skybridge

babewiththepower.bsky.social · @babewiththepower.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Cold Days 8/10

The last time I read this book just over 8 years ago, I only gave it 3 stars and I think I did that not because of the quality of the book, but my feelings about the story. Reading over the last review (I pasted below this one), I generally feel the same way; however, now I can appreciate what was happening with the series apart from my feelings about it. Butcher was trying to go in a different direction and do something new with his characters. I still love all of Harry's old crew, but I can see how Harry's life has to change and evolve into something new to keep things fresh. Similar to his m.o. in "Changes" (12) and to a lesser extent "Ghost Story" (13), Harry does spend a lot of time going door to door, if you will, asking for help from all the Big Bads he's gotten to know over the last dozen years.<br/><br/>Really, it just occurred to me it's very Wizard of Oz. This one went one more than the Rule of 3, though, and had 4 meetings pleading his case. In the end, as always, he's just given a little helpful information and sent on his way with essentially the Glinda message that "everything you were looking for was right there with you all along." Oh! And before I forget to make note of it, I don't know if I realized it at the time, but how about those answers and comments from Rashid, the Gatekeeper?? It's in one of my bullet points behind the spoiler tag, if you're interested in my thoughts on that! But despite understanding all that, yeah, I'm still not happy with how things turned out at the OK Corral. That is NOT the outcome I would've ever wanted with a certain character! Finally, what would a review of mine be without ending it on Murphy. Read the book or click here: <spoiler>Yes, yet again their do-they-don't-they continues on. As in my previous review, I say it continues to frustrate and enough is enough already, yeah? Talking about her feelings for him while not committing and simultaneously saying, really, that she's his ride or die? Come on. Get it together already.</spoiler><br/><br/>And now for one more book, 15, where I thought was the end of the Dresden Files series 5+ years ago... until a new book, 16!, soon to be in my greedy little hands!<br/><br/><b>Previous review Dec. 07, 2012:</b><br/>I love Harry Dresden and the world Jim Butcher has created. In particular I love the witty internal and external dialogue with its pop culture references snarky commentary. That said, I felt like a lot of the middle of the book was just killing time until the end. I hope Butcher hasn't already lost steam to finally finish this series, but it's starting to feel like it. I had a horrible moment for the first 75pp that he'd turned the book into one of those Laurell K Hamilton books where it's all about political posturing and endless conversations about nothing. That went away, but I don't feel much got going. I think a lot of it was because Dresden decided to cut his buddies out of the circle of destruction that exists around him. However, the character is at his best when surrounded by his allies and elbows deep in plotting and saving the day. That does eventually happen, but not to the extent of previous books and mostly at the very end. I'm normally [not] a "shipper," but really he just needs to get with Karrin already. Enough of that. So, yeah, most of the book spends its time with Dresden going from powerful being to powerful being chatting and trying not to get killed. Plus what happens with the Winter Lady is just wrong. That disappointed me. Boo. I hope the next book is more interesting than this.<br/><br/>Below is my bullet points of the main events for my own reminder later. Turn back now!<br/><spoiler>-Dresden wakes in Demonreach and rehabs at Arctis Tor for 11 weeks with Sarissa as physical therapist/potential sex toy<br/>-Mab orders Dresden to kill Maeve<br/>-Mab lends him Cat Sith and a head start to deal with Demonreach<br/>-Harry goes to Butters' to pick up Bob and Toot-toot's army; Bob tells Harry Halloween is the one day an immortal can be killed or a mortal can be made immortal<br/>-Dresden is attacked by Little Folk and Molly saves him, takes him to her new svartalves apartment where she's decked a spot out for him<br/>-Dresden and Molly get the Water Beetle, pick up Thomas in the process, and go to Demonreach where Dresden learns about the supernatural prison the island created by Merlin that it really is, from Demonreach via Bob translating<br/>-the Redcap/Sidhe attack them on the way back from the island on jet skis they hex<br/>-Fix shows up at Thomas' to warn Dresden he'll stop him from killing whoever; Dresden sends Cat Sith to setup a meeting with Lily the Summer Lady<br/><b>-Dresden meets with Vadderung/Kringle/Odin at Mac's, asks him to deal with Demonreach, is turned down, and only gets info and advice about how it's going to be taken down, magically from the shore</b><br/>-Eyeless pearly-grey face with darker grey stripes, aka Sharkface, attacks Dresden, Thomas, and Mac after Molly leaves Mac's; Dresden realizes it's an Outsider; the Outsider knows Mac who refuses to say who/what he is bc retired<br/><b>-At the Botanical Garden Dresden meets with Lily who thinks he's been "infected"; Maeve shows up and together they claim Mab is the one infected and gone mad from Maeve's inspection; Maeve and Lily tell Dresden he should smite Mab instead</b><br/>-Maeve has Dresden attacked by Ace, Little Folk, Redcap/Sidhe on his way out of the meet; Thomas, Murphy, and Cat Sith save his sorry ass taking Capt. Hook P.O.W.