This book was not as joyously exciting as any of the other books, but it's not a dealbreaker for me.

There were a few times in the plot where the story seemed to hop a bit -- maybe the formatting was wonky on my ARC? Like one second they're here, then they're there, then this person is with them, then this person is gone -- I got pretty turned around.

THE GOOD: It felt good to see Harry and the crew again, and we begin to get a little bit of an explanation for why Harry is such a magical heavyweight. Plus, we learn a bit more about some characters we've known a while.

THE LESS GOOD: Nothing in this book gets resolved. You can tell that this story went long, and rather than put out an enormous book, it got cut in two. It's a good thing the next one comes out in the fall, because if I had to wait another year or few to get some resolution, I would be an unhappy camper. A main character is left in a bad way cliffhanger.

THE VERDICT: For Dresden fans, it's a must-read. How could you not? It's not as great as the others, but we're in this for the long haul, right?

For folks who haven't read Dresden, what are you even doing with your life? Go get Storm Front already and start catching up.

arc received from the publisher for review