Scan barcode
rusticreadingal's review against another edition
5.0
There is no book I anticipate more every year than the new addition to the October Daye Series. In THE BRIGHTEST FELL, Amandine, Toby's mom, is back with a seemingly impossible demand for Toby - find August, who's been missing for over a century. Easy, right? NOT! With no leads, nothing to go on, and owing Amandine nothing, Toby refuses. Well... that doesn't go over too well. To force Toby's compliance, Amandine kidnaps a couple of Toby's loved ones. Now the stakes are too high for Toby to fail.
There was one part in the first chapter (I won't spoil what) where I was laughing so hard I was literally crying. SO FUNNY! I haven't laughed that hard in awhile and even now, thinking back on it, I can't help but chuckle. But in typical Toby fashion, it didn't take long for things to turn more serious and for the action to pick up.
Okay, so let me get this out of the way... Amandine is an absolutely horrible person. I didn't think I could like her any less... well, this book proved me wrong! It's amazing how much more I dislike her now! I think she's in line for the Worst Mother of the Year award. Amandine's always been a mystery and even though she's such a terrible person, it was still completely fascinating to read about her, to learn a little more about her.
THE BRIGHTEST FELL was epic! I wanted it to go on forever... why did it have to end? This was the best in the series since THE WINTER LONG. Not to say the ones in between were bad, they weren't. They were spectacular... But this one... Gosh! The payoff from a lot of events that began in previous books was amazing! There's so many layers of complexity woven seamlessly throughout this series from beginning til now! I can't wait to find out what comes next!
There's so much more I want say, but the right words won't come and even if they did, they'd probably be full of spoilers anyway. So it's just better if I stop here and say go pick up a copy! There's so much awesomeness in this book, so many answers, so much payoff! It doesn't get better than this!
OF THINGS UNKNOWN
OF THINGS UNKNOWN was a novella from the viewpoint of April O'Leary. April was never one of my favorite characters, so I wasn't expecting to like this novella as much as I did. It was awesome and absolutely exceeded my expectations. It was super interesting to see things from April's unique perspective. I think this is my favorite novella in the Toby-verse. I want to say so much more, but again... it would all be spoilers. So, I'll just say... it was amazing!
There was one part in the first chapter (I won't spoil what) where I was laughing so hard I was literally crying. SO FUNNY! I haven't laughed that hard in awhile and even now, thinking back on it, I can't help but chuckle. But in typical Toby fashion, it didn't take long for things to turn more serious and for the action to pick up.
Okay, so let me get this out of the way... Amandine is an absolutely horrible person. I didn't think I could like her any less... well, this book proved me wrong! It's amazing how much more I dislike her now! I think she's in line for the Worst Mother of the Year award. Amandine's always been a mystery and even though she's such a terrible person, it was still completely fascinating to read about her, to learn a little more about her.
THE BRIGHTEST FELL was epic! I wanted it to go on forever... why did it have to end? This was the best in the series since THE WINTER LONG. Not to say the ones in between were bad, they weren't. They were spectacular... But this one... Gosh! The payoff from a lot of events that began in previous books was amazing! There's so many layers of complexity woven seamlessly throughout this series from beginning til now! I can't wait to find out what comes next!
There's so much more I want say, but the right words won't come and even if they did, they'd probably be full of spoilers anyway. So it's just better if I stop here and say go pick up a copy! There's so much awesomeness in this book, so many answers, so much payoff! It doesn't get better than this!
OF THINGS UNKNOWN
OF THINGS UNKNOWN was a novella from the viewpoint of April O'Leary. April was never one of my favorite characters, so I wasn't expecting to like this novella as much as I did. It was awesome and absolutely exceeded my expectations. It was super interesting to see things from April's unique perspective. I think this is my favorite novella in the Toby-verse. I want to say so much more, but again... it would all be spoilers. So, I'll just say... it was amazing!
jeremybost's review against another edition
3.0
This series frustrates me immensely: the emotional connection the author builds between readers and the characters is quite strong, which makes it all the harder to follow long as Toby tries to find new ways to kill herself and her friends. I know all the characters make jokes about it, so maybe I'm supposed to laugh it off because "Oh, at least they're self-aware." But seriously, Toby's approach to everything is step one, get mad, and step two, run headfirst into obvious danger with the excuse of being to heal everything. Except her healing has a ton of limitations.
Fortunately and conveniently for the plot, there is always a male around, usually Tybalt, to rescue her every time! Wow! So maybe Toby is actually the secret genius here and knows she is a protagonist in her own series with the inability to die because the series must continue and all this makes sense.
As a reader, though, I've gotten to the point where I can pretty much predict at what point someone will come to rescue her, and that definitely lessens the enjoyment. I guess the suspense is figuring out who the rescuer will be this time, though Tybalt is generally the safe guess.
But hey, I'm still hooked and still reading, secretly wishing I was reading the Dresden Files or something instead with a moderately self-sufficient and intelligent character.
Fortunately and conveniently for the plot, there is always a male around, usually Tybalt, to rescue her every time! Wow! So maybe Toby is actually the secret genius here and knows she is a protagonist in her own series with the inability to die because the series must continue and all this makes sense.
As a reader, though, I've gotten to the point where I can pretty much predict at what point someone will come to rescue her, and that definitely lessens the enjoyment. I guess the suspense is figuring out who the rescuer will be this time, though Tybalt is generally the safe guess.
But hey, I'm still hooked and still reading, secretly wishing I was reading the Dresden Files or something instead with a moderately self-sufficient and intelligent character.
kitty_whimsical's review against another edition
5.0
(Originally published at Speculative Chic: http://speculativechic.com/2017/09/05/what-is-past-is-prologue-seanan-mcguires-the-brightest-fell/
To begin, you absolutely should not read this book unless you are caught up on the series. Why? The individual books all have their own, self-contained stories, but those stories have created the foundation upon which the next book always rests. By now, with ten books behind it, THE BRIGHTEST FELL is standing on quite the tall stack. Things that happened all the way back in book three, AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, are referenced in the context of this story. Most of the expanded cast makes at least one appearance. Things that were hinted at a few books ago are finally, fully explained.
Familiar territory is explored here, both literally and figuratively. We see Toby return to places that she visited in past stories, including at least one locale that she thought to never see again. She meets up with characters that she hasn’t spoken to in far too long. She realizes that the things she overlooked and forgot have all come home to roost, and she is burdened by the thought that she could have done better. How human, this feeling of obligation and guilt over the things that seemed inconsequential in the face of other, seemingly bigger problems. Watching Toby struggle with this while in the midst of an extremely difficult and upsetting task is only one of several painful moments peppered throughout the story.
We meet October’s mother, Amandine, up close and personal. And Amandine is the worst. This is something that has been hinted at before by other characters who knew her, but seeing her in all of her terrible glory is chilling.
Happily, there are truly joyful moments as well. I won’t spoil it for you, but the opening chapter of the book had me grinning from ear to ear. It was absolutely perfect, and when you’ve read it, come back and squee at me because there’s no way that you will not agree with me that this was an awesome way to start our story. There are other moments of happiness, some quiet, some bright. The interaction between Toby and Simon was frequently touching as Toby learned that the erstwhile villain willingly followed the darkness for reasons that I will not spoil for you.
Bonus discussion!
The novel includes a brand new novella, "Of Things Unknown". This story places April O’Leary, an occasional character since her debut in book two, A LOCAL HABITATION, in the role of narrator. I solemnly swear that I will not spoil a single thing in this novella, but the events of A LOCAL HABITATION led to quite a bit of unfinished business. "Of Things Unknown" takes us back to the county of Tamed Lightning and takes a peek into how April is dealing with running the county she never wanted, and the guilt that she feels after she was an unwitting accomplice to the tragedies that occurred in book two. Not lying, I cried happy tears at the end.
In conclusion: Folks, THE BRIGHTEST FELL may be my new favorite novel of the series. The story moves at a lightning quick pace, but still manages to hold on to the hallmarks that make this an excellent series: witty dialogue, layered characters, gorgeous settings, and heart stopping moments of true pain. Everything in this world has consequences that must be dealt with, and it’s hard to see our beloved October go through so many difficult things. The book ends on a bittersweet note, and I’m already counting down to next year and volume twelve. It’s going to be a very, very long year.
To begin, you absolutely should not read this book unless you are caught up on the series. Why? The individual books all have their own, self-contained stories, but those stories have created the foundation upon which the next book always rests. By now, with ten books behind it, THE BRIGHTEST FELL is standing on quite the tall stack. Things that happened all the way back in book three, AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, are referenced in the context of this story. Most of the expanded cast makes at least one appearance. Things that were hinted at a few books ago are finally, fully explained.
Familiar territory is explored here, both literally and figuratively. We see Toby return to places that she visited in past stories, including at least one locale that she thought to never see again. She meets up with characters that she hasn’t spoken to in far too long. She realizes that the things she overlooked and forgot have all come home to roost, and she is burdened by the thought that she could have done better. How human, this feeling of obligation and guilt over the things that seemed inconsequential in the face of other, seemingly bigger problems. Watching Toby struggle with this while in the midst of an extremely difficult and upsetting task is only one of several painful moments peppered throughout the story.
We meet October’s mother, Amandine, up close and personal. And Amandine is the worst. This is something that has been hinted at before by other characters who knew her, but seeing her in all of her terrible glory is chilling.
Happily, there are truly joyful moments as well. I won’t spoil it for you, but the opening chapter of the book had me grinning from ear to ear. It was absolutely perfect, and when you’ve read it, come back and squee at me because there’s no way that you will not agree with me that this was an awesome way to start our story. There are other moments of happiness, some quiet, some bright. The interaction between Toby and Simon was frequently touching as Toby learned that the erstwhile villain willingly followed the darkness for reasons that I will not spoil for you.
Bonus discussion!
The novel includes a brand new novella, "Of Things Unknown". This story places April O’Leary, an occasional character since her debut in book two, A LOCAL HABITATION, in the role of narrator. I solemnly swear that I will not spoil a single thing in this novella, but the events of A LOCAL HABITATION led to quite a bit of unfinished business. "Of Things Unknown" takes us back to the county of Tamed Lightning and takes a peek into how April is dealing with running the county she never wanted, and the guilt that she feels after she was an unwitting accomplice to the tragedies that occurred in book two. Not lying, I cried happy tears at the end.
In conclusion: Folks, THE BRIGHTEST FELL may be my new favorite novel of the series. The story moves at a lightning quick pace, but still manages to hold on to the hallmarks that make this an excellent series: witty dialogue, layered characters, gorgeous settings, and heart stopping moments of true pain. Everything in this world has consequences that must be dealt with, and it’s hard to see our beloved October go through so many difficult things. The book ends on a bittersweet note, and I’m already counting down to next year and volume twelve. It’s going to be a very, very long year.
mystimayhem's review against another edition
4.0
This one was kinda heartbreaking. This series would make such a good Netflix series or something. It's silly, light fun most of the time but sometimes it's so emotional. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.
crowandnightingale's review against another edition
5.0
How can I wait til next year for the next book?!?!?
blodeuedd's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. She was back on her A game! I kind of feel I should give it a 5. Right! I mean I could not put it down. I made time for me to read it when I should have done other things cos I HAD TO FINISH! SO I am gonna be freaking nice, 5!
Gosh I love this series. Toby rocks!
F her mum!
She is sent on a quest with an enemy (whom I grew to understand.) And well I just could not put the book down. It was so exciting.
And I do want an end now, no more books. I love this series but I am always afraid it will start to stagnate. And I really want to see if they can bring Faery back and what happens if the big guys come back.
Great installment in this series!
Gosh I love this series. Toby rocks!
F her mum!
She is sent on a quest with an enemy (whom I grew to understand.) And well I just could not put the book down. It was so exciting.
And I do want an end now, no more books. I love this series but I am always afraid it will start to stagnate. And I really want to see if they can bring Faery back and what happens if the big guys come back.
Great installment in this series!
amibunk's review against another edition
4.0
Solid, quick paced, and absorbing are the words I would use to describe this book. Any time we get to see more into Toby’s world, I consider myself blessed. This installment gives us lots of face time with Amanadine which was great and it leaves me full of anticipation for what happens next.
nerdywerewolf's review against another edition
5.0
"Because what I always needed was to be shrunk, menaced, and then surrounded by hostile people who could fly."
Yay, new characters! Because I don't already have a plethora of people in these books that I adore. We get the lovely Poppy, who is a friendly pixie that I hope to see more of in the future. We gain and lose some other characters in this novel that really just made me ask a ton of questions because I can't read the next book until it's published. I'm dissatisfied in a very satisfied way. I just want to know more.
REVIEW FOR SHORT STORY "OF THINGS UNKNOWN:"
"My roots are silicon and titanium and electricity; my sap is light racing through a thousand bright channels, reaching, reaching, reaching for a sun made of information and power."
Well, hot damn. THAT just changed all kinds of things. I love these characters and they make me very happy and they can be happy, too and that's just brilliant. I hope that April & co show up frequently in the future.
Yay, new characters! Because I don't already have a plethora of people in these books that I adore. We get the lovely Poppy, who is a friendly pixie that I hope to see more of in the future. We gain and lose some other characters in this novel that really just made me ask a ton of questions because I can't read the next book until it's published. I'm dissatisfied in a very satisfied way. I just want to know more.
REVIEW FOR SHORT STORY "OF THINGS UNKNOWN:"
"My roots are silicon and titanium and electricity; my sap is light racing through a thousand bright channels, reaching, reaching, reaching for a sun made of information and power."
Well, hot damn. THAT just changed all kinds of things. I love these characters and they make me very happy and they can be happy, too and that's just brilliant. I hope that April & co show up frequently in the future.