Just when I was beginning to think that the October Daye series had run it's course and maybe starting to get a little stale, author Seanan McGuire (the most prolific author I'm aware of) brings us the 17th book in the series and shakes up the reality of October's world.
October "Toby" Daye has finally settled into a comfortable life and routine, comfortable with her life and lineage. But throughout her life she's ticked off more than a few powerful people, including Titania, the Summer Queen and co-creator of Faerie.
No Toby is pulled into a new reality, a creation of Titania's. On the surface it might seem as though nothing has changed, but no thing and no one is as Toby knows it. Including her closest friends and allies. This isn't just a nightmare, this is the new reality the way Titania believes it should be.
In order to survive and restore reality, Toby will need to navigate this hall of mirrors world, not knowing who to trust or to lean on, and break Titania's hold on the reality.
I think October had gotten just a little bit comfortable and had too many friends with strong personalities and powers, but now October is on her own once more ad forced to fend for herself (and the future of her friends).
Seanan McGuire is so adept at building a story and here she manages to clue us in on a familiar protagonist who is suddenly not so familiar and discovering herself and her world in a new way. Slowly we see Toby putting the pieces together and, because she's a hero (like it or not), she can't just accept the way things are.
I truly had been thinking that, with as many books as there are out there to be read, maybe the October Daye series was something I would stop reading for awhile. And then this book happened, restoring my interest in the character and series.
It's important to note, I think, that the book ends with a cliffhanger - ie: it doesn't end. You will need to read the next volume to get the conclusion to the story, and I really dislike that.
As with other books in the series, there is a short story/novelette at the back of the book that has some connection (albeit loose) to the main story. This one is "Candles and Starlight" and tells the story of how halflings, who weren't supposed to exist in Titania's new world, managed to survive. It's actually a rather powerful and poignant tale.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next volume (already on my Kindle), but disappointed that this is only part of a story.
Looking for a good book? Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire is the 17th book in the October Daye series. It's a strong, powerful story, restoring this reader's interest in the series.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Throughout the book, there was never a dull moment, and I thoroughly enjoyed the seamless blend of action, magic, mystery, and humor. The inclusion of emotional moments added a touching dimension to the story. Overall, "Sleep No More" proved to be a fantastic addition to the series, certain to delight fans. I'm now excited to dive into the next book, which offers Tybalt's perspective on the events, and I'm eager to experience now he perceived everything.

The October Daye series is a great read. The recapping is extensive in this one and makes the pacing tedious at times. The characters are old friends with new dilemmas which makes this a must read for series fans. The Luidaeg is the best part of the tale and I am looking forward to #18 in the hopes that we have more Toby heroically saving the day.

Joe and I share a love of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, and while he does the honours of the full Nerds of a Feather reviews, I also found time for both of last year's double-Toby entries, Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep. These are the 17th and 18th books in the series respectively, and they effectively act as companion novels to each other: Sleep No More follows series protagonist October - a fae changeling - as she grapples with the effects of a reality-altering mass illusion, while The Innocent Sleep breaks with series tradition to focus on her Cait Sidhe husband Tybalt, who is working against the illusion from the outside. The actual points of narrative overlap didn't set my world on fire (In one book, October thinks Tybalt looks angry! In the next book, we learn Tybalt is angry!), but the double-bill allows McGuire to let loose with the most unsavoury conventions and darkest corners of fae society in a way that brings the series full circle to its earliest vibes. There's also more time across the books to feature a wide set of supporting characters - including one unexpectedly sympathetic "recast" - who demonstrate the breadth of the series' worldbuilding. As always, I'm eager for more.

This is NOT the first book you want to read in this series. If you are interested in a snarky and reluctant hero, long-reaching plot with a bajillion dropped hints, and badass Shakespeare and folklore references....go pick up book 1, Rosemary and Rue.

Now. For those who are still with me.

Sleep No More is book 17 in the October Daye Series, and Seanan McGuire makes good on the brain-melting cliffhanger she left readers with at the end of the last installment. Toby has been dropped into a world where everyone believes Titania is a beneficent queen and the changeling daughter of Amandine's house exists to serve. She is quickly yanked out of this idyllic life with a quest that slowly forces her to recognize that this world is not her own.

What I especially like about this book is how it weaves together with The Innocent Sleep, Tybalt's POV. Because Toby and Tybalt are separated for months, the two stories are not the usual alt-POV money grab. Their stories complement each other with very few replicated scenes. And knowing what we do, what Toby doesn't know about the real world, they are all the more powerful when they do happen.

