I love the author and have read all the books in the October Daye series. I was lucky enough to get ARCs of books #17 and #18. The Innocent Sleep" by Seanan McGuire is #18 in the series, recapping the same events as "Sleep No More" but in broader strokes.

While book #17 told the story from Toby's POV, this one is narrated in the first person from Tybalt's perspective. You need to read the previous book before this one, as this book complements the story and reveals what happened behind the curtains - things Toby and we, the readers, were unaware of at the time.

In the previous book, Toby was whisked into another version of reality, one without Tybalt or other cared-for family members. At the same time, Tybalt was ripped from his home and lost track of his wife, and a section of the Undersea (Saltmist) was sealed off from the land kingdoms. Titania has rewritten the world in her image, eliminating all the elements she deemed "undesirable" such as shapeshifters.

In this version of reality, The Cait Sidhe are believed to be extinct, but they are actually confined to their court, with only the royal cats able to travel through the shadow roads. Changelings are intentionally bred to serve the noble houses, and October lives with August in Amandine's tower, serving as August’s companion. Tybalt wants his family back, and now! This is his story.

Tybalt is one of my all-time favorite characters, so I enjoyed reading the story from his perspective and gaining insight into his emotions. His feelings about his missing wife and the entire wretched situation make him seem human and vulnerable. In fact, Tybalt is further developed here, as the author delves into his inner thoughts and emotions, making him feel authentic. I also appreciated meeting characters who were absent in the previous book, such as May and the librarian

The first section of the book was somewhat slow, repeating events we were already aware of, but the second section flew by. Oh, how it flew. Although the book lacks the tension of book #17 (since we already know how it will end), it still captivated me. The characters are well-drawn, and I felt like I was right there in the story. At the end of the book, there's a bonus novella titled "Doubtless and Secure", narrated from Helmi's POV. Helmi is a Cephali and the chief retainer of the Duchy of Saltmist.

As a companion book, it serves its purpose well, providing clarity on many aspects that may be previously unclear to some. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style. Moreover, it kept me engaged and never bored, so I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. A good story creates an emotional connection, and this book managed to achieve that admirably. If you are a fervent fan of the series, you will certainly enjoy it. I recommend the book to fans of the series, and I am already looking forward to reading the next installment.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

I received this eARC from Netgalley.com and am providing an unbiased review.

This is the 18th book in the October Daye series, and closely follows the previous installment, not just in story, but in release date. This tale is told from Tybalt's point of view, of the events we read about in book seventeen.

Overall, I liked this telling of events versus the previous one. There was so much going on 'behind-the-scenes' whilst Toby was ensnared and trying to figure out the enchantment Titiana had done. This truly helped round out how involved the actual story was happening.

With the release of this eARC, there was also a small novella of characters in the same story world.

McGuire has done a wonderful job at continuing the story in this series. I always fear that this 'newest' book will be its last, but so far it has not been true. I am always pleasantly surprised when I hear a new one is coming out, and I wonder where will we go on this ride.

Book 18, The Innocent Sleep, is the same story as told in #17, Sleep No More, except told from Tybalt’s point of view. As I read Sleep No More, I often felt Tybalt was oddly flat- now I know why as he got his own version of the story. Even though I knew how the book was going to end- I still enjoyed seeing the story from Tybalt’s perspective. Maybe I’m just a super fan but still labeling this a great read!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own.

Taking place during the events of Sleep No More, this follows Tybalt, and some of the other characters that we don't see as much during Sleep No More. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, it was nice to get to know the character of Tybalt in a deeper way, and to see more of the characters that were less present/missing in Sleep No More. It really just makes me impatient for the next novel!

Thank you Netgalley and DAW for the ARC!

When we last left October and her crew, I honestly had no idea how Seanan McGuire could fix what had been broken. I KNEW she could, and I was so excited to see how it would happen.
Watching the past 16 books twine together again in this book and seeing how many threads are now frayed and ready for more story just makes me so happy! I honestly cannot wait to see what happens next for October and crew.
This book (and it's counter part) felt much like a well deserved twisty break of a character pause where we figure out the true nature beneath and what that says about a cast of characters.
I'm honored to have read this book early and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
The King of Cats and his kingdom broke my heart and I'm truly glad we got an entire book in his POV.

Twice-told tales

In Sleep No More Seanan McGuire tells the story of Toby's fight against Titania's attempt to rewrite all of faerie the way she wants it to be. In Sleep No More this story is told in the first person by Toby herself. The Innocent Sleep tells the same story from the first-person point of view of Toby's husband, Tybalt. (By the way, I assume you have read Sleep No More. If you haven't, this review will contain spoilers.)

McGuire has made rather a habit of writing books in which the essence of the plot and the outcome has been given away prior to publication. For instance, several of the novellas in her Wayward Children series have plots that were thoroughly spoiled in Every Heart a Doorway, the first book of that series. And the most egregious example of this strategy occurs in the Newflesh series (published under her Mira Grant nom de plume). Book four, Feedback, recounts the exact same events as the previous three books, but from the point of view of a different team of reporters.

Of course, McGuire is not the first or most famous of the story-tellers who have used this approach. The idea that a story is different depending on who tells it is valid and often leads to interesting results.

This, in my opinion, is not such a case. Any long-time reader of the October Daye series knows Tybalt quite well and can predict fairly accurately how he will react to the events of Sleep No More. There is a little bit of story that he knows and Toby doesn't, but for the most part the story as told by Tybalt is as a fan of the series would predict. And of course any suspense about outcomes is vitiated by the reader already knowing all the important ones in advance.

Strictly edited, Tybalt's point of view during the events of Sleep No More would have made an excellent bonus novella for that novel. As an entire novel in its own right, it is padded and predictable.

DOUBTLESS AND SECURE

Like all McGuire's novels, The Innocent Sleep is followed by a bonus novella, Doubtless and Secure. Doubtless and Secure is another twice-told tale, but a better one than The Innocent Sleep. It is told from the point of view of Helmi, a Cephali (that's a type of fae that looks like a cephalopod/human chimera). We have long known Helmi as the chief retainer of the Merrow Dianda, the Duchess (i.e., ruling monarch) of the Duchy of Saltmist, an undersea kingdom off the coast of California. We have never heard directly from Helmi before. Also, the story she tells spans centuries and puts together a long list of stories about Dianda, and how she came to be Duchess of Saltmist, and her husbands Patrick and Simon and their children. There is little here that hasn't been told elsewhere, but since much of the tale was scattered in short stories that a reader would have had to seek out, since we've never heard direct from Helmi before, and above all since this is just a novella, and no attempt has been made to stretch it out to a full-length novel, Doubtless and Secure skates clear of the worst problems of The Innocent Sleep.

Such a stunning 18th novel in the October Daye series. Tybalt is finally going to get everything... his wife, his child and happiness finally. But Titania is replacing his world.... He'll have to make his wife remember him all over again....

I have always enjoyed Tybalt and it's nice to see so much of him here! I love the plot and all the little details... A terrific addition to the series!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.