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annlouise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use
purplesapphire's review against another edition
3.25
Good start of a series. Easy to read and decently paced to keep you interested even if the plot leaves a bit to be desired. It's supposed to be a mystery but we don't get all that many actual clues to follow. Check those content warnings too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse
graymyles's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Probably my fifth reread of this book. As an introduction to a long series, this was a great book. It touched on several overarching plot themes and met a lot of characters you will see throughout the series, establishing a good baseline for all of it without being overly informative like a lot of fantasy series can be. The story is set in recent day (catching up to modern 2024) San Fransisco giving a familiar feel to the story and allowing the reader to balance the new magic and fae system and references with something more familiar. Out of this series, it’s not the best, but is close. There are times when you’ll love October, the main character and times when you’ll chastise her, giving her a very 3 dimensional feeling. As detective novels go, I would say it’s intermediate. The twists aren’t too predictable, and if you’re reading it for the first time, you may not ever see the end coming (I remember not expecting that twist until October starts puzzling it together). As fae series goes, I’d say it’s really good. It blends common knowledge with more niche references to fae folklore easily and only scratches the surface of larger themes and ideas as it should being the first of a long series. The sex scenes are fade to black, and the only real graphic moments are of fantasy violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
blacksphinx's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I've been following Seanan McGuire on social media for several years, and she's always been upfront that this book has some issues. She's said it's kind of a rough start to the series and contains language and attitudes she would edit out if she could. I have read far worse things. This was a fun and snappy popcorn read - extremely readable and entertaining. I've never read a urban fantasy book before and I found it to be fun.
It's not perfect. We have a prologue that leads into a 14-and-a-half years timeskip that really felt like starting the story off by smacking into a pothole due to a lack of explanation. The story then later gives us the infodump of how that 14+ year situation resolved in a dream sequence, which was, certainly a choice. Our protagonist really has no self preservation instinct and almost bleeds to death multiple times. I felt the plot struggled a little because it had to introduce so many characters to us, not all of whom are big movers and shakers in this particular story. But I never felt like putting the book down. Even if I was a touch annoyed at how slowly we collected clues for the mystery, I just kept reading. I found myself thinking about the story and the characters at work. I just had to know more, and as soon as I finished this book I picked up the second book in the series without even pausing to mark this one off as "finished."
[Side note, I've heard Seanan McGuire talk about the language issues in this book and early series before, it's probably that she kept negativity comparing things to "hookers" and women kept calling each other bitches.]
It's not perfect. We have a prologue that leads into a 14-and-a-half years timeskip that really felt like starting the story off by smacking into a pothole due to a lack of explanation. The story then later gives us the infodump of how that 14+ year situation resolved in a dream sequence, which was, certainly a choice. Our protagonist really has no self preservation instinct and almost bleeds to death multiple times. I felt the plot struggled a little because it had to introduce so many characters to us, not all of whom are big movers and shakers in this particular story. But I never felt like putting the book down. Even if I was a touch annoyed at how slowly we collected clues for the mystery, I just kept reading. I found myself thinking about the story and the characters at work. I just had to know more, and as soon as I finished this book I picked up the second book in the series without even pausing to mark this one off as "finished."
[Side note, I've heard Seanan McGuire talk about the language issues in this book and early series before, it's probably that she kept negativity comparing things to "hookers" and women kept calling each other bitches.]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Dementia
Whorephobia, drowning.styxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
prettylightsandcitynights's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
One of those books where the logic of the narrator doesn't always make sense to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, and Kidnapping
kadtide's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Torture
tigger89's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Some series start with an explosion of greatness, grabbing the reader's attention, drawing them in, and leaving them starved for more in the wake of the debut. Well, October Daye isn't like that. The concept of a fae-infested San Francisco was interesting, the story was acceptable, the characters made me scowl and smile as needed...but it was all just fine. There wasn't anything to it that would make me thrust this book into someone's hands, insisting that they read this great new series right now. I'd expected more from this much-hyped series, but I suspect that might be my problem right there - getting caught in the hype.
The strength of the series so far is undoubtedly the world building, how McGuire fit all the species of fae in and around our own modern(ish) world. I'll forgive any number of plot and character sins if it means I get to explore the nooks and crannies. I also really enjoyed the way magic was handled, with the unique scents and constraints on casting. The cast of characters were interesting and varied, but I found myself frustrated by Toby herself. It felt as if she was tumbling from one plot point to the next, getting knocked down only to be revived by her allies over and over. I liked viewing the world from her perspective, but at the same time I wanted to smack her until she let me drive, because she kept being stubborn. I know McGuire's writing enough to know that she's probably going somewhere with this characterization, but it was frustrating throughout this whole first book.
I do intend to continue with this series. I've heard it gets better as it goes along, and I was interested in many of the plot teasers that were dangled in the final chapter. But unfortunately it's a bit of a rough introduction.
The strength of the series so far is undoubtedly the world building, how McGuire fit all the species of fae in and around our own modern(ish) world. I'll forgive any number of plot and character sins if it means I get to explore the nooks and crannies. I also really enjoyed the way magic was handled, with the unique scents and constraints on casting. The cast of characters were interesting and varied, but I found myself frustrated by Toby herself. It felt as if she was tumbling from one plot point to the next, getting knocked down only to be revived by her allies over and over. I liked viewing the world from her perspective, but at the same time I wanted to smack her until she let me drive, because she kept being stubborn. I know McGuire's writing enough to know that she's probably going somewhere with this characterization, but it was frustrating throughout this whole first book.
I do intend to continue with this series. I've heard it gets better as it goes along, and I was interested in many of the plot teasers that were dangled in the final chapter. But unfortunately it's a bit of a rough introduction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Physical abuse
maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had fun with this one. I always love fae stories.
Rep: white female MC with PTSD, Asian coded female side character, various other fae race side characters.
CWs: Blood, confinement (in a pond as a fish), death, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, medical content, murder, racism (within the fae there is discrimination and prejudice towards changelings and half fae), toxic relationship, violence, emotional abuse. Moderate: Ableism, child death, gore, sexual content. Brief: Dementia.
Rep: white female MC with PTSD, Asian coded female side character, various other fae race side characters.
CWs: Blood, confinement (in a pond as a fish), death, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, medical content, murder, racism (within the fae there is discrimination and prejudice towards changelings and half fae), toxic relationship, violence, emotional abuse. Moderate: Ableism, child death, gore, sexual content. Brief: Dementia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Dementia