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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
While I love McGuire’s voice and world, Toby and anything to do with romance just drives me nuts. Whenever she’s not talking to a man and is focused on the action or the mystery at hand it’s a great read! But her relationships with the male characters and her “im not like other girls” vibes are just too much for me right now.
I'm a huge fan of [a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files, and am always looking for something similar to help me hold out between installments. This story was very much in the same vein, with a good mystery that I didn't figure out ahead of the character. I'll be starting the next book in the series ASAP.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I admit that I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. Seanan McGuire is the true face of pseudonym Mira Grant, writer of the Newsflesh trilogy. Mira Grant wrote two of my favorite books (Feed and Deadline), and I figured starting her urban fantasy series would be a good way to pass the time until Blackout releases May 8. While I generally liked Rosemary and Rue, I feel that it didn’t quite live up to the admittedly very high expectations I had in mind.
Don’t get me wrong — Rosemary and Rue is a good book. My favorite thing about the novel is the rich mythology it brings to the table. Instead of choosing, like some authors, to only go with a select few types of fae, or to not explain the differences between them, McGuire sets up a world chock full of different varieties of faeries, hailing from many different backgrounds. Each type of faeries in this world has their own inner circle, their own abilities, their own temperaments. Add in the differences between the changlelings and the purebloods, and you’ve got another layer of complexity. These delineations, along with the complex societal mores of the faeries living in (or not quite in, as it were) San Francisco, makes for complex, detailed world-building. I salute McGuire for the research she must have done to pull this off, and for tailoring the myths together in a way that just works.
I also liked the protagonist and the characters around her. October tries to be tough, but life keeps handing her the short end of the stick. I think she does well considering the situations she is thrown into. I also appreciate her witty narrative touches. Tybalt was one of my other favorite characters, but perhaps I’m biased, me being a cat person and him being Cait Sidhe. I liked trying to figure the other characters out. For the majority of the story, October has been out of the faerie scene for quite a while, so it is realistic that we don’t know everything about the characters or their current motives. The mystery and thrilling elements of the story are generally well set up and effective. I guessed the identity of the person behind the murder before our heroine, but I didn’t really mind it.
So why didn’t I love the book? That’s a hard question to answer. To put it simply, I felt that Rosemary and Rue just lacked that special something, that oomph factor that made me fall in love with the Newsflesh novels. I would still recommend it to fans of urban fantasy, particularly those with an interest in faerie mythology and mysteries. I think my high expectations kept me from liking the novel as much as I would otherwise. I will very likely check out the next novel in the series, to see if the series picks up for me.
Don’t get me wrong — Rosemary and Rue is a good book. My favorite thing about the novel is the rich mythology it brings to the table. Instead of choosing, like some authors, to only go with a select few types of fae, or to not explain the differences between them, McGuire sets up a world chock full of different varieties of faeries, hailing from many different backgrounds. Each type of faeries in this world has their own inner circle, their own abilities, their own temperaments. Add in the differences between the changlelings and the purebloods, and you’ve got another layer of complexity. These delineations, along with the complex societal mores of the faeries living in (or not quite in, as it were) San Francisco, makes for complex, detailed world-building. I salute McGuire for the research she must have done to pull this off, and for tailoring the myths together in a way that just works.
I also liked the protagonist and the characters around her. October tries to be tough, but life keeps handing her the short end of the stick. I think she does well considering the situations she is thrown into. I also appreciate her witty narrative touches. Tybalt was one of my other favorite characters, but perhaps I’m biased, me being a cat person and him being Cait Sidhe. I liked trying to figure the other characters out. For the majority of the story, October has been out of the faerie scene for quite a while, so it is realistic that we don’t know everything about the characters or their current motives. The mystery and thrilling elements of the story are generally well set up and effective. I guessed the identity of the person behind the murder before our heroine, but I didn’t really mind it.
So why didn’t I love the book? That’s a hard question to answer. To put it simply, I felt that Rosemary and Rue just lacked that special something, that oomph factor that made me fall in love with the Newsflesh novels. I would still recommend it to fans of urban fantasy, particularly those with an interest in faerie mythology and mysteries. I think my high expectations kept me from liking the novel as much as I would otherwise. I will very likely check out the next novel in the series, to see if the series picks up for me.
Rough start, might have DNFed if not buddyreading. Starts off so intense and sad. Short story at the end shows it was written after a decade more practice for sure. Intrigued, want to read Book 2.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been on a mission to re-read the October Daye series for a while now. I keep getting set back, but I'm hopeful that this time I'll finally manage to get caught up!
One thing that's happened because of re-reading this first book for the second time in a year is that I've come to have a new appreciation for it. Back when I first read it, I was 18, An Artificial Night had just come out and that was the book I actually wanted to read, so I don't think I gave this book a chance, nor do I think teenage me had an appreciation for some of the emotions Toby experienced. Now in my 30s, I understand her so much better, and I think my reading experience was much more enjoyable as a result.
Toby's a great main character - a resourceful smartass is and always will be my favorite kind. In addition to that, she's got a backstory and trauma that, despite being very fantasy-based, feels relatable and makes me want to root for her. The supporting cast is amazing as well - shout out to the Luidaeg, who's been my favorite character in this series for as long as I've been reading it and continues to be so. The scene between her and Toby in this book is just *chef's kiss* - I love me an eons-old immortal being of dubious morals who's hiding in plain sight.
I've always enjoyed Seanan's writing. I think she paces her books well, with just the right amount of lore dropping in a way that doesn't feel info-dumpy. The world really just seems to come together so easily in her books, and it's so easy to lose myself in the story.
My only real complaints about this book are 1. Devin (I just dislike him and am very glad this is the only book we had to deal with him in) and 2. I feel things got wrapped up very quickly in the end. I guess I can understand since it's the first in a very long series, but it still feels a bit too "wrapped up in a nice bow" to me.
Overall, this is a very solid first book, and re-reading it with knowledge of what happens later in the series only heightened my enjoyment.
One thing that's happened because of re-reading this first book for the second time in a year is that I've come to have a new appreciation for it. Back when I first read it, I was 18, An Artificial Night had just come out and that was the book I actually wanted to read, so I don't think I gave this book a chance, nor do I think teenage me had an appreciation for some of the emotions Toby experienced. Now in my 30s, I understand her so much better, and I think my reading experience was much more enjoyable as a result.
Toby's a great main character - a resourceful smartass is and always will be my favorite kind. In addition to that, she's got a backstory and trauma that, despite being very fantasy-based, feels relatable and makes me want to root for her. The supporting cast is amazing as well - shout out to the Luidaeg, who's been my favorite character in this series for as long as I've been reading it and continues to be so. The scene between her and Toby in this book is just *chef's kiss* - I love me an eons-old immortal being of dubious morals who's hiding in plain sight.
I've always enjoyed Seanan's writing. I think she paces her books well, with just the right amount of lore dropping in a way that doesn't feel info-dumpy. The world really just seems to come together so easily in her books, and it's so easy to lose myself in the story.
My only real complaints about this book are 1. Devin (I just dislike him and am very glad this is the only book we had to deal with him in) and 2. I feel things got wrapped up very quickly in the end. I guess I can understand since it's the first in a very long series, but it still feels a bit too "wrapped up in a nice bow" to me.
Overall, this is a very solid first book, and re-reading it with knowledge of what happens later in the series only heightened my enjoyment.