The first two entries of this huge series (to which two books will be added later this year) are murder-mysteries with fantastical elements (magic, vampires, werewolves, demons, etc). They are fast paced and include a ton of action, violence and some sex and drug elements (making it an R-rated series).
The story is written in first person from the perspective of Harry Dresden, a wizard-investigator and consultant to the Chicago PD (and their Special Investigation team lead by his friend, Lt. Murphy). He helps them with cases that involve the magical world, unknown to most people out of willful ignorance more than anything else. He is witty and loves making snarky remarks (which often gets him beat) and shows depth and backstory beyond that of your classic fantasy protagonist. He also evolves (though slowly) and I think the overall experience of seeing him change will be great.
My main criticism would be the genre; I'm not a big fan of mysteries or thrillers and I personally prefer slower pacing but I understand that it would totally change the story in question. That said, I would like to see the world expand more (which I'm sure will happen as the series goes on) and become more of an overarching story than a bunch of individual high-stakes events. Another aspect of the book is that it's male-centric, which makes sense with a guy as main character, but may not be what some people are looking for (in which case, I would recommend something in 3rd person to get a bigger and more varied cast).
Overall, I liked the books, though the genre's not one I enjoy and I will be continuing it in the near future (though not right away as I am feeling like reading something else).
Spoiler Commentary:
I think Harry has a lot of potential as a character (and he certainly has a reputation with Rothfuss saying he's the best modern protagonists and Daniel Greene also giving him a lot of praise). I liked how he tries to pretend to be brave and tough (especially around women) but can't keep himself from throwing up or crying. I also liked how much he valued Murphy's opinion of him and how much he was affected by her not trusting him. On the other hand, his romance with Susan was nothing special (at least for the first two books), though I liked the lack of insta-love or possessiveness.
The worldbuilding itself needs a lot more substance to it, mainly because the only magical elements that have appeared so far are very pop-culture-y and not that original. That said, I'm willing to wait for it to get deeper (at least for a few books) because of how much the series is praised.
Of rest of the cast I like both Bob and Murphy, with their dynamics with Harry being fun but also distinct and unique. I like how Murphy shows agency and is her own person and not a damsel in distress (to the point where she's almost more competent than him, even without magic). Gentlemen Malcone is pretty cliché (the businessman mafia boss) but I think he'll get deeper as the series go by (or at least hope so).
Finally, I liked how an unseen villain moving the strings was set up at the end of book 2 and make the story a serial rather than an episodic.
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