I used all of my credits and took advantage of some sales to acquire the October Daye series and have been loving my time spent with this changeling. Late Eclipses is the fourth audiobook, and it was intense from the very first chapter as Toby finds herself accused of murder.
by Seanan McGuire
Series: October Daye #4
Narrator: Mary Robinette Kowal
Length: 11 hours and 51 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
Two years ago, October Toby Daye believed she could leave the world of Faerie behind. She was wrong. Now she finds herself in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, sharing an apartment with her Fetch, and maintaining an odd truce with Tybalt, the local King of Cats. It's a delicate balance ? one that's shattered when she learns that an old friend is in dire trouble. Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens, has been struck down by a mysterious, seemingly impossible illness, leaving her fiefdom undefended.
Struggling to find a way to save Lily and her subjects, Toby must confront her own past as an enemy she thought was gone forever raises her head once more: Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for her fourteen-year exile. But if Oleander's back, what's her game? Where is she hiding? And what part does Toby's mother, Amandine, have to play?
Time is growing short and the stakes are getting higher. For the Queen of the Mists has her own agenda, and there are more players in this game than Toby can guess. With everything on the line, she will have to take the ultimate risk to save herself and the people she loves most - because if she can't find the missing pieces of the puzzle in time, Toby will be forced to make the one choice she never thought she'd have to face again...
I first discovered this author as Mira Grant and consumed all her writing. Now I am finally delving into her Seanan McGuire books and it’s heavenly and hope to explore more of her middle grade books as A. Deborah Baker.
Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, I quickly slipped into the story. Toby is a knight for Duke Sylvester Torquill in fairy, but she lives in San Francisco. She shares her home with her animals and her Fetch. When two of Toby’s high ranking fae friends fall ill with a mysterious illness, fingers are pointed at Toby.
Toby suspects an old nemesis, Oleander de Merelands, but can she prove it before the Queen of the Mists orders her death? Ah, this was suspenseful and Toby was fearless. I loved seeing her friends and allies rally around her.
We gain a deeper understanding of Toby, her mother, and mortality. I experienced a plethora of emotions, ranging from mirth to sorrow, as I immersed myself in the narrative of the creatures and the intrigues of the court.
We see tremendous growth and transformation in Toby as Late Eclipses tests her. We also see some relationship development and surprising twists regards her Fetch.
I highly recommend listening to the series in the order of its release. Relationships, consequences and overall series arc will be spoiled if you simply dive in.
Mary Robinette Kowal truly brings these characters to life with her narration and elevates this already brilliant tale with her voices, tone and pacing.
About Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is a native Californian, which has resulted in her being exceedingly laid-back about venomous wildlife, and terrified of weather. When not writing urban fantasy (as herself) and science fiction thrillers (as Mira Grant), she likes to watch way too many horror movies, wander around in swamps, record albums of original music, and harass her cats. Seanan is the author of the October Daye, InCryptid, and Indexing series of urban fantasies; the Newsflesh trilogy; the Parasitology duology; and the "Velveteen vs." superhero shorts. Her cats, Lilly, Alice, and Thomas, are plotting world domination even as we speak, but are easily distracted by feathers on sticks, so mankind is probably safe. For now.
About Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of The Spare Man,The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost Talkers, and the Lady Astronaut Universe. She is part of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, four Hugo awards, the Nebula and Locus awards. Her stories appear in Asimov’s, Uncanny, and several Year’s Best anthologies. Mary Robinette, a professional puppeteer, also performs as a voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), recording fiction for authors including Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow, and John Scalzi. She lives in Nashville with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Sophia Rose
Credits well spent then. 🙂
Mary Kirkland
That sounds really good. I try to read the books I pick in order but I’ve read so many out of order that I have to go back and read the first books.
Lover of Romance
The cover of this one is so mysterious and edgy, I really like it. Especially with such a strong lead, its so important to have such character growth being built throughout the story. Glad to see it was such a win of a read for you.
Lovely review!
Kimberly
Thanks Renee!
Debbie S Haupt
Great review, i knew you loved this author and I guess I never realized she wrote under different names. thanks for sharing
Kimberly
Yes, I just found out about the middle grade books…lol
Nadene
This series also sounds awesome. It says a lot when you want to explore all the author’s work. Great review, Kim.
Kimberly
Agreed. I am getting there!