Seanan McGuire's 'Sleep No More' continues the gray urban fantasy October Daye series and follows her life in the twisted reinterpretation of Faerie cast by Titania at the end of the previous book.

Seanan's writing is straightforward as always and the style suits an urban theme, though a bit heavy handed. The characters arcs are the most compelling factor in this book, hand in hand with the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the writing; One star for the characters; Half a star for the story; Half a star for the world-building - Three stars in total.]

A fantastic novel!

I originally requested this thinking it was an InCryptid book, as I hadn't read an October Daye one, but then decided, well, in for a penny, in for a pound -- if I was going to hop in on book 17, at least it was one where she also had amnesia and didn't know who she was!

And I don't regret it. I DID (after chapter 2) read a quick summary of the series just so I'd have some sense of who is being referred to and what was different, but it was a solid story regardless of my background knowlege. The breaking down of the illusion and the cracks of injustice as people wanted to know how things really were was fantastic, Toby's recovery of who she was without losing what she gained was beautiful, and I was along for the whole ride. The pacing was a bit slow at first -- I could have used some of the early stuff cranking up a bit faster, and maybe could have used fewer other-people-need-fixing subplots to stop the middle part from dragging a little (though given, like, the sheer number of characters important to Toby and the plot 17 books in, I understand why they were in there!), but I deeply enjoyed it.

Now more than ever I do WANT to read the rest -- I actually already own most of them in paperback, just haven't gotten around to them yet -- but I have to read the Tybalt side novel first!

I couldn’t wait to get into this new volume of October Daye’s adventures. This is one of my favorite series and I look forward to each new novel.

I was a little dubious at the start of the novel when I saw this alternate reality. There’s not much going on and I had a bit of trouble getting hooked. You don’t recognize Toby in this alternate reality. But little by little, inconsistencies appear and our heroine realizes that something is wrong. People say they know her, but she’s never seen them. Her whole life is called into question. It’s at this point that the story takes a much more interesting turn, and I couldn’t wait to find out how she was going to cope and save everyone.

Despite a rocky start, I had a great time with this novel. Poor Tybalt, whom October doesn’t even recognize. This was a rather nice, transitional tome and another follows on Tybalt. I’m intrigued to see the story from his point of view.

As a long time reader of the October Day series, I was excited about this novel because I was more than a bit put out by the cliffhanger at the end of Be the Serpent. It was worth the wait.

In Sleep No More, October is living a lie perpetrated by Titania. She has no idea of her former life, loves and self and suddenly finds herself thrust into perplexing circumstances trying to return the world to normal. As always, well-paced, well written and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for an advanced readers copy of this book.

I had a lot of anxiety about how this book would play out, and I was just about ready to give up on Toby- with- no- memories when the story turned, because Seanan is very, very good at what she does. I loved seeing who all the characters would gave become if not for Toby as hero in their lives. My only complaint was that I felt the denouement wrapped up far too quickly, taking it feel as star to 4 star read for me.

Wow, what an intense story. I now need to read Tybalts story to see what happened from his perspective. The real hero of this story is Luidaeg. She's seriously a badass.

Book Summary:

October Daye should be celebrating the momentous occasion of her marriage (getting her down the aisle was no small feat). Unfortunately, she has no memories of such a marriage. Or anyone that she had come to call dear to her.

For all October can remember, she has spent her entire life happily under the care of her parents, living alongside her beloved sister. But something is wrong, and nothing is quite as it seems. Will October find the truth, reclaim her title as a knight, and save the day?

My Review:

Ow. My poor heart. I'm pretty sure all fans went into Sleep No More expecting it to hurt. I know I did – and I wasn't wrong. After all, the story literally starts with October's happy memories all gone (along with a few concerning details). It's why I put off reading it.

I won't lie – the first few chapters of Sleep No More were hard to get through. Not because they're poorly written but because it hurt to see Toby in this situation. She's basically surrounded by people who (mostly) don't care about her, believing these horrible lies the fae love to perpetuate. Worse, she helps to spread those lies (since she was "raised" to believe them).

The good news is that once the main plot (IE, October hunting for the truth/protection of those she loves) starts changing quickly. Seeing the Toby we all know and love slowly reappear on the page was a delight, to put it simply.

