Reading the October Daye has been a journey in coming to terms with and ultimately accepting Tybalt as Toby’s love and her partner. Some of that journey mirrored Toby’s in the books, but something about Tybalt has never quite sat right with me. I’m in the middle of a years long series re-read which pauses each time a new book comes out so my brain is perpetually in a weird place with this series when we get to the summer and I begin reading the new October Daye for purposes of review (and for purposes of joy, because I am not remotely unbiased and I really love this series).

“You seem pretty possessive, and that’s me being nice about it. I could be a lot nastier if you wanted me to be.” - August Torquill to Tybalt

The Innocent Sleep is the 18th novel in Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series and unlike every other book in the series, it does NOT follow off the events of the preceding book but rather from the events of book 16, Be the Serpent (my review). The Innocent Sleep is a companion novel to Sleep No More (my review) and they each run through the same events but from differing perspectives. Sleep No More is Toby’s novel. The Innocent Sleep is Tybalt’s, which means that I spent a significant part of The Innocent Sleep annoyed at Tybalt because the more we’re in Tybalt’s head the less I appreciate the character.

“I know the way of ward and wording. I know the roads through riddle and restriction. Do you truly think my husband can stop me from doing anything I want to do?” - Titania

Readers already knew that Toby was caught up in Titania’s counter stroke and if they read Sleep No More first the way I think most will they will have already gone on this journey once to break Titania’s spell and restore the world back the way it was. I suspect the success of The Innocent Sleep depends on how invested particular readers are in Tybalt as a main character on his own rather than just as the romantic accessory of Toby’s heart that he is.

“Why not? You seem pretty possessive, and that’s me being nice about it. I could be a lot nastier if you wanted me to be.” - August to Tybalt.

I do a slight disservice to Tybalt, but I’ve always had issues with Tybalt as a character. He comes across as very self righteous but also borderline abusive and obsessive in a very controlling way. His anger at this particular situation makes sense and is reasonable. Everything is messed up. Badly. His words and actions about his “right” to speak for October and answer for her and make decisions for her is not reasonable, especially when October is not able to push back, which is truly half of their relationship.

“You don’t get to give people consent to hurt me,” said October. “No one gets to give people consent to hurt me except for me. Not you, not my family, not the damned Queen of the Mists, not even Fair Titania. *No one*”
Even in these magically adjusted circumstances, and perhaps because this is a false reality overlaid on top of actual reality Toby is who she is and that pokes through from time to time - enough to remind the reader that this isn’t exactly a medical case of altered mental status. This is who Toby is in Titania’s reality and Tybalt doesn’t get to dictate Toby’s actions and his rage is misplaced (and frankly concerning).

That’s really where my issues with The Innocent Sleep lie - being in Tybalt’s head is a frustrating experience and I fully expect that other readers don’t have the same problem with Tybalt that I do and everything is cool and this is how they want him to be. I don’t. Because of that, The Innocent Sleep is the novel I needed to get through in order to see the stage that McGuire sets at the end of this book and, likewise, at the end of Sleep No More. I want what’s next in this story. I want to find out what happens next, when the reckoning with Titania will fall (because there is no way that I believe she is off the board), if the next book is the one where Toby finds Maeve, and all the things.

Better yet, to spend a full book back in Toby’s head the way it should be.

The place to end, though, is with a threat from a Firstborn - which I always enjoy because they talk such a good game but don’t often smack down the ordinary heroes we love.

“Don’t think that just because I choose harmlessless now, you can afford the cost of offending me.”

The latest installment in the October Daye series is by far the weakest. Strictly in the "for fans only" zone, even lovers of the series may be tempted to skip over this one. Running though the same time and events as Sleep No More, The Innocent Sleep is told for the perspective of Tybalt, Toby's husband and occasional King of Cats. Tybalts is frantic when he discovers Toby missing and the world rewritten, and his sulking and possessiveness become overwhelming. While the peeks at goings on in the Undersea and the Court of Cats during Titania's control are interesting, so much of the material is recycled from Sleep No More that it all feels rather pointless. This is one novel that really should have been a novella, while the included novella is the best part of the book. I plan to continue with the series, but will omit The Innocent Sleep from rereads.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Well, I somehow missed that there was a previous book about these same events from Toby's perspective, and so was puzzled why this one was from Tybalt's perspective. LOL. Totally not my fault. And once I figured out what was going on, I ended up immersed like usual. Enjoyed the story. Off to find the Toby perspective story.

