McGuire is a witch.
No other author has ever kept my attention for such a long series of novels.
Each book is fresh and new while feeling as comfortable as an old pair of jeans.

Toby is finally getting married, but as always, the path is never easy. Return to the enchanting, sometimes deadly world of Faerie, with all the characters you have come to know and love (or hate). Not a standalone, but definitely a worthy installment of this long-running series.

Reading the latest Toby book, and finally, FINALLY, getting to Toby and Tybalt's wedding was a payoff that I have been waiting for since, like, book 4 -- and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The wedding payoff isn't the only thing that makes this part of the series great, though -- finally, we get to visit Toronto, and see Quentin's family and homeland, and that's been teased in previous volumes as well. Of course, this wouldn't be a Toby book if things didn't go wrong...

Seanan McGuire is extremely skilled at long-term plotting, and setting up tantalizing hints, as well as new revelations. She writes fast-paced adventures, but she uses those adventures in order to advance the larger worldbuilding, and the biggest arcs of the series. WHEN SORROWS COME especially highlighted her ability to balance stories about the fae in the current time period, but also of fae history centuries earlier.

This volume is not a good starting point for the series, but it is an excellent continuation of a long-running story, building in new developments for future books as well. Highly recommended.

As a long-time reader of the October Daye series, I was excited to read When Sorrows Come and experience the next step of Toby’s life and adventures. McGuire is a careful and prolific writer who rarely disappoints. In this installment, Toby is preparing to marry her devoted King of Cats. Tybalt. But in true Toby, hero fashion nothing can be easy. Everyone wants to overthrow a plot to unseat the high king while walking down the aisle! Filled much adventure, plot twists and tender moments, When Sorrows Come is a satisfying read that will please series fans. If you’re new to October Daye and her adventures, this tale is best enjoyed as part of the series. Highly recommend. 5 stars.

Glorious

It's hard to be a hero. There's always something needing October "Toby" Daye's attention, and her own desires tend to fall by the wayside in favor of solving the Kingdom's problems. That includes the desire to marry her long-time suitor and current fiancé, Tybalt, San Francisco's King of Cats. She doesn't mean to keep delaying the wedding, it just sort of...happens. And that's why her closest friends have taken the choice out of her hands, ambushing her with a court wedding at the High Court in Toronto. Once the High King gets involved, there's not much even Toby can do to delay things...

...except for getting involved in stopping a plot to overthrow the High Throne itself, destabilizing the Westlands entirely, and keeping her from getting married through nothing more than the sheer volume of chaos it would cause. Can Toby save the Westlands and make it to her own wedding on time? Or is she going to have to choose one over the other?

Every time.  Every time Seanan McGuire writes an October Daye book, I fall in love with the series a little bit more and the characters hold me enthralled as I devour the words on the page. Even the smallest of details keep me wrapped in the novel until I finish at a breathless pace. Seanan has the unique ability to make you care about every word but that might just be the words she chooses and the way she conveys the story because every novel she writes makes you fall in love with her characters and the world. 

This novel is no exception. The plot manages to mingle intrigue, murder, a plot against the High Throne all while Toby tries to ger married. And the bonus is that the intrigue is carried out by the person I least suspected. There is way more to love about this book than I can even begin to articulate but suffice to say, the characters are dynamic, the plot riveting, the relationships complex, and the ending one of the finest I’ve read in a long time but I’m secretly a terrible romantic. 

If you love the October Daye series, you won’t be able to wait to get your hands on this novel. You will love it and want to read it multiple times. If you haven’t read the series, I highly recommend you read it but start with book one because the ending to the book won’t have the same impact without the buildup in the series that Seanan McGuire has been doing. But I will tell you, it is worth reading every book and every word for the glorious story this is. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 dresses

The time has finally arrived. October "Toby" Daye is going to get married. She's been engaged to her fiancé, Tybalt, the King of Cats, for some time now. Every time she thinks the wedding might happen, she ends up doing something else - saving the world or solving some problem within the Kingdom.

