Thank you to DAW and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review. I also won a copy of an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.

October is back and enjoying life, things have been a little slow but she is happy. That is until her mother shows up and asks her to find her sister. What's worse is when she refuses her mother, she takes Jazz and Tybalt as hostages.

That sends October to Sylvester and with an impossible request. She has to wake Simon and have him help her find August. Sylvester grants that request so long as October helps wake his daughter and win her a pardon when it is done.

The trail starts at her mother's tower and leads them back into Blind Michael's realm, but it doesn't stop there. Things aren't always what they seem, and sometimes people don't realize the cost of the Sea Witch's help.

First, if you haven't read this series please go start with Rosemary and Rue it will be so worth your time. I love this series it is hands down one of my favorite urban fantasy reads. I have to say this is this the first book in a long without a lot of Tybalt in it and I loved it but I missed him. It also made me really dislike October's mother and sister.

With THE BRIGHTEST FELL, Seanan McGuire brings her much beloved October Daye series to an impressive eleven books. Even more impressive? The series still feels fresh, creative, and fun!

In some ways THE BRIGHTEST FELL feels like mixed fae and human changeling October Daye's greatest hits album. Throughout the story, we revisit some of Toby's biggest cases, recapping some of the craziness that's gone down over the past four years. All this recap means that newcomers to the series could jump in at book 11 rather than book 1, but I do think a lot of the emotional weight of the events in this story would be lost on those who haven't read the previous books. The quest that Sir Daye, Knight of the Realm finds herself on here is the culmination of all that came before, and I really appreciate the way that McGuire is able to make all these seemingly unrelated events come together in such a logical way.

As Toby, her squire Quentin, and a shady character from their past race through San Francisco, the Summerlands, and other parts of Faerie to save the lives of their friends (again), we get a chance to see the scope of the world McGuire has built here. From the different locales in Faerie to specific species of Fae to the history and politics of the Firstborn, no detail is unimportant. Ten books worth of top-notch world building is subtly woven into THE BRIGHTEST FELL, their importance finally revealed...and the result is impressive. Of all the urban fantasy series I've read and loved over the years, the October Daye series is by far the most consistently inventive.

The key to any successful long-running series is a dynamic cast of lovable and flawed characters - that's definitely not a problem for this series. Toby's tenacity, bravery, foolhardiness, and her wry wit make her an ideal protagonist, but it's her friends and family that really help this series shine. Many fan favourites appear here, including Danny the bridge troll taxi driver and some of the more noteworthy villains like Duchess Riordan. My one complaint? There's wasn't enough of Toby's betrothed, Tybalt! The cat shifter who loves Toby, Shakespeare, and leather pants is a beloved character for a reason. *happy sigh*

THE BRIGHTEST FELL is another strong story in a fantastic series, and it's sure to please old fans and newcomers alike...although longtime readers will find the story more rewarding!

Alright, book 11 in a series is perhaps not the best book to start with. But, I "discovered" Seanan McGuire thanks to her Wayward Children series and thought I try this, the latest book to see if it's to my liking.

Now, the book is perfectly alright, it was a lot to take in, a lot of characters to get to know, and a lot of history, but I enjoyed learning more about Toby, her friends, and family, etc. However, the story was a bit slow, with the hunt for Toby's sisters August not awfully thrilling. It's started off amusing with the bachelorette party for Toby, then Amandine, her mother shows up and kidnaps two important people in Toby's life and she will only get them back if she finds August. Yeah, she makes Joan Crawford feel warm and cuddly. I liked the story, but I did not love it. But, it did make me interested in reading the previous books.

In the end, I will say that it was a pleasant book, I liked the characters, it was not hard to get into this book and understand what was going on, I just wish I had connected more with the story. The interesting thing is that there is a novella at the end of the book, which stars April O'Leary. And, story-wise was the novella much more interesting than the book's story.

