Y'all, it's release date, which means I am cutting it just past the wire as I finish this one. I was stoked to be approved for an ARC of Night and Silence, this twelfth book in the series, because I love it and I love Toby Daye as a character and because I love Seanan McGuire (who lives in Seattle!)



BUT the only downside is that I had to re-read all of the other books, and there are 11 of them (not including novellas or other stories) so it took a minute.



All that to say, I finally finished this one today. And whew was it worth all of the lead up and the wait. So many secrets revealed, so many new adventures primed.



First, a quick recap of where we've come from. October "Toby" Daye is a changeling—that is, the child of a fae parent and a human parent. A long time ago, she made the changeling choice and opted for the fae side of her, only unfortunately her fae mom was not really interested in being a mother to her. Toby is also a private detective in the Bay Area. In her first adventure, Toby is unceremoniously turned into a fish while pursuing her liege's kidnapped wife and kid. Even more unfortunately, she stays a fish for 14 years. Bummmer. And then throughout the next books, she goes on many more, mostly life-threatening adventures, gathering friends and family and unveiling secrets along the way. McGuire infuses quite a lot of Shakespeare into this series: all of the titles of the books are taken from Shakespeare quotes, many of the characters have Shakespeare-inspired names, Toby herself is a big fan, and as fae are immortal, some of them were contemporaries of old Willy Shakes himself, so it all comes full circle.

I played a fun game while re-reading where I renamed all of the books as if they were Harry Potter books. Night and Silence I renamed "Toby Daye and