Caffeinated Reviewer

I am continuing my listen of the October Daye series. Today I am sharing my thoughts on The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire. Whew! This series is addictive and the blurb may be short, but we soon learn everything we thought we knew about Toby was wrong. You’ll want to make time to listen because you won’t want to set it down.

Toby thought she understood her own past; she thought she knew the score.

She was wrong.

It's time to learn the truth.

Toby cannot catch a break, and honestly, it isn’t her fault. Things happen. Bad things and well. You’ll just need to listen to find out. It is getting harder to keep things spoiler free, so if you haven’t listened to the previous books, it might me best to begin and then come read my thoughts.

The entire series to this point has been building towards this moment. There are so many revelations. It’s filled with betrayal, reveals, secrets, near-death experiences and jaw dropping moments. It seems some around Toby could not share certain things with her, EVEN when they wanted to. This includes those in her inner circle.

We’ve got a mystery and the fae who turned Toby into a fish is back. Only it turns out he did what he did for a reason…..ah! Parental trouble, death, not dead…it was nerve-wracking and positively twisted. Have I mentioned I am loving this series?

I love Toby, and she continues to grow, as does her blood magic. The world-building, characters and fae world are brilliant. If you haven’t begun this series, you need to dive in. This is urban fantasy at its best. Ok, enough fangirling.

Mary Robinette Kowal continues to narrate the series and does so brilliantly. Each character has a unique voice. She consistently maintains them throughout the series. Her tone and pacing enhance McGuire’s storytelling, bringing the world and characters to life.

There are currently sixteen books in the series and oodles of novellas. In October 2023, two more books will release. One from Toby’s perspective and one from Tybalt’s! I am currently on the twelfth audiobook.

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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