Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher – Review #2020AudiobookChallenge

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in.

Harry's had worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a plant monster. Still, there's something troubling about this case. The Producer believes he's afflicted by an entropy curse - but it's the women around him who are dying. And Harry only got involved as a favour to Thomas, his flirtatious self-absorbed vampire acquaintance. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't work out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas's oversexed relatives. Harry's about to discover the skeleton in Thomas's family closet: a revelation that will change Harry's life for ever.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.

This year, as you may know, I set myself the long-overdue challenge of actually finishing some series! 😉 I’m linking up to the 2020 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge. Check out my progress here.

Today, I’m so happy to be able to check off another one from my TBR pile. I started The Dresden Files back in 2018! Eek!

So, what did I think of Blood Rites?

A Deadly Game Of Cat and Mouse

I’ve read the previous books in this series and really enjoyed them. The Dresden Files has become one of my favourite reads. The magic and paranormal abilities found in these books feel perfectly credible.

I love the way that the characters in these books are written.

They’re multifaceted creations that feel believable; they have depth and layers to their personalities. Good or bad, light or dark is an illusion, the reality is actually one of the myriad shades of grey. Aside from Harry, I loved getting to know Thomas and Murphy during this adventure. There are revelations that took my breath away.

Blood Rites was more than a good story, it had everything that I look for.

There’s a great balance between the various aspects of this story: Mystery, crime, thriller, horror, detective, and the paranormal. Jim Butcher blends the more brutal aspects with well-written humour, love, friendship and hope. This mix helps to keep the story from being too dark and heavy. Blood Rites also managed to surprise me a few times; not taking the direction I was expecting. I enjoyed trying to second guess what would happen next and how Harry would get out of the various deadly situations he inevitably found himself in.

I bought the audiobook format as well as the ebook.

However, I found myself just listening to Blood Rites rather than reading it. James Marsters performance was amazing. The pace at which he read the narrative was appropriate for each scene, while the voices he gave to each character added another level of credibility to the dialogue. I feel that James has personified our protagonist. Bringing Harry to life in his narration of this series.

Blood Rites is a gripping book.

However, it’s part of an ongoing series so don’t expect all the loose ends to be neatly tied up. There’s no life-or-death cliffhanger at the end. However, although Harry may have won the battles in this book, we’re left in no doubt that he’ll need to face many more before the war is over. I for one, can’t wait to find out what adventures Harry is forced to go on in the next book.

About Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.

Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.

All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

About James Marsters

James Marsters is an American actor and musician best known for the role of the vampire Spike in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel series. His other TV credits include Hawaii Five-O and The Super Hero Squad Show. As a narrator, he is the voice of the Dresden Files audiobooks, a supernatural detective series by Jim Butcher.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope I’ve sparked your interest in Blood Rites and that you add it to your towering TBR piles. However, if you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 😉

Bye for now,

Flora x

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