A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire

Title: A Killing Frost

Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: October Daye #14

Hardcover, 368 pages
Publication: September 21, 2020 by DAW
Source: Personal Library
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When October is informed that Simon Torquill—legally her father, due to Faerie's archaic marriage traditions—must be invited to her wedding or risk the ceremony throwing the Kingdom in the Mists into political turmoil, she finds herself setting out on a quest she was not yet prepared to undertake for the sake of her future.... and the man who represents her family's past.

My Thoughts

 A Killing Frost was the 14th novel in October Daye Series, and honestly it showed. This is one of my top three favorite series but now that we’re so far in, it seems like the author is just dragging it along. A Killing Frost felt like a filler novel. October and Tybalt are about to get married but of course there’s an obstacle in the way. Due to Faerie law, all family must be invited to the wedding. Thus begins October on her excruciating journey to find her father Simon. 

I have a lot of issues with A Killing Frost. First, why on earth aren’t October and Tybalt wed already?! I felt like readers have been waiting long enough only to be duped out of it with this latest installment. Secondly, the rules states that October’s parents must be invited or another family member may claim offense on the behalf of said party but hello…October didn’t invite her own mother! Nowhere in the books was it stated that she invited Amadine…two books ago left the two on the usual unhappy terms. Thirdly, the revelation at the end where Simon was always Patrick’s lover…what the heck was that? McGuire never, ever, ever alluded to this. Ever. And the solution to Simon’s dilemma to being homeless and alone was to go live with Patrick and Diana as a married threesome. WHAT?! Everything was so bizarre. I felt like McGuire threw that at us out of the blue and added it for the sake of checking it off her list. As if she thought: I have a gay couple, lesbian couple…oh here’s a bi thruple. Nothing against gay, lesbian or bi couples but I don’t like how McGuire used it sparingly to just push the story along. However It didn’t bring anything to the story line except confusion. Also, a cheap plot device.

It was hard getting through this book due to all the problematics mentioned above. The book started off alright but as the story progressed I felt myself skimming 2/3 into the book. McGuire as usual did a bunch of rehashing and info-dumping again which I would say accounted for more than 50% of the words in the book. I understand authors need to summarize the books as best as they can but com’on, it’s the 14th book in the series, its almost guarantee that readers who are reading it have read previous books in the series! I’m tired of the repetitiveness and info-dumping. We readers expect a new book with a new plot that challenges our favorite characters…we’re not paying to read half of the previous books.

With that said, If you’re also an October Daye fan, I’d skip this book entirely because it adds no value to the series as a whole. If you still want to read it, I’d suggest reading the first 10% of the novel then skip to the last 10% to see how everything wraps up. Everything in between that is redundant and lackluster. I wished I knew before hand that this was a plot-less book. My only regret is having such high expectations going in only to waste my time and money on A Killing Frost. I’ve been a loyal fan of the series since 09’ and am planning on continuing the series regardless. This book by far my biggest disappointment read so far this year.

 

 

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

Title: The Unkindest Tide

Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: October Daye #13

Hardcover, 368 pages
Publication: September 9, 2019 by DAW

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong.

When the Luidaeg—October "Toby" Daye's oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can't refuse. Literally. The Selkies aren't the only ones in debt to the Luidaeg, and Toby has to pay what she owes like anyone else. They will travel to the fabled Duchy of Ships and call a convocation of the Selkies, telling them to come and meet the Luidaeg's price...or face the consequences.

Of course, nothing is that simple. When Dianda Lorden's brother appears to arrest Dianda for treason against the Undersea, when a Selkie woman is stripped of her skin and then murdered, when everything is falling apart, that's when Toby will have to answer the real question of the hour.

Is she going to sink? Or is she going to swim?

Bringing back the Roane has been a long time coming. After hundreds of years The Luidaeg is finally fulfilling her promise and cashing in on Toby’s debts. With The Luidaeg, Toby, the gang and some tagalongs; the group travels to the Duchy of Ships for the Selkie Convocation as The Luidaeg determines the clans’ fate. But of course, this is Toby we’re talking about, nothing can ever be just as is. As the convocation begins, Toby finds herself in the middle of searching for a clan member’s murderer and rescuing Peter Lorden from Saltmist.

We’re thirteen books into the October Daye series and it is still going strong. The last couple of books were a hit and miss for me but the tides (pun intended) has changed with The Unkindest Tides. In the latest installment of the series, I begun to feel the same spark and enjoyment as I had when I first started the series ten years ago. In The Unkindest Tides, we find both The Luidaeg and Toby in a tough predicament. They are on the verge of righting a past wrong that will change all of Faerie.  By bring back the Roane, they’re bringing back not only an extinct race but also the power of seers/oracles and taking away the option for the Selkies to pass down their skins to their children. Which means those without skin will die as humans.

The Luidaeg has always been an enigmatic character; she’s a Firstborn, The Sea Witch, a legend and a monster to some. But we finally see the women beneath the mask; Antigone of Albany, a daughter, a mother, Cousin Annie and friend. I’ve always felt that The Luidaeg was wearing a mask and putting up walls, afraid of getting close to anyone. Thinking that she needed to uphold the image and expectations that people had of her. I could imagine how exhausting it was. I loved seeing this new unburdening and lighter version of The Luidaeg and learning more about her past and the Selkie/Roane.

I get pretty excited each and every time I see a new part of Faerie. In The Unkindest Tides, McGuire takes readers into an alternate dimension to the Duchy of Ships which is exactly like what you’d imagine. An island comprised out of shipwrecks and accumulated oddities from wine barrels, net, metal, barnacles and so much more. The duchy’s inhabitants are from all over the realms, most so unique even Toby can’t figure out their scent signature. And one of the last unexpected surprises was the island captain, which I won’t say much about except that Captain Jack Sparrow got nothin’ on Pete.

