Review: Changes (Dresden Files Book 12) by Jim Butcher

Butcher, Jim. Changes (Dresden Files Book 12), Penguin, New York. ISBN 9780451463173. April 2010

Synopsis: Harry Dresden receives a call from his old girlfriend Susan Rodriguez that their daughter has been kidnapped by Duchess Arianna Ortega of the Vampire Red Court. A daughter he never knew existed. Harry has to tap into his own darkness and call in favors he never wanted to, or expected to, need in order to save his daughter in the midst of the war between the white council and red court. Will he lose everything in order to save his daughter?

Review:
This series is the epitome of summer reading for me. A great mindless series filled with action, magic, humor, and darkness. I am still sad that the tv series was cancelled after just a couple of episodes. As the series progresses, the character gets more and more evolved and the tone of the books gets darker. This book is another great chapter in the saga of Harry Dresden, Wizard.

However, I thought the author indulged himself in a few too many cliches this time around. I can't get into specifics without spoiling the book, but the cliff hanger ending was particularly cliched. He also relegated too many old favorites to barely supporting status. I particularly missed Bob's humor in this book. the title is particularly apropos here, but I wonder if there are too many changes going on - how can Harry go on from here and be the character we know and love?

Despite my plot issues, this is a fast paced book that is an easy and thrilling read that certainly leaves the reader eagerly anticipating the next book. Fortunately for us left wondering what next, the upcoming book of short stories has an epilogue to Changes, so we don't have to wait until next April to find out what happened to Harry.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for light, fun, sci-fi books. While the author does spend some time recapping the basic premise of the character in each book, I wouldn't recommend starting later in the series. Start at the beginning with Storm Front Rating 7/10

The Forgotten Garden

Morton, Kate. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel. New York: Washington Square Press, 2009. 560p ISBN 1416550542. $15.95

A young girl is adopted by a dock master after being abandoned on a ship bound for Australia in 1913. On her twenty-first birthday the same young woman learns she is not who she thoughts she was. Armed with a small suitcase containing a book of fairy tales written by a woman she remembers as The Authoress, Nell leaves her adopted family and embarks on an odyssey to discover her true identity. Upon Nell’s death, her granddaughter Cassandra discovers she has inherited a cottage in Cornwall she never knew existed. Cass sets off to England to finish Nell’s quest and solve the mystery of her family tree.

Morton skillfully weaves the story of three women separated by generations, leaving the reader on the edge of his/her seat trying to solve the mystery of who this four year old girl was that was abandoned on a ship, and why was she left behind. Morton’s novel combines Victorian sensibility, gothic intrigue, fairytales, and romance. For fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, there is a cameo by the author and more than a passing similarity to the tale.

At times the plot stumbles with too many extraneous details and unnecessary hints at possible incestuous relationships. The male characters are not as well crafted as the women, and the number of characters can be difficult to keep track of at times. The similarities to The Secret Garden left this reader wanting more originality. Morton’s second novel is an engrossing read that keeps the audience on a merry chase thinking they have discovered the answers but in fact they have not. Rating: 8.5/10