I'm going to put it this way. This is THE BEST urban fantasy novel I've read in a very long while. Great plot, great mythos (it does remind me a lot of Changeling:the Dreaming but that's only natural, I suppose), great characters, very entertaining, but also very dark at times. Overall, great read and I started the second in the series right after I finished this one.

Not my cup of tea.

A good tale showing the proper dark side of the fae.

Years ago I read Rosemary and Roe and life happened, new books arrived and I never picked it back up despite having read/listened to everything by McGuire/Grant. I’ve spent the past year collecting the audible editions of the series through credits, sales, birthday gifts, etc. Now I have begun the series in earnest.

McGuire is a talented author whose worlds and characters enchant me. I loved Toby from the start as we learned of the magic in this world and the fae. The fae scare me and are not to be messed with. Give me an ogre to battle or a sorcerer to trade wit with. LOL

Toby is a changeling who is half human and half fae. She is an outcast and due to the treatment she has received from both sides; she has denied the Faerie world, and putters along in the human world. When Countess Evening Winterrose is murdered and binds Toby to find her murderer, she is pulled back into the Faerie world and resumes her former position as knight errant. The tale that unfolds was marvelous.

McGuire brings a fresh look to the world of faerie and her world building is seamlessly woven into the tale, giving listeners a look at its splendors, darkness and even horror. Listeners will quickly fear for Toby, as it is quickly apparent she will not complete her mission unscathed. I loved all the detail, from the use of magic to the blood oaths.

Fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files will immediately find themselves pulled into the world of October Daye. Like Harry, you will see Toby’s vulnerability, fears, desires and ability to kickass when the situation warrants. I confess I am rather excited at the prospect of listening to the fifteen audiobooks that lie ahead, not to mention the countless novellas in between. Ah, bliss.

Mary Robinette Kowal narrates and is new to me. After a little adjusting with the speed, I found my sweet spot with her, and enjoyed her voice for Toby and secondary characters. She sets the tone and brings the author’s world to life.

If you haven’t yet discovered Seanan McGuire, I recommend you explore her titles and that of her pseudonym Mira Grant, where she writes science fiction and horror. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

October Daye (Toby) is a changling- half Fae, half human. Fourteen years ago she was a PI, with a human boyfriend and a child. Tasked to search for a missing mother and daughter, a job gone horrible wrong, she is trapped. When she returns, she is rejected by her boyfriend and child, she turns from the Fae and tries to live among the humans, until a phone call binds her to solve a murder, and thus the story begins. This is beautifully written. I loved the world McGuire created, where the Fae live in areas of our world, with spells that prevent us from seeing them. The protagonist, October Daye is very believable. She is strong, yet fragile, flawed but good. I felt compassion for her, got angry for her and cheered her on. She was very genuine and there were several other notable characters. The storyline was entertaining and kept me turning the pages, late into the night. I am looking forward to reading all the books in this series. McGuire is a truly talented writer, be sure and check out her other books written under her pen name Mira Grant(Feed, Deadline)

I love urban fairytales and mysteries. While I feel like there was more room to say something significant, this was a fun read and I'll be digging into this series.

3.75

About the story:
I picked up this book because I was craving some Urban Fantasy. However, this is not your typical UF series; it has several points that completely break the tropes of this genre and that I found unsetlling at first until they became refreshing. I also want to point out the great world building which allows the reader to really immerse themselves in this fiction. Moreover, the main character is a down-to-earth kickass female who made me laugh more than once.
I didn't give it 5 stars because of the following small issues: the mystery is quite expected, I found out who was the villain way before it was revealed and secondary characters are not as well developed as I would have liked.
Overall, this was a great first book and I have high expectations for the next one.

About the audiobook narrator:

Mary Robinette Kowal is a great narrator who is a natural with accents and blasé tone of voice. Only downside; her male teenage voice sounds more like a child's one and kind of ruins the effect.

I read about 125 pages and just dreaded picking it up.

I had trouble with the endless layers of "and this happened in the past" and "all the history with so-and-so" without any real details. I felt like I was reading book two or three in a series. The lone wolf aspect of the character was also starting to wear on me. I had such high hopes for this book and I like the layers the author created with the fiefdoms of faeries but it just wasn't going anywhere.