and a lot does happen in this book.
pjonsson's review
4.0
This is the fifth book in The Dresden Files series and from a somewhat wobbly start the series seems to have settled into being quite read worthy books as far as I am concerned. They do not quite reach a full set of stars for me but they are definitely good books.
This book interleaves two main threads. The war with the Red Court vampires resulting in a duel for Harry and The missing Shroud of Turin. The latter is really the main thread in this book. It is much more than just a case of a missing artefact and as the story develops the case becomes increasingly sinister.
The book is the usual mix of investigative work, more or less witty dialogues (which can be quiet fun at times, less so at other times), the obligatory romance parts with Susan and outbursts of physical and magical violence. The world building with the various supernatural entities, Harry’s friends etc. is quite well done. I quite like that Susan have become a bit of a bad-ass herself (on the side of the good guys…so far).
I do find it a bit sad that Harry almost always seems to be the weakest card in the deck as soon as the action starts though. Having said that he is a lot better at kicking behinds now than he was in the first books. I would like that he stopped moaning about feeling sick and trying not to recycle his food all the time though.
The book does come to a conclusion but said conclusion have a few loose ends to say the least. It is not exactly a clear cut victory over the principal bad guy although his nefarious plot is foiled…this time.
For me this is a good and read worthy book. The characters are well done. There is an intelligent story. There is quite a bit of action. I will definitely continue reading this series.
This book interleaves two main threads. The war with the Red Court vampires resulting in a duel for Harry and The missing Shroud of Turin. The latter is really the main thread in this book. It is much more than just a case of a missing artefact and as the story develops the case becomes increasingly sinister.
The book is the usual mix of investigative work, more or less witty dialogues (which can be quiet fun at times, less so at other times), the obligatory romance parts with Susan and outbursts of physical and magical violence. The world building with the various supernatural entities, Harry’s friends etc. is quite well done. I quite like that Susan have become a bit of a bad-ass herself (on the side of the good guys…so far).
I do find it a bit sad that Harry almost always seems to be the weakest card in the deck as soon as the action starts though. Having said that he is a lot better at kicking behinds now than he was in the first books. I would like that he stopped moaning about feeling sick and trying not to recycle his food all the time though.
The book does come to a conclusion but said conclusion have a few loose ends to say the least. It is not exactly a clear cut victory over the principal bad guy although his nefarious plot is foiled…this time.
For me this is a good and read worthy book. The characters are well done. There is an intelligent story. There is quite a bit of action. I will definitely continue reading this series.
bookwyrm_kate's review
3.0
Harder for me to get into than some if the previous Dresdon files, but a solid story, plenty of laughs, and I'm still interested in the series.
rowdya22's review
5.0
Super Susan is back and ready for a fight. The denarians show up along with all three Knights of the Cross. Butters makes his first appearance along with his polka music.
Harry is approached by a red court vampire seeking to put an end to the war through single combat. He sets out to duel Palo Ortega and win. We get to meet the Archive and Kincaid and see what an amazing pair they are.
Harry gets kidnapped by Nicodemus and must work with Michael and Sonya in order to stop the plague curse. The duke it out on a train with help from John Marcone And reclaim the secret shroud from Nicodemus stopping the plague.
“Phone calls cost more than a quarter these days“
Harry is approached by a red court vampire seeking to put an end to the war through single combat. He sets out to duel Palo Ortega and win. We get to meet the Archive and Kincaid and see what an amazing pair they are.
Harry gets kidnapped by Nicodemus and must work with Michael and Sonya in order to stop the plague curse. The duke it out on a train with help from John Marcone And reclaim the secret shroud from Nicodemus stopping the plague.
“Phone calls cost more than a quarter these days“
chromium_misting's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
spellmannn's review against another edition
3.0
I have such a love-hate relationship with this series. It's so fun and easy to read but god, the way the author and main character view/talk about women is awful. I should deduct a star every time Harry Dresden talks about how chivalrous he is. Deduct 2 if he immediately checks her out. Barf.
But here I am, 5 books in and ready to start the 6th.
But here I am, 5 books in and ready to start the 6th.
jakobitz's review
4.0
My favorite in the series thus far. Fun, interesting and yet intriguing enough to keep you on the hook the whole way through. It really is a light pulpy read, but this one makes slugging through some of the lesser earlier books worth it. Hopefully the series has found its legs and can maintain like this going forward.
helena_g_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
⭐️: 5/5
“ ‘For the good of the people, some must place themselves in harm’s way. Some must pledge their courage and their lives to protect the community.’ “
➡️ linear timeline
👤POV: single first person
🐎 Pace: medium
💭 Set sometime after the end of the fourth book. This was a very quick read to get through. Our narrator is wizard detective Harry Dresden while he works on private cases and for the city to solve mysteries and murders.
What I liked:
- Characters from the first 2 books pop back in again
- Some amazing new characters: Butters, Sanya, Shiro
- Knights of the Cross
- Lots of Catholicism (as a Catholic I do find this to be a fun and interesting addition like demon possessions in horror movies)
- Bigger and badder demons
- Prophecies
- 1 Spicy moment
- Duel showdown
- That finale
What I wasn’t a fan of
- Minor things here and there
Overall, I got way more into this book than some of the last ones. Cameos with past characters in this one made it fantastic, along with the new characters we met that I just adored immediately.
⚠️ gore
daniel_radclit's review against another edition
Dnf at Ch 26: I’m done with this series. At its best it is mediocre. But most of the time, the series has failed to reach even that.
steakuccino's review against another edition
1.0
This was a very disappointing installment in the series. From the much less interesting plotline to the unbelievable use of certain locations and artifacts without consequences ( Come ON.), to the fact that as the books go on the writing of the women is less and less nuanced and they all start to seem the same, all simpering . . . Add to that the extremely uncomfortable dubious-consent sex scene between Harry and Susan in chapter 25 (it was so poorly written that consent is not even clear! She seems incapacitated, not drunk on alcohol but similar, she's tied up, and can't even form complete sentences! What the hell?! This is so off-putting. Then Jim Butcher tries to pass it off as an act of love?! Gross and unconscionable.) This was a terrible installment all around.
It's a real downturn in the series and I might need to take a while before I continue with it, if ever.
Spoiler
a showdown at Wrigley field, really? Using the Shroud of Turin as a lifeline to drag someone out of water?It's a real downturn in the series and I might need to take a while before I continue with it, if ever.