I haven’t read much Butcher since I stepped away from the Dresden series, but I was enticed to read this one on several recommendations who said it was nothing like Dresden. And they were right! This was a rollicking good time, full of airships, battles, intrigue, and all the other things I like in a book! One of Butcher’s big strengths is writing combat: you always know what’s going on at any given moment, what the stakes are, and how the characters feel about the part of the battle they’re participating in. And the characters! I loved how differentiated they were, and I absolutely ADORED the POV chapters from Rowl (a cat who has claimed one of the humans of the group as his companion) and Folly (an etherealist’s apprentice with a “unique” worldview). A long but highly enjoyable read. Definitely looking forward to book 2.