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Publishers Weekly: The lethal but good-hearted security robot that narrates Wells’s Hugo and Nebula award–winning Murderbot Diaries series returns, alongside friends old and new, for its wildly entertaining eighth adventure (after System Collapse). On a high-stakes extraction mission, Murderbot guides fellow SecUnit, Three, to sneak onto a Corporation Rim station and trigger a distraction. Meanwhile, Murderbot, hidden inside a cargo module, slips through the station’s heightened security. To Murderbot’s dismay, successfully played for laughs, the station is built to look like an elaborate planetary landscape, with shops and offices built into man-made cliffs and caves. Despite this rocky terrain, Murderbot reaches the safe house holding Farai, one of Murderbot’s dear friend Dr. Mensah’s two marital partners; their daughter, Sofi; and Farai’s mother, Naja. There, Murderbot encounters another unexpected obstacle: Supervisor Leonide, a higher-up in the Corporation Rim, who convinces the reluctant robot to help her family, sending it on a long and dangerous quest to rescue five more humans. This spectacular journey, punctuated with satisfying combat scenes, takes on an epic flavor grounded by Murderbot’s sardonic voice and Well’s exploration of mental health and physical well-being. Equal parts action packed, humorous, and heartfelt, this proves the series shows no signs of slowing down.

Kirkus: In this installment of Butcher’s Dresden Files series, the staff-wielding wizard is honor-bound to return a favor to a crime boss for saving his life.

With the city still struggling to return to some semblance of normalcy after the cataclysmic events of the Battle of Chicago, Harry Dresden is recovering in his ancient Chicago castle (which might have been Merlin’s fortress) when an old adversary shows up at his door: Gentleman John Marcone, Baron of Chicago. Since Marcone saved Dresden’s life in the conflict, the kingpin of Chicago’s criminal underworld asks the wizard to help with a troubled associate who supposedly wants to go straight. The only problem is that the man in question is Tripp Gregory, “one of the more contemptible people [he’d] ever had the displeasure to meet.” Gregory may have ripped off an elderly woman on her deathbed, stealing millions of dollars meant for a children’s charity he’d created and gambling most of the money in Vegas—where he won big. With the IRS and a Mexican crime boss with some demonic firepower hot on the reprobate’s tail, Dresden is tasked with saving Gregory’s life, collecting the millions for charity, and helping a morally bankrupt man transform himself into “one of the good guys.” Butcher checks all the boxes when it comes to satisfying readers’ expectations. The paranormal fantasy elements are on point, including some nightmarish—and memorable—monstrosities. Many familiar returning characters are featured, including Bear, Dresden’s seven-foot Valkyrie bodyguard; his apprentice, Fitz; CPD Special Investigations Captain John Stallings; and Bob the Skull. The author impressively maintains the exciting pacing and intensity throughout, powering the narrative with an abundance of high-octane action sequences. The intricate plot is fittingly complex, connecting Dresden’s redemptive mission with Mexican cartels, the Red Court, and demonic cults. The one quibble is the disappointing conclusion, which is not only predictable but also much too quickly wrapped up.

Dresden fans will enjoy this bite-sized supernatural adventure.

Booklist: The newest Murderbot novel (after System Collapse, 2023) has our titular (not really an anti) hero aided by Three, the newest rogue SecUnit, on a stealth mission in a planetary ring habitat to retrieve members of Mensah’s family, who’ve been kidnapped by the Barish Estranza Corporation in retaliation for her role on the plague planet. Along the way, an unexpected ally complicates the mission, and somehow the corporate mercs seem to know they’re coming. The plot starts off in the middle of the action and doesn’t let up until the very end. It’s an incredibly satisfying ride, and one of the funniest installments in the series: After their false memory issues, Murderbot installed an “emotion check” subroutine and it’s a perfect vehicle for the sarcastic, cynical humor readers crave. Perhaps most intriguing is a small side plot that teases a change with potentially huge implications. Wells returns to form with this one, offering a setting and cast that feels smaller and more intimate, more like her earlier novellas. At the same time, she sets up exciting possibilities for where this universe could go next. The family dynamic adds real poignancy, providing one of the most emotionally resonant Murderbot tales yet. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The success of the Apple TV series only adds to Murderbot’s popularity, and readers have patiently waited several years for the next installment in the series.

Library Journal: Petra Grady continues to develop her bond with the shadow, Pluck, as the first weaver/shadow pair in nearly a millennium. Even with the support of researcher and boyfriend, Benedict Strom, at St. Enoc, there are some who do not welcome the weaver who can use shadow magic. When Petra and Benedict discover another weaver, they find she is chased by Thoth, a shadow who set mages against weavers thousands of years ago and left betrayal in his wake. As Thoth continues his quest to destroy any stability between the two sides, Petra and Pluck find themselves running from both the university and the mage courts. If they cannot find a way to defeat Thoth and reveal the truth and their innocence, then Petra and Pluck could lose everything. While the pacing is a little bumpy, the novel’s worldbuilding is immersive. VERDICT Harrison’s follow-up to Three Kinds of Lucky continues to develop the world of this contemporary fantasy. Fans will find it completely different than the “Hollows” series, but the spirited protagonists and character relationships showcase Harrison’s prose.