Here's the dilemma, Dresden is infamous. I've heard of the series long before I ever knew what 'Urban Fantasy' is as a genre. But I never read a lot of male UF writers so it never reached into my radar until now. And boy, how I'm glad this is over. You know the trope about how you should not give up the book until several books. I am not convinced by you lot nor I trust Jim Butcher not to butcher my patience but this book is enough to give me proper hives. 
 Written in first person point of view around a Harry Potter rip-off character who seem to have no idea how to treat a woman (not chauvanist enough but it still borders on the verge of ridiculous and homicidal sexism) and have zero common sense and kept jumping around and then self-proclaimed things about how awesome he is - doesn't constitute to a 'fun' reading to me. 
 There are so many things contradictory with the narratings and the plot. Its like reading one of those Phillip K Dick book but instead of a tradeoff between characterization and world-building, all I get was reading a god-complex jerk going through the motions. That doesn't include the horrifying quality of the prose. 
 Reading this book reminded me of Chinese water torture. 
 Emotionally traumatizing indeed. 
 I can't even focus myself with the story. Because all I see was Harry Dresden making another facepalming quip that made me want to bash my head on the wall several hundred times before I continue reading it. Sometimes out of nowhere he narrates about himself as in "how the world is grateful for the existence of his-awesome-wizarding-self". Its supposed to be a investigative novel, but all we get was Dresden doing nothing investigative nature. Things just unravelled around him because he is "The All-mighty Wizard Dresden". 
 It is seriously juvenile. At this point, I am amazed how this Butcher ended up publishing an entire set of neverending series of Dresden adventures when he would just kill the character when he had some consistency as an author and make a better version of Dresden instead of a male Mary-Sue character. Yes, you heard that right. 
 Dear fans, instead of the occasional "you got to read book number #" so that I could give this series another chance, I recommend you guys to give other UF a chance especially one that is a proper noir paranormal crime novel. 
 Even after all these, I began to actually like the TV version of Dresden. I suppose, the TV Dresden is less narcissist and more angst unlike the novel counterpart.