I'm devastated that this next book is the last book featuring Timothy Wilde and his tales of the first police force in 1840s New York City. Timothy Wilde and his brother, Valentine, are quickly making their way up my list of favorite characters. 

"I'd prefer you ravenously jealous...because if you can't be jealous once at least, you can never love me. Can you? You could love me on paper, perhaps. From an ocean's distance. In theory. With a quill in your hand, meditating on the breadcrumb-teakettle-washboard little details of my life in New York. None of it would be enough. I can live as a mere idea to you. But minute of your every hour and if you don't want the same of me, in the flesh, then I can't need you any longer and live as I should. So I'll allow myself to think that if you never come back, I'll survive it." 

Letter from Timothy to Mercy.

After reading it again, I realize that passage sounds a little stalker-ish. I promise that within the context of the novel it's beautiful. Like most of this book. It's beautiful and gritty all at the same time. 

Read 1/31/2020 - 2/4/2020

I love Uhtred. Really. I do. However, he's getting old. He's getting predictable. I'm ready to say goodbye. As much as Cornwell argues that's not the case, I think we are closer to the end than some of us care to admit.

Cornwell still writes a battle scene that is second to none. That alone makes Uhtred appointment reading. My biggest problem with the books (especially the last two) is that they have become so formulaic. Uhtred makes a stupid decision. He is backed into a corner and then spends the rest of the book literally fighting his way out. At this point, I would think Uhtred is a little too old to be making such stupid decisions. Maybe he's been hit in the head one too many times so he forgets what hasn't worked in the past. 

I was hoping as the series continued on we were going to get more of Uhtred Jr. That doesn't seem to be the case. Uhtred Jr. seems to have been forgotten about. Every once in a while the reader is reminded he exists but we don't get to see him any more. Some of my favorite elements in the previous three (maybe four) novels were Uhtred's interactions with his children. I would really like to see Jr. make a comeback.

A final thing that bothered me about this book was the abrupt ending. It's like Cornwell realized he reached the end but he forgot to tie up the loose ends. Suddenly in the last paragraph the readers is given the fate of about six or seven different characters in two sentences. I understand those outcomes were necessary to maintain the historical accuracy going forward. It doesn't mean I have to like the way things were just haphazardly thrown in. A few of those characters deserved better than what they were given. 

Read 1/25/2020 - 1/27/2020

Uhtred is still Uhtred in all his glory. You can still talk me into reading anything he's involved in. However (and I hate to say this), things are getting a little stale. I think it is time to send Uhtred to Valhalla where he belongs. I would not be opposed to having this continue from his son's point of view. 

Read 1/7/2020-1/17/2020

The problem with finishing these books so quickly is that I have to wait so long for the next installment. My husband informs me that it is much like how he feels every day I tell him we don't have time to go see Endgame.

Tiny rant incoming.

1.) Thursday night is a school night. I can't be out that late on a school night and neither can our babysitter. 2.) On Friday night I had to help host a party for a friend 3.) I had a vendor/craft event all day yesterday. 4.) Today we have to go to his nephew's Eagle Scout ceremony. 4.) The idea of being in a small space with that many people terrifies me and gives me horrible anxiety. For now, my husband just needs to stay off the internet until next weekend when we have time.

Books are much easier to spend time with. They fit in my purse. I can read in the car while someone else drives. 

Tiny rant over.

This is the best book I have read all year. There was just so much to love about it. The only think that didn't really work for me was the cheesy last page but otherwise, I loved every word. 

Stoker is dangerously close to overthrowing my current literary boyfriend, Uhtred. He's just so damn dreamy. If these books had been written 10-ish years ago and adapted for any sort of screen, Clive Owen is my pick for Stoker. Feel free to put forward your own suggestions. Not only, is he dreamy but we have a few things in common. Stoker can provide a Keats reference for any situation he finds himself in. My Keats is terribly rusty. However, I can make a Friends reference for anything. Ask all of my co-workers. We both spend time with a female who likes to plunge headfirst into situations without assessing the danger. Granted my seven year old usually finds herself in different situations than Veronica but he ability to assess danger is non existent. Ask the doctor who has seen her twice this year for head injuries. Unlike Stoker, I've never sailed. My ability to swim is questionable. My brothers are all bigger than me and hitting them wouldn't end well. I also have huge issues with blood. 

