Aight people. Still on this Dresden train, this one gets a solid three because of a plot point I am taking big issue with that we will get to in a moment.. Overall, lots of good action and development in this book. It’s always a good time when the faeries get involved. The standout greatest thing about this book to me is the character development we got with Charity this go-round. I’m always thirsting for more female characters in general, and especially with Butcher as he always has Dresden swooning about distressed damsels, so it was nice to see Charity get to mount up and get her hands dirty, plus learn more about her background.
But like, I am not here for a Dresden reckoning with feelings for Molly. And honestly, it’s not even his feelings he is reckoning with, but lust. He’s known her since she was a child. In this book, she is now 18. His age is a bit unclear, but it seems like he is supposed to be 27/28 in the first book of the series, so that would put him in his early/mid 30s in this book. I also saw somewhere that Dresden is roughly the same as Butcher when he was writing each book. So. With all that as background, this thing where he is wrestling with attraction to her, but then doesn’t give into it. I have thoughts.
It is gross. Full. Stop. If Butcher is waiting for a pat on the back for Dresden refusing Molly’s misplaced advances he better not hold his damn breath. I hope he got all the tired/boring/contrived Lolita fantasizing out of his system because if he keeps it up, he might lose me entirely, especially now that she’s supposed to be learning from Harry. We have gone from adult/child relationship to mentor/student and so help me if he makes that even grosser than he already has, I will, well, um, I dunno. Give it a bad review I guess? Sure, my recourses are few, but a little louder in case I didn’t make myself clear. GROWN-ASS MEN WRITING ABOUT HAVING TO WORK HARD NOT TO SLEEP WITH 18-YEAR-OLD GIRLS IS GROOOOOOSS.
Clears throat. I think I’ve made myself clear. Neither Butcher nor Dresden has misled me with this, what with his constant pedestaling of women, but for me, in this book, he’s crossed a line and if he makes it a habit to keep crossing it, I’m out.