Twelve Months (The Dresden Files #18) by Jim Butcher

  

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language, Grief and PTSD are depicted

 

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?

One year. 365 days. Twelve months.

Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.

Harry lost people he cared about in the battle, and that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild, but it’s a heavy load. He needs time.

Time is one thing Harry doesn’t have, however. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and killing innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.

It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of him to rise to the challenge?

  

**Some spoilers for previous books in the series. Read with caution. 

It was nice being back with Harry Dresden, even though he was grieving throughout most of the book. It had a real human quality to it that I think most of us could relate to. There was a big hole in this book without Murphy but that reflected what it feels like in real life when we lose someone. Jim Butcher did a really good job of showing how it feels, and I was feeling all the same things right along with Harry. 

 

“Pain is a fire. That’s true for all of the people, some of the time. If you’ve never had to stand in that fire, be patient: Your turn is coming.”

 

I liked that this book took it's time in developing the relationships and characters, letting them breath and grow and change at a pace that felt real. I'm not sure how I feel about the deal with Lara yet, but I liked the way things played out. I'm also really glad that Harry was able to step up and be more present in Maggie's life. 

 

 “There’s a little girl who is waiting for you,” he said. “She keeps a little light in her window at night, you know. In case you come to see her and need it to find your way.”

 

Overall, I'm happy with the way this book progressed the plot and characters and that a couple of things got resolved, one being Thomas's situation. I was glad it wasn't dragged out longer, even if some of it ended up not ideal. I was also glad that that Harry found some peace and happiness in the end. 

 

 “I realized that peace and happiness aren’t the same thing. Not at all. Happiness is peace in action. And peace is happiness at rest. And neither one has to be perfect to be real.”

 

As always, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.