Toby's friends have decided to see to it themselves that October and Tybalt finally tie the knot. The only way to do this is to ambush Toby with the power of the high court behind them. Of course, in Toby's life, not even a royal wedding can take place without a little drama. Toby has to find a way to stop a plot to overthrown the High Throne and a destabilization of the Westlands.

We are fifteen books in to the October Daye series now, and still author Seanan McGuire finds a way to give us something familiar and something new with each book. This book is filled with the familiar - characters and themes, but we also get a few new things. For instance, we finally get to the High Court ... in Toronto.

This was a fun romp and it goes by quickly.

Maybe a little too quickly.

These books have never been long reads but this one goes by faster than most. This reads like a novella with some extra padding to fill it out. Toby spends a lot of time relaying information for the new reader to make sure everyone is caught up, which is great for those who are just jumping in on the series, but gets repetitive for those who already know what's going on.

The story is the wedding. The attempted coup is a side-step on the way to the wedding (literally).

There is an actual novella (perhaps a novelette?) at the end of the book - "And With Reveling" - the title of which perhaps tells you all you really need to know.

Although this all moved by a little too quickly I really do enjoy reading Seanan McGuire and I like this October Daye series.

Looking for a good book? When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire is the fifteenth book in the October Daye series. It has a lot of the familiar faces with a long-awaited twist.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent installment to the series, fans will love the closure it brings to several long running storylines. This continues to be a diverse and well developed set of characters and run at the usual break-neck pace.

Seanan McGuire does it again!

I love the fae world in this series, along with the characters she has fleshed out so well.

Is Toby capable of a simple marriage WITHOUT a catastrophe involved? Find out..

When Sorrows Come is a brilliant addition to the Toby Daye series. I loved finally reading about Toby's wedding. It was a wonderful blend of romance and bloody adventure. This is a must read for fantasy lovers.

Seanan McGuire brings October Daye's adventures to a climax with her wedding in When Sorrows Come. As she comes to Toronto, the court of the High King, she discovers a plot to overthrow the High King. Suddenly, October is busy with investigations and rooting out the conspirators. What about her wedding.? Wonderful high fantasy. Read the whole series. Is this the end? Read and wait to see.

It's here! Toby's wedding is finally here! I bet we all thought that moment would never come around, huh? When Sorrows Come is the fifteenth (!!!) novel in Seanan McGuire's October Daye series. This series is by far my favorite fae series to date.

People like October Daye don't ever really catch a break. Even when off on the wedding of her dreams, Toby still ends up working. But let's take a step back. The wedding is finally here, though Toby got a very short notice on the matter.

However, not all is well in the High King's Court. So before the wedding can proceed, Toby will once again find herself bloody and neck-deep in politics. Just what she wanted. But as long as the wedding still happens, all will be well.

"I spent enough time very bitter indeed to understand that clinging to joy when I find it is the most essential thing in the world."

Pardon me as I squeal for five minutes. I don't normally freak out about weddings, but Tybalt is one of my favorite characters, so I am tickled to death that Toby is finally marrying him. That fact, combined with the long build-up, made When Sorrows Come such a welcome sight.

To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the wedding. Was Toby going to get her happily ever after? Was something going to happen to cause a split? I knew that something would happen – I can't think of a single book where Toby didn't end up covered in her own blood, after all.

As such, I pretty much went into When Sorrows Come with little to no expectations. I was still blown away. The politics, the scheming, the endearing moments! It was all so much, and it succeeded in making me smile on more than one occasion.

Yes, this is a wedding novel; that much is obvious. But it is a wedding that is very much Toby's. By that, I mean it is complicated and messy, with all her friends and family gathered around. Throw in a few bonus Tybalt scenes, and it is no wonder that I loved this book.

"If monarchs are that much against being overthrown, they shouldn't do things that would make it seem like a good idea."