<br/>-About Karrin accepting Dresden is back, Thomas: "Isn't she Catholic? Don't they have a guy?"<br/>-Murphy takes Bob back from Harry, Butters has a nutter, Gary, noting an increase in boat rentals, and Capt. Hook/Lacuna surrenders becoming Harry's vassal until she's ransomed back<br/><b>-While Thomas rounds up Raiths and Murphy gets Marcone help, Harry goes to the bird sanctuary to summon Summer Queen Titania during which Harry asks for her to intercede, they talk about staying out of gay people's business and free will, and Titania threatens to kill him for killing Summer Lady Aurora except Elder Gruff persuaded her not to; she does inform him the contagion is known as NEMESIS<br/>-Harry goes to his grave vampire Bianca made for him and summons Mother Winter; she plays mind games, Mother Summer takes him on a tour of a giant Sidhe battlefield in the outer borders of Faerie at the gates; Summer tells Harry Mab's soldiers defend reality from the Outsiders and Titania defends mortals from Mab.<br/>-At the Outer Gates Harry meets White Council's Rashid aka The Gatekeeper; he and the Outer Gates can detect if anyone entering the gates has been infected by Nemesis; Winter changing guard to someone inexperienced and crazy like Maeve at the moment would be bad timing; drops he was friendly with Harry's mother and probably knows Ebenezer is Harry's grandfather; he has scars similar to Harry, is he future Harry?? Says he gets used to being under pressure and that he knows PRECISELY how it feels to be where Harry is; won't help other than dealing with the paperwork of him not being dead after all, you know, get his backpay lol</b><br/>-At Molly's, Sarissa drops the message the Redcap kidnapped Butters, Andi, Justine, and Mac; a tracking spell from Molly leads them to an empty warehouse where the Redcap gets a thorn into Harry's calf and demos the entire warehouse into Lake Michigan; Harry saves the day by freezing a giant chunk of the lake which then floats with everyone on it<br/>-Toots et al. find 2 sites with activity on the lakeshore, but those are decoys to the boats amassing to go to the shore of Demonreach<br/>-Thomas keeps insisting Harry needs to see and/or talk to daughter Maggie and Karrin<br/>-In talking to Karrin about Maggie, Harry realizes it's all about Mab and her little girl, Maeve<br/>-Heading out to Demonreach: Mouse, Molly, Murphy, Thomas, Mac, Sarissa - the last 2 he doesn't trust because he doesn't know who they are or their motives<br/>-the Wild Hunt shows up with the Erlking and Vadderung/Kringle; with Harry riding bitch on Karrin's motorcycle, he takes over the Hunt, realizes Demonreach is being attacked and Sharkface/Outsiders have spells on 3 barges for whichever manages to make contact with the ley lines first; Kringle, Erlking, Harry each take out a barge, the last Titanic style with conjured iceberg on the water to which Harry screams Rexus mundus aka King of the world! lololol and the help of Thomas and Molly ramming the Water Beetle into it<br/>-in the process Harry gets the Outsider is a Walker and say his name He-Who-Walks-Before similar to a Walker who attacked Harry when he was 16, He-Who-Walks-Behind<br/>-Harry realizes the barges were a distraction; the island has a magic circle around the hilltop only he can pass through as the island's Warden and finds Lily and Maeve with backups giving them power to attack Demonreach to jailbreak the Well<br/>-Lily has been lied to by the infected Maeve and she thinks Harry's infected and killed Summer Knight Fix<br/>-Mouse, Molly, Thomas, Murphy, Sarissa, Mac manage to enter the circle thoroughly caking themselves in mud<br/>-Harry realizes Sarissa is Maeve's identical Changeling twin and Mab was grooming her to take over Maeve's place when Harry killed her<br/>-Harry summons Mab, Mab pisses off Maeve, Maeve shoots Lily, Sarissa becomes Summer Lady, Mab releases Karrin's bonds, Karrin kills Maeve when Maeve shoots at Harry, and Molly becomes Winter Lady<br/>-Mab meant for Sarissa to become Winter Lady, but Molly was the backup and Mab preferred Molly to be Summer Lady<br/>-Once again Karrin puts a stop to her and Harry because of what he's become, but she says she'll still be his ride or die<br/>-Harry stays behind alone on Demonreach to figure out the power of the Winter Knight</spoiler>

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Published 2026-08-18 17:59 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere