Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire @seananmcguire @dawbooks

Posted September 17, 2018 by Robin in Book Review / 8 Comments

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire @seananmcguire @dawbooks Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire
Series: October Daye #12
Published by DAW Books on September 4, 2018
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Things are not okay.

In the aftermath of Amandine's latest betrayal, October "Toby" Daye's fragile self-made family is on the verge of coming apart at the seams. Jazz can't sleep, Sylvester doesn't want to see her, and worst of all, Tybalt has withdrawn from her entirely, retreating into the Court of Cats as he tries to recover from his abduction. Toby is floundering, unable to help the people she loves most heal. She needs a distraction. She needs a quest.

What she doesn't need is the abduction of her estranged human daughter, Gillian. What she doesn't need is to be accused of kidnapping her own child by her ex-boyfriend and his new wife, who seems to be harboring secrets of her own. There's no question of whether she'll take the case. The only question is whether she's emotionally prepared to survive it.

Signs of Faerie's involvement are everywhere, and it's going to take all Toby's nerve and all her allies to get her through this web of old secrets, older hatreds, and new deceits. If she can't find Gillian before time runs out, her own child will pay the price. One question remains:

Who in Faerie remembered Gillian existed? And what do they stand to gain? No matter how this ends, Toby's life will never be the same.

The October Daye series has really grown on me and gotten better book by book.  The characters are well thought out and complex, the plot lines all different and the dialogue is funny and smart.  If you would have asked me at Rosemary and Rue (book 1), I wouldn’t have known if I’d make it to the third book in the series, let alone the twelfth book.  October Daye became one of my favorite UF series to date.

One reason is October.  She isn’t perfect and she needs the help of her friends all the time but she is a character who has grown so much from the first book of the series.  In Night and Silence, we get to revisit October’s past as her child has gone missing again. You’d think that would make this plot similar to the other book where Gillian was kidnapped but you would be oh so wrong.  This is different in so many ways as Toby goes in search of the daughter that decided to be all human and leave Toby’s world behind.

I loved the banter and snark this series brings.  Toby is irreverent as always in the presence of both danger or anyone with a Royal pedigree.  She is who she is and she is the same to everyone no matter where your nobility lies. But cross Toby and you will have to remember she has some very powerful allies in the King of Cats, the Sea Witch, a death spirit and a future king of the realm.  But you should be most wary of the Sea Witch, she is scary even if you are her friend.

This delves even more into the fae lore and we finally get some answers into who Amadine’s mother is.  I really love how SM spins this tale using folklore of the fae and twisting it into this story. Toby’s grandma was a surprise and a trip I never saw coming.  

Tybalt is one of my favorite leading men in fiction.  Probably because even in a modern day setting of this story he sounds like a hero out of a historical romance.  I love it and eat it up. Tybalt has been hurt deeply by the events of the prior book and has something akin to PTSD.  I missed him for part of this book but loved how he showed up for Toby when she really needed him even though he is broken.  The other plus is that he didn’t have to be perfect for October to love him, she realizes he needs to heal and I adored how their relationship is and the tender moments the two of them share.

Overall: Some interesting movement on the greater plot arc of the series, October possibly getting a second chance at being a mother to Gillian and the relationship with Tybalt made this book for me.  Still the bill to the Sea Witch is pretty high and I’d hate to be Toby when she decides to collect.

 

Arguing with the Luidaeg is like arguing with a mountain: in the end, all you wind up with is a sore throat and an implacable landmark. Only in the case of the Luidaeg, she might wind up turning you into a toad for your impertinence.

 

“As Sir Daye’s squire, I must apologize, again, for her having the manners of a kelpie.”

“Don’t be silly, Quentin,” said Danny. “Kelpies are politer.”

“Kelpies are aquatic murder horses that want to rip you apart and eat everything but your liver,” I protested.

Danny smirked. “As I was sayin’.”

 

“You lost a great deal of blood.”

“I didn’t lose it,” I said. “I know exactly where it is.”

 

About Seanan McGuire

Hi! I’m Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I’m also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.

Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).

Rating Breakdown
Plot
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Writing
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Characters
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Dialogue
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Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Robin
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Posted September 17, 2018 by Robin in Book Review / 8 Comments


8 responses to “Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire

  1. This is a series I haven’t started yet but I definitely want to. The way you describe October makes me think I’ll enjoy her as the heroine.

  2. I recently listened to my first book by this author and really enjoyed it. I’ve got the second one ready to listen to. But it’s not this series ? Maybe when I get done with one I’m on, I can jump to this series. Glad you are loving them 12 books in!