Wow! Seanan McGuire is on fire. Figuratively, of course. Anyway. The author deserves her accolades, and yes, worth the cost of transitioning to hardcover if you're able. This being the eleventh October Daye novel, it is truly magical—that means tense and bloody in Toby's world. Toby's wedding planning is interrupted by her mom: selfish, casually cruel and arrogant—that's right, she is related to the original Bad Fairy that people would rather not invite to anything. Her mother Amandine will October’s fiancé, the King of Cats, and her fetch’s lover Jazz hostage in their animal forms until Toby finds Amandine's other daughter and brings her back from whatever dimension she's been lost in since 1910. Throw in eternal rivalries and grudges eons old, and Toby must deal with the havoc wreaked. I can't tell you more, except that in Toby's world, though the magic folk are somewhat modern, they are still hidden from the mundane mortals, and McGuire's worldbuilding is superb. Read the whole series, if you haven't. There's a bonus novella, a wonderful surprise.
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the review EARC; the raving is, as always, my own opinion.

I always, always forget how wonderful this series is until I read one of the books, and this book is no exception. We have reached the point in the series, and have a few books ago, where I’m not really sure what to say without giving away spoilers. However, I will do my best to do so. Toby’s mother shows up on her doorstep and demands she find Toby’s sister, August. Of course, Toby says no, but her mother will not take that for an answer and kidnaps two people dear to her to force her compliance. Toby must then embark on a quest to find her, and on the way, old enemies are made friends, she loses something dear to her, and some progress she has made on the family is lost. I am always blown away at how well this author weaves together events from other books, how wonderfully well she uses the English language, and how the simplest things can keep me engrossed in the book. And, you must read the novella at the end. It is a game-changer! If you love urban fantasy, you have to try this series; it is one of the, if not the very, best! If you read this series, this is a wonderful addition to this series as we always expect from the author. Very highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

"For once, everything in October “Toby” Daye’s life seems to be going right." - I knew that wasn't going to last. Poor Toby rarely catches a break. Besides, it would be a short book if there wasn't a conflict or catastrophe. :D The book opens with Toby's bachelorette party which was a hoot to read. But, In no time, Amandine shows up on Toby's doorstep and makes a request/demand. And oh boy, Amandine plays dirty. She is not nice. I didn't remember her being quite so cold or vicious in her earlier appearances. In "The Brightest Fell", she is queen bee bi*** and delights in rubbing Toby's face in it.

One again, McGuire pulls threads from earlier stories and weaves them into a new design, making you question what you believed and what you thought you knew. She even did something I thought was nearly impossible: she made me like, and feel sorry for, Simon Torquill. She started on that in the prior book but brought it to fruition in this book. Mind you, I still disagree with his choices but I understand them better now. Much of the book revolves around family, the family we're born with and the family we make for ourselves. McGuire examines these ties and shows us just how binding they can be, even when we want to turn our back and walk away.

Certain characters were missing and others had reduced roles and were missed, but McGuire worked magic with the remaining ones. The story was tight, the characterizations excellent and I was veering between crying and cheering with the occasional urge to pith my Kindle across the room. Toby goes right to her breaking point and I was seriously worried about her future. McGuire is evil; she needs to stop beating up and Toby and the gang! I know I'm being vague but so much happens and I really don't want to accidentally spoil anything. "The Brightest Fell" is a strong wrenching story, with twists and turns, pathos, humor, love, anger, and moments that made me gasp, curse, and read furiously. If you're new to the series, skip this book and get the first book, "Rosemary and Rue". This series simply must be read in order. You won't regret it.

Whoop whoop! Its bank holiday weekend and the weather is lovely. If you have been following my WIR you will know that the weather in the UK has been dismal with a capital 'D'....as in December. I could actually sit outside this afternoon without wearing a sweater. What a treat! Speaking of treats wait until you find out about what I have been reading.



I was super lucky to receive The Brightest Fell, the 11th instalment of the October Daye series, from the publisher via NetGalley. The story starts not long after the events of book 10 - Once Broken Faith - and opens with October's bachelorette party. It was a veritable supernatural convention with nearly every female character from the series in attendance. Just when things are looking up for the unlucky heroine her mother - Amandine the Liar - turns up on her doorstep demanding that October find her long lost daughter (Toby's half-sister). To ensure that October does what she is told Amandine takes Tybalt hostage. Toby has no choice - look for her sister who has been missing for decades or lose the love of her life. Toby needs help and sometimes that help comes from where she least expects it. The path to true love is a thorny one and now Toby is on the clock ...find her sister or lose everything.

I don't want to give too much away so apologies for being vague. I always enjoy the books in this series but I really wish that McGuire would give poor Toby a break. I guess it would make for a boring story if everything was sunshine and roses (well maybe not roses for Toby!) without the near death experiences, loss of loved ones or races against time. There is a lot happening in this instalment as the plot progresses at the same time as we find out more of events that pre-date even Toby. If this was an earlier book in the series then I would have loved it but 11 books in and I just hope that McGuire wraps the series up soon. That said, I do enjoy stories with strong female leads and Toby is nothing short of grave.

It’s September – time again for October (Daye), heroine of the great Urban Fantasy series by Seanan McGuire. For The Brightest Fell, eleventh novel about the Fae world in modern San Francisco, the expectations of the fans are huge. And this time the author confronts her readers – and Toby – with some long-awaited encounters.

Toby should have grown accustomed to unexpected visits. However when her mother Amandine stands in front of her house, she’s not able to find any words. The warm-hearted reunion, however, that readers might have secretly hoped for, remains unfulfilled. Amandine asks Toby to look for her missing sister, August. And to ensure her daughters co-operation, she’s willing to do anything.

Toby finds herself forced to seek help in unexpected places. With one of her oldest enemies she travels deep into the heart of the summerlands to fulfill her impossible quest …

Over the years Seanan McGuire has delivered an impressive amount of outstanding Urban Fantasy novels – and thus the expectations are pretty high. In light of this, The Brightest Fell has been a mixed bag. Basically, the author tells an exciting story with some unexpected twists and a high action level. It takes us to unknown spots in Faerie and shows us new aspects of beloved characters. One of them is the Luidaeg, still my personal favorite. Her performance in a karaoke bar at the beginning of the book is one of the highlights of the novel undoubtedly.

On the other hand, I have built up a high expectation over the years in which I became super-enthusiastic about the series. A lenghty encounter with Amandine; the mystery about August. Much of this is revealed by Seanan McGuire in this novel. But the answers are not always the ones I would have wished for. Partially, I was disappointed by the long-awaited encounters, because I had expected different things. I can hardly blame the author, but this is the reason why The Brightest Fell did not quite satisfy me that much.

Then there are wonderful moments, unexpected turns and scenes, which were simply magical. Tybalt does not appear often in this book, but Quentin plays a more important role again – a circumstance that I have greatly welcomed, and this helps the book in my opinion, as we don’t get more of the same-same. Instead we learn new things that logically fit into the overall cosmos.

Even if I was not 100% satisfied, The Brightes Fell is still a good book. I am curious how I’ll like it when I read it later for the second time – or third or fourth.

For the moment, the book can not compete with such great novels as An Artificial Night or the Game Changer The Winter Long, but Seanan McGuire has been very good at entertaining me and I’m sure there are some great adventures ahead. There’s still much to explain about Selkies and the Luidaeg, about the disappearance of Oberon, Titania and Maeve and some other things that are not resolved yet. (The Winterrose will probably not be trapped forever in her enchanted sleep).

If you love Toby, you can not miss The Brightest Fell anyway.

The book will be released in hardcover & ebook.

The advance copy was provided to me via Netgalley.

As always, I can not wait to get into each new October Daye adventure. How not to be? This series is really one of my favorite and Seanan McGuire always offers us new ideas that take us away completely!

Everything seems to be fine for October but it’s only the calm before the storm! Indeed, after celebrating her bachelor party with all her friends and allies, her life is turned upside down. Her mother, Amandine, is on the doorstep and summons for her to find her sister (while explaining to her what a disappointment she was). But then, October doesn’t allow her mother to dictate her actions and refuses at once. You can imagine that Amandine does not take it very well and then kidnaps Tybalt and Jazz so that our heroine goes in search of her sister.

I really had a great time with this story. We saw very little of Amandine and I was curious to learn more about her …. But poor October … Her mother is very cruel with her. And then there’s August. I was so eager to learn more about this lost sister and I admit that even if it is different from what I thought, it could not be otherwise. August could not be anyone else. Yet I confess that I am curious to see what is going to happen now because an evil is released and it seems that he wants more than anything for her to fall. But a solution is emerging and it is true that this is what links the whole series. I am therefore curious to see if this resolution will be in the next novel.

