Reviews

Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire

elllljayyyy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

nhonami's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

belanna2's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

jesslynh's review

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5.0

This remains one of the best fantasy series out there--without any qualification on whattype of fantasy. The integration of faery into our world is done flawlessly.

I am on my knees in gratitude to Seanan McGuire for not including cliffhangers (she seems to trust her writing enough to know we'll be back for more) and no stupid love-triangle. Thank you!

I look forward to more of anything this woman writes. You should as well.

whatsmacksaid's review

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4.0

I love the Luidaeg and enjoyed this story, but am limiting myself to three stars rather than my knee-jerk inclination toward four because it wasn't really a story. It was a couple of scenes from another character's point of view from a time prior to the point that Toby makes a suitable narrator. She's a child, and what's more, she's hardly present--she can't give us the information.

So overall, I enjoyed "Never Shines the Sun" and would *love* to see more, but it's more like two deleted scenes than a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

gilwen's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

msmori's review against another edition

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adventurous

1.5

patchworkbunny's review

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5.0

It's not often a character hot glues themself to a unicorn. Love this series, full review to follow.

amym84's review

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4.0

4.5

Originally Posted at Vampire Book Club

Chimes at Midnight picks up roughly three months after the events in Ashes of Honor. The issues with goblin fruit, which were briefly introduced at the beginning of the last book, have escalated. Goblin fruit is a drug of euphoria for pure bloods, but when given to a changeling or human causes instant addiction and death soon after, and more and more of it is being peddled on the streets. Not knowing what else to do, Toby decides to bring up this problem to the Queen.

Everyone knows that the Queen and Toby have a barely tolerated relationship at best, but the Queen has had enough of Toby’s ‘insolence’ and banishes her from the Mists. Toby has three days to get her affairs in order and leave. Little does the Queen know that three days is plenty of time for Toby to work out a solution, and that solution is looking more and more like questioning the Queen’s very right to the throne. Toby will have to use every avenue available in order to ensure her own survival, but, for Toby, that’s nothing new, right?

I can’t believe we are already on the seventh book of this series. I really appreciate the planning that Seanan McGuire has obviously taken when writing, where a simple phrase or dialogue in passing will end up being an important bit of information later on. Things with the Queen have been escalating since the beginning of the series and McGuire did a good job in finally addressing the issue here. I just felt like starting off with the goblin fruit problem was a bit misleading, because it then was overshadowed by the Queen, and then Toby trying to focus on avoiding her banishment. I looked at it as more of an ongoing problem that will have to be solved over time, and making sure Toby was around was the first step in ensuring that a solution could be found.

Toby’s relationship with Tybalt is going strong. I think McGuire did a good job putting all feelings out in the open in Ashes of Honor and here we actually get to see them in the relationship—working around Toby’s unavoidable penchant for trouble and Tybalt deciding to stay by her side for the long run. It was sweet seeing their devotion to one another unwavering.

McGuire again gives readers a unique take on Fae with descriptive visuals and interesting twists and turns in Chimes at Midnight. We learn new things about old characters and we’re introduced to new ones. Not everything is figured out in the end but what would Toby do if another problem didn’t pop up for her to solve?

I can’t believe I’m finally caught up with the series. I’m excitedly anticipating book eight The Winter Long. Based on some of the things started in Chimes at Midnight, I’m interested to see what trouble finds Toby next.

b_m_thompson's review against another edition

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adventurous sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5