Caffeinated Reviewer

Whenever I can, I have been diving into the next October Daye audiobook. A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire delivers a dark, suspenseful and insightful look into the darker side of fairy.

Things are looking up.

For the first time in what feels like years, October “Toby” Daye has been able to pause long enough to take a breath and look at her life—and she likes what she sees. She has friends. She has allies. She has a squire to train and a King of Cats to love, and maybe, just maybe, she can let her guard down for a change.

Or not. When Queen Windermere’s seneschal is elf-shot and thrown into an enchanted sleep by agents from the neighboring Kingdom of Silences, Toby finds herself in a role she never expected to play: that of a diplomat. She must travel to Portland, Oregon, to convince King Rhys of Silences not to go to war against the Mists. But nothing is that simple, and what October finds in Silences is worse than she would ever have imagined.

How far will Toby go when lives are on the line, and when allies both old and new are threatened by a force she had never expected to face again? How much is October willing to give up, and how much is she willing to change? In Faerie, what’s past is never really gone.

It’s just waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

The life of a hero in fairy is never, ever easy. Toby finds herself once again thrust into the middle of things. Queen Windermere’s seneschal is elf-shot by agents from the neighboring Kingdom of Silences. The Queen asks Toby to travel to the Silences and act as a diplomat. Her job is to convince King Rhys of Silences not to go to war against the Mists. The tale that unfolds was dark, complicated and filled with twists.

We continue to see growth in October’s abilities, but it comes with a cost. I am fascinating my her ability to read & change blood. The more fae she becomes, the stronger her skills. But at what cost?

Tybalt, Walter, Quinn and Walter, the alchemist who have assisted her in the past, accompany her to the kingdom. It’s a good thing because the King and the former Queen of the Mists are dark, twisted souls. It turns out Walter is from the Kingdom of Silence and offers great help despite his reluctance.

The story is dark and twisted. Things are happening within the kingdom, unpleasant and horrible things. Toby is in grave danger, as are her friends. I was spellbound and never wanted to set the audiobook down.

The world building from the caste to the different kingdoms and courts is fascinating. I am not sure who terrified me more, King Rhys or the deposed Queen of the Mist. What they did and were willing to do to secure power was horrific.

Despite the darkness, we learned more about Walter, and even Tybalt. Toby will be tested and some good comes of their visit. The characters have become important to me and I love this misfit family that Toby has created for herself.

Despite leaving off in a good place, I was once again left craving the next audiobook in the series. Which in truth I devoured shortly there after.

I highly recommend listening to the series. Mary Robinette Kowal narrates and does such a terrific job of bringing this story and the characters to life.

Amazon | Audible

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.

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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

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