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Cora
, July 07, 2014
(view all comments by Cora)
3 of 5 Stars
With a title like Fool Moon, it’s not hard to guess what the book is about. The second book of the Dresden Files fell flat for me. There was plenty of action, lots of fighting, and some plot twists, which I figured out too quickly because the clues weren’t subtle.
To be fair, I’m not much of a werewolf fan, unless we’re talking about old black and white werewolf movies, so this book started out with a disadvantage, but because I enjoyed the first one I was prepared to like this one just as well.
Brief Summary:
Since the last book, Harry finds himself with little to do and on the outs with Murphy and the Chicago PD. So of course he’s got money problems, no surprise there. During the full moon, there were several killings, and Murphy calls him to consult. Marcone tries to hire him, but Dresden sticks by his principles and turns the mobster down. He puts together a report on werewolves, which I did find interesting. The book’s system of werewolf lore made the storyline more interesting for me. His relationship to Murphy, who has gotten into trouble from the events in the last book, continues to go from bad to worse.
What I liked:
It’s interesting because some of the things that I like about the book I also dislike about the book. It’s sort of a weird push and pull thing that’s going on.
I do like recurring characters: so Murphy, Carmichael, and Marcone return. Marcone’s a bad dude but there is something likable about him. It real life he’d scare the hell out of me. I like Murphy. She’s someone I can identify with��"a strong woman who keeps going against all odds. When she’s knocked down she gets up again. Although I don’t care for werewolves, I did like the details of various kinds and degrees of werewolves. I really can’t go into the details without giving too much away, but we are privy to at least four kinds with a lovely, but bitter sweet, twist at the end.
The action and fast paced story continued in this book. Unless you just hate the story, it’s pretty hard to get bored. There’s enough violence, action, and blowing things up to move the story right along.
Where I got bogged down:
Dresden’s macho attitude and complete inability to maintain a relationship get annoying. So, many times I was saying, “Really?” He breaks rules when it suits him, but he doesn’t have the brains to tell Murphy the truth and continues to alienate her.
Which leads me to, his sense of the noble knight saving the maiden in distress. In today’s world, a man with a little bit chivalry is nice, but excessive amounts turn men into annoying asses. Yes, I’m a woman, and I like men to open door, be polite, and behave like gentle men, but Dresden’s excessive attitudes toward women errs on the side of slighting the women he thinks he’s protecting. Also, at times, he seems like a fourteen-year-old boy who doesn’t know when to keep his smarts remarks to himself. A little snarkiness goes a long way. I want to like him, but he makes it hard.
By the end of the book, he has Murphy pissed off, again, and has slighted most of the other characters. I want to tell Susan to run far, far away, and get her stories from someone else. However, by the end, he does rethink things and seems to be reconsidering his relationship with Murphy. I’ve bought the first four books, so I’ll keep reading in hopes that Dresden steps up in the maturity department.
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