Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
Kate and I are unabashed fangirls for this series, especially with James Marsters on the audiobooks.
I could not put this book down! It was amazing and really messed with my sleep. hehe
My favorite so far. BUT if I were reading this series on my own, I never would have made it to book 12.
Love Dresden files and this is the best one. It was great to listen to it with my son.
I had to take a while before rating this book after I read it. About half way through the book I actually stopped reading it. I closed the book and said - nope - that's it I'm done - I don't like what is happening here. Then I decided to trudge through. When I finished I still thought - nope didn't like that - especially the ending. Then I started reading the next book because I'm a glutton for punishment and said - nope don't like this either. Now I'm about half way through Ghost Story and I'm starting to appreciate Changes.
So let me explain. I started reading Dresden last year. I have pretty much read them through 1 through 12 (now on 13) without pause. I became invested in the Dresden files. I loved the character and how he evolved. I loved the other characters as well. Changes was too much change for me to take. The beginning of the book set the tone for me. Really - Dresden's a dad? What is this, some lame sitcom no? Has Butcher lost it? Why - why was this necessary? Then as the book progresses I just felt like I had been lied to through books 1-11. Harry was not really committed to his morals. He had always managed to overcome obstacles despite his insistance on following his own personal (warped) moral code. Now - all of a sudden he doesn't or cannot. It really bugged me. I started reading the reviews here on Good Reads part way through the book just to see what others thought. How the heck could this book have such a good rating? It's horrible. We've been sold out. I read one review who suggested that it seemed Butcher wanted to try one of the increasingly popular "reboots" happening in Hollywood and in comic books. Screw that I thought. Don't mess with Dresden now.
I started looking back at the other books in the series and saying to myself - he's been setting us up for this. It's some sick joke. When Michael Carpenter got hurt I was pissed. But kept going - because yes some times bad things happen to good people. Now I was fuming.
But. Ah yes, but. The book was really good. Were this the first Dresden book I had read I would have loved it. Action, twists, moral dilemmas, all incredibly detailed. Was Butcher just looking to bring the series to a climax? Go out big? Reminded me of another series I loved - the Legends/Chronicles of the Raven. Hated how it ended. Then followed up by guess what - a Ghost Story. Ah so that's what Butcher is up to. But no - Book 14 just came out. Hmmm....let's read Ghost Story. Huh. Deep. Challenging. Engaging. Okay so Butcher did not give up on Harry. The other characters have not given up on Harry. Maybe therefore I should not give up on Harry.
If I had rated this book when I first finished it - it would have gotten a 2. Now after getting half way through the next book it's a 4. I'd like to think that after I get into number 14 I'll come back and change this to a 5.
So for all of you struggling the way I did - give it a chance - I think in the long run you will agree it is worth the effort, and if you can just enjoy the book for what it is - you will not be disappointed.
So let me explain. I started reading Dresden last year. I have pretty much read them through 1 through 12 (now on 13) without pause. I became invested in the Dresden files. I loved the character and how he evolved. I loved the other characters as well. Changes was too much change for me to take. The beginning of the book set the tone for me. Really - Dresden's a dad? What is this, some lame sitcom no? Has Butcher lost it? Why - why was this necessary? Then as the book progresses I just felt like I had been lied to through books 1-11. Harry was not really committed to his morals. He had always managed to overcome obstacles despite his insistance on following his own personal (warped) moral code. Now - all of a sudden he doesn't or cannot. It really bugged me. I started reading the reviews here on Good Reads part way through the book just to see what others thought. How the heck could this book have such a good rating? It's horrible. We've been sold out. I read one review who suggested that it seemed Butcher wanted to try one of the increasingly popular "reboots" happening in Hollywood and in comic books. Screw that I thought. Don't mess with Dresden now.
I started looking back at the other books in the series and saying to myself - he's been setting us up for this. It's some sick joke. When Michael Carpenter got hurt I was pissed. But kept going - because yes some times bad things happen to good people. Now I was fuming.
But. Ah yes, but. The book was really good. Were this the first Dresden book I had read I would have loved it. Action, twists, moral dilemmas, all incredibly detailed. Was Butcher just looking to bring the series to a climax? Go out big? Reminded me of another series I loved - the Legends/Chronicles of the Raven. Hated how it ended. Then followed up by guess what - a Ghost Story. Ah so that's what Butcher is up to. But no - Book 14 just came out. Hmmm....let's read Ghost Story. Huh. Deep. Challenging. Engaging. Okay so Butcher did not give up on Harry. The other characters have not given up on Harry. Maybe therefore I should not give up on Harry.
