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Harry Dresden has come a long way. From those long ago days when he was leading a (relatively) quiet life as a Windy City wizard, he has been murdered; revived; and now, in the 14th Dresden Files novel, has become the very reluctant servant/hired killer of Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. One of the most eagerly awaited installments of this bestseller series.
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LITERALADDICTIONsAlpha
Posted November 27, 2012
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
THE DRESDEN FILES is one of my absolute favorites and I don't wait long to read the installments when they're released, so to say that I was a bit giddy after receiving an ARC from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review would be an understatement.
I settled in as soon as I could with it, and 100 pages in I was already saying: "The brilliance of Jim Butcher & the fantastical world of Harry Dresden never cease to amaze me! 20 pages in I had counted no less than 3 pop culture reference, laughed audibly at least a handful of times, shook my head with wonder & wanted nothing more than to call in sick & read for the next 18+ hours straight"
Upon completion of the book 2 days later, my exact words were: "5 stars isn't nearly enough for a book that had me laughing, crying, gasping, and so much more. And only Jim Butcher could give me 515 pages of so much goodness that it was almost overwhelming, yet leave me desperately wanting more after the last page was turned. Just...wow!"
This release had it all and then some! This review isn't even going to begin to do it justice...
One statement could sum up this book: Harry's back - bigger and better than ever!
The reference humor was stellar, the action, as always, was intense and mystifying, the intrigue and mystery were compelling and gripping and every last page left me wanting more and there were more than enough surprises to go around.
In true Jim Butcher fashion, Cold Days starts quick, builds steadily, grows to an almost combustible crescendo and then closes with a sequence of events that literally had my heart racing and me screaming out loud in outrage, shock, and frustration.
Well over 10 books ago I would have said that I didn't think it could get any better. I'd have been wrong. It has, it does, and I have a feeling it will continue to do so.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Cold Days a WELL deserved 5 Skulls and strongly urges anyone who hasn't read The Dresden files to start, and soon. This series is epic and will continue to be an easy favorite and an automatic auto-buy for me.
34 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 7, 2012
Thank the fairie Queens Harry is back on the job! So looking forward to this next installment!
20 out of 44 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 28, 2012
I'm sure this would be an amazing book if my nook would stop telling me its only on preorder! I want to read it desperatly, however my nook won't allow me to. Never preorder anything on your nook it doesn't work right.
15 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 29, 2012
I am one of the people that was more than a little disappointed in Ghost Story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, just not as much as Changes. It is just my opinion, but this book leaves even Changes behind in the dust. People are killed, both friends and enemies. Harry is going to have to learn to come to terms with the mantle of the Winter Knight, or he is going to continue to get his a## kicked left and right. We learn the story of Demonreach. Harry is a freaking wuss in regards to his daughter. (My main complaint with the book.) Harry's relationship with the Carpenters is probably going to be changed forever. The ending will tear your heart out. Harry decides that the best way to deal with one of the most feared and fearsome creatures in Fae is to point a gun in their face and threaten to blow his or her brains out.
Oh, yeah, you may never look a Santa Claus in the same way again.
A word of advice to those that had problems pre ordering the book on their Nook. I have learned not to pre order. I just called the book up on my Nook at 12:05 am, ordered, and started reading. This way seems to work out best.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.VoraciousReader2
Posted November 28, 2012
As a Dresden Fan, I'd like to start off by quantifying my favorites - that will give you a clue as to where I stand on Jim Butcher's famous detective. Small Favor and Changes. There. Now on to Cold Days, which is now also a favorite and probably shoves Small Favor down a notch.
Cold Days is an absolutely chaotic masterpiece of both the paranormal and detective worlds. Jim Butcher, who has honed his craft for over a decade brings us a warped, tangled web of insanity that could only have come from the faerie realm. True to his characters, Butcher plays with your emotions as Mab orders Harry to kill an immortal being, only to have Dresden come under the awful suspicion that Mab herself is the problem. From a series plot arc perspective, more is revealed about the overall situation, Demonsreach, Rashid the Gatekeeper, MacAnnaly, the internal workings of the Summer and Winter Courts, making Cold Days into one of the most informative books in the series if, like Harry, you're trying to get the bottom of why everything has gone wrong.
