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A review by dajoyofit
One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
5.0
This book deserves double the stars. I can’t praise it enough. This is the strongest and the best book in this series yet for several reasons.
But first, this is not a PNR (paranormal romance). This is an Urban Fantasy novel. It is rare to find a leading female character that can hold a series all on her own. Most heroine’s in the fantasy genre fall in the PNR with the romance and sex carrying the story and the series. This is good for PNR, but not for a true Urban Fantasy. I was so afraid that McGuire would cave from pressure to turn her series into a PNR. Happily, she did not. Thank Oberon and Titania! That’s not to say that October is celibate or some form of a female eunuch. Far from it; however, October’s sex life isn’t even remotely what drives this series. Far from it.
The world building alone is richly satisfying. We get to see another layer of the fae world (their society and laws) with the introduction of the Undersea world of Faerie. Oberon & Titania would approve. The world of October Daye is believable. The way that McGuire interweaves Irish mythology and breaths a contemporary vibe into them is ingenious.
The Goblins alone about made me pee my pants and the pixies were my heroes.
The plot in this story was tight and methodically developed. It flows effortlessly off the page. There is nothing happenstance about the scenes in this book or the interactions between the characters. I appreciated the pace, because it allowed me to savor and absorb everything that was happening. The rhythm was consistent from start to finish, and was just slow enough to let us smell the flowers without feeling cumbersome.
The supporting cast of characters was the best I’ve read in a long while. It was a delightful surprise to see some of them were developed more fully. This book wouldn’t have been the same without them. They each added a rich complexity to the texture of this story. I especially loved getting to know more about the sea witch. I hadn’t expected such a private look into her character. It was amazing.
This story is filled with action, tender moments, love, war, tragedy, laughter, tears, and heartache.
I can’t wait to see what McGuire has in store for book #6. In the meantime, I plan to reread the series again.
But first, this is not a PNR (paranormal romance). This is an Urban Fantasy novel. It is rare to find a leading female character that can hold a series all on her own. Most heroine’s in the fantasy genre fall in the PNR with the romance and sex carrying the story and the series. This is good for PNR, but not for a true Urban Fantasy. I was so afraid that McGuire would cave from pressure to turn her series into a PNR. Happily, she did not. Thank Oberon and Titania! That’s not to say that October is celibate or some form of a female eunuch. Far from it; however, October’s sex life isn’t even remotely what drives this series. Far from it.
The world building alone is richly satisfying. We get to see another layer of the fae world (their society and laws) with the introduction of the Undersea world of Faerie. Oberon & Titania would approve. The world of October Daye is believable. The way that McGuire interweaves Irish mythology and breaths a contemporary vibe into them is ingenious.
The Goblins alone about made me pee my pants and the pixies were my heroes.
The plot in this story was tight and methodically developed. It flows effortlessly off the page. There is nothing happenstance about the scenes in this book or the interactions between the characters. I appreciated the pace, because it allowed me to savor and absorb everything that was happening. The rhythm was consistent from start to finish, and was just slow enough to let us smell the flowers without feeling cumbersome.
The supporting cast of characters was the best I’ve read in a long while. It was a delightful surprise to see some of them were developed more fully. This book wouldn’t have been the same without them. They each added a rich complexity to the texture of this story. I especially loved getting to know more about the sea witch. I hadn’t expected such a private look into her character. It was amazing.
This story is filled with action, tender moments, love, war, tragedy, laughter, tears, and heartache.
I can’t wait to see what McGuire has in store for book #6. In the meantime, I plan to reread the series again.