In any case, our heroine takes us with her in a new quest that won’t be very simple. Some enemies become allies and allies become enemies. Everything will change and Toby’s life will once again be overwhelmed. She will have to make difficult choices but she is ready to do anything to save her fiancé!

I have followed the October Daye urban fantasy series from the beginning, Rosemary and Rue, and it has been a must-read for me. October is a changeling (half human, half-fae) who has struggled to find her place, both in the mortal and in the fae world. In fact, she is the daughter of Amandine, one of the First Born of the fae, but Amandine has been a largely absent and shadowy figure until The Brightest Fell. The book opens on a happy note, during the bachelorette party for Toby at a San Francisco karaoke bar. The party was organized by Toby's "fetch" May, and it is no matter that Toby and her betrothed, Tybalt, King of Cats, have not even set a date. An uproarious good time is had by all until Toby returns home to find Tybalt there, A knock at the door brings Amandine with a demand. She wants Toby to find August, Toby's half-sister who has been missing for over a century. To enforce her demand, she takes hostages of Toby's nearest and dearest.

Amandine's demand takes Toby and her squire, Quentin, into Toby's past and the rabbit-hole that is the fae realm. Accompanying them is Toby's greatest enemy, August's father, Simon Torquil. There is plenty of magic and mayhem and an accounting of some of the decisions and actions Toby has been forced to take in previous books. The character of Amandine becomes clearer, but whether she is a monster or just nuts is still up in the air. The Brightest Fell foreshadows events to come and I hope they come soon, after time to take a breath. Seanan McGuire has built a rich fantasy world and I think that the series needs to be read in order to fully enjoy the latest novel.

I was delighted to receive an advance digital copy from DAW and NetGalley. The opinions above are my own.

RATING- 4.5 rounded up to 5 Stars

The Brightest Fell, the 11th installment in the October Daye series, starts out giving you a glimmer of hope. It makes you believe that maybe this book will be the beginning of Toby and Tybalt getting that much closer to their much-deserved happy ending. But, as Seanan McGuire is famous for, that glimmer of hope doesn’t last, and Toby’s life takes another disastrous turn as her mother, Amandine, shows up on her doorstep, demanding Toby find her half-sister, August, who has been missing for a very long time. Toby, not having the greatest relationship with her mother in the best of times, refuses, so in order to compel her, Amandine kidnaps Tybalt and May’s girlfriend, Jazz, letting Toby know that if she doesn’t find August, she is never seeing her loved ones again. Talk about mommy issues! Now Toby must team up with her enemy, Simon Torquill, who also happens to be August’s father, not to mention the one who turned Toby into a fish 14 years ago, in order to find her before it is too late.
There wasn’t a lot I didn’t love about this particular book. Love and what one would or wouldn’t do in the name of love seems to be the bigger theme in this book. In addition, there is action, there is adventure, there is introduction to new and interesting characters, and revisiting some we haven’t seen for a while; there is the possibility for redemption, there is also heartache and heartbreak. Plus, there is bleeding, when Toby is involved there is always bleeding. Over the course of the last ten books McGuire has created a rich, interesting world that straddles the line between mortal and faerie, with an amazing political structure and a marvelous cast of complex and multi-layered characters. Nothing is ever black and white in her world. Every character has as much chance of becoming the valiant knight type as they do becoming an evil villain, especially in the name of Faerie.
Overall, this was one of my favorites in the series. I don’t want to say too much for risk of giving the good stuff away, but the thing I love about Seanan McGuire’s books is that you never really know which way they are going to go and this book was no exception. I left it feeling both hope and dread for the future …either our favorites are going to get their happy ending or everything is going to go terribly, horribly, let’s all wield a machete, wrong, and with the current players on the board after this book, you can’t help but feeling that this series is heading towards an epic showdown. Honestly, it felt way Empire Strikes Back-ish to me, which I love because I am a fan of a story taking you to a place you didn’t expect and are not quite sure how it will all turn out in the end.
So, if you are a fan of urban fantasy and have not yet discovered the joys and sometimes pain of the October Daye series, I urge you to do so. For long time fans of the series, this is a fantastic addition to a world we already know and love. You will not be disappointed.

Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire continues the October Daye series in a novel that pushes at the lines that define Toby''s life. Things are finally looking up for Toby and her fiance Tybalt when a knock at the door brings with it a trouble like Toby has not seen before. What do you do when your past comes knock, knocking at the door? Toby is a hero of the realm for a reason and this is a book that shows readers the hard choices made as Toby uses every bit of her experience to survive and rescue as many of her loved ones as she can.

4.5


Things have never been easy for October Daye. Pretty much, when things start to get quiet, it’s time to start worrying. At least this time around Toby gets to enjoy her karaoke bachelorette party (thrown by her fetch May) before all hell breaks loose.

When Toby’s absent mother, Amandine, shows up and demands Toby find her long lost stepsister August, Toby is quick to dismiss Amandine’s demands. I mean Toby owes nothing to the mother that abandoned her long ago. When Amandine takes Tybalt and May’s girlfriend Jazz as collateral to ensure Toby’s cooperation, Toby will have to turn to the last person she’d ever think of asking for help: Simon Torquill.

Simon is, as we more recently learned in the series, Amandine’s husband, therefore he’s August’s father (Toby’s stepfather), so he’s an extremely useful resource when trying to recover August, who, by the way, has been missing for one hundred years.

Simon was truly a standout character for me in this book. He’s been painted the villain from the very beginning after he turned Toby into a fish for fourteen years and ruined her life with her human fiancé and daughter. He has a chance to redeem himself somewhat here, and we learn that maybe things aren’t exactly what they seem when it comes to his past. A novella featuring Simon and Amandine would be one I’d quickly devour should Seanan McGuire choose to write one. I loved how Toby’s devotion to those she loves, and her willingness to do anything to get them back, mirrors Simon’s own experiences when he went in search of August by himself once upon a time. Simon holding on to his failures was heartbreaking to read. The Brightest Fell was not lacking on these moments, which made it one of the more tear-worthy reads in the series thus far.

The Brightest Fell deals a lot with family. I’ve been looking forward to Amandine properly showing up for a while now, and while I could have hoped for more page-time from this extremely complicated character, it definitely solidified the idea that families are not always what you’re born into. Sometimes, as with Toby, you make your own family, and we see that here when you compare Toby’s relationship with May (who despite initially being her fetch, is now her sister is all ways that matter) and the non-existent relationship with her true sister August.

The Brightest Fell was nearly perfect for me. I’d say one of the only things I’m a little disappointed about is the fact that I’m starting to dislike Tybalt being use too frequently as of late as the catalyst by which Toby is forced to solve whatever mystery is going on at present. I loved when he would lend the helping hand to Toby and I don’t think that should change just because they are now engaged. He’s a captivating and powerful character. I don’t like seeing him delegated to the background.

While I won’t tell you how things end up working out I will say that The Brightest Fell seems to set up more complications to come in the near future for Toby. I loved getting to walk back through memory lane as the history we thought we knew plays out before us, and before we embark on new uncharted territory.

After so much turmoil in her life, Toby finally has a chance to relax. In fact, The Brightest Fell starts off with her bachelorette party at a karaoke bar which ends perfectly with no trouble at all. Now all she wants to do is relax at home with Tybalt, Cait Sidhe fiancé. Unfortunately, Toby receives an unexpected visitor which is none other than Amandine, her mother. What reason does Amandine have for visiting Toby? Amandine wants no demands that Toby look for her half sister August who no one has seen in decades. Due to various reasons, Toby refuses but that doesn’t stop Amandine who decides to take Tybalt and Toby’s friend Jazz as hostages until Toby finds August. As a result, Toby is forced to seek the help of one of the few who knew August best, Simon Torquill who is not only August’s father but Toby’s enemy.