Veronica is much less Veronica in this novel. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. By the end of the book, it worked. This Veronica is a little more subtle. She still speaks when she shouldn't. She still makes rash decisions. There's just less of it. The Veronica spends so much time with her own personal conflicts that she forgets to jump to conclusions about the people and mysteries around her. I realize the entire series has been about whatever is developing between Veronica and Stoker. I felt this book spent much less time on the mystery at hand and more time really fleshing out the Veronica/Stoker relationship. Based on the way this novel ended, I get the impression, the reverse will be true in the next novel. 

I took a sip and nearly chocked. "This is not cider," I protested as I wheezed.

"Of course it is," she told me, taking a great swallow of the stuff and smacking her lips appreciatively. "With a bit of rum in it."

"How much rum, Mother Nance?"

"No more'n half a teacup in each," she promised.

Mother Nance and I make apple cider using very similar methods. 

My sister and I listened to this on Audiobook in the car. I had to return the CDs to the library, but fortunately, they had the Playaway, so we were able to finish this. I loved James Marsters' narration. He doesn't sound a thing like Spike and I'm glad. He showed a wonderful vocal range, and he really gave life to Harry Dresden for me. He's really fantastic at accents and different inflections. He does women voices without them sounding cheesy or falsetto (which is a huge thing for me). I think I will definitely have to listen to more of these on audiobooks. My sister had never read any of this series, and she really liked this. Of course, she loves James Marsters (and Spike), so that was a good way to suck her in.

As far as the book, I really liked it. I think it could probably give this five stars if I wanted to be generous. I think the reason I didn't is because the story doesn't really wrap up to my satisfaction. I would have liked a lot more closure than I got. But it was a good follow-up to Summer Knight. Harry is a hero, but he doesn't ever seem to get that day in the sun or the resolution of his personal and private issues that you would hope for. Susan is back, and that was very cool. I think that her return was pivotal to the storyline, and the storyline in itself has a nice complexity to it in which various elements tie together very well. I can't say I was a huge fan of the Susan relationship, but it's treated well in this book, and there was a surprisingly steamy love scene that I wasn't expecting. I wonder if the author's wife is rubbing off on him (Shannon K. Butcher). I can see that there was genuine love between them, and I can't help hoping that works out in the future.

I think that Harry gains a lot of personal growth in this book, acquiring new allies along the way, and realizing that there are people who really do believe the best of him and trust him to do the right thing. I know I am seriously behind in this series, because I tend to get behind in my reading of series. I actually wasn't lost, even though it had been years since I read Summer Knight, so that was nice. He also develops more nemeses, not like he needs them. Harry really does have a kiss my butt attitude that makes people hate his guts. But those people are usually jerks, so that's okay with me.

I have heard things about Dresden being a sexist. I think listening to this on audio does reveal this flaw in his character. While I am not for sexism, I still like him a lot. I think that his sexism backfires on him because he allows his preconceived notions about women get him in trouble again and again. My hope is he will learn from his mistakes. Here's hoping. But despite this shortcoming and others, I count Harry as one of my favorite characters for many reasons. I think that even though Harry has some really obvious flaws, he's a good guy that I'm very fond of and I always look forward to spending time with him.

Like most of the books in this series, the secondary characters are great. They add so much to the read. The Knights of the Cross (including Michael), Murphy, Susan, Martin, Susan's work companion who is on the surface very mild-mannered but is really kind of like Jack Reacher, Molly (Michael's daughter), his wife who hates Harry, and not to mention some truly despicable bad guys. I loved the Archive and her bodyguard Kincaid.

I am ever a fan of authors with rich imaginations who can put that on the page in a readable fashion, and Jim Butcher has that in spades. The humor is great, and parts of these stories are genuinely scary and thrilling. And the action is top notch. I'm such a geek for urban fantasy and magic noir, this is very up my alley for that type of story.

I have most of these in paperback, but I'm thinking about going back and listening to the first books on audiobook, just for fun.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars