This week, the fifteenth installment of one of my favorite series, The Dresden Files, was released. I looked at it with hesitancy as the last two books haven't been that enjoyable compared to their predecessors. Harry had gotten himself in quite a predicament after the conclusion of the twelfth book, Changes, and, quite frankly, it dragged the next two plots along at a slow, dismal pace. The momentum of the series was seemingly at a standstill while Harry dug himself into a deeper hole. I also noticed a change of tone in Harry's usually sharp wit. While it's understandable after all he's been through - when you're on the fifteenth book in a series... you gotta keep in mind that it's the fifteenth book in the series. After a while, readers expect a path towards resolution and maybe even happiness for the characters. I prepared myself for a continuation of this lack of movement. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

Skin Game held many of the original elements of the series that had been missing for quite a while. Firstly, Harry was actually on a job for the first time in a few years. Since he started the series as a little-known crime-solving wizard - the original hook for the series, really - he has gained more momentum, more titles, and has gotten thrown deeper into Fae politics. Underneath all of that, the original feel of Harry going on a job, fighting the good fight, was lost. Skin Game brought that feel back and then some. While under the command of Mab, he went after one of his old foes, Nicodemus, and opened up a new doorway to the illustrious urban fantasy world that Jim Butcher has created: Greek Mythology. An automatic win, in my books. But I could be biased.

Another element that really helped regain the flavor of the series was the appearance of the entire Scooby Gang. At some point, each of the main characters (save Thomas, unfortunately) made an appearance. And they were all civil! Sort of. I'll be waiting for that Harry/Thomas brotherly awesome in the next installment, but, until then, I am very satisfied by the plethora of amazing characters I got to read.

The last hundred pages of the book were by far the most intense. Harry met a freaking Greek god, the final battle kicked a whole bunch of ass, and, in true Butcher-style, a last-minute curve ball was thrown into a plot that seemed completely covered. Also, my girly Harry/Karrin feels were very happy by the end. I honestly almost cried. Twice. I don't want to give a full play-by-play, but by the time I finished the book, I was fully satisfied while simultaneously getting impatient for the next installment.

Also while reading the book, I discovered something about my own writing, weirdly enough. I guess that whole "reading like a writer" thing actually taught me something. Anyway - I tend to break paragraphs in odd, fragmented ways when I write prose to bring attention to certain phrases/one-liners/etc. I didn't realize this tactic was unique until I took a few writing classes and got complimented on my stylistic choice. Flattered, I took it as a good sign. Little did I know that I was actually mimicking one of my favorite authors - Jim Butcher. I realized this a few chapters into Skin Game and had a little laugh. It's not uncommon for writers to adopt traits from each other. In the end, I believe everyone's style is unique while also being a hybrid of traits from others.

In conclusion, I was very happy with Skin Game. It rekindled my love for the Dresden series and made me eager for more. I have nothing but high hopes for the last few books in the series - and a few worries, obviously, but mostly on the character front. I always put a little too much emphasis on that. Oops. Anyway, I give this a 4.5/5 - there were a few minor things that didn't tickle my fancy but they were vastly outnumbered by other, better, elements.