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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
This series follows Toby (short for October), a half-fae private investigator, as she solves mysteries and navigates the treacherous fairy world. As someone who loves political intrigue, I was hooked immediately by the intricate exchanges of power in the fae world and loved trying to guess who was trustworthy and who was going to double-cross Toby at the first opportunity. The pace is pretty much pedal to the metal from page one, with no time for Toby to catch her breath or heal from those gunshot wounds, which makes for a very propulsive read. And Toby is a great central character because she’s not a teen princess; she’s old enough to have a teenage daughter and has had some life experiences. I look forward to continuing with the series--fortunately I already have books two and three from the used bookstore, back when that was still a place we could go without risking the scourge.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A series and characters that gets better with each book. The characters develop over time and so does the lore.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I'd enjoyed Seanan McGuire's work under the pen name Mira Grant, so I was anxious to see what her other work was like. It helped that my husband had recommended this book so highly.
I was not disappointed. The writing was crisp, and her characters were interesting and had some depth to them. I was impressed that she was able to get a lot of information across without feeling like there was extended exposition. Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I was not disappointed. The writing was crisp, and her characters were interesting and had some depth to them. I was impressed that she was able to get a lot of information across without feeling like there was extended exposition. Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Didn't want to finish this. Poorly written. Potential unrealized.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rosemary and Rue
3.5 Stars
As a changeling, October “Toby” Daye has never fit into either the human or the fae worlds, but vows to live a “normal” life when she is burned by the faeries one too many times. Unfortunately, the murder of an old friend forces Toby back into fae society as she renews old alliances and forges new ones while investigating the crime.
Like many first books in a UF series, much of the book is taken up by the world building and this tends to overshadow the mystery. The fae world is very interesting albeit confusing with a variety of different races, abilities and agendas to keep track of.
Toby is a likable and relatable heroine with just the right amount of strength, vulnerability and sass. Some have compared her to Kate Daniels but, personally, I don’t see the resemblance considering the fact that Toby tends to get her ass kicked quite often, is quite self-depricating and doesn’t have nearly the amount of snark as Kate.
On the romance front, there are quite a few men in Toby’s life - too many in fact and it isn’t 100% clear what the attraction is. Moreover, her taste isn’t exactly wonderful although Tybalt has definite potential (I’m a sucker for a love-hate relationship).
The mystery has some good twists and turns although Toby’s investigative skills are not all that and the villain is actually quite obvious once everyone else is ruled out.
All in all, the world building is solid and the characters intriguing enough to continue with the series.
3.5 Stars
As a changeling, October “Toby” Daye has never fit into either the human or the fae worlds, but vows to live a “normal” life when she is burned by the faeries one too many times. Unfortunately, the murder of an old friend forces Toby back into fae society as she renews old alliances and forges new ones while investigating the crime.
Like many first books in a UF series, much of the book is taken up by the world building and this tends to overshadow the mystery. The fae world is very interesting albeit confusing with a variety of different races, abilities and agendas to keep track of.
Toby is a likable and relatable heroine with just the right amount of strength, vulnerability and sass. Some have compared her to Kate Daniels but, personally, I don’t see the resemblance considering the fact that Toby tends to get her ass kicked quite often, is quite self-depricating and doesn’t have nearly the amount of snark as Kate.
On the romance front, there are quite a few men in Toby’s life - too many in fact and it isn’t 100% clear what the attraction is. Moreover, her taste isn’t exactly wonderful although Tybalt has definite potential (I’m a sucker for a love-hate relationship).
The mystery has some good twists and turns although Toby’s investigative skills are not all that and the villain is actually quite obvious once everyone else is ruled out.
All in all, the world building is solid and the characters intriguing enough to continue with the series.
adventurous
dark
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:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was alright? I really wanted to like this because proper Fae and a PI changeling sounds awesome. However, it really intrigue me. There was some pretty dark topics here and yet I felt nothing much about it.
This book felt a lot like things were happening TO Toby and not Toby doing things. Not all of it but generally speaking those were the vibes.
This book felt a lot like things were happening TO Toby and not Toby doing things. Not all of it but generally speaking those were the vibes.