Wow! Best so far. I swore I would take a break from this series after this one but I am afraid I’m going to have to break that promise. On to the next!

When I rate so many books in a series 5 stars, like I do with "The Expanse" or here with "The Dresden Files," my ratings seem to have caveats, both good and bad. I rate this book 5 stars because I cannot rate it 6 with this system. This is truly the best book in "The Dresden Files," and I say this having loved every single book. Sure, some books hit stronger than others (hence some were 5 and some were 4 stars), but all books have been excellent. (Okay, I perhaps have some rose tinged glasses on Book 1, but can you blame me?)

Getting back to the point, this book knows what it's doing from the first damn sentence. Really, from the title. I mean, it's frustrating how clever such a simple title is. All of "The Dresden Files" books have had a title with 2 words. This book quite simply calls itself "Changes." The thought of going from 2 words to 1 word seems so simple, and yet, it really sets off a warning tone, like an unsettling off key note in a horror movie score. Seeing how worked up I am over the title of this book should tell you something.

It's hard to really tell you what happens in "Changes" without being a complete and utter spoiler. What I will say is that this book delivers on its promises. It takes the foundation of all that came before it, treats it with love and respect, and then sets it on fire (metaphorically, not so metaphorically...). This is a book that says even though Dresden was never truly comfortable, even though there's a Black Council, wars with vampire courts, allies lost and gained, you, Constant Reader, are going to made to feel a little uncomfortable. Butcher is going to burn down your expectations, the familiar beats, your understanding of Dresden and his world. And it's going to be amazing. I love when a series requires so much of what came before it like this one does, really earns the foundation that has been built since the beginning, and truly subverts your expectations. While Butcher isn't to George R. R. Martin levels, Butcher only pulls his punches when it makes sense. And boy, he didn't not feel like he needed to for this one.

I'll be thinking about this book for a while. Thank God I don't have a wait between books though and can quickly read on.

So fucking awesome. Halfway through the projected series, and I feel like the books can't get any better. But, then again, that's what I thought after Turn Coat, so who am I to say whether the next will be as good as this one?

First, maybe the most awesome finale battle since the T-Rex. Every choice, every character, every scene. All of them brilliantly executed. Also, hilarious at all the cameos. It felt like a reunion tour. Almost all of the old faces appeared, and they each had their own great scene.

Dear Jim Butcher,

please marry me.

Love Noah.

Seems crazy to rate a book in the middle of a 15-book series with 5 stars. If you’ve invested this much time in Harry, it seems likely you’re going to continue. That said, if you were feeling lackluster about volume 11, I promise you don’t want to miss this one. This. Book. Is where it all happens.

Vampires and duels and loss and unfathomable choices. When I think of the significant moments in this series, this is the book I think of. Don’t miss it.

Damn. That was so good. Stupid good. I cannot wait for the next installment. These books get better every time.

Audiobook

There were times when the plot was overstuffed, but a few things that would be spoilers elevated it to 5 stars. On to the next one!

Oh poor Harry! This is a hard one for him. To find out your ex has lied to you and that you've had a child all this time and not only do you have a child but she's now in the hands of the vampires of the Red Court, SO awful! Harry's rage fair shimmers throughout this entire story.

This one is action packed. There's so much going on here with multiple factions throwing things at Harry to try to keep him from moving forward. It seems like everyone, including a number of his allies, are leaving Harry out to dry and in constant peril. He's been attacked so many times, but this time around there've been a few more direct hits. Harry has nothing but a series of bad and worse decisions to make.

I wanted to hide from all the pain and frustration Harry was feeling. There's no good choice for him right now and very few allies that can help. He's up against the entirety of the Red Court and they'd like nothing more than to see him dead. There's a lot of hatred raining down on Harry, it's a personal revenge for actions he's taken that have resulted in some powerful deaths in the Red Court hierarchy. While Harry might be enough to take on members of the Red Court individually, as a whole they pack a huge punch. And he has to figure out how to take them all on and still make sure his daughter is ok. That is if he can even find where they've hidden her.

This was so good! And that cliffhanger ending...shoot me now! I need to get to the next book in this series asap.

Holy $#&%!

First off, the title scared me when I first read about it being the next title after finishing Turn Coat. And change is always scary. Harry points out that "the only thing certain in life is change," and this book certainly gives him plenty of that. A lot is revealed. A lot is destroyed. And I don't dare say much more than that...

I will say, this book really hit the emotions for me. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, crying at others (particularly at Harry's final choice), and often having to put the book down for a moment while I absorbed what had just happened in a particular passage.