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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rosemary and Rue introduces us to October Daye, a half human, half fae changeling who works as a Private Investigator (PI). I was quite surprised to find the book started June 9, 1995. Toby is working a case for Duke Sylvester Torquill, trying to find his missing wife (Luna) and daughter (Rayseline). She believes his own son Simon may be behind the abduction. While tracking Simon, she gets herself spotted during his romantic interlude with Oleander De Merelands, who we are informed, is bad news. Toby is then turned into a fish for...14 years.
The story picks back up on December 23, 2009 with Toby working as a cashier at a grocery store. She lives in San Francisco and is barely making ends meet, since she can't seem to hold a job down. All semblance of her normal life is gone, her ex husband (Cliff) wont speak to her and neither will her daughter Gilly. (Gillian).
Toby receives several frantic voice mails from a friend named Evening, who is in serious trouble. Evening is then murdered in a terrifying fashion (death by iron blade/bullets is particularly scary for fae, as it shows the murderer knew she was fae). But not before binding Toby to have to find the killer, or suffer her own painful death.
I had several problems with this book, and I almost put it down. Which would not have been the first time, as I tried to read it when it first came out, but was unsuccessful. I've never been a very big fan of the fae, but since they have been in so many of the series I do enjoy I've come to accept them, and they don't confuse me quite so much. The problem with the story is Toby herself, she's just so...dull. Her reputation precedes itself, and there is quite a bit of respect for her past work. For example, she is the only changeling to be knighted in over 100 years. I just wish we could have seen one example of that throughout this entire book.
Toby is almost killed in almost every encounter she has with another character. The only reason she survives is not by her wits or skill, but by luck and somebody else just managing to show up in the nick of time. The most intriguing factor is trying to figure out WHO exactly, was responsible for Evening's murder. I feel like the story itself had so much potential, I just never really connected with Toby. We always got backstory After a big event, which left me feeling disconnected with her and feeling like maybe I missed a book or prequel somewhere. Even so, I will probably check out the next book before giving up on the series entirely. I really do have some hope for the series.
For more reviews visit Kickassurbanfantasy.ga
The story picks back up on December 23, 2009 with Toby working as a cashier at a grocery store. She lives in San Francisco and is barely making ends meet, since she can't seem to hold a job down. All semblance of her normal life is gone, her ex husband (Cliff) wont speak to her and neither will her daughter Gilly. (Gillian).
Toby receives several frantic voice mails from a friend named Evening, who is in serious trouble. Evening is then murdered in a terrifying fashion (death by iron blade/bullets is particularly scary for fae, as it shows the murderer knew she was fae). But not before binding Toby to have to find the killer, or suffer her own painful death.
I had several problems with this book, and I almost put it down. Which would not have been the first time, as I tried to read it when it first came out, but was unsuccessful. I've never been a very big fan of the fae, but since they have been in so many of the series I do enjoy I've come to accept them, and they don't confuse me quite so much. The problem with the story is Toby herself, she's just so...dull. Her reputation precedes itself, and there is quite a bit of respect for her past work. For example, she is the only changeling to be knighted in over 100 years. I just wish we could have seen one example of that throughout this entire book.
Toby is almost killed in almost every encounter she has with another character. The only reason she survives is not by her wits or skill, but by luck and somebody else just managing to show up in the nick of time. The most intriguing factor is trying to figure out WHO exactly, was responsible for Evening's murder. I feel like the story itself had so much potential, I just never really connected with Toby. We always got backstory After a big event, which left me feeling disconnected with her and feeling like maybe I missed a book or prequel somewhere. Even so, I will probably check out the next book before giving up on the series entirely. I really do have some hope for the series.
For more reviews visit Kickassurbanfantasy.ga
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
It didn't change my life but it was very entertaining. Like if Jessica Jones or Veronica Mars was a half-elf. Will check out the other books at some point because I've heard the writing gets better and better.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was told the first couple of books in the series were rough, and it definitely shows in this one. Strong start, slow middle, the closer I got to the end the more eye rolling commenced over how Mary Sue it all got, with so many characters in love with, or highly dedicated to protecting the mc, that never gets explained or shown WHY they feel the way they do. The villain was also ridiculously easy to figure out.
I'll continue the series, knowing it apparently gets its issues smoothed out.
A low 3/5 stars
I'll continue the series, knowing it apparently gets its issues smoothed out.
A low 3/5 stars
October "Toby" Daye is a Changeling who just got freed from a curse that turned her into a fish for 14 years. When Evening, her pureblood fae friend and the Countess of Winterrose, is murdered, Toby must solve it or die. It just gets more fast-paced from there. This is a fun read with a cool world and interesting character dynamics. Toby is on the verge of death for most of the book alas, but she is scrappy. I'm interested to see where she goes next!
adventurous
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been following Seanan McGuire on social media for several years, and she's always been upfront that this book has some issues. She's said it's kind of a rough start to the series and contains language and attitudes she would edit out if she could. I have read far worse things. This was a fun and snappy popcorn read - extremely readable and entertaining. I've never read a urban fantasy book before and I found it to be fun.
It's not perfect. We have a prologue that leads into a 14-and-a-half years timeskip that really felt like starting the story off by smacking into a pothole due to a lack of explanation. The story then later gives us the infodump of how that 14+ year situation resolved in a dream sequence, which was, certainly a choice. Our protagonist really has no self preservation instinct and almost bleeds to death multiple times. I felt the plot struggled a little because it had to introduce so many characters to us, not all of whom are big movers and shakers in this particular story. But I never felt like putting the book down. Even if I was a touch annoyed at how slowly we collected clues for the mystery, I just kept reading. I found myself thinking about the story and the characters at work. I just had to know more, and as soon as I finished this book I picked up the second book in the series without even pausing to mark this one off as "finished."
[Side note, I've heard Seanan McGuire talk about the language issues in this book and early series before, it's probably that she kept negativity comparing things to "hookers" and women kept calling each other bitches.]
It's not perfect. We have a prologue that leads into a 14-and-a-half years timeskip that really felt like starting the story off by smacking into a pothole due to a lack of explanation. The story then later gives us the infodump of how that 14+ year situation resolved in a dream sequence, which was, certainly a choice. Our protagonist really has no self preservation instinct and almost bleeds to death multiple times. I felt the plot struggled a little because it had to introduce so many characters to us, not all of whom are big movers and shakers in this particular story. But I never felt like putting the book down. Even if I was a touch annoyed at how slowly we collected clues for the mystery, I just kept reading. I found myself thinking about the story and the characters at work. I just had to know more, and as soon as I finished this book I picked up the second book in the series without even pausing to mark this one off as "finished."
[Side note, I've heard Seanan McGuire talk about the language issues in this book and early series before, it's probably that she kept negativity comparing things to "hookers" and women kept calling each other bitches.]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Medical content, Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Dementia
Whorephobia, drowning.