Blood Rites

First re-read since my first read about 13 years ago. Just like the first read, I was a little teary-eyed during and after the big reveal about Thomas.

If you're a fan of The Dresden Files, then this is definitely an important book in the series. Of course it has all the usual elements that make this series so fun -- wizards, vampires and curses, all smack dab in the middle of Chicago, battling Harry Dresden, professional wizard -- but there's definitely a lot of back story on Harry and is family that I had always been curious about. I like this series because Harry doesn't take himself that seriously and the humor in these books is clever, witty and laugh out loud funny.

Looking forward to more! ( )

A Deadly Game Of Cat and Mouse

I've read the previous books in this series and really enjoyed them. The Dresden Files has become one of my favourite reads. The magic and paranormal abilities found in these books feel perfectly credible.

I love the way that the characters in these books are written. They're multifaceted creations that feel believable; they have depth and layers to their personalities. Good or bad, light or dark is an illusion, the reality is actually one of the myriad shades of grey. Aside from Harry, I loved getting to know Thomas and Murphy during this adventure. There are revelations that took my breath away.

Blood Rites was more than a good story, it had everything that I look for. There's a great balance between the various aspects of this story: Mystery, crime, thriller, horror, detective, and the paranormal. Jim Butcher blends the more brutal aspects with well-written humour, love, friendship and hope. This mix helps to keep the story from being too dark and heavy. Blood Rites also managed to surprise me a few times; not taking the direction I was expecting. I enjoyed trying to second guess what would happen next and how Harry would get out of the various deadly situations he inevitably found himself in.

I bought the audiobook format as well as the ebook. However, I found myself just listening to Blood Rites rather than reading it. James Marsters performance was amazing. The pace at which he read the narrative was appropriate for each scene, while the voices he gave to each character added another level of credibility to the dialogue. I feel that James has personified our protagonist. Bringing Harry to life in his narration of this series.

Blood Rites is a gripping book. However, it's part of an ongoing series so don't expect all the loose ends to be neatly tied up. There's no life-or-death cliffhanger at the end. However, although Harry may have won the battles in this book, we're left in no doubt that he'll need to face many more before the war is over. I for one, can't wait to find out what adventures Harry is forced to go on in the next book. ( )

Not my favourite. Maybe because I got the distinct impression that the characters were moving in service to the plot, rather than in organic ways. And it may be because the bad guy and weapon seemed half-assed, and designed to minimize threat and suspense. It may be because the interchangeability of the bad guy at the other end of the curses. Maybe a combination?

On the cool side, this is basically Harry Dresden vs the Final Destination movies. People dieing in highly unlikely, but "natural" ways, because of the dreaded Entropy Curse. Dun Dun Duuuuun!

I found my attention lagging, at about the mid-point.

But, all-in-all, I still enjoyed the ride. ( )

Like all Dresden files books, it can get a little melodramatic and silly, but its not that bad. This book in particular was a little thick on the grand statements about family and love and all that silly stuff. Aside from that, nice action, nice (enough) characterization, and an easy read. Not bad. ( )