This
more recent installment of the long-running October Daye series
opens with Toby having one of her happiest moments yet: her
bachelorette party. It's a weird and slightly embarrassing
event, but Toby has to admit, the party is proof that her
life is just about perfect. That, of course, is the cue for
everything to fall catastrophically apart and it does, beginning
with the entrance of Toby’s selfish, fae mother who
will do anything to get what she wants. Toby has to team up
with the one man she's always considered her enemy, in order
to save the person who means the most to her in the world.
This is definitely a novel for long-time readers of the series
as threads begun in many other books are beginning to be knit
up here. Because of the nature of the quest Toby is on, this
book includes little of the romantic elements, but in a way,
everything Toby does here is a testimony of her love. Every
character carries his or her own pain and we believe every
moment of it. Like Toby, we care for even the worst of those
she encounters because no one is without their own damage.
There’s lots of talk of heroes in this book, and the
danger inherent in wanting to be a hero, while ultimately
those with no desire to be heroes show what heroism truly
means. This novel also includes a bonus gift for fans: a novella
set in the same world and featuring April O'Leary, a computer
grafted dryad. Never let it be said that Seanan McGuire doesn't
create imaginative characters and this novella is a yummy
gift for fans.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Ashes
of Honor #6
The
Winter Long #8
The
Brightest Fell #11 |