Title: A Local Habitation
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: October Daye #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2010

This novel was absolutely impossible to put down and honestly, really quite tragic in moments. There was a lot more death and destruction than I had anticipated. Which, I absolutely loved, even as I felt sad for all of the tragedies that befell Toby Daye and the fae she was trying to help. Plus, I got to find out more about Toby’s powers and her role in the court.

I absolutely adore the Toby and Tybalt dynamic, and I love how it is unfolding within this series. I’m really hoping that he is the final partner for Toby, just with a lot more drama and action in the lead up. Although, I do wonder why, at the end of this tale, Tybalt starts to avert his gaze from Toby. I can’t wait to discover more about why her powers and actions have potentially made him uncomfortable – and how this will inform their future relationship.

There were a number of twists throughout this story that I just didn’t quite see coming, then there were those that I did predict. I saw the twist of Alex and Terrie coming, but I didn’t quite figure out all of the machinations of how it would work. I also love how their story arc ended. There were so many twists and turns throughout this that I just couldn’t put this story down – I didn’t know what was going to happen from one moment to the next.

I loved how the killer throughout this was manipulated and coerced into some pretty horrifying decisions. And, ultimately, at the core of all of this, it was about the hierarchy of the fae and the abandonment of the changelings. It’s a reminder that issues of abandonment and feeling unloved are universal and always scarring.

Honestly, even a long time after turning the final page of this story, I absolutely cannot stop thinking about this. There is something completely unforgettable about McGuire’s writing that makes me want to constantly devour her writing. And now I can’t wait to get into An Artificial Night.

<- Rosemary and Rue

An Artificial Night ->

Image source: Hachette Australia