Set in the fantasy world of October Daye. This story is from the POV of Tybalt King of Cats whose wife October and child have been ripped away from his world and replaced by a world made by Titania Faerie’s Summer Queen. Tybalt along with other shapeshifters must find a way to break through this illusion. Tybalt and friends most dangerous task is to reverse the illusion hoping their loved ones still remember them.
You should read the previous book in this series which gives a POV from October to really appreciate the stories involving different characters.
A very engaging fantasy world which really draws you in.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, DAW) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Tybalt is one of my favorite "book boyfriends" so The Innocent Sleep has been one of my most anticipated books of 2023. I was thrilled to get an advanced reader copy at the same time I got Sleep No More (Toby Daye #17) so I was rushing through Sleep No More because I knew Tybalt's POV was coming... and it absolutely delivered!

Although I don't know what's better, having his story or FINALLY having an official picture of him. It's a tie.

Fantastic, but who'd expect anything less? This book gives us a difference character's POV on the events of the previous book in the series, and it's entertaining, frightening, emotional, and a great read. It's hard to think of any other series that remains this strong after so many books -- the October Daye series is amazing.

Covering the events of the same four months as those in Sleep No More, The Innocent Sleep shows how Tybalt and others of Toby's allies were affected and fought through to break Titania's spell by getting Toby back. Tybalt's fight is so difficult because he knows what he is missing and might lose forever.

This series is one of my all-time favorites and just continues to throw beloved characters into unimaginable situations that show all their strengths. I especially appreciated seeing so much from Tybalt's POV and how the other species treat the shapeshifters at times. His choices in this novel show how much his relationship with Toby have changed him and made him part of her extended family.

Thank you to DAW for my #eARC.

I was desperate for this book to see Tybalt's POV of the events that happened in Sleep No More. I was a bit worried that it would be boring as it covered the same time period but it wasn't at all. I liked this just as much as Sleep No More. Tybalt's narrative is very different from Toby's, mostly because they have vastly different ways of looking at and interacting with the world.

I really enjoyed Tybalt's voice and seeing his perspective. It was also nice to get a more detailed look at the Court of Cats and the Undersea. We saw some elements of how the Undersea works and functions and it was fascinating. In terms of the court of cats, Raj has grown up so much since the first books and it's a little melancholy.

I'm still a little disappointed that we didn't get more closure from Quentin's side and that particular relationship will look going forward. I did really enjoy getting to know Garm and Grianne better, as well as Gin who is turning out to be a fascinating character.

There are some characters who are still 'missing' and I desperately want to know what happened to them and where they were during this four-month period. Their whereabouts weren't disclosed in either this one or Sleep No More, although Tybalt's ending did reveal more of the missing's whereabouts than Toby's did.

This is one of my favorite series and I keep worrying that I'm going to stop loving these books because it's been going on for a long time, 18 books and counting is insane but I'm still incredibly invested in this series. The world that McGuire has built and especially these characters is addicting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it's going to be a long wait until book nineteen.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Review of Sleep No More & The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire
*Warning, there will be spoilers for previous books in the series if you read ahead. As this review covers books 17 & 18 in a series, I don’t recommend starting here anyway. Go back and read Rosemary and Rue and you will have a much better understanding of the complicated character relationships.
Hail, 2023, the year of two Octobers! Just like the author decided to publish two October Daye novels back-to-back, this review is a two-for-one special. Why? Because the books are related. They tell the same story, but from different perspectives. In Sleep No More we see October (Toby’s) side, and in The Innocent Sleep we hear from Tybalt, our favorite leather pants wearing cat. Toby and Tybalt are finally, finally married. Too bad October pissed off one of the Queens of All Faerie. Titania, formerly hiding within Toby’s best friend Stacy Brown, re-makes reality into a twisted mirror. Changelings and mixed-bloods are not welcome in Titania's vision, and Toby is thrown back into an altered version of reality. Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that this time, October is happy to be there. Titania’s re-written world has Toby content playing the dutiful daughter to Simon and Amandine, and the loving companion to her sister August. Titania's illusions make it so she doesn't remember anything else. Not even her husband or the fact that she is pregnant.
I found the beginning of Sleep No More a little boring. The problem with memory erasure is that characters wind up having to discover what they are forgetting at some point, and we readers already know that information, so it gets a bit repetitive. What I did like was a different look at pureblood fae society and customs, which we get courtesy of October’s newly forced role. Even the resolution of the story I thought was a little boring. I thought to myself “Haven’t we done this before?”. Though, in fairness, some of that probably has to do with Titania's lack of imagination and stubborn refusal to believe that she isn’t perfect.
I enjoyed The Innocent Sleep more than Sleep No More mostly because of these criticisms. In Tybalt’s book, there was much less repetition because his experience was so dramatically different from Toby’s. He was shunted out of reality altogether, and had to find allies, his wife, and his way back. Tybalt’s journey took us to places we don’t see much of, like the Undersea and the Court of Cats, and gave more flavor to those places and their inhabitants. There was way less repetition of information we already knew, because Tybalt didn’t lose his memory. Things were only duplicative once his story aligned with what happened in Sleep No More, and that is the price you pay for having an adventure told from multiple viewpoints, even though repeat dialogue is never the most interesting to me. I will be interested to see how some of the breadcrumbs (I think) were dropped in this book play out later in the series. Also, I really enjoyed the novella at the end of The Innocent Sleep, which is about Dianda’s rise to power in the Undersea. Overall, 3 stars for Sleep No More and 4 stars for The Innocent Sleep.

