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A review by hanbag
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My brain is very jumbled.
I read this because I love the atmosphere and world building of Seanan McGuire's Wayward children series and I love urban fantasy. On those fronts, I was well fed. Even with this debut, Seanan's writing felt like it was simultaneously just for me, while also feeling like it should be read by anyone and everyone. In saying that, it could have used some polishing in parts and at times the descriptions felt a little repetitive; she's definitely refined her craft over the years but boy was this a strong starting point.
As I was reading Rosemary and Rue, I had the foresight of knowing there are at least another 30 stories to come in the October Daye series and that really showed. It felt at times like I was being pinballed from one scene to the next for the purposes of fleshing out Toby's backstory and the world in which the whole series is set, more so than for the specific purpose of the story that I was in. Each of these scenes then just sprinkled in a near death experience for Toby in order to make it relevant; someone comes to her rescue or she stumbles to the next place of (relative) safety, rinse and repeat.
Toby as a main character also has me conflicted. Everyone we encountered in the book seemed to hold her in such high esteem, especially for a changeling (mixed blood human and fae), but she was consistently making bad decisions and couldn't even save herself from her own mistakes. In the early part of the book her petulance about the fae world and avoidance of everyone who loved her because of her 'failures' was downright annoying. It also irked me that every male was a potential love interest, though I guess that was groundwork for future books. On the flip side though, I really enjoyed the moments we saw more of Toby's humanity, when she was reuniting with her friends in Shadowed Hills and the Tea Gardens, or taking the younger fae under her wing.
In summary, this wasn't a knockout book for me and if it wasn't a series, I'd be disappointed. I do however think it's laid a foundation that is exciting and has made me want to read on. It has potential to be a favourite series in the future and I'll probably look back on this installment way more fondly than I'm looking at it now.
I read this because I love the atmosphere and world building of Seanan McGuire's Wayward children series and I love urban fantasy. On those fronts, I was well fed. Even with this debut, Seanan's writing felt like it was simultaneously just for me, while also feeling like it should be read by anyone and everyone. In saying that, it could have used some polishing in parts and at times the descriptions felt a little repetitive; she's definitely refined her craft over the years but boy was this a strong starting point.
As I was reading Rosemary and Rue, I had the foresight of knowing there are at least another 30 stories to come in the October Daye series and that really showed. It felt at times like I was being pinballed from one scene to the next for the purposes of fleshing out Toby's backstory and the world in which the whole series is set, more so than for the specific purpose of the story that I was in. Each of these scenes then just sprinkled in a near death experience for Toby in order to make it relevant; someone comes to her rescue or she stumbles to the next place of (relative) safety, rinse and repeat.
Toby as a main character also has me conflicted. Everyone we encountered in the book seemed to hold her in such high esteem, especially for a changeling (mixed blood human and fae), but she was consistently making bad decisions and couldn't even save herself from her own mistakes. In the early part of the book her petulance about the fae world and avoidance of everyone who loved her because of her 'failures' was downright annoying. It also irked me that every male was a potential love interest, though I guess that was groundwork for future books. On the flip side though, I really enjoyed the moments we saw more of Toby's humanity, when she was reuniting with her friends in Shadowed Hills and the Tea Gardens, or taking the younger fae under her wing.
In summary, this wasn't a knockout book for me and if it wasn't a series, I'd be disappointed. I do however think it's laid a foundation that is exciting and has made me want to read on. It has potential to be a favourite series in the future and I'll probably look back on this installment way more fondly than I'm looking at it now.