Rowan Tree and Red Thread

Agyar's very good, yes, though I prefer the old cover to the new one. The old a) gives nothing away and b) has a representation of the picture that is a turning point for the protagonist. Like Fevre Dream, it is a tale of moral growth. (I did a paper on Fevre Dream, "Conversations with Monsters".)

I did not care for Sunshine. Oh, it was well written. But I had two problems with it. First, the world. Given how different it is from ours, I don't buy the reference to ST:TNG (Sisco Tours, iirc, with context making it pretty clear it's a TNG reference). Second, the heroine is a whining Mary Sue. "Oh, woe is me. Oh, didn't I mention I'm the daughter of a kick ass sorcerer (or whatever) and I have really major powers? Poor me! Oh, gee, I can protect vampires from sunlight and do all sorts of major magic that I've never tried before. And I'm a sunlight mage, the likes of which has never before been seen! And I win the love of the cool vampire dude."

It's what turns me off the later books in the Dresden series, which may not be quite fair, as I stopped after #6. But, it sounds like we have a) more of Harry Dresden getting beaten up, because that's what Butcher always does and b) more of Harry getting more powerful, because his mother did something amazingly long term and unique (what, he's the bestest most powerfulest mage ever, or something?) and he keeps getting plot coupons, or at least, powerful magical artifacts.