Harry's struggle to deal with mantle of the Winter Knight is a constant battle against the same forces he has always repressed in himself, and he never comes closer to growing that goatee and wearing black silk. As for Harry's female problems, nothing is solved, in and someways, made infinitely more complicated. The ending of Cold Days had me rocking in shock, my hand over my mouth as my heart both broke and burst at the same time. Cold Days may not be Butcher's masterpiece novel, but it's damn close.
8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 7, 2012
Get real you greedy pigs. I guess i'll just have go to the library. See how that helps your bottom line.
7 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 27, 2012
I just finished this book and i will have to say i am greatly impressed. I literally could not stop reading, the excitement and tension built up to a palpable level and the whole story was superb. Well done Mr. Butcher
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 29, 2012
Saved from the waste that was Ghost Story, that's about all I can say. Ghost Story was a huge let down, this picked the story back up and makes it worth continuing with the series. And for once, I didn't see the ending coming like 20% through the book. It ended with a twist I didn't foresee, and that's a rare and good thing. If your a Dresden Files fan who was sitting on the fence because of Ghost Story, chuck GS in the trash and forget if ever happened. This is the book that we should have gotten last year.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 16, 2012
I would have given this 5 stars, esp after ghost story being what it was, ( even though it took great talent to write it I simply didn't enjoy it like the rest of them series.) Except Butcher was so greedy ( for a wider audience) or politically motivated that he *HAD* to include his views of gay rights in a fantasy novel. A vile action in it's self, it ruined the whole tempo of the book. Throwing it from fantasy to real world issues and in a manner that is offensive. Come on Butcher, leave those things for the news to talk about. Stick to the awesome story telling in the future, or at least don't spout something so counter to most of your memorable characters. . I gave this novel 2 stars for poor form on the authors part. I seriously couldn't believe my eyes. Now I need to make sure my younger siblings do not read this until they are old enough to understand what you did here. Bad Jim.
5 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 28, 2012
Love Jim Butcher .... love this series.... and I REEEEAAAAALLY want to read this but at 15$ ...sadly, i'll wait.
4 out of 46 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 8, 2012
Spoiler my main issue with Butcher is he for continuation of stories will do what David Eddings does. He'll make an antaganist who's so powerful and adaptive, whatever the ending results, it can't possibly sound realistic even in buthers world. Butcher did it by FOC and he did it by WK. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book or the rest of the series, but it did taint that enjoyment.
3 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 30, 2012
Couldnt put it down, it was that great. And now I find my self wanting to punch a Queen or two. Lol Love this stroy line, it just gets better and better.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 3, 2012
Butcher does it again! Change is the only constant in the Dresden universe. Each novel reminds you why you love Harry and his friends. With each passing novel, Dresden becomes more confident in his ability to stick it to the supernaturals that want to end him or his world. Read it and you won't be disappointed!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 1, 2012
Loved the latest installment in The Dresden Files! Can I be crass and say that I am on "Team Molly?"
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 30, 2012
Issue with preorder? Archive the preorder and then unarchive it. It worked for me on Cold Days and Trapped.
2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 28, 2012
I'd love to talk about it, but my pre-ordered book did not ship until nearly midnight of the release date, and I haven't received it yet. I pre-ordered to be sure I got it on the release date. Had I known the book would not ship until the end of that day, I'd have purchased it locally.
When I've pre-ordered books from other sites, I received them on the release date.
2 out of 33 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2012
It's not perfect, but man, the good so far outweighs the bad. Another fantastic entry in a fantastic series.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 16, 2012
After a few very dark and violent books in the Dresden serie, this one is back to the original caliber. Sure, it is still good fights evil, and of course, good wins (most of the times). In this book Butler shows his broad fantasy, more so than his dark side. He impresses me with the different scenarios, the unique solutions to all the bad situations that the hero finds himself in. He builds the personal relationships back into the story line, there is hope again for Dresden and the world.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 16, 2012
Loved it! I thought when Susan died it couldn't get any worse for Harry...it does. So excited to see what happens to Molly in the next book.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 10, 2012
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1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard.
He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and ...