Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire Series: October Daye #18
Published by DAW Books on October 24, 2023
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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For one bright, shining moment, Tybalt, King of Cats, had everything he had ever wanted. He was soon to set his crown aside; he had married the woman he loved; he was going to be a father. After centuries of searching for a family of his own, he had finally found a way to construct the life of his dreams, and was looking forward to a period of peace—or at least as much peace as is ever in the offing for the husband of a hero.
Alas for Tybalt and his domestic aspirations, fate—and Titania—had other ideas. His perfect world had been complete for only a moment when it was ripped away, to be replaced by hers. Titania, Faerie’s Summer Queen, Mother of Illusions and enemy of so many he holds dear, has seized control of the Kingdom, remaking it in her own image. An image which does not include meddlesome shapeshifters getting in her way. Tybalt quickly finds himself banished from her reality, along with the Undersea and the rest of the Court of Cats.
To protect his people and his future, Tybalt must find the woman he loves in a world designed to keep her from him, convince her that he’s not a stranger trying to ruin her life for no apparent reason, and get her to unmake the illusion she’s been firmly enmeshed in. And he’ll have to do it all while she doesn’t know him, and every unrecognizing look is a knife to his heart.
The Innocent Sleep is the 18th book in the October Daye series. Told from Tybalt’s PoV, we get to experience the events in the same timeline as book 17 from the other group of characters working to free those captured in Titania’s illusion. While the shift in PoV took a little time to become accustomed to, eventually I got used to it and seeing the world not from October’s perspective but that of Tybalt.
One minute October was there and she and Tybalt were having one of the happiest moments of their lives and then…The world is re-written by Titania, who is ever the sore loser and October is nowhere to be seen. Tybalt needs to find his wife, figure out why the court of cats is locked and no one can get in or out unless they are Royalty, save his people, find the Sea Witch and if he sees Titania, figure out how to kill her for causing this mess. It is daunting. Tybalt never thought he’d fall in love again after loosing his first wife and he has fallen in love with a woman who always seems to happen into messes and chaos. This time it is his turn to save her.
Love is a knife forever suspended an inch from your heart, and if it falls or you stumble into it, you can all too easily find yourself impaled and bleeding.
Because this story runs the same timeline as the Sleep No More, there are a few points in the story that overlap. In the beginning while Tybalt is trying to figure out what is going on in this new illusion Titania has made, I wasn’t as engaged in the story because I had already read an entire book on it. But his journey was much different than Octobers and eventually, after his location of October, the story started to diverge enough that I was more engaged. It was actually eye opening in some ways to be in Tybalt’s head to see how he sees the world around him and know the why behind a few of his actions in Sleep No More that were a bit extreme. I liked getting to know a few of the other characters a little better.
Between seers and all the other characters pulling together Tybalt has a shot at saving his wife, but the only catch is the perfect timing is four months away. This is testing all the patience he has, but never go against a seer who has told you the terms of your one shot. Tybalt and team get everything in place for the big day when all the stars will align and they get their shot to save Faery from being rewritten permanently.
Overall this is a great story and while there is a little repetition, it isn’t too much overlapping with the previous book. If you are into this series and have made it to book 18, I think it will have so many of the things we all love about these stories.
“Do you think they just haven’t been letting her do blood magic?”
“Would you, if you were trying to keep her under control?”
Ginevra scoffed. “I wouldn’t try to keep that woman under control. Even if you wouldn’t kill me for even thinking about it, it would be like trying to wrestle a blizzard into compliance. Not the sort of thing you do when you want to keep all your fingers attached to your body.”
Bonus Story: Doubtless and Secure
Helmi is a Cephali from the undersea and this story is told from her PoV on the life of one of my favorite characters Diandra. Helmi has been there through it all, the courting of Diandra’s mother, the births the deaths and everything in between. It was such an interesting story of the unique underworld and how it is a bit different from the Faery of the land. Helmi was an interesting character by herself, but I really enjoyed how she watched Diandra grow and become the woman she is in the stories today. The Undersea is pretty brutal, but I particularly liked seeing Patrick and Diandra’s courting along with some of their day to day life. This story spans centuries and takes us right up to the rewriting of Faery by Titania. A very interesting glimpse into the undersea and the creatures in it.
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).
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Eighteen books…it’s gotta be a good series. AND a bonus story. I love when an author does that.
She’s been doing bonus novellas some, I think, Once Broken Faith? So you get a lot of additional content!
This is an author I’ve really been wanting to read and I love the sound of this series. Plus, if book 18 is still good than it must be a good series!
I’ve read a few of her series and really enjoy the worlds she builds.
Everyone seems to be loving this one!