If there's one thing I love about Sleep No More, it shows the depth and complexity of commands to the fae. Telling someone not to harm doesn't stop them from taking action. While kinda morbid, it was interesting to see how Titania worked around her command.

Are you ready for the really heartbreaking bit? Sleep No More has a companion novel – The Innocent Sleep. It's the same story/timeline (I believe) but from Tybalt's side. Now THAT book is going to wreck me. I plan on reading it this weekend, so don't be surprised if I'm a crying mess for the next week.

Candles and Starlight

As per usual with Seanan McGuire's works, Sleep No More contains a novella at the end. This one is called Candles and Starlight, and it follows Rayseline (yes, THAT Rayseline) through her...adventures during this time.

For context, it starts around the time Be the Serpent wraps up, with Reyseline thinking she will finally have something good happen in her life. Um. Yeah, this novella hurts, to say the least. Still, I love reading about all of the secondary (and tertiary) characters in this world, so I wasn't going to skip the chance here.

Candles and Starlight does help to add context to what is happening outside of Toby's view. Worse, it shows just how much damage Titania has done (is doing?). It also makes me wonder what sort of novella we'll get at the end of The Innocent Sleep...

Highlights:
Complex Fantasy Series
Fae Lore & Magic
Urban Fantasy
Knight of the Fae
Stubborn Main Character

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 17 in the October Daye series, and prior to picking this up I was starting to wonder how much more we could get from this series without it becoming stale. I was very pleasantly surprised at how fresh this book felt!

Without getting into the summary of the series up until this point, this book picks up in Amandine’s tower where Toby believes she has always lived, with no memories of the side characters we’ve come to know and love throughout the series. Told from Toby’s perspective (as is usual), we also don’t know what is going on for a large chunk of this book. But this proved to be quite effective - it highlighted different, and at times new, aspects to these characters and explored how they would react in situations which are totally incompatible with the story to date, in a fun and engaging way. The stakes have never been higher, but the tone was quite different from that of some of the recent entries in this series.

If your interest in this series has been flagging recently, I highly recommend picking up at least this entry as it truly does feel incredibly fresh. Seanan McGuire has done an incredible job at breathing new life into a series after so many books!

Another fantastic installment in the October Daye series! It's a rare series that is able to go on for so many books without feeling repetitive or tiresome, but Seanan McGuire makes every book feel very worthwhile and fun.

This was a tough read for me, because the amnesia/false memories trope is one of my least favorite in fiction. It makes me deeply uncomfortable, but that's a personal thing. I'm looking forward to reading Tybalt's half of the story in The Innocent Sleep - sort of - because I also hate it when one character is the only one who remembers the truth and everyone else thinks they're crazy. It's a whole thing. But I will push through, because the series and characters are worth it!

McGuire doesn’t pull any punches in this installment of the Toby Daye series. I found it unsettling at first, but after finishing the book, I realized that that was kind of the point. Toby is so different for most of this novel, it really brings home how much we’ve seen her change over the series. Part of the charm of this series is that McGuire has done her homework about Faerie and weaves information into the books as you need it without doing info dumps at you.

The stakes definitely felt higher in this book, I’m not sure if it was the plot or what, but I was on the edge of my seat while reading it and inwardly cheered at the ending. Again, DO NOT START WITH THIS ONE, start at the beginning – or, if you’re like me, go back a few books (or, hey, back to the start) and continue forward, you won’t regret it.

I received a free copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion.

#SleepNoMore #NetGalley

ARC received by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Okay, now that this book is out I can finally write a review. This was by far one of my favorite books in this series. The last few were good but felt just a tad bit stagnant, like we were treading the same path over an over again. This one felt like a breath of fresh air. Toby had some real growth that made me tear up a time or two. I really loved that we did focus on what is happening at the start of the book, but it did feel a little fast paced towards the end. I have yet to read the next because of life things but I am hoping that can fill in some holes. In the end, this was by far my favorite of this series and I am so happy to be back in this world once more.

IT’S FINALLY HERE. This cliffhanger has been a killer.

In this latest novel in the series, we finally get to see what twisted world Titania’s magic has created. Toby in this reality is the obedient changeling daughter, raised entirely in Faerie, and knows her place in the pecking order (at the bottom.) In this version of reality shaped by Titania, the Faerie queen is worshipped, descendants of Maeve have been banished, and changelings are disdained and treated as disposable – the best that someone like October can hope for is to be well-treated as a servant in her mother’s household. As a result, October was raised to be something of a bigot, with a self-loathing streak a mile wide, pathetically grateful for her meager position. And that’s just the beginning of Titania’s warped version of reality.

