I love this book so much

I have to say that while this book was better plot and action wise than Ghost Story, I actually liked it less. I knew going in that his return to the living as the Winter Knight would lead Harry down some dark paths and I was interested to see how JB would work that out. While I still feel mostly sympathetic toward Harry I am finding it harder and harder. First because he sees just about every woman in this book as sexual prey, including Molly (yuck). And second because with his greater powers seem to have come less in the way of detective skills. That was one of the great things I always enjoyed about these books, the noir mystery with the great humor. While the humor is still there the series seems to be heading away from Chicago and further into the Never Never, permanently. The language seems to be getting worse with it. I don't remember so many f-bombs in the other books. At times it feels like there is one on every other page.

I like this series, I really do. And I will continue reading to see how Harry and others handle his predicament being entwined so thoroughly with the Winter Court. I just hope he has learned enough about controlling the Winter Mantle to keep his predatory instincts under better control so he can get back to being a good detective. He's gonna need to have his wits about him to deal with Nicodemus in the next book.

"Lad, let me tell you something here and now. None of us is what we once were. Everyone has a history. Everyone comes from somewhere. Each moves toward a destination. And in a lifetime as long as mine, the road can run far and take strange windings-"

Wonderful as always. I need to slow down on these. I am going to be very upset when I have to actually wait for the new book to come out and can’t just start the next one right away. So looking forward to see what happens next.

Cold Days RATING: 4 stars.
 
Initial reaction: How does Jim Butcher do it? How can he take the most ridiculous sounding ideas and turns them into a coherent, interesting, page-turner of a book? O_O
 
Weeks after finishing this newest installment in The Dresden Files, I still don't know what to write about it. Except that Butcher can definitely write a compelling story and mix the most strange ideas and plot lines into something that makes sense. And he can keep readers interested for 14 books! 14!
 
This 14th book starts with Harry waking up after a near-death experience (see Ghost Story, book 13 for details). He is in Mab's kingdom for he has agreed to be her Knight (see Changes, book 12 for details). As he is nursed back to health, he has to escape Mab's deadly training. For Mab is about to ask him for something really unexpected... something Harry thought even Mab wouldn't be able to do.
 
One of my favourite books in this series is book 4 (Summer Knight), which dealt with faeries and their strange morals, powers and trickery. So I was quite happy to see thatCold Days deals with faeries as well. They are some of my favourite characters in the Dresden Files world.
 
Cold Days has a bit of a weak start. Harry is in Fairy Land (the NeverNever) and is being groomed to be the new Winter Knight. I must admit that while I did read the first 100 pages pretty quickly, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the turn of the story. Harry lusting after a changeling and going to parties. Nop.
 
But then Mab did something that made the book get back on track: she made an impossible request to her new Knight and there Harry is, with enough trouble to get him killed twice over. So Harry gets back to Chicago and meets up with the old gang and that's when the book really 'starts'.
 
There is all of the usual action (almost non-stop), there is Harry battling with his new Winter powers and what they entail (changes in personality are one thing) and Harry and company trying to figure out why Mab would request such a thing.
 
What they find is terrifying (and a bit out there). I'm not sure how to feel about the new, shadowy enemies called "The Outsiders". Aliens on top of everything else? I don't know how it will work, but in this book, their involvement was epic. The mystery of the fae's existence and purpose is beginning to unravel; at the same time, we have these Outsiders, who are yet another big mystery, but could also shift the series into the ridicule (looking too much like the X Files, suddenly).
 
Overall, a typical Harry Dresden book (which is a good thing), with a bold idea that can go very, very wrong. I can't wait to see where Butcher will take the series next, so of course I will be buying the next book. Recommended to fans of urban fantasy and of course to readers of this series: this installment will not disappoint you as it has everything a good Dresden Files book should have.

My review.

A little disjointed for my tastes.