All in all, I thought The Unkindest Tides was a great addition to the series. Despite being thirteen books into the series, I still find myself excited to see all the mayhem and adventures the characters find themselves in. Crossing my fingers for a wedding in the next book!

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire

Title: Night and Silence
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: October Daye # 12

Hardcover, 368 Pages
Publication: September 4, 2018 by DAW

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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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.

I went into Night and Silence with a lot of trepidation. The last few books in the series fell short of what was expected when it came to McGuire’s writing and world-building. And as I said in my last review of The Brightest Fell, I tired of the missing children story line; lo and behold the latest plot in the 12th novel of the October Daye series centered around October’s daughter Gillian being kidnapped, again.

With that said, I found Night and Silence enjoyable for the most part, although it is still riddled with copious recaps. McGuire reveals another member of October’s family that I am sure no one will see coming, especially as said person was hidden in plain sight. Readers will also learn more about the history of Faerie and how everything became fractured and divided. I was also glad to see Tybalt back with the group, even though he’s far from recovery.

Overall, Night and Silence is a solid addition to the series. I have a feeling the next book will either take us to the wedding in the Westlands, a wedding I’m sure everyone is waiting for or to The Court of Dreaming Cats. Be sure to check out the novella at the end after you finish Night and Silence, it’s from Gillian’s point-of-view and explains what happened during and after her kidnapping. 

False Hearts by Laura Lam

Title: False Hearts
Author: Laura Lam
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Series: False Hearts #1

Hardcover, 384 pages
Publication: June 14, 2016 by Tor Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Raised in the closed cult of Mana’s Hearth and denied access to modern technology, conjoined sisters Taema and Tila dream of a life beyond the walls of the compound. When the heart they share begins to fail, the twins escape to San Francisco, where they are surgically separated and given new artificial hearts. From then on they pursue lives beyond anything they could have previously imagined.

Ten years later, Tila returns one night to the twins’ home in the city, terrified and covered in blood, just before the police arrive and arrest her for murder—the first homicide by a civilian in decades. Tila is suspected of involvement with the Ratel, a powerful crime syndicate that deals in the flow of Zeal, a drug that allows violent minds to enact their darkest desires in a terrifying dreamscape. Taema is given a proposition: go undercover as her sister and perhaps save her twin’s life. But during her investigation Taema discovers disturbing links between the twins’ past and their present. Once unable to keep anything from each other, the sisters now discover the true cost of secrets.

False Hearts is a Science Fiction Thriller and the first book in a brand new series by Lam. What initially caught my attention was the comparison to Orphan Black and Inception. I am a huge fan of the show, so I thought any comparison must be good. What I didn’t expect was to be blown away. It went beyond my wildest expectations. Lam’s depiction of a futuristic San Francisco was not only plausible and fascinating but also incredibly scary. I’ve read plenty of great books this year. And just as I thought I’ve finally read the best book so far and that nothing can top the last book; something comes along and proves me wrong. And that book is False Hearts. False Hearts is hands-down the best Sci-Fi book I’ve read in a long, long time and basically blows all the recent books I just read out of the water. Nothing could compare.

The story follow sisters, Tila and Taema, formally conjoined twin but separated at the age of sixteen. That in and of itself was enough to pique my curiosity but then Lam adds in former cult members, the drug cartel distributing drugs that enables the user to enact their deepest, darkest fantasies, tech that monitored everything you do, to flesh parlors that changes identities/appearance and you’ve got a whopper of the book. That was just the tip of the iceberg to what a crazy brilliant book this was. 

Within the first few pages I was enthralled. The story was narrated by both sisters as we are taken back to Mana-ma’s Hearth to Taema’s undercover mission to infiltrate The Ratel (The last criminal organization of SF) to help save her sister from being placed in stasis (frozen); which was the equivalent to a death sentence. As with most novels set in the future, the gadgets and terminology could get overwhelming or confusing at times. However, that was never the case here. The book was set in the year 2055 but Lam did a stellar job at breaking down and explaining in detail the technology, the drugs Zeal and Verve and the lucid dreaming aspects in such a straightforward manner that it was easy to understand and digest. I was never once confused and the more I delved deeper into the world Lam created, the more I wanted to be swept away into the story to escape reality. Even though half the time I found 2055 SF terrifying, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough!

While Tila and Taema are twins, they couldn't be more opposite of one another. Tila was more of a risk taker, she wasn't afraid of asking questions or breaking rules. While Taema tried to blend in with society and was a stickler for following principles. Even their profession were totally different with Tila working in the zeal/verge lounges and Taema working for a Sudice Corporation. While we get both of the sisters' point-of-view, this novel was really about Taema going out of her comfort zone and doing whatever it took to save someone she loves. What I liked most about Taema is while she was undercover and had to pretend to be someone else and do things she didn't want to do she was still in a way true to herself (that's make more sense once you read the book). Also, the actions she took didn't seem far fetch but realistic and mirrored our own world. Which is kind of hard to do in scifi/fantasy worlds in my opinion; to me that's important, to make this fictitious world and its characters believable. 

I loved False Hearts and it was everything I didn't know I wanted. If you’re looking for an original, high-octane, edge of your seat novel with so many twists and turns that it will leave you speechless then you need to pick up False Hearts immediately. I am flabbergasted that I haven’t heard more about this book prior to its publication or seeing more reviews for it among the blogoshere because there’s a lot to love about False Hearts. This book was clever and exceptional, and as Taema pieces the clues together the revelations will blow your mind! This is my first book by Lam but it will definitely not be my last. Again, you guys need to read it A.S.A.P; you won’t regret it. I promise. It is a must read and deserve to be on the keeper shelf!