Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files (edition 2012)

Yes. I'm finally caught up on Dresden! I really liked this story. It wasn't the best of the series, but when you're following up something as awesome as Changes, that's not really surprising. This had a different feel, and had me close to tearing up at one point. I'm not big on crying, so that's really saying something! Not much more to say review wise.. Now I get to join the ranks of Dresden fans waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for Cold Days. And you know what? I kind of like that. I'm dying to read the next one of course, and I'd love it if I could read it right now now now.. But it's nice to have something to look forward to, something to wait for and buy as soon as it's released. I don't find that often in a series, and it's a good feeling when I do. Cold Days... I'm ready for you. ( )

The previous book in the series was called Changes, and Ghost Story really was a continuation of that theme. While Changes threw us a bunch of external changes (hello, daughter and potential relationship with Murphy; goodbye Blue Beetle and Harry's house), Ghost Story brought the focus to changes happening internally. Since Harry is incorporeal after the events of the previous book, he spends a lot of time thinking about how he makes his choices and what effect those choices have on others. What he observes in the aftermath of the destruction of the Red Court stuns him, especially the part where it's all a result of his headstrong, reckless desire to do the right thing. I liked this introspection and I expect that his M.O. for approaching threats will change in future books. The gauntlet that he throws down at the end of the book also suggests he's serious about making wiser choices, and it will be interesting to see how he balances his new obligations with this.

One of the things that I liked was that Harry refers back to events that were from several different short stories included in Side Jobs, which made those short stories important to the series rather than just filler fluff. Once again, Jim Butcher's world building and continuity is top shelf quality. ( )

Ok, this would have earned four stars if I hadn't felt like I was in the Harry Dresden Drinking Game. One shot for every pop culture reference! You would be drunk and needing medical attention before the first 100 pages. I get it. Butcher likes Star Wars. He likes pop culture. He's really good at popping off lines from various movies. I don't need to be bludgeoned by his witty repartee.

Other than that, this book rocked even though I kinda, sorta knew how it might end. I knew it from the previous book. I didn't know the twists and turns, but I definitely had an inkling of how this book would turn out.

What will the next book hold? If I keep getting that drinking game feeling, I'm gonna stop reading. It's cute and funny, but it wears very quickly. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of urban fantasy, Dresden-verse

My Thoughts: This book has been driving me crazy for years now, begging me to read it. I'm so happy I finally had the chance.

I have never cried so much while reading a Dresden Files books. Seriously. I can't go into specific scenes, as that would lead to spoilers, but I will say that Mister and Mouse were involved in the ones that really set me off.

The thing is, if you haven't read the Dresden Files and I try to discuss much of anything, I'll be providing spoilers. If you have read the Dresden Files, you really don't need my encouragement to continue. This I can say: I loved the character development in this. I loved that we were given a new perspective on everyone and everything happening. And the ending? It just slayed me.

I have some idea as to what happens in the next book; my husband read it recently and as we tend to do, he read sections of it to me that amused him. He didn't tell me the ending, but I cheated and already checked it. Yeah, I'm bad. I'm very much looking forward to it. Up next: Cold Days.

Disclosure: I bought this book in hardcover using a buy-one/get-one offer from a book club. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. (view spoiler)

But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has nobody, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.

To save his friends—and his own soul—Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic... ( )

3.5 stars
I was NOT impressed with this installment of the Dresden files. I don't see why Harry had to be a spirit throughout the whole book, I guessed pretty much what was going on before I even started reading. For there to ever be another book, things had to work out the way they did.
Usually, these books are not predictible, and Harry has great interactions with his friends and allies. In this book, it was the opposite, a lot of things were predictible, and he couldn't have much interactions at all with his friends and allies.
Also, the flash-backs didn't seem really necessary to me, much more like filler in order to make this story a full-lenght novel. It took me several days to finish this book, and that doesn't usually happen, as I love Harry and his quirky humor so much I just can't do anything until the book has been read!
Very meh! ( )