I liked the book but if you have not read the series do not start with this one. It was weird to read his pov instead of hers and I will say though it explained how the undersea is ran different then the land part of Faire. Also the cat courts was pretty awsome this is for the readers that have read the whole series and hives more insight into the side characters and I wish there was more of her aunt the sea witch cause shes my favorite and I'm just really waiting for the next part and hopefully it is more like her usual. I've read the whole series and will continue to keep reading them. Wondering if she is setting it up for a spin off of her daughter or her sister . Worth the read as long as you have read the series other wise would give the wrong impression of how good a series this is .

I was concerned that reading the same story from Tybalt's point of view would be slow or boring. I am relieved to say: it is not. It is not the same story at all. It is exactly as advertised: Tybalt's view of the events of Sleep No More. But, what he experiences and goes through is different enough from Toby that it's a different story all together.

That is a character who can sometimes feel a little stuffy to me. His behavior in Sleep No More was difficult to understand for me. He was stuffy, angry, and aloof in a way I didn't expect. Having his point of view explains it so much better and really makes the entire story line of Sleep No More so much better.

The wedding, When Sorrows Come, made me almost cry in a happy way. Be The Serpent made me incredibly sad. Sleep No More, and The Innocent Sleep both make me almost cry both sad and happy tears. The direction the overall story is headed is one I didn't see coming and is so much richer than I ever could have expected when I first picked up Rosemary and Rue. Hats off to Seanan. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say I'm only more excited for this series than ever.

This is the Author's latest book in her October Daye series and I must say it cannot be read as a standalone
To fully understand the worldbuilding and characters and their interactions I would recommend reading " Be the Serpent " at the very least - which is the latest book that sets the scene before the events in this book and that of "Sleep no more "

Tybalt , current King of Cats , thought he had it all - he had finally married his love , October , despite everything
that was thrown in their path .
Or so he thought - but Titania had her own idea . For although Oberon had forbidden Titania from physically hurting October , her family and friends there was nothing to stop her from setting alternate realities where they would not know the other existed , a world which could harm them through neglect . A world where October still lives with her mother and sister with no memory of any other life : a world where the Cats and "other" fae are constrained by their environments : a world where some do not even exist .
Tybalt's new reality however does not stop him remembering October but does restrict all non-royal cats from travelling the shadow roads - how will he feed them all , how will they survive ?
He needs allies , ones who remember , ones who are prepared to help despite the dangers to themselves - he needs to find October and make her remember . For as time passes fewer and fewer can keep those memories alive .

This is a tale told from Tybalt's perspective and my heart bled for him at times , he was so lost with the wants and needs of others - but what about his needs and wants ? It did seem a little drawn out at times but worth reading non the less .
This series world building is outstanding , the characters complex with ever shifting alliances but at the heart it is a love story between a Cat and a Hero of the Realm . What will come next for our couple and their world ?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Here we are, The Innocent Sleep, or Tybalt's side of things. I was very ready to be mad at Tybalt after Sleep No More, as his behavior comes off as very, what's the word, asshole-ish. But that's Seanan for you, making you love characters one moment, hate them the next, and love them again, because she knows how to play our emotions like a fiddle.

