Since I began this blog with (part of) the purpose to write book reviews, I’m going to just jump right in, so you’ll notice that some of my reviews will start in the middle of a series. One of these series’ is the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire.
I finished the sixth book, Ashes of Honor, a couple of days ago and have been furiously reading through the series for the last few months. I definitely recommend books 1-5, starting with Rosemary and Rue.
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SPOILERS AHEAD
Ashes of Honor begins in the wake of Book 5, One Salt Sea, and the sad death of Connor, Toby’s love interest. One of the things I like about the series as a whole is the fact that McGuire doesn’t have Toby shake off what happened to her in previous books like it was nothing. As in the rest of the books of the series, the events in Ashes of Honor are effected by the events that took place in the previous books. The death of Connor in One Salt Sea shakes Toby to her core, and the opening sequence is Toby acting unwisely in her grief, and nearly getting herself killed (this happens a lot) because of it.
Ashes of Honor also realizes a budding relationship that has been building since the first book. I have to say, that because of this, I, as a reader, wasn’t as effected by Connor’s death as I would have been otherwise.
This budding relationship is a side story (though a major one) within the larger plot of the book. In Ashes of Honor, familiar characters are given more page time and deeper character development (not a critique of the other books, considering the large cast of characters and possible story lines embedded in the world of October Daye), and the question of how wise interaction between humans and fairy, especially of the romantic variety, is explored once again, this time with even more serious consequences.
For me, this series ticks all of the items on my ‘urban fantasy needs’ list. Great characters, more character developments as the series moves along, sub-plots in previous books not being forgotten, and carried forward; fantastic magical plots, the mundane and magical clashing and working together, romance without being cheesy, awesome fight scenes, scary powerful beings who aren’t all powerful, and the list goes on.
If you’re an urban fantasy enthusiast and haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it.
Share this:Low R Some graphic violence, but not over the top. Some swearing. Kidnapping of a minor, with some instances of physical abuse, however not glorified or written off. Suicidal thoughts mentioned, but not carried through. References to past traumatic experiences and PTSD.
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