Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

By far the most lackluster book of the series to date. For six years, fans have waited for this novel only to be slapped with mediocrity. I honestly don't even know where to start with my disappointment in this novel. Perhaps a word of warning to others that were chomping at the bit for this book, the issues introduced are not resolved before the end of the novel. If you're hoping for a self contained story, you're out of luck. That September 29th release date for Battle Ground suddenly makes so much sense. I wanted to love this book, but wanting to and actually loving it are two very different things. This book was essentially filler after a six year hiatus. Zero dimension was added to the story and little to the characters. The idea that Harry can just drag his daughter around to keep her safe is beyond ridiculous considering the life he's led up to and through this book. She's canon fodder at best, though with Harry being the Mary Stu that he is, he'll always manage to 'save the day.' Everyone likes an underdog, everyone wants to be the hero. But when suddenly the stars align and everything is just perfect in your wheelhouse, it's a bit less appealing. He always has just the spell to pull out of his pocket, despite the man constantly trying to make you feel like he has limits. If he doesn't have the spell, he has the winter mantle which he makes sure to tell you constantly is a primal force that thinks sex and violence are great things and it's all well and good because the mantle keeps him from feeling pain. So he can fight through whatever like a freight train even if it kills him! But we know it won't, because it's Harry. And if neither of those work, well don't worry. Despite the fact that Harry habitually makes enemies wherever he goes, there's always someone that he trusts waiting to save his bacon. These were books that I loved and devoured. It was a world that I thought Butcher put together so beautifully. And here we are, the long awaited sixteenth book that is trite and does nothing to balance the scales for all the build up to it's utterly flat story that is merely a poor attempt at seducing the reader to wait those few more months for number seventeen. If you have not read the books since Skin Game was published in 2014, you're going to have trouble recalling details and fragments of memory dropped throughout the first dozen chapters. If you haven't read the short stories, you'll also be missing pieces and parts. If you're hoping for an actual story with some real detective work and story like the earlier books, you're going to be disappointed. If you're wanting to read it finally because you've waited six years for this book and you don't care that it's absolutely slapdash and incomplete as a story? Well, then my friend, you'll absolutely love it!