So, so, sooooo good!!! And it came with a full novella starring april o'leary! I'm almost compelled to read the blind michael book again, too. (Spoiler-I did re-read the Blind Michael book, and all the others after it)

I love how this author doesn't just regurgitate the same story and plot over and again. She has personal growth for the characters and story development without sacrificing any of the excellent dynamics of the world or resorting to the Mary Sue defense of ever increasing the main protagonists powers to goddess strengths that are unbelievable or a cheap trick for solving problems. Even this book, which is basically a reboot to an earlier version of the character (at least physically and magically) doesn't feel like a cope out, but a natural setback of the world and the individuals in it. No one is free of limitations and steps backwards. I have such admiration for her thought process and world building skills. I thought for sure I'd resent such a plot device from another author. However, she handled it superlatively. Kudos on another excellent book!

Review goes live on the blog on Sept 1 2017 at 00.00 am gmt+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: A journey through a fantastic world
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Loved returning to the San Francisco world, though a lot of the action of The Brightest Fell takes place in the awesome Faerie world, with fantastic elements galore. <3 Characters: Toby was the same snarky, funny, super resourceful, and kickass chick I know from the previous novel in the series. But now we get to find out more about her childhood, her insecure, vulnerable side as she’s stripped of what she loves most and has to fight to win it all back.
Her constantly expanding gang is really great, though we get to meet some decidedly not-great characters too, like Amandine and August, for instance. Everything about fae is relative. Take Simon, for instance. HE went from villain to self-sacrificing hero, and probably back again to villain in the future. I love how layered the characters of this series are.
Plot: The quest scenario is a pretty common one in fantasy, and this baby is a quest with a twist. It had a nice pace and it made for an awesome exploration of the Faerie world.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Toby’s POV. Love the style and her voice is delicious.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for sure.

Any time spent in this series is well-spent, and The Brightest Fell is no different. I give it the Bomy Award of Excellence and it’s making it on my top 10 fav reads of this year.
I recommend it to fans of fae/faerie/fairies stories and fantastic worlds, and of kickass, snarky characters.

As always, an engrossing addition to the Toby Daye saga. We find out more about some close family members and the wedding inches ever closer.

Another lesson in "There are two sides to every story". McGuire takes a really unlikable character and finds a way to redeem him, only for fate to step in...... Well done!

Like any long series, some books in the October Daye series are better than others. The Brightest Fell is definitely high on the list...non-stop action, character advancement, and more.

Seanan McGuire is one of the best urban fantasy authors today and The Brightest Fell is an excellent example of why. The book is exciting and intriguing. Though it is part of a large series, the story remains fresh and the characters continue to develop in fun ways.

Pub date: Sept 2017
I love this series and there was no stopping me from reading this once I got approved! I've been reading these for so long that it's cool when we find out even more about Toby, about her mother, her sister, her childhood. Making her join forces with a past villain was genius, and anytime we get more Luidaeg is time well spent. This could be read as a stand-alone, as Ms McGuire gives a summary and history at the beginning, though I recommend not short changing yourself and read this awesome series from the beginning.