Overall, I believe Seanan McGuire did a wonderful job with The Brightest Fell. Its definitely one of the strongest books of the October Daye series that she has written. At long last, we finally get to meet Amandine. Now after finishing the book, I hope we don’t have to see her again. All those previous mentions of Amandine made her sound horrible and vain but they pale in comparison to the actual person. I knew Toby’s relationship with Amandine was bad but I had no idea that it was that bad. There’s also a novella at the end like in Once Broken Faith and it features April O’ Leary. Don’t want to spoil too much of it but let’s say that a certain storyline from A Local Habitation is finally resolved.

Most of Toby's stories drop you into the action and feed you necessary bits of exposition as they barrel along.

This book takes the time to introduce you to the world setting, and in that marks a note of gravity and weight that has been absent at the start of the stories, but has always lain lurking. In that, the novel starts off feeling like we've reached a new step, gone past some point of no return in both Toby's life and in Faerie itself. Fitting, since ina the author's own words, Toby is starting to pay off debts created five or six books ago.

We know something is coming, hints have been dropped and there's the looming matter of Toby's debts to the Luideag. Matters which were both brought starkly to light in Once Broken Faith when Luideag mentions it would take too long to replace Toby, and then later when she saves Tybalt's life. But much of that is for a yet later story.

Meanwhile this is Seanan McGuire's writing, so we'll get that wry humor that infuses all of her stories. It's not all blood and desperate magic. I mean, the first chapter features the Luideag singing karaoke at Toby's Bachelorette party. But a bleakness grips the narrative as Toby tackles a deeply personal challenge, one that puts her loved ones in peril, forces her to work with the man who's been her nightmare, and shines a glaring spotlight on the chasm between Toby and Amandine.

A rich, personal, and compelling continuation of the story. Highly recommend.

Advance Reader Copy courtesy of Daw (Penguin RandomHouse) in exchange for an honest review; changes may exist between galley and the final edition.

The Brightest Fell

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and Berkley/DAW for approving me for an ARC in one of my absolute favorite series. I was given a copy of this book to read in exchange for nothing more than an honest review.

Seanan McGuire is one of the best writers I've had the pleasure of reading. She knows how to set up the action, to build the plot to the explosive scenes you know are coming, but somehow seem to still usually subvert expectations and provide an even better result than you had predicted. She excels at character development -- making us feel and care and relate and share hopes and fears with these characters. She's set up a beautiful, dark, lovely, dangerous, amazing world and an extremely diverse and developed cast. Most importantly, she knows just where the next piece of the story needs to take us to push the overall series narrative forward, every single time.

This novel is no exception. In fact, it's one of the brightest (see what I did there?) examples of her talents as a writer.

She finds a believable way to force October onto another hero's quest, with limited access to her true allies, plenty of complications along the way, and massive amounts of development in Toby's emotional growth AND in some of the secondary characters as well. It left the book feeling reminiscent of some of the earlier books of the series where the cast hadn't grown as large, but with the more mature and confident and loved Toby that has come from the series as time passes and her "family" grows. And this one referenced the events of so many of the other books, and revealed that so many of the little things were bread crumbs to a bigger story... I'm beyond excited for the next few books. I have a feeling that the search for Oberon is a big part of endgame, and I'm ready for Toby to show the world of Faerie just how amazing her and her family is.

I'm thoroughly impressed with Seanan McGuire every time I pick up one of her novels. Even the worst of her novels is still near to masterpiece. If you haven't started the October Daye series, it's time to jump in (with Rosemary and Rue, book 1). Seriously, you should have started years ago. Go, get on that. NOW.

(PS- Chapter one of this book is absolutely one of my favorite opening scenes from any book ever. It features one of the best characters to ever grace the pages of a book... and I can't say more, because spoilers.)

Of Things Unknown

Also included in this book is a brand new shorty, staring the creepy but cool digital Dryad, April O'Leary, and provides some resolution to some stories from way back in the beginnings of the series.

It's well known that most of McGuire's shorties can be extremely heartwrenching. This one was an interesting surprise -- not only because it's got some happy moments in it, but because we got to see October from someone else's perspective, we got to see the inner workings of a very intriguing character, and we got more of Seanan's ability to put fresh spins on myths and the fae, etc. Five stars for the shorty as well.

