Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - La Malédiction de la rose

Some series start with an explosion of greatness, grabbing the reader's attention, drawing them in, and leaving them starved for more in the wake of the debut. Well, October Daye isn't like that. The concept of a fae-infested San Francisco was interesting, the story was acceptable, the characters made me scowl and smile as needed...but it was all just fine. There wasn't anything to it that would make me thrust this book into someone's hands, insisting that they read this great new series right now. I'd expected more from this much-hyped series, but I suspect that might be my problem right there - getting caught in the hype.

The strength of the series so far is undoubtedly the world building, how McGuire fit all the species of fae in and around our own modern(ish) world. I'll forgive any number of plot and character sins if it means I get to explore the nooks and crannies. I also really enjoyed the way magic was handled, with the unique scents and constraints on casting. The cast of characters were interesting and varied, but I found myself frustrated by Toby herself. It felt as if she was tumbling from one plot point to the next, getting knocked down only to be revived by her allies over and over. I liked viewing the world from her perspective, but at the same time I wanted to smack her until she let me drive, because she kept being stubborn. I know McGuire's writing enough to know that she's probably going somewhere with this characterization, but it was frustrating throughout this whole first book.

I do intend to continue with this series. I've heard it gets better as it goes along, and I was interested in many of the plot teasers that were dangled in the final chapter. But unfortunately it's a bit of a rough introduction.

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maryellen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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readingelli's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had fun with this one. I always love fae stories.

Rep: white female MC with PTSD, Asian coded female side character, various other fae race side characters.

CWs: Blood, confinement (in a pond as a fish), death, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, medical content, murder, racism (within the fae there is discrimination and prejudice towards changelings and half fae), toxic relationship, violence, emotional abuse. Moderate: Ableism, child death, gore, sexual content. Brief: Dementia.

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achablani's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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laurajones's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Rosemary and Rue is drenched in blood and magic; October's path is filled with death as she races against time to solve a murder before it kills her.

I love urban fantasy, stories with the fae, and murder mysteries, so I had a great time reading this one. It's so fully centered in the convergence of those genres that if that combination doesn't sound like a good time then this maybe isn't the book for you, but it was perfect for me. Stories with the fae have to decide how relatable or inscrutable they'll be, and I especially liked this book's take on changelings as a way to bridge the reader's understanding of the other supernatural creatures. While many of the tropes were familiar, the way the Faerie elements are treated here was a great mix of leaning into the genre and building something fresh and new. The resolution was surprising while also fitting the story that led up to it. A lot of ground was laid to sustain a long-running series (at the time of my review the 14th book in this series has been published), so I'm excited to dig into this one. The main story in this book was wrapped up to my satisfaction, but it's obvious that the world traced here can hold so many more stories.

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