If you haven't been reading the series up until this point, you won't have the faintest idea of what is going on. But if you're a fan of the series, please do take the time to read When Sorrows Come. And when you're done, read the attached novella, And with Reveling. You won't regret it.

Readers have been waiting for this moment for years - Toby and Tybalt are finally getting married. Of course, it is no small feat to get Toby to the High Court and through a wedding without bloodshed (most likely her own). When an old enemy rises in the Westlands - using Toby's reputation to cover-up a coup - she will have to follow the magic and unmask the villain in the middle of wedding preparations and without destroying her enchanted wedding gown.

I was so happy to finally get to this point in the Toby's story. It was great fun to see the full cast pull together to make the wedding happen with a blend of faerie and human customs. There has been so much character growth for everyone - most of the wedding guests were on opposite sides at the beginning of this series. I can't wait to see what future adventures Toby and Tybalt will encounter.

The long awaited wedding is here. October and Tybalt are going to tie the knot at the High King of Westlands knowe in Toronto. They arrive in one piece only to fall headlong into a plot to overthrow the king.

I liked this book. Seeing Tybalt and Toby finally get married was fun. This book seemed to move a little slower. The main focus of the story was the wedding, which was good but the overthrow plot was okay. It seemed like this is a bridge book. Pulling from the events of The Unkindest Tide and A Killing Frost, have solved some problems and created a few more.

I am looking forward to Toby's next adventure.

Tybalt and Toby's wedding, the moment fans have been waiting for. Of course the nuptials are full of stabbings and elf shot with Toby and team off on another adventure. I love the series, but I will admit, aside from the wedding, some moments of humor, and Quentin finally getting to air his grievances the book didn't excite me overall. I did like the inclusion of the novella (?) at the end giving readers a glimpse into the wedding reception. The book was definitely a good addition to the series, but over all, felt a little disjointed and maybe rushed.. Definitely not a re-read for me, but I'm glad I read it.

Book 15, time for a wedding! It feels like a long time coming, but October's finally getting married . . . assuming no one gets in the way, especially October. But October can't get in the way when she knows nothing about anything, having turned over all planning details to her fiancé and family. Wake up one morning, find yourself on your way to Toronto to be married in the High Kingdom of the Westlands, and then the murders began. Life's never easy for October Daye, why should her wedding be any different?

For such a long book, it was so well-paced that it's over before you know it, and leaves you wanting the next one. Look for Be the Serpent in 2022.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
Finally!!!!!! Toby and Tybalt get married! But lots of stuff gets in the way first. Loved this one!

I remember reading Katherine Kurtz’s novel King Kelson’s Bride when I was younger (but not quite as young as I thought I was since the novel was published in 2000) and being disappointed that it was a novel about a wedding. It was, potentially and partly, *gasp* a romance. Other things happened in that novel, but the main thing is the wedding. It was King Kelson’s “Bride” after all. I was younger then.

When Sorrows Come is the fifteenth October Daye novel and this is the wedding novel, the one where Toby and Tybalt get married. Seanan McGuire is really good at exposition and recapping, because you could *almost* jump into When Sorrows Come without having read the preceding 14 novels, and you probably can, but the problem with that (and it is not a problem) is that When Sorrows Come is earned by everything that came before it. Readers care because they’ve been on the journey with Toby from the start - from being turned into a fish and trying to have as little to do with faerie as possible to reclaiming her position as Sylvester’s Knight to becoming a Hero of the realm, from an initial distaste regarding Tybalt to a casual alliance and almost friendship to straight up courtship and romance. The other character arcs are just as notable and it matters that you’ve been on this journey because When Sorrows Come pays off so much.

Toby actually makes a comment relatively early in the novel that her wedding dress will end up covered in blood and readers will nod along because if there is anything this series has taught us is that Toby will end up covered in blood, usually her own, but that it’ll still turn out mostly okay.

