Spoilers!!!! ........................................
So, after reading the almost 600 page stack, I overall can say I enjoyed it. When you read a story in this genre you sort of expect some horrible things to happen to the main characters (kidnapping, fighting, magic battles, treachery, etc..) but none of that really happened. I felt like I was constantly waiting for something big to happen and when I look back, it was mostly just traveling and learning her magic toward the end. It was a good story though! It was exciting living in past with Diana and Mathew! It was amazing to meet both of their late fathers! Good book overall. Will read the next one. Wonder when it comes out?
So, after reading the almost 600 page stack, I overall can say I enjoyed it. When you read a story in this genre you sort of expect some horrible things to happen to the main characters (kidnapping, fighting, magic battles, treachery, etc..) but none of that really happened. I felt like I was constantly waiting for something big to happen and when I look back, it was mostly just traveling and learning her magic toward the end. It was a good story though! It was exciting living in past with Diana and Mathew! It was amazing to meet both of their late fathers! Good book overall. Will read the next one. Wonder when it comes out?
For those of us who aren't knowledgable on history this book can become quiet confusing. I know there's connections that are supposed to be made from certain historical situations that the author puts into the book alongside the storyline that are lost on me. There's no way I'm the only one who feels that way.. The book took awhile to get going and some scenes felt useless but I get the picture this is supposed to be an epic trilogy (600 pages of tiny font) and I'm down for the long haul.
That being said.. I enjoyed the book after certain scenes away from the academic side made it more relatable for myself. I really loved Mathews family scenes at the castle and scenes at Diana's parents home. I am going to continue on to Shadow of Night. With a cliff hanger like that I don't think I'd have a choice otherwise. 3 Stars.
That being said.. I enjoyed the book after certain scenes away from the academic side made it more relatable for myself. I really loved Mathews family scenes at the castle and scenes at Diana's parents home. I am going to continue on to Shadow of Night. With a cliff hanger like that I don't think I'd have a choice otherwise. 3 Stars.
To start, I felt that it was an interesting story and that the world building was immense. It was however poorly explained. She never stops to say why magic and tech are the way they are. Or what the order exists and who put the people in power into power. Never says what year it is or how long ago the world changed. I've just started the 2nd book in the series and within the first 17 pages I've learned more about this world than in the entirety of the first book. So if any one is feeling confused as I was about it, know that it gets better. It remind me of the hollows series by Kim Harrison as the first book was sooo confusing but turned out to be my 2nd fav series ever. Hopefully I fall in love with Kate Daniels world soon too!
The ending to this book was absolutely amazing. Beautiful. Intense in the best way. All I want is more! Officially in love with this series!
Beautiful. Tragic. Life for many. I explain it to people as you don't read the book. The book reads you.
Not only is this a beautifully built, alternate reality universe, it's a story of right & wrong. Truth & deception. Death & destruction.. It's a story of love and heartbreak told through the eyes of truly amazing person. Kate Daniels isn't an easy way out kinda' girl. She's a bada** heroine who will shut you down before you have a chance to hurt those she cares for. If you haven't fallen in love with Kate Daniels and her band of furry misfits, Magic Rises will hook you line and sinker. 5 Stars!!
I really would prefer to give this book a 3.5 Star Rating, but since that isn't an option, I felt it more appropriate to round down. When I think about what I have to say about this book or about the series in general, at least so far, negative thoughts seem to float to the top.. Which seems odd, as I do enjoy the Dresden Files & plan to read all the books in the series. I always either love or hate a series by book 3 as a rule of thumb, but I didn't fall into the former or latter after finishing Grave Peril. Jim Butcher does what he's been doing in the previous books to Harry in this one too by constantly destroying Harry on every page. If he's not getting arrested by his co-worker/friend/secret crush Karrin Murphy for completely illogical reasons (Murphy jumps to conclusions so fast you will do a double take to make sure you didn't miss a chapter that contains some sort of reasoning for her actions), he's beating himself up, after being beat the f**k up, for having saved lots of people, doing the right thing but focusing on the fangbangrs who got killed in the crossfire. Point being, Harry doesn't ever use his powers when he could. Harry doesn't focus on the fact that he just beat his enemy and Harry doesn't learn from some pretty huge mistakes. It looses its magic, no pun intended, when the hero doesn't ever pull off anything badass and is always winning by his last breath. With that said, the ending to this book, actually shows me that Dresden might be on the up and show more up in terms of character growth. We see him use his powers to the fullest and do what he should have done in the first place, which makes me more optimistic towards the future of the series. We also see in the last pages, that the series is going to go from detective case madness, to an overwhelming story arch that will probably last a few books. I am starting Summer Knight tomorrow and am eager to see what comes of Dresden and his misfits of mayhem! show less
I was becoming worried that although I enjoy this series and plan to finish all the books, that it wasn't measuring up completely. I'm happy to say that Summer Knight was the book that made me fall in love with this series! I'll keep this review super short and say that it was the best so far, no doubt! My favorite part (without giving away any major plot points) was when Dresden calls Toot Toot out towards the end, if you've read this book then you know how truly amazingly hilarious that scene was! Great book, read it!
Wow. I need to start taking the titles of each book a lot more seriously. Very intense "Changes". Be prepared people..
Never had that moment where I was craving more, interesting enough to finish and look out for book 2.
This book is absolutely fantastic. I've never really started loving a series until at least the end of the 2nd book. By page 107, I was hooked. The writing just flows, the story is never dull. The one factor I look for most in a storyline is an even balance of character development with the overall arc. Jennifer Estep blends the two seamlessly.. I'm so happy that I have many more in this series to read along with book #10 coming out X-Mas Eve! My favorite books now are: Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning, The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews and The Elemental Series by Jennifer Estep.