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One Salt Sea (2011)

by Seanan McGuire(Favorite Author)

4.33 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0756406838 (ISBN13: 9780756406837)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

DAW

series

October Daye

review 1: Generalised spoiler warning in effect for the first four books, because, well obviously.Toby has come along way since we met her back in Rosemary and Rue. Back then she was keeping her head down, avoiding her past, not thinking about her future. She wasn’t really doing much past existing in the present. But now she has friends around her again. She has risen, socially, to become a Countess. Which okay, maybe she wasn’t expecting and didn’t really want, but it has given her options. And she has hooked up with Connor. But as is usual in Toby’s life, things begin to take a turn for the worse.She is summoned to the Queen of Mists, never good to be commanded to appear before a mad person with power who doesn’t like you, and discovers that someone has kidnapped the son... mores of Duchess Lorden, ruler of the Undersea Duchy of Saltmist. Toby, of course, begins to investigate. How could she not when there are children involved. Not only that, but if the boys aren’t found it will lead to war.I’ve really enjoyed all of the Toby Daye books, but I think this is my favourite so far. Toby is far from a perfect hero1 but she does learn and change as the books progress. She isn’t stuck in the same mode all the time. Well, apart from her constant need for caffeine, that is unchanging. She now asks for help, she trusts people. That doesn’t mean she still doesn’t have issues, and being faced with having to *go* to Undersea, well, her time as fish makes her understandably wary of that.This is an urban fantasy tale with a side-serving of action. The plot moves along at a fair clip and stuff keeps happening. Which isn’t to say that it feels hurried, because it doesn’t, the pacing works really well for me.As for whodunnit? Well, you sorta know that, but its the process of uncovering, and proving it, that is so entertaining. We also get glimpses at different parts of the Fae world, and the Undersea is fascinating. I also really enjoyed the development of the Luideag and her storyline, plus her history with the Selkies.Now, the love triangle aspect. Obviously Toby’s emotional life is important, so her love life is important, so the love triangle is important. But it is handled well by McGuire. There isn’t even a hint of Team Jacob v Team Edward, or whatever. Connor and Tybalt are both important to Toby, and to her investigations. They are very different characters and while it is clear that there is something between Tybalt and Toby, she also has a very strong and real relationship with Connor. The love triangle is there, but it never threatens to become all important. It is character development and character background, not the ultimate aim of the story.If you’ve read and enjoyed the other books in this series then you’ve probably already read this one. If you haven’t you should. And if you’ve never read a Toby Daye book, well go pick one up. You’ll be perfectly able to follow the story in this one, if that’s what you choose, but I’d recommend going back to the beginning and starting with Rosemary and Rue.
review 2: "Everything Changes." For the last several books in the Toby Daye series, it's been clear that we are building up to something. One Salt Sea took several large steps in answering some questions and showing us the direction (maybe) for Toby. We still have much more to learn but I feel that we are starting to see what and who Toby is meant to be.The children of the Duchess of the Undersea have been kidnapped and the Queen of the Mists is suspected. There will be a war between the land and the sea if Toby can't find the boys and bring them home. There is so much more to OSS than a kidnapping mystery. Toby has to face many of her fears. Some are more serious (like the water - she can't quite get over being turned into a fish for so many years). Others are kind of humorous (taking Quentin as a squire; I don't think Toby ever imagined herself being tasked with training a pureblood Daoine Sidhe.) It's also becoming clear to Toby that she needs to get to the bottom of her relationship with Tybalt. While the reader could see his feelings as far back as book one, it's taken her much longer to start to open her eyes to their friendship and potential for even more. Complicating matters is the fact that one of her first loves, Connor, is now a free man since Rayseline is on the run and he's been granted an annulment of sorts. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a love triangle in the traditional sense. Both of these men have a lot of love and respect for Toby and she loves them both as well. But, let's be honest, Tybalt has never really expressed his feelings outright and Connor has made it clear he wants Toby. Toby is also learning more about her enhanced powers and the heritage she received from her mother. As we would expect, she struggles with this. Toby's always considered herself and outsider Changeling. So, having blood sing to her through walls is going to take some getting used to. With almost every series, it can take a few books before it hits its' stride. For me, the Toby Daye series not only hit but pounded on its' stride with One Salt Sea. It's not perfect and there are a couple of things (related to Connor especially) that I kind of questioned but WOW. I sat on the edge of my seat, laughed and cried while reading. As I'm typing all I want to do is go pick up the next one to find out what's going to happen. I loved it. 5/5 stars. I loved it! less

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