The wedding party makes their way to the High King’s Court in Toronto, moving the action away from San Francisco and into the family home of Quentin’s parents (the High King and Queen, naturally) and it’s pretty quickly evident that something is wrong because of course something is wrong and as such, things go wrong pretty quickly and there are dead bodies and Toby is leading the investigation on why there is treason and dead bodies and all the while inching ever closer to her wedding (for which is only a day or so away) and with fears from Tybalt that this is all just a way for Toby to get out of marrying him, thought not going so far as to suggest that this is her fault but more that she always jumps in with everything she has and is.

There’s a larger plot against the High King’s throne and several swords of Damocles hanging over Toby - there’s no way we’re done with Amandine and at some point Oberon has to officially decide he wants to announce himself and return and that’ll change everything - but despite all of the blood and death and not knowing, When Sorrows Come is ultimately a celebration.

It is perhaps a funny thing to say after talking about all the blood and plots and dead bodies, but When Sorrows Come is ultimately a positive novel. On one hand there is a lot packed into a few tight chapters, on the other hand it feels spread out and diffuse as we gradually work our way to the actual wedding ceremony. It would have been such a cop out to delay Toby and Tybalt’s wedding any further and McGuire doesn’t. Spoilers, I suppose, but this is the wedding novel and we do get to that happy event. There is a brief sense of a farce (in the category of a comedic sub genre) when we finally get to the ceremony and oh, it’s one more thing! But we get there and there are some very nice and deeply satisfying moments. There are moments to breathe and there is, ultimately, a happy ending for Toby. This isn’t the final novel in the series, but maybe this is the book we need in the middle of a pandemic that just won’t end.

After... we'll kindly say many books of dodging the inevitable, Toby's finally getting married. In her defense, at the start of the book even she did not know the date chosen for the event. There's a little too much significance in this marriage to allow for a simple document signing in front of the local Justice of the Peace. A marriage between a member of the Divided Courts and a King of Cats, and of course Toby has been anything but "just" a changeling for some time now. A hero of the realm, daughter of a First Born, king-breaker, kingdom maker, finder of lost things, and, most importantly, one of the few members of Fairie that understands crime scene investigation and procedure.

This is October Daye, of course something is going to go Horribly Wrong, likely involving blood, when she tries to get married. Especially when she gets married in the court of the High King of the entire continent. We didn't need an ominous to figure that out.

But just like Toby is no longer "just" a changeling, Toby is no longer alone and she knows this. She's no longer running from friends or the family she's found. This time she is charging headfirst into her wedding with an all-too-familiar intent that nothing so insignificant as an attempted coup or murder will stop her.

It's kind of joyous, seeing Toby fight to get what she wants and not just to survive, not just to save her friends and family. Because she will get to the bottom of things, but this time she's fighting for her happy ending.

You get the standard wit, snark, and determination of October Daye. You also get beautiful heart wrenching moments of connection rather than loss, reveling in the family, life, and connections she's built in the years since coming out of the fish pond. There's also doors opening that have been closed for so long due to misunderstanding, though the gulf between Toby and her liege keeps widening.

If you've been following along so far, read this book (if you haven't, starting at book 15 can be a bit disorienting but I love the series). In the pages of When Sorrows Come, if I may quote a familiar favorite to many of us, you'll find "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!"

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

Can Toby get married without making a bloody mess? Eh, probably not. When Sorrows Come continues Toby's adventures with Tybalt and her motley band of teenagers and other friends while she tries to actually make to to the altar to get married. This book ties up some plot lines and leaves the big ones in motion. The Luidaeg is my absolute favorite though. She's terrifying and awesome. I also appreciated the wealth of Tim Hortons jokes scattered throughout this one.

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire, McGuire has really outdone herself this time! This was almost a major arc conclusion that ties together several of the outstanding mysteries we've learned about over the last few books, and clears the way to begin the BIG ones. You DEFINITELY want to read this book if you are a fan of the series!