If I had rated this book when I first finished it - it would have gotten a 2. Now after getting half way through the next book it's a 4. I'd like to think that after I get into number 14 I'll come back and change this to a 5.
So for all of you struggling the way I did - give it a chance - I think in the long run you will agree it is worth the effort, and if you can just enjoy the book for what it is - you will not be disappointed.
I do not give out many 5-star ratings, but for this book I couldn't do anything else. That is despite the fact that [a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg] did something I honestly didn't think he would do to his legions of loyal readers, something that I absolutely detest. Something that I will not tell you about, because I loathe spoilers.
If you know anything about me, though, it means a great deal to say that even though I would drop most authors who use that particular technique like not just hot, but rotten hot potatoes, I cannot even consider not getting the next Dresden Files book and devouring it the very first millisecond I am able to do so.
My family can attest to the fact that I didn't just laugh out loud while reading Changes. (Anybody who doesn't laugh out loud at least once while reading the Dresden Files should be checked for rigor mortis.) This time I laughed so loud and so long at one point that Sam got up and came into the room where I was to make sure that I was okay and getting enough air. There was absolutely no way for me to explain what was so funny, of course, without spoilers.
While there is a great deal of humor, there is also darkness. A lot of darkness. The blurb for the book makes that clear. Susan, the love of Harry's life, kidnapped years ago by a Red Court vampire and half-turned in a plot to get at Dresden, is back with big, bad news: she had a daughter by him, and the child has been kidnapped by someone. As usual, things go downhill from there.
Many series start out with a bang, have maybe two or three strong volumes, then devolve into more and more and more contract fulfillment books that I occasionally think might be written by clever shell scripts. The Dresden Files is one of the few, beautiful exceptions, as volume twelve proves. I honestly thought that Butcher was winding things up to move on to other projects, due to some of the events in the book, but I will say that he surprised the bejesus out of me. This is definitely not a series-ending book!
I anxiously await number thirteen. I might even do something I've never done before, and pre-order it. Yes, Jim, you've got me hooked, and how.
If you know anything about me, though, it means a great deal to say that even though I would drop most authors who use that particular technique like not just hot, but rotten hot potatoes, I cannot even consider not getting the next Dresden Files book and devouring it the very first millisecond I am able to do so.
My family can attest to the fact that I didn't just laugh out loud while reading Changes. (Anybody who doesn't laugh out loud at least once while reading the Dresden Files should be checked for rigor mortis.) This time I laughed so loud and so long at one point that Sam got up and came into the room where I was to make sure that I was okay and getting enough air. There was absolutely no way for me to explain what was so funny, of course, without spoilers.
While there is a great deal of humor, there is also darkness. A lot of darkness. The blurb for the book makes that clear. Susan, the love of Harry's life, kidnapped years ago by a Red Court vampire and half-turned in a plot to get at Dresden, is back with big, bad news: she had a daughter by him, and the child has been kidnapped by someone. As usual, things go downhill from there.
Many series start out with a bang, have maybe two or three strong volumes, then devolve into more and more and more contract fulfillment books that I occasionally think might be written by clever shell scripts. The Dresden Files is one of the few, beautiful exceptions, as volume twelve proves. I honestly thought that Butcher was winding things up to move on to other projects, due to some of the events in the book, but I will say that he surprised the bejesus out of me. This is definitely not a series-ending book!
I anxiously await number thirteen. I might even do something I've never done before, and pre-order it. Yes, Jim, you've got me hooked, and how.
And it just keeps on being great. To me, this is about pitch perfect for what urban fantasy should be.
Not a big fan of a cliff hanger ending, but crap, if a reader is on book 12 they should be invested enough in a series to be planning to read book 13 anyway.
Not a big fan of a cliff hanger ending, but crap, if a reader is on book 12 they should be invested enough in a series to be planning to read book 13 anyway.
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Butcher is deft at relieving some of the tension and grimness with bursts of gallows humor that keep readers coming back for more. There has not been a bad Dresden Files book. Which says something because the author has to continually write better to top himself. With "Changes" Jim Butcher points to left field, calls his shot and swings away. Just a monster of a story. Incorporating fever paced emotion and solid suspense Butcher tells the story of Harry Dresden's most spectacular adventure yet. Personally I love the increased role that Mouse plays in this installment. A nice touch.
B+
B+