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 its 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 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. 

 

 

 

Out Law (The Dresden Files #18.75) by Jim Butcher, and Paranormal Payback by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

In a city that’s just beginning to recover from the devastation caused by the Battle of Chicago, Harry Dresden is finally pulling himself together as well. He’s ensconced in his own personal castle, healing his various wounds, and training an eager new apprentice. The last thing he wants is any trouble. But, as history has consistently—and quite annoyingly—shown, what Harry wants is rarely what Harry gets.

It starts with a visit from Harry’s most powerful frenemy, Gentleman John Marcone, Baron of Chicago. He needs Harry to assist in the redemption of an underling who’s looking to go straight. And since Harry does kinda sorta owe Marcone for saving his life once (stupid honorable debt!), it’s not a request he can refuse. He’ll just wish he had.

Because this little favor is going to drag Harry into a fight he doesn’t want on behalf of a lowlife he doesn’t trust against an enemy more powerful and pestilent than he ever could’ve an insatiable, demonic foe whom Harry himself may have created when he wiped out the vampires of the Red Court so long ago.

Before, all it wanted was blood. Now it wants the entire world . . . 

 

I enjoyed this novella set in the world of The Dresden Files. It's a good follow up to the last novella, The Law, with the villain from that story trying to reform. I liked the way Harry goes about trying to help this guy see and understand what it truly takes to make the changes he wants to make in his life. How to change his mindset, and the real reasons for doing so.

Thanks to NetGalley and Podium Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book. 

 

 

 

 

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

In this short story collection, our heroes get what’s due to them—with a supernatural flair.

But the injustices that have been holding them back might cost them more than they realized. . . . 

In “Mister Petty,” a brand-new Dresden Files story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher, a woman hires Goodman Grey to get back at her cheating husband. She’s about to find out that Grey isn’t your ordinary detective—he’s a professional monster. And he’s going to balance the scales.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” follows an elderly widow reckoning with family scheming to take away her independence in a world infected by a disease of vampirism.

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter’s “Razors and Revenge” finds the vampire bounty hunter Shiloh awaiting her judgement at the hands of the Dark Queen, fresh off a brutal werewolf attack and the loss of a dear friend. But Shiloh’s not just a vampire anymore—and the wolfish instincts growing inside her are howling for blood.

And Kim Harrison takes us to the #1 New York Times bestselling series of the Hollows in her story “Dog-eared.” The demon Algaliarept makes a bargain with the dangerously insane Newt, the last female demon, to punish an arrogant wizard for abusing his precious magical texts—but how ruthless is Al willing to be to get his petty vengeance?

ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY Jennifer Blackstream * Maurice Broaddus * Delilah S. Dawson * Kevin Hearne * Tanya Huff * Kerrie L. Hughes * R. L. King * R. R. Virdi

Contents:
Mister Petty by Jim Butcher
The Underground Goddess by Kevin Hearne
Dying Isn't Just for the Young by Holly Black
A Midsummer Night's Scheming by Delilah S. Dawson writing as Isla Jewell
Contained by Tanya Huff
Dirt by Jennifer Blackstream
Black Bond by Maurice Broaddus
Dog-Eared by Kim Harrison
Razors and Revenge by Faith Hunter
A Clean Break by R. L. King
Grave Payback by R. R. Virdi
The Broom by Kerrie L. Hughes 

 

I picked this up for the purpose of reading the stories by Jim Butcher and Jennifer Blackstream, since those are the two authors with stories in the book that relate to books I've read. So my rating is for those two stories.

 

Mister Petty by Jim Butcher- 4 stars

I enjoyed this story, and I thought Goodman Gray and his assistant were fun characters. I wouldn't mind meeting them again sometime. 

 

Dirt by Jennifer Blackstream- 4 stars

I've only read the prequel book to this series, but I'm interested in continuing. I liked this story a lot. The characters are interesting, especially Peasblossom. 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.  

 

 

Dead Man's Hand (The Unorthodox Chronicles #1) by James J. Butcher

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is...not one of those witches.

After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as "not Department material," Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can't help hoping he'll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors' number one suspect.

Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive. 

 

I've had this on my to-read list for a long time so I was happy to finally get to read it. I was really interested to see how Jim Butcher's son would write an urban fantasy. For the most part I enjoyed this. At times I thought some of the descriptions were unnecessarily detailed or things were oddly described. I'm almost done with book two at this point and there's one part where instead of just calling a keyboard a keyboard, it's referred to as a board of keys, which I thought was weird. So the writing could use some improvement, but these are the author's first books, so I can cut him some slack. 