It’s really interesting to take characters we've gotten to know so well over so many novels, give them completely different backstories and circumstances, and throw them back together to see how different everything is. It’s very weird to see Toby so meek, and fascinating to then watch as she slowly starts to change as she is removed from the influences that kept her down (primarily Amandine.) I loved the book except for the very last chapter. For that reason I’m docking it half a star to 4.5 (but rounding up because it was still a really good book.)

The short story included at the end of the print and ebook versions is a look at Rayseline’s story immediately before Sleep No More. It was good! Very interesting to get Raysel’s POV.

Now on to The Innocent Sleep and Tybalt’s side of the story!

CW: faerie bigotry and blood (though if you’re squeamish about blood I’m not sure how you got this far into the series without passing out)

October Daye was barely married, and had to Be the Serpent (paper) to save the day, Titania, Queen of the Fae, cast a spell that reshaped her magical world, giving her fake memories. A world in which half-breeds like her are treated as servants Even though she can Sleep No More (hard from DAW) when she discovers the magic, she still has to rescue her friends, take the spell off her, and stop Titania from making the spell permanent. This is a great addition to the series

I was scared to start this one, and do you know what? I was totally right! This book hurts so much! Mind me, the author was brilliant, and this is one of the most original books ever, not only in this series but in general, because what the author did here is pretty unique, if you consider the series as a whole. And I admit that without problems. What she did was amazing. But it was also quite awful, because how can you make me suffer so much? And how can you make your characters suffer so much??

To be really really short about the plot, in the last book our dear heroes unintentionally free Titania (that’s not technically what happened, but it fit and it is the short version so it will do), and she is not really happy about the state of the world so she invents a new world, that is more of her liking, trapping everyone, or almost everyone, in that realm (and in a couple of the nearest ones) in a fake reality created by her. In this reality changelings are not free to roam, they are “created” only to serve the pureblood, and the society is more rigid. There are other differences but this is the core of it. Ah, one last small thing. Since Titania is one of the Queens of Faerie (one of the three who created all of Faeries, not just a queen of a small realm) she is above revenge and small pettiness, so obviously this world is also keyed to make October suffer the most.
All things considered, she didn’t manage this part too well, at least! But what is not hurting October is hurting us readers. And it hurts a lot!

It hurts so much! And for different reasons. The main three are (from the less hurtful to the most)

1)We see an October that is not herself, and yet… yet she is, at least in part. And knowing her as you get to know her, and seeing her like this, is bad. And what’s worst is that she is happy in there. And this hurt so much more. In part because you see how a loving family (and loving here is to be taken loosely) could have made a huge difference and because the same thing, a happy family (so to speak) could become a chain. We have a lot of contradictions like that in the book and they all hurt something bad. (I am not saying that the book does not work or that the author did a poor job or that we have plot holes, not at all. I am saying that you get to see the two sides of everything and this makes you suffer more)

2)This point is a spoiler for the previous volumes. Be warned. So, we finally, finally get to witness the wedding, Toby and Tybalt managed it, at last, and… and we don’t get to see the happy couple. And it is so annoying! We waited so long for it!!! And it’s not enough that you have to wait 16 books for it to happen, no, once you see it happen you have to see the couple torn apart by Titania and her new reality. Argh!! It is maddening, really.
But this part is more annoying than hurtful. What’s distressing is that Toby has no memory of Tybalt. At all. While Tybalt wasn’t ensnared in the magic, he remembers everything! You can feel his pain so neatly and you are right there, suffering with him. This part was devastating. And still, still this is not the part that made me suffer the worst. Do you want to know what was the worst of the worst? Keep reading!

3)The Luidaeg. She is my favorite character in the series, and she had no easy life. Her past is so full of pain, damage, and sadness. But she was slowly going back to happiness, to wholesomeness and she was finally part of a (found) family again. And it was so good. And here she is confronted with a Toby who has no memory of her whatsoever, a Toby who is scared of her because she is the Sea Witch. And this, this was devastating.

I have used the word “hurt” so much in this review, so I am a tad sorry for the repetitiveness of it all, but it is that this book pained me to no end. But this is a testament to the fact that the author really knows what she is doing, and if you want to try a series that is still good after going on for so long, you should definitely try this one out!