Ghost Story: By Jim Butcher

GHOST STORY

SUMMARY

When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.

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...

REVIEW

If you’re at all a fan of the Dresden series then you were most likely shocked with the conclusion of Changes. With Harry shot and fading away, it seemed that there were few other places for the series to continue. Then with Butcher’s book of short stories We see what the world is like after the events of Changes, but from the perspective of the strong willed and caring Murphy.

Now in Ghost Story we see Harry Dresden, Wizard for hire, in the after life. It turns out Harry must return back to world he just left in order to discover the truth behind his murder, or see his loved ones hurt themselves.

Ghost Story felt different from Butcher’s other books in the series. It’s much more about reflection and consequences than action and mystery. Besides Harry himself being a ghost the story itself dregs up a number of past references and enemies that fans of the series will not want to miss. So to help avoid missing these nuggets of reflection fans of the series, no matter their opinion on short stories should first pick up a copy of Side Jobs, as some of the characters referenced in Ghost Story are only seen in the short stories collected in Side Jobs, including Harry’s first mentor as a detective.

Besides changing the pace of the series, Ghost Story acts as the link between a the old and the new piece of this series. I’m curious how Butcher will cultivate this new section of the series and how much of the lovable band of characters will cross over into Harry new world. But one thing is for sure, Ghost Story is a fantastic book, and should be enjoyed by everyone.

RATING

10 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Roc Hardcover

Published: July 26, 2011

Price: $27.95

A Shot in the Dark: By K.A. Stewart

A SHOT IN THE DARK

SUMMARY

Jesse James Dawson is a Champion, putting his life on the line for those foolish enough to bargain with demons and fighting to save their souls. But even a Champion needs some downtime, so Jesse takes his annual camping trip to Colorado for some male bonding over friendly games of paintball.

Unfortunately, the fun and war games are interrupted by a pack of creatures summoned up from the very depths of hell by an entity Jesse prayed he'd never see again. With the lives of his friends and a teenager's soul on the line, Jesse's only hope may lie with an even more dangerous enemy--his personal demon, Axel...

REVIEW

Second books in a series are hard. Those that attempt them have the problem of maintaining a world and the characters that have already been created, as well as the added struggle of furthering the story arc into that of a series, while at the same time creating a new and exciting adventure/mystery to solve until the overarching story arc can be established.

That said, K. A. Stewart does a fantastic job doing all of these things in her second book in the Jesse James Dawson Series, A Shot in the Dark.

A Shot in the Dark takes place a few months after the events of A Devil in the Details. Jesse has been experiencing PTSD from his missed assassination attempt, and has been having constant nightmares of an old foe coming back from the dead to tear him piece by piece. To help try to calm him down he and his friends decide to go on their annual camping/paintball trip. Unfortunately this trip soon changes from a happy-go-lucky trip with the guys into the literal nightmare that Jesse’s been experiencing for months. Now with the unexpected help from Axel, the Order of Saint Silvis (a rival demon hunting group), and his friends Jesse has to take down the demon of his nightmares, literally.

A Shot in the Dark is fast paced, fun, and exciting. The characters are interesting and filled with good dialog. And the story itself is fantastic. But what I was most impressed with was the way Stewart has developed the overarching story arc for the books in the future. I’m thoroughly intrigued and personally can’t wait for the next in the series.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Roc

Published: July 5, 2011

Price: $7.99

The Demon's Surrender: By Sarah Rees Brennan

THE DEMON'S SURRENDER

SUMMARY

The Goblin Market has always been the center of Sin’s world. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin’s place is in danger. Thrown out of the Market she loves, Sin is thrown together with brothers Nick and Alan—whom she’s always despised.

Alan has been marked by a magician and is being tortured so that the magicians can get to Nick. As Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see him in a new light—but she and Mae are locked in a fierce rivalry over who will inherit the leadership of the Goblin Market, and a decisive battle with the Aventurine Circle is looming. Mae’s brother, Jamie, is holed up with the magicians, his loyalties in question. And Nick—well, who knows what a demon might do to save his brother? How far will Nick go to save Alan—and what will it cost them all?

REVIEW

The first thing I have to say is that The Demon’s Lexicon was fantastic. It was shocking, well written, and original.

Now I realize that The Demon’s Covenant changes narrators, and while it was still good in my opinion it wasn’t as fantastic as the 1^st installment. The Demon’s Surrender suffers from this same problem, as it once again changes narrators.

Of course that said, this is still a good book, and a decent end to the trilogy. It is not nearly as bad as the reviews on Amazon make it out too be, and should still be bought and enjoyed.

Obviously the first two books in the series should be read before this installment, but once you get to this piece of the story readers should fully enjoy it as the author does a fantastic job.

The action is fast and present throughout the entire story, the pace quick, and the characters interesting. I would have liked it better from Alan’s point of view, but Sin’s was still interesting.

All in all The Demon’s Surrender is a fun book that has the hard job of ending an interesting series. If you’ve read the first two books then definitely don’t hold back, and make sure you pick up this newest and final installment.

RATING

8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Published: June 14, 2011

Price: $18.99