I love Seanan McGuire, but have never read this series. I was a bit concerned to be jumping in at book #11, but McGuire does a great job of getting the reader up to date with enough knowledge to appreciate the tale. I really liked this book and am interested in reading more. It was easy to fall into the story, and it had a good pace. Enough action to keep the plot moving, but also enough room to breath and get some good exposition. I am definitely fascinated by the world building McGuire has done and am excited to go back and see the adventures that led up to this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy and strong female characters.

This is the eleventh book in the October Daye series by McGuire. Although I love all of McGuire’s series; this one remains my favorite. This was another great installment in the October Daye series. I just love this series so much.

There is a bonus novella at the end of this book that tells a story from April's POV (April is the Dryad that lives in a computer network from earlier in the series). That was well done as well.

In this book Toby’s mother, Amandine, decides to enter Toby’s life in a big way. Suddenly instead of spending time planning her wedding to Tybalt, Toby finds herself forced into searching for her long lost sister, August. Toby struggles to track down August by both following her scent and the trail of a Babylon Candle. Along the journey Simon Torquill ends up as her unlikely ally.

I really enjoyed the journey Toby went on in this book; there’s a lot of adventure here and I enjoyed how so much of this story touches on Toby’s beginning and past. I was a bit disappointed that Tybalt wasn’t in the story more, but given all the events that happened in here I ended up not missing Tybalt as much as I thought I would.

This book delves into yet more mystery surrounding the First Born and the Luidaeg is in here quite a bit (I love her character). The ending felt a bit rushed, but tied up at a decent spot.

Overall I was a huge fan of this book and think that it did an excellent job of continuing the series. I really enjoyed some of the things we learn and adventures we have in this book. This whole series has been very well done and is still going strong. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy investigative urban fantasy, especially faerie based urban fantasy.

Finally Amandine made an appearance!!! I had been waiting so long for this. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. Amandine is formidable woman. She makes the Luidaeg look sweet and sane, and she’s known as the sea witch. I have the feeling this book only showed one side of her personality. As someone who loves psychology, I’m curious to see what makes her tick and why exactly she feels the way she does about Toby. I think there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Since these books are becoming increasingly character driven, I can’t talk about much in regards to the characters because there would be major spoilers. One thing that made this book very different from the others was the lack of Toby’s usual sidekicks. Quentin was around but not highly impactful on the plot. The other main character was someone from Toby’s past who she detests. I would love to say more, but I was absolutely shocked at how that played out. It was this forced relationship that made the book great.

Amandine forced Toby’s hand and made her look for her long lost sister. In the century or so that she had been missing no one could find her and some incredibly powerful people looked. I like how the whole plot unraveled. The thing I didn’t like was that it was too convenient that Toby was the only person alive with the right abilities to possibly make it happen. The end game of the series has finally been laid out. Based on the few hints that were dropped, it’s looking grim.

Four and a half
After so many books the author has clearly decided to take things up a notch and I have to say this book just kept hammering away at any preconceived ideas about the characters within this world. I think I'm probably used to Toby having to bloody a few people up in order to save the day but this time it's going to take a lot more than nifty knife skills to solve her problems.
Toby's mother isn't exactly the warm fuzzy type and I'm not revealing too much when I say their relationship is anything but close. So you would imagine if Amandine turned up wanting Toby to track down her missing sister August ( who Toby has never met) that it might be the beginning of a reconciliation but alas mommy dearest doesn't ask she just takes! Oh and when I say takes believe me Amandine can be the cruelest, most uncaring parent you could ever imagine. So ok then Toby has a lot riding on this task but the person who seems best suited to helping isn't exactly her friend or is he?
Without giving too much away I can say that the author took an unlikeable character who I thought we'd seen the last of and completely turned things around. Toby is without her usual allies for much of this story and relies on her instincts. Never fear the Sea Witch is here but her connection to the task is not really a happy one. Toby does make new friends along the way but as with so many things in life there are consequences. Toby has finally found her place in the world and unfortunately everything she has worked for starts slipping away. The twist towards the end was utterly heart wrenching and the writing was so on point as reconciliation and painful heartbreak shared the page. I'm not sure how I feel about mommy dearest or indeed even August but it seems that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree no matter how beautiful it might be!
Please read this series in order to get the best out of it.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair