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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the October Daye urban fantasy series revolving around a half-fae, half-human private detective in San Francisco.
My Take
When this series was recommended to me, it came with the proviso that this first story was kinda slow and to just persevere. That it set up the background for the entire series. Well. All I can say is if this is slow….oh, mama, watch out!
McGuire has done a lovely job of both setting up a deep backstory which sets its hooks into you and causing a deep empathy with Toby. The sort of story that makes you feel as though you've known Toby and her world forever. McGuire also acquaints us with a world full of characters that I just know will be appearing in future episodes as we follow Toby through her investigation into the why and how of Evening's torturous end. McGuire also seems to know her way around San Francisco.
I am so looking forward to the next in the series, A Local Habitation.
The Story
Turned into a fish fourteen years ago, Toby emerges into a world where her daughter and husband want nothing to do with her. Well, damn it, since the fae world is what screwed up her personal life, Toby decides to shun all of 'em until the Countess Evening Winterrose puts a binding spell on Toby to find out who is trying to get the Hope Chest.
Now. Damn, now Toby must face the fae. She must return Home to Devin and beg his aid. She must face Sylvester and endure his disgust for her failure, his knight's failure, in helping him to rescue his wife and daughter. For it's the only way she can get the help she needs to solve the case of Evening.
The Characters
October "Toby" Daye is a changeling with small magics that she uses in her work as a private detective. Cagney and Lacey are her current Siamese cats who are not too happy with the new addition to the family while Cliff Marks and Gillian Daye are her formerly grieving and now simply estranged human husband and daughter.
Evening Winterrose, the Countess of Goldengreen, a.k.a., Evelyn Winters in the human world, is a pureblood fae. The entrance to her knowe is at the San Francisco Art Museum.
Sylvester Torquill, Duke of Shadowed Hills, is both Toby's liege and her friend. The entrance to his knowe is in Mt. Diablo State Park. His wife is Duchess Luna, a "sweet, egalitarian woman" with a talent for roses. His daughter, Rayseline "Raysel" Acantha Torquill, is the "heir presumptive to one of the largest Duchies in the Kingdom of the Mists". A sweet tomboy of a girl rather than the spoiled princess she could have been, at least, until she was taken. Connor O'Dell is Raysel's husband. An arranged marriage to cement the alliance between his people, the Selkies, and the fae. Quentin is a page at Sylvester's court, a blind fosterling, whom Toby is befriending in hopes of a small wave of change in how the changelings are perceived and treated.
Simon Torquill is Sylvester's twin brother while Oleander de Merelands is an assassin who enjoys socializing almost as much as she enjoys hurting people, a result of her half Tuatha de Dannan, half Peri heritage.
The Queen of the Mists reigns over another of the fairy hills with its entrance along the rocky coast in San Francisco. There is a strong suspicion that she's, well, mad.
Devin is a changeling like Toby. The refuge to whom she fled when she ran away from Faerie. A refuge, Home, with its own set of teeth waiting to snap at the unwary. For Devin is a user even as he seems to rescue.
Tybalt, a Cait Sidhe, is King of the Cats and lives to torment Toby. Toby thinks he hates her; I suspect he's in love. Then there's the Luidaeg who heals and talks to the dead. A daughter of Maeve, she owes Toby one more answer. Lily, an Undine whose kingdom is the Tea Gardens; a refuge for Toby when she's hurt.
The Cover and Title
The cover looks like a rough pastel with Toby in a black jacket hunched in front off a wrought fence on a very San Francisco night with the moon murky behind her.
The title, Rosemary and Rue, are bouquets left on the grave of someone Toby feels she let down.
My Take
When this series was recommended to me, it came with the proviso that this first story was kinda slow and to just persevere. That it set up the background for the entire series. Well. All I can say is if this is slow….oh, mama, watch out!
McGuire has done a lovely job of both setting up a deep backstory which sets its hooks into you and causing a deep empathy with Toby. The sort of story that makes you feel as though you've known Toby and her world forever. McGuire also acquaints us with a world full of characters that I just know will be appearing in future episodes as we follow Toby through her investigation into the why and how of Evening's torturous end. McGuire also seems to know her way around San Francisco.
I am so looking forward to the next in the series, A Local Habitation.
The Story
Turned into a fish fourteen years ago, Toby emerges into a world where her daughter and husband want nothing to do with her. Well, damn it, since the fae world is what screwed up her personal life, Toby decides to shun all of 'em until the Countess Evening Winterrose puts a binding spell on Toby to find out who is trying to get the Hope Chest.
Now. Damn, now Toby must face the fae. She must return Home to Devin and beg his aid. She must face Sylvester and endure his disgust for her failure, his knight's failure, in helping him to rescue his wife and daughter. For it's the only way she can get the help she needs to solve the case of Evening.
The Characters
October "Toby" Daye is a changeling with small magics that she uses in her work as a private detective. Cagney and Lacey are her current Siamese cats who are not too happy with the new addition to the family while Cliff Marks and Gillian Daye are her formerly grieving and now simply estranged human husband and daughter.
Evening Winterrose, the Countess of Goldengreen, a.k.a., Evelyn Winters in the human world, is a pureblood fae. The entrance to her knowe is at the San Francisco Art Museum.
Sylvester Torquill, Duke of Shadowed Hills, is both Toby's liege and her friend. The entrance to his knowe is in Mt. Diablo State Park. His wife is Duchess Luna, a "sweet, egalitarian woman" with a talent for roses. His daughter, Rayseline "Raysel" Acantha Torquill, is the "heir presumptive to one of the largest Duchies in the Kingdom of the Mists". A sweet tomboy of a girl rather than the spoiled princess she could have been, at least, until she was taken. Connor O'Dell is Raysel's husband. An arranged marriage to cement the alliance between his people, the Selkies, and the fae. Quentin is a page at Sylvester's court, a blind fosterling, whom Toby is befriending in hopes of a small wave of change in how the changelings are perceived and treated.
Simon Torquill is Sylvester's twin brother while Oleander de Merelands is an assassin who enjoys socializing almost as much as she enjoys hurting people, a result of her half Tuatha de Dannan, half Peri heritage.
The Queen of the Mists reigns over another of the fairy hills with its entrance along the rocky coast in San Francisco. There is a strong suspicion that she's, well, mad.
Devin is a changeling like Toby. The refuge to whom she fled when she ran away from Faerie. A refuge, Home, with its own set of teeth waiting to snap at the unwary. For Devin is a user even as he seems to rescue.
Tybalt, a Cait Sidhe, is King of the Cats and lives to torment Toby. Toby thinks he hates her; I suspect he's in love. Then there's the Luidaeg who heals and talks to the dead. A daughter of Maeve, she owes Toby one more answer. Lily, an Undine whose kingdom is the Tea Gardens; a refuge for Toby when she's hurt.
The Cover and Title
The cover looks like a rough pastel with Toby in a black jacket hunched in front off a wrought fence on a very San Francisco night with the moon murky behind her.
The title, Rosemary and Rue, are bouquets left on the grave of someone Toby feels she let down.
crowsandprose's review against another edition
3.0
This is no "Dresden Files", but this shows potential - there's intrigue, a little romance without it being overbearing as female-lead Urban Fantasy sometimes gets to be - and an interesting world. I'll probably pick up the next few books and follow along.
Honestly, I think this could have stood further fleshing out, but I'm at a loss to say specifically. Maybe elaborations on relationships, court set ups, and so forth. An idea of the world that Toby walks alongside as she tries to balance out mortal and faerie. But perhaps in the next few books we'll get more to feed that appetite. I'll be picking up the next two this weekend in all likelihood; engaging enough for me to want more, but -- I was 'wanting more' from this book, too, so it doesn't quite rank four stars.
Honestly, I think this could have stood further fleshing out, but I'm at a loss to say specifically. Maybe elaborations on relationships, court set ups, and so forth. An idea of the world that Toby walks alongside as she tries to balance out mortal and faerie. But perhaps in the next few books we'll get more to feed that appetite. I'll be picking up the next two this weekend in all likelihood; engaging enough for me to want more, but -- I was 'wanting more' from this book, too, so it doesn't quite rank four stars.
yathol's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
arielmanto's review against another edition
2.5
msmith7344's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenhurst's review against another edition
2.0
I like urban fantasy and seanan McGuire but this is a really weak start.
mels_reading_rook's review against another edition
3.0
After losing fourteen years of her life as a fish, October Daye is finished with her career as a PI and is done working with the fae that lives among us. Or at least, that's what she would like. However, life has other plans as her old frenemy, Countess Evening Winterrose, curses her: discover who murdered her and why, or face her own death.
There is a lot to be liked about this book, but unfortunately, there was a lot I did not like as well. Let's begin with the good.
The underlying plot, being cursed into investigating the murder of a pureblood fae and the mystery that unfolded, was really interesting. I was invested in finding out the answers. The world is very interesting as well, learning how the fae molded their society and culture around ours when they arrived, the way the magic works, and how they keep themselves hidden from humans. October Daye is also an interesting character. She has lost everything twice, and at the beginning of this book, she is a broken person. When the main events of the book begin, she is forced to pick up the pieces of herself and confront some of the difficulties she has been avoiding. October is an interesting character with a lot of potential for growth, and by the end of the story, she's better than she was before but there is still room for more.
Amidst all the interesting stuff, however, were things that took me out of the story. A lot of the plot feels like setup for the rest of the series. October runs around meeting every single important person in the area, creating or collecting debts to be explored in the future. Each of these characters are introduced in quick succession, leaving very little breathing room time before being shuffled off to the next one. I had a hard time keeping all of them straight in my head. Also, there was a lot of references to October's time as a fish, and so often the characters would stop and reminisce about it or talk about what happened in her time after turning back into a person that the pacing suffered from it. Much of my issues with this book simply has to do with the amount of exposition being presented to the reader in such a short amount of time that my brain felt overcrowded with information.
Overall, this is a fun and quick urban fantasy read, and I think it is going to lead into a fun and interesting wider series.
There is a lot to be liked about this book, but unfortunately, there was a lot I did not like as well. Let's begin with the good.
The underlying plot, being cursed into investigating the murder of a pureblood fae and the mystery that unfolded, was really interesting. I was invested in finding out the answers. The world is very interesting as well, learning how the fae molded their society and culture around ours when they arrived, the way the magic works, and how they keep themselves hidden from humans. October Daye is also an interesting character. She has lost everything twice, and at the beginning of this book, she is a broken person. When the main events of the book begin, she is forced to pick up the pieces of herself and confront some of the difficulties she has been avoiding. October is an interesting character with a lot of potential for growth, and by the end of the story, she's better than she was before but there is still room for more.
Amidst all the interesting stuff, however, were things that took me out of the story. A lot of the plot feels like setup for the rest of the series. October runs around meeting every single important person in the area, creating or collecting debts to be explored in the future. Each of these characters are introduced in quick succession, leaving very little breathing room time before being shuffled off to the next one. I had a hard time keeping all of them straight in my head. Also, there was a lot of references to October's time as a fish, and so often the characters would stop and reminisce about it or talk about what happened in her time after turning back into a person that the pacing suffered from it. Much of my issues with this book simply has to do with the amount of exposition being presented to the reader in such a short amount of time that my brain felt overcrowded with information.
Overall, this is a fun and quick urban fantasy read, and I think it is going to lead into a fun and interesting wider series.
hungry_ghosts's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25