Liked the characters, especially the supporting cast, but found the plot a little weak; it seemed like it was fight scene after fight scene. The fight scenes are generally well described, but about half of them didn't seem to forward the plot. I didn't like the power inflation; fallen angels, previously portrayed as powerful and described as badass immortals in exposition, showed up in droves and were mowed down like orcs. I did like how the protagonist used his boon from the fey court to cleverly get out of a jam. ( )

A lot of really good, interesting stuff happens in this book. Harry learns a lot.

A lot of sad things happen, too.

Remember: "Tiny, but fierce!" ( )

As usual, this Dresden File hit the ground running, with Harry and his friends being attacked by all manner of ugly supernatural creatures. This time, he finds himself trapped, beholden to (or is that wooed by?) both Summer and Winter, who seem united in this one goal: to fuck up Harry. He quickly springs to action, aided by his trusty band of sidekicks: Knights of the Cross, cop Karrin Murphy, vampire brother Thomas, and a few others. Things get dire when the Denarians, those unfortunate beings who have been subverted by Fallen Angels, get into the act, kidnapping Harry's sometime ally, sometime rival Johnny Marcone, as well as Ivy the Archive. Most of this is pretty routine ass-kicking, with Harry mostly on the receiving end, but dishing out some hella wallops when he gets a chance. Something pretty terrible happens to one of his pals, and it remains to be seen how dire it will end up being. There is some pretty next level spiritual stuff here, particularly with the Knights and the Fallen, this is Christian mythology gone wild. I personally kinda love it, it brings a whole different tone to the usual sorcery and magic. I'm always tempted to launch right into the next one when I read these, because they have a satisfying yet frustrating lack of backstory, which means if I wait too long, I totally forget what has happened before (who is the Archive again???) But I also find I need to give myself a break, since the action, magic, and emotion are so intense. So, I'll move on to other things for now, and return to Harry when I've had a breather. ( )

451 ( )

Small Favor is the tenth book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. In this week's episode... Mab, ruler of the Winter Court of faerie, is calling an a favor from Harry. Marcone has gone missing and it's Harry's job to locate him.

Another great entry into the series. The mix of action, humor and compassionate moments is almost perfect. I loved how this book opened with Harry enjoying some time with the Carpenter children having a snowball fight, even if it does get ruined almost immediately. It was so nice to see Harry have a moment of fun and not have to worry about saving the world that I was furious with Butcher for ruining it. The humor is in high form. There are so many laugh out loud moments. One of my favorites:

"Right," Thomas said. "Where are we headed?"

"To where they treat me like royalty," I said.

"We're going to Burger King?"

Have to love the brotherly banter between Harry and Thomas.

So much happens and I have no idea what half of this means for the series. I have so many questions. The ending with Michael about broke my heart. Harry gaining further abilities probably means that the future is going to be even crazier. I guess I'll just have to read and find out. ( )