I think it has a lot of potential to turn into a series I could love. I like the world the author has created here. I have contradicting feelings about some of the characters. The familiars are off putting, yet weirdly facinating. Wudge is selfish and mean but lovable at the same time. Mayflower is prickly as a cactus but somehow I still like him. Grimsby was a little weak for a main character at first but he grew and that's what matters. I'm going to continue with this series to see where it goes. 

 

 

 

December 2024 Book Club: Rivers of London (Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch

 

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ... and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.

 

Overall I liked this ok. It reminded me of The Dresden Files a little, but it was missing something to make it really shine. I liked some of the characters, but the river Fae—elementals—or whatever they were—I can't remember what they were called now—were not a hit with me. I didn't care for the personality of the one that the main character is attracted to. I think it would have helped to be more familiar with London and it's surrounding areas to be able to picture where the characters were as they traveled around. I felt a little lost. In all, there were some developments that I liked and some I didn't, and I was left mildly interested in what happens next. However because it's a mild interest I've yet to feel like picking up the next book in the series.

 

 

 

 

 

Grave Beginnings (The Grave Report #1) by R.R. Virdi

  

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Content: Mild Language

 

Thirteen...
As far as numbers go, it isn't a great one. Hell, it's not even a good one and Vincent Graves is going to find out just how unlucky of a number it can be.
Because someone, or something, is killing people in the Empire state, and whatever it is, it gives people everything they ever desired and more. And it's the more that's the problem!
Well...it's one of the problems.
Vincent's investigation also seems to have drawn the attention of a relentless FBI agent and then there's the little bit where he has only thirteen hours to solve the case, or he dies.
Talk about your literal deadlines...
...No pressure.
By the end of this case Vincent will come to understand the meaning of an age old proverb: Be careful what you wish for - because you just might get it!

 

What a disappointment! I've had this on my to-read list for ages and was really happy when we decided to read this trilogy in the mystery book club. It started out good. Then Ortiz came on the scene and she annoyed me so much. At one point Norman/Vincent thinks the law really matters to her, while she's violating his civil rights! As an FBI agent she violated civil rights all over the place. Why would she cuff him and bring him in because he was being chased by a lion? That didn't make any sense at all. Then later she acts like sticking to the law is important to her but is it really after the other things she did that weren't lawful? So yeah, I had a big problem with Ortiz.

There's also the fact that the characters aren't very bright. The mystery was as easy to figure out as an episode of Scooby Doo. It was obvious what kind of supernatural creature they were looking for and it was obvious who that was, right from the beginning. But they go bumbling around without a clue. Vincent even overheard two people talking through the door about killing Norman and he couldn't tell whose voices they were? Then he proceeded to go off investigating everywhere but the obvious place. If Vincent had been doing this for at least a decade he should have been better at it.

This is unfortunate because I liked the whole Quantum Leap idea behind the story and finding out more about Church and who or what is behind Vincent's predicament could be interesting, but I just can't go on with this series.

 

Winter Lost (Mercy Thompson #14) by Patricia Briggs

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language, Mostly off page sex

 

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It's a hard job, and it doesn't leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I'm not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother's issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world . . .

This was probably my most anticipated book this year. I just love returning to this world year after year. It never gets old for me. This book had a bit of a different format than the other books in the series. We get multiple points of view with interludes between the chapters. I actually liked this about the book, but my husband, who I buddy read this with, had to get used to it. We've been listening to this series and the Alpha and Omega series together for over a year. Up until this one, they were all rereads for me. For this one he listened to the audio but I read the hardcover because I always like to read the print version of these first. I get more out of them that way. 

One thing we both appreciate about Patricia Briggs's books is the way she incorporates different mythological creatures into her stories. She does a really good job of adapting them into her world, and this book was no exception. Another thing I think she's good at, is distracting the reader away from the obvious with other things. Because of this, there was something in this book I thought I should have figured out sooner. 

This book tied up some loose ends, left some other big ones hanging, and also seemed to plant some seeds for future books. I'm wondering how some of these elements in the story will play into future books, and slightly frustrated that the vampire problem is still unresolved, but not really surprised by that. 

There was one surprise in this book that I loved. There's a book, Shifting Shadows, that was published several years ago that includes all the short stories and novellas Patricia Briggs wrote that relate to this world. There's one story in there called Gray that I really liked, but although set in the world didn't really have a connection to the books. Well, the characters from that story make appearances in this book, and I was thrilled. I would love to see even more of them at some point.

As always, I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

 

 

 

 

December 2023 Book Club: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Our book club pick for December was one of my all time favorites. I've been doing a reread of this whole series along with the Alpha and Omega series in chronological order with my husband and we're enjoying it so much. I've never actually written much of a review for this book, just left a few comments on Goodreads each time I've read it. I'll put those down below. 

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

Update December 1, 2023: Reading a third time. This time for book club.

