i like magic systems that are "blunt force"
primal, difficult to control and wield, rarely precise. To use magic to chaotically destroy is one thing, but to use it to very slightly and precisely do something small? an incredible feat.
i think about magic systems a lot and frankly it makes me want to design one, even if its a bit out of depth for me.
i love worldbuilding
For all of it's ham-fistedness in terms of writing, this is one of the things I really like about the magic in The Dresden Files.
There's so much that goes into preparing precise magic, the sort of things that can affect people at a distance, or charms that need to be placed into objects over a long period of time.
At the start of the series, Harry leans real hard on the "blunt force" of evocation magic, but as the series goes on, he starts putting more and more time and effort into more precise/delicate things, starting with abjuration type stuff to make pre-charged "shield bracelets" and such, but generally gains a lot more precision for "fiddly" sort of stuff.
So many of the enemies act as a sort of foil for his magic, he's very blunt force and lucky, but he often gets (nearly) beaten by some precise, long-build up sort of magic that kicks his ass. The "detective novel" format lends itself REALLY well to him "reverse engineering" how someone else is doing some intricate, crazy precise magic to appear super powerful in some way.
I'd super recommend the series, though it's pretty pulpy, and soooorta misogynistic (though I read it as exaggerated enough to make it an actual intended fault of the main character/narrator, like he starts off as the "neckbeard"/"m'lady" caricature type, and the writing/character does get better IMO over time).
