" After a break from the Dresden Files, returning to the series is a bit of a pleasure. Tempting though it is to plough through them all one after the other, I find myself craving variety after a while. That's no reflection on the series in general though. After a shattering turn in his love life at the end of the previous book, during which he managed to kick off a war between the secret worlds of wizardry and vampirism that exist in his version of the world, he's ducking assassins at every turn, barely able to hold himself together. He's certainly in no state to get involved in a second war between factions of the Faerie, while at the same time trying to prevent his own people from executing him. Needless to say... The humour and action are as smoothly delivered as ever, and the stakes get higher. Where previously Harry has, more or less, been able to compete with the powers he's come up against, here he's far out of his depth, and the book becomes more about his wits than his wizardry. Tremendous fun, but not a jumping on point. "
— Richard, 1/4/2014