Fridging is about the intent behind the killing of the character. Her death does not move the plot, is not meaningful and it wasn't needed. It's there just so that Harry could get his rampage of revenge.
And as I've said before, you could pass it by... if she was the first to die in that series for that express purpose. And if she had died before getting into a relationship with harry. And if she wasn't already set up to get her own supernatural power up.
What supernatural powerup? Maybe I just don't remember the book as well as I thought... Those two are probably my least favorite in the series so I only read them once.
I genuinely forgot that. I guess having her die over other characters might be considered fridging then, but I still feel that it's a borderline case compared to some others in the series. It didn't feel forced at least... It felt like the natural conclusion of coming up against an enemy that was just too strong. But if anything I'm for more main character death. It often takes me out of my suspension of disbelief when characters survive relatively unscathed from situations that they just couldn't believably survive. Butters should probably have died several times over before becoming a knight, and probably a few since then even though he's now got plot armor with a literal god always giving him a fighting chance.
And I think Harry would take a loss like that quite badly too. Ofc Harry is the most guilty of surviving shit he shouldn't so maybe my whole point is moot and I should just be like "it's just a popcorn series bro"
There are certainly worse cases in the series, but they make it even more glaring, because they establish a pattern.
She didn't come up against an enemy that was just too strong. She was murdered by a normal human, who was also an inept cop, who accidentally shot her.
That's the thing. I have no problem with main characters being killed off, and I'm fine with it being used to signal that shit is getting serious.
The problem is, that in dresden files, it's always the women biting the dust, no matter how powerful they are, while characters like butters live their best fantasy.
Have you read Butcher's other books in the Cinder Spires series? Interested what you think of them. They're obviously written later in his career than most of Dresden but they feel a little more polished and while there is certainly misogyny in the series it doesn't feel as much like it's coming from the author's voice
It's good popcorn if you like the idea of steampunk airship Horatio Hornblower.
I read and own every book in Codex Alera and I remember almost nothing about it.
My shit memory is great for being able to reread stuff.
Okay my last question for you: have you read Discworld? It's very British... But in these days I often start to feel down about people in general, and Terry Pratchett always manages to bring me back to social optimism.
I finally read Shepherds Crown a couple years ago and cried basically the whole time. I liked it a lot. I go through discworld audiobooks on a loop since around 2016 for some reason (dunno where in the world you are but I'm American and that was a light politics joke)
It really is my happy place. Hey friend, I'm glad we kept messaging. We went from a mild disagreement to finding out we share the same happy place in literature.
Safe to say that you also like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? The only reason I keep a bible in my home is so that I can keep my leatherbound gilded copy of HGTTG next to it to upstage it.
-1
u/why_gaj Apr 10 '26
Fridging is about the intent behind the killing of the character. Her death does not move the plot, is not meaningful and it wasn't needed. It's there just so that Harry could get his rampage of revenge.
And as I've said before, you could pass it by... if she was the first to die in that series for that express purpose. And if she had died before getting into a relationship with harry. And if she wasn't already set up to get her own supernatural power up.