It helps to understand Tybalt after seeing the lengths he goes to just to get through to October, and the hurt he feels when she doesn't just shrug off a spell cast by The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Queen. This entry leaves me wanting more of his perspective from across all of October's adventures, and you might, too.

But that's all for now, until next time which, hopefully, will be These Violent Delights (2024).

As much as I enjoy alternate viewpoints, I’m never quite satisfied when there’s a whole book devoted to it (unless it’s a retelling of a classic by a different author). The Innocent Sleep retells the ending of Be the Serpent and the whole of Sleep No More from Tybalt’s point of view.

I’m a huge Tybalt fan and have been since A Local Habitation, at the very latest. One of the things I’ve most appreciated is how differently he sees things from Toby. But despite my deep and abiding love for everyone’s favorite cat, I was a bit leery of this book.

I shouldn’t have worried. Seanan McGuire shows once again that she knows exactly what she’s doing.

While there are a few places where I got impatient, this remained heartbreaking and perfect and at times surprisingly funny.

I didn't dislike this at all, but all I kept thinking while reading was "this should've been a novella" or "these two books should've been combined."

I enjoyed seeing things from Tybalt's perspective, but a whole book of it may have been too much for me. Again, I think I would have had more fun with it had it been one slightly longer book with alternating PoVs.

My lingering questions: <spoiler>Where the fuck was Jazz? Where the fuck was Marcia? WHO THE FUCK WAS CASSIE?! And WHAT THE FUCK, AMANDINE?!</spoiler>

As always, looking forward to the next book in the series. Nineteen, can you even?

I wish there had been a way to combine this book and the previous into one big book, or two books with alternating chapters. I loved Tybalt’s POV (finally!!) but felt that much of this book was rehash from Sleep No More. I kept comparing this book to the events in the previous one to map the events together. That’s my only complaint. Otherwise, so happy to have early access to check in with October and the gang!!
*Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

I was so so very excited for this book. The first full length novel told from Tybalt's view in the October Daye series did not disappoint. This is a companion book to "Sleep No More" which is told from October's view as usual. I don't think it's a spoiler to note that Tybalt and Toby are separated and hence, we get to see what Tybalt was up to during October's adventures in "Sleep No More." Both of them have to play their part to save Faerie as they know it, along with all their friends, and their marriage.

I've enjoyed all the short stories from Tybalt's POV and I genuinely hope we can get more side books like this. Maybe not always from Tybalt because that would mean he'd be separated from Toby and he can't handle too much of that. Haha.

TW/CW: Kidnapping, fantasy violence, brief sexuality, mild language

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily writing an honest review.

The Innocent Sleep is the 18th book in the fantastic October Daye series. One of my favorites, this set of books follows the changeling October Daye as she lives her life half inside Faerie and half outside of it, and the conflicts that arise along the way.

This is the first book in the series to have a narrator other than October, and I loved that part of it. It’s fun to be in Tybalt’s head. I have to admit that once in a while I found myself reading it as if it was from October’s point of view, but mostly that was just because all the others have been!

This book basically follows the story and plot of Sleep No More, but from Tybalt’s POV. I liked the first part – which was very different from Sleep No More. The second half has many more similarities with Sleep No More, but is still fascinating to see from a different perspective.

This was an excellent and fun book, and I would definitely recommend to fans of fantasy and urban fantasy!

The Innocent Sleep (October Daye, #18)
The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I generally always enjoy all the October Daye novels, they're usually pretty self-contained (read bite-sized) stories that don't require extra bits to enjoy. I'm not talking about cliffhangers, either.

This one, however, is a bit unusual in the series. We've got Tybalt as our main PoV and it takes place during all of the events of Sleep No More, the previous novel in the series.

On one hand, it feels like a rather interesting side-novel that gives this ex-king of cats a great deal of agency -- something that has been lacking in the rest of the series.

On the other, it absolutely feels like it should have been either a companion novella or interspersed with the OTHER novel as one huge novel instead. Indeed, I would have welcomed a big honker of a novel with October and Tybalt dancing around each other in this otherwise great story. Together, they shine. Separate, it feels like we're just getting the same story again, from very different points of view.

I didn't dislike it, mind you. I just think it could have been given a wonderful shine instead of seeming to re-tread a lot of ground. I would have loved to feel the immediacy of experiencing the same scenes side-by-side.

Still... it was a good novel. Solid, regardless.

I loved this book!! Toby Day is one of my favorite series!! The storyline was interesting and I love the characters!! Another great and entertaining addition to this series! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!