My review of Skin Game

So, the latest Dresden Files novel came out Tuesday, and here is what I thought about it.

In a word, amazing.

I was blown away. I know there have been people that have not loved the most recent books, especially since Changes at the entire series got turned upside down with the death of the Red Court and even Harry as well. But Changes was one of my favorite books and I really have enjoyed each book since. People are just picky.

But back to this book. Here is why it was awesome.

Michael Carpenter. He has always been one of my favorite characters in the series. But after he was seriously hurt in Small Favor, he has not been around much at all. So, getting him to take up the sword again and fight Nicodemus? Wow. Yes, it was only going to be temporary as Uriel only gave his grace for a period of time (even though that made the angel pretty much mortal).

Between that the conversation he had with Harry about his arrogance. That was one of the best conversations in a long time in the series. Yes, Harry is awesome, but he can be a bit of an idiot when it comes to how people view him. Harry wondered why no one ever came to the island, and when Michael said that the island is what gave him nightmares, that said a lot about what it must be like for anyone to be there. Molly, Murphy, and Thomas came anyways. Michael is maybe the only person (other than man maybe Murphy) that can talk to him that way. It was a really nice moment.

Murphy. She fought Nicodemus! Yes, he eventually hurt her pretty badly, but it was just damn cool to see her fight him that way. She managed to hold her own for a bit and he is one of the more dangerous characters in the entire series. She has really matured as a character and is more of a partner to him, rather than backup like it used to be. It was also nice to see them finally be on the same page about how much they care for each other. Life is too damn short.

Also loved the conversation between Murphy and Butters as well. A valid point can be made that people become monsters faster because people start seeing them that way. Their dynamic has always been interesting, but especially since Ghost Story. 

Butters. He is a knight of the sword! What? When you think of who he was way back in Dead Beat. Hell, Thomas was worried that since he was such a coward that he would end up getting Harry killed. He has really stepped up (especially in Ghost Story). I like how he really is kind of afraid of Harry. Harry can be a very scary person and everyone wonders if he will turn into something horrible. I dig this.

The Jedi thing was a bit cheesy, but I can live with that. 

The Heist. It was such a different approach to how the stories are usually told. Having to work with Nicodemus and Deidre was really interesting. Throw in the rest of the crew, and you knew there was going to be high drama and more than a few double crosses.

So, I did enjoy that quite a bit. I did NOT see the Goodman Gray thing coming. Doublecross! I did see him being betrayed Ascher, but not that she took up Lasciel’s coin.

I also like how he went back and explained how it happened. These are all so much different from what was before. The conversation with Hades made me laugh a few times as well. Getting past the trials was handled well too. I can see why everyone may not have loved that part, but I did.

Maggie. If that did not touch you, maybe you should stop reading this series. It was very touching to see him interact with his daughter and he needs that to survive what he is going through. Yes, that may put her in danger, but he needs to be reminded of what he is fighting for sometimes. I am really wondering what will happen next here.

Emotion. This book made me cry so damn many times. So much with characters I love, and that is something I LOVE about the series. Things we care for should be out emotion, and this series does this like nothing else ever has (except maybe Harry Potter).

What was missing. Would have liked a bit more of Molly, but with there being so much Michael, I can live with it. I still wonder if he will end up with her at some point as his relationship with Murphy may be epic, but she is human after all. But in the mean time I love Harry and Murphy together.