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A review by songwind
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
5.0
The latest installment in the October Daye series is a strong book. Definitely the strongest of the series so far. It's clear that McGuire's time spent writing three series has honed her craft considerably since we first met Toby.
Ashes of Honor returns Toby to her role as a PI, this time hunting for the heretofore unknown half-human child of fellow knight Etienne. It's not long, however, before we know that the child is a rare and unusual form of changeling. And that's she's dangerous not only to herself, but to Faerie.
In addition to the missing child and everything that surrounds it, the book deal with Toby's grief over the lost Connor, and her rebalanced blood that makes her less physically human than ever before. Her grief affects all of her other relationships, from her roommate's silent fear that Toby has a death wish, to her clear (and clearly mutual) attraction to Tybalt, the King of Cats. At the same time, her newly awakend Dochas Sidhe abilities allow her to survive more and more reckless behavior, allowing her to through herself more heedlessly into dangerous situations.
I also felt that this book addressed some weaknesses from the earlier books, most notably her friends' and allies' willingness to let her get away with remarkably stupid things with only a bit of ribbing. I felt that her companions' reactions in this book made more objective sense, and also were more in character compared to the rest of the actions.
Ashes of Honor returns Toby to her role as a PI, this time hunting for the heretofore unknown half-human child of fellow knight Etienne. It's not long, however, before we know that the child is a rare and unusual form of changeling. And that's she's dangerous not only to herself, but to Faerie.
In addition to the missing child and everything that surrounds it, the book deal with Toby's grief over the lost Connor, and her rebalanced blood that makes her less physically human than ever before. Her grief affects all of her other relationships, from her roommate's silent fear that Toby has a death wish, to her clear (and clearly mutual) attraction to Tybalt, the King of Cats. At the same time, her newly awakend Dochas Sidhe abilities allow her to survive more and more reckless behavior, allowing her to through herself more heedlessly into dangerous situations.
I also felt that this book addressed some weaknesses from the earlier books, most notably her friends' and allies' willingness to let her get away with remarkably stupid things with only a bit of ribbing. I felt that her companions' reactions in this book made more objective sense, and also were more in character compared to the rest of the actions.