Update September 3, 2022: I read this for a second time and it still gets 4 stars from me. It was nice to reread this and be reminded of several things I had forgotten. I listened to it this time on a road trip with my husband and he enjoyed it too.

Original comments April 8, 2011:
This was a really good read. I'm happy to now include another urban fantasy series to my must read book list. In my opinion it's right up there with the Dresden Files and The Kate Daniels series. 

 

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We had lots of good food at our book club meeting. My daughter and I made some wolf themed sugar cookies for the occasion. My husband insisted we also make ones that looked like Scooby snacks, so we made the bone shaped ones too. If you've read the book then you'll know what the Scooby-doo reference is about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, every year for Christmas our book club has a white elephant gift exchange. This year I had to post about the funny gift my husband got, and also give some back story on it. It started out three years ago with this one Barbie in the picture below. 😄

My friend Risa brought this one and the person that got it brought it back the next year along with this Ken doll. 😆

 

 

Then this year it was brought back again along with a third item. 😂

My husband ended up with it this year, and now we have to think of something to add to it for next year! Any ideas? Let me know!

October Daye Series Update

I've been reading this series for four months now and thought I would give an update on it. I already posted a review of the first book in the series, Rosemary and Rue and you can find it here. This post will focus on books 2 through 4.

 

A Local Habitation (October Daye #2) by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

Category: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Content: Strong language

 

Toby Daye-a half-human, half-fae changeling-has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world had other ideas...

Now her liege, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills, has asked Toby to go to the Country of Tamed Lightening to make sure all is well with his niece, Countess January O'Leary. It seems like a simple enough assignment-until Toby discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, and that if the killer isn't stopped, January may be the next victim.

 

This book was slightly better than the first book in the series, but still just a 3 star read for me. Toby is very slow to put together the clues in this one and it irritated me to no end. There were elements of the story I liked, especially the Faerie girl that lives in the machine.

 

An Artificial Night (October Daye #3) by Seanan McGuire      

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

 

Category: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Content: Strong language

 

Changeling knight in the court of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, October "Toby" Daye has survived numerous challenges that would destroy fae and mortal alike. Now Toby must take on a nightmarish new assignment.

Someone is stealing both fae and mortal children—and all signs point to Blind Michael. When the young son of Toby's closest friends is snatched from their Northern California home, Toby has no choice but to track the villains down, even when there are only three magical roads by which to reach Blind Michael's realm—home of the legendary Wild Hunt—and no road may be taken more than once. If she cannot escape with all the children before the candle that guides and protects her burns away, Toby herself will fall prey to Blind Michael's inescapable power.

And it doesn't bode well for the success of her mission that her own personal Fetch, May Daye—the harbinger of Toby's own death—has suddenly turned up on her doorstep...

 

This book was a definite improvement over the first two books in the series, although it was about the wild hunt and I'm not really a huge fan of stories about that. There were some pretty horrifying things that happened in that book. Children were being stolen, and some were being turned into horses for the wild hunt. It reminded me of that scene in Pinocchio were the kids start turning into donkeys, only these kids had done nothing wrong.

 

Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) by Seanan McGuire 

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

 

Category: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Content: Strong language

 

October "Toby" Daye, changeling knight in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, finds the delicate balance of her life shattered when she learns that an old friend is in dire trouble. Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens, has been struck down by a mysterious, seemingly impossible illness, leaving her fiefdom undefended. Struggling to find a way to save Lily and her subjects, Toby must confront her own past as an enemy she thought was gone forever raises her head once more: Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for her fourteen-year exile.

Time is growing short and the stakes are getting higher, for the Queen of the Mists has her own agenda. With everything on the line, Toby will have to take the ultimate risk to save herself and the people she loves most—because if she can't find the missing pieces of the puzzle in time, Toby will be forced to make the one choice she never thought she'd have to face again...

Book four was the best of the four books I've read. There were things I liked about it, and things that irritated me. I'm still having a hard time liking Toby the way I want to. It's due a lot to the way she just does things without thinking them through. I don't think she's the brightest bulb in the box, and I end up rolling my eyes at some of the things she says and does. It got better in this book, but it's still an issue for me. I also have an issue with the two possible love interests. One is too weak and uninteresting, and the other is an interesting character, but he does things that don't make a lot of sense to me at times.

This series is all about Faerie. That's what Toby is, or at least partly, and there are things I like about this world and things I don't find all that interesting. The plot has definitely become more complex at this point, but I think I prefer Faerie in smaller doses, like the way it's done in The Dresden Files series. In general, I like a variety of creatures in the urban fantasies I read, and this series doesn't have that.

I'm on the fence about continuing this series. Mainly because I'm curious about a few things, but don't find the series all that compelling.