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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
I continue to love this series. Can't wait for the next!
I disliked the first part of this book, with Toby trapped in a lie, and was very ready for her to break free. But the story grabbed me, and I love the characters and the world, so, minus the emotional trauma...
After I accidentally spoiled the ending of Serpent (book 16), I couldn’t bring myself to actually read it until I had book 17 in hand, so I didn’t have to live with the cliffhanger. I was ecstatic to get the ARC through Edelweiss!!!!
This book weaves the events of the previous 16 books (both tragedies & triumphs) into an adventure where everything is twisted and no one is who/where they are supposed to be. As always, I loved the Luidaeg, who reminds us that you don’t have to physically hit to cause harm (but sometimes you just have to!)
This book weaves the events of the previous 16 books (both tragedies & triumphs) into an adventure where everything is twisted and no one is who/where they are supposed to be. As always, I loved the Luidaeg, who reminds us that you don’t have to physically hit to cause harm (but sometimes you just have to!)
17 books. How can someone write 17 books in a series and still manage to make it interesting.
It seems easy - if you're Seanan McGuire.
Every previous book seems to have a turn in Toby's illusionary world - Blind Michael, Devin, Luna, Raysel, August, January. And they are weaved seamlessly into a perfect story of how hard it is to disbelieve an illusion.
The only negative thing I can say is that I have to wait a YEAR for the next book to come out.
It seems easy - if you're Seanan McGuire.
Every previous book seems to have a turn in Toby's illusionary world - Blind Michael, Devin, Luna, Raysel, August, January. And they are weaved seamlessly into a perfect story of how hard it is to disbelieve an illusion.
The only negative thing I can say is that I have to wait a YEAR for the next book to come out.
Picks up a few months after the previous, in the fantasy world Titania created so the author could have fun doing what-ifs. That's about it, not good, not bad, dead average.
Thank you Seanan Mcguire, DAW, and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.
There's a reason this is the only series I've stuck with for this long; it's worth it. There's only one previous book I didn't love, and this addition was great too.
The only thing I didn't like, was how
Other than that, it was as good a read as the rest of the series in general, so if (as is likely) the series continues, I continue on with it.
There's a reason this is the only series I've stuck with for this long; it's worth it. There's only one previous book I didn't love, and this addition was great too.
The only thing I didn't like, was how
Spoiler
angry Tybalt was with Toby. I get him being angry about what happened, but why at her, when he knows it's not her fault? I'm guessing we were supposed to find that romantic somehow, but really it just made him seem immature.Other than that, it was as good a read as the rest of the series in general, so if (as is likely) the series continues, I continue on with it.
I have been with this series since the beginning, and I’m always amazed at the storytelling abilities of this author. This latest installment in the series has Toby not knowing who she really is, and it was a little painful to see her not as herself., and there are other characters in this same predicament. However, and this isn’t a spoiler, we get to see how this helps with some healing for all the characters in the long run. Speaking of that, make sure to read the novella at the end, too. It was eye-opening. I was mesmerized by the whole book which was written exquisitely with wonderful prose and a very engaging plot. I’m ready to see what’s coming next. Highly recommend.
This book is an amazing feat of writing. Alt Universe Toby, ensnared in an illusion for a good section of the book, still manages to be, at her core, the Toby we know. She is kind, she is brave (especially if it helps others) and she is a total pain in the a$$ for the powers that be. So many of the characters are partly recognizable from the regular Toby world, but the novel allows us to explore familiar characters and how they would behave/evolve in a world without Faerie’s most famous wrecking ball, the Changeling Knight of Lost Words stampeding around in pursuit of justice. We see the depth of her influence on Quentin, especially.
Eagerly awaiting Tybalt’s book, which releases October 24th. (I’m not snickering at the release month as I type it, really I’m not…)
Eagerly awaiting Tybalt’s book, which releases October 24th. (I’m not snickering at the release month as I type it, really I’m not…)
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
October Daye is living a happy life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents. Destined to be the changeling handmaid to her older sister August, October doesn’t question her lot in life. She spends her days working in the family’s tower awaiting the day when her sister sets up her own household and takes October with her. This Faerie is perfect. This Faerie is a lie.
October has been pulled into a terrible and strong illusion that has torn her from the people who love her and whom she loves. She’s been recast into a docile role of acceptance when in her heart she is a Knight of the realm. She must decide whether she can risk everything she knows is based on this fake Faerie to take back what she currently thinks are only the stories of strangers.
I was skeptical when I read the beginning of this book. I’d picked it up not knowing what was happening, as if I too had forgotten what occurred in the previous books. But at the center of the book is October Daye, and she is essentially unchanged in personality. She’s still brave, a bit reckless, and completely uncomfortable with bleeding to make things right. It was enjoyable to see how other characters were also changed in this “perfect” cleansed Faerie. I was especially horrified to witness Quinten (in a good way) on how he’d be without Toby’s influence on him. I was devastated for Simon; hasn’t the man suffered enough at the hands of the women he surrounded himself with?!
Overall, the idea was good but the pacing was terrible. Too much hurry up and wait in the middle just to rush the ending and epilogue. I have my doubts about whether the next book which is based on the exact same four months, just from Tyblt’s perspective, is even worth reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Minor: Child death, Death, Genocide, Murder
Oh man, I am HERE for a messed-up AU. I was excited for this premise and it delivered. Admittedly, around the halfway mark I started to get impatient for "our" Toby's return; it was a long stretch with this meeker version. But I think that was more my fault for the way I tend to read these books slowly than a problem with the book itself. And I liked how not everything about the situation was horrible. This gave Toby and some other characters a chance to spend more time and form new bonds/memories with with some of the people in their lives, and I'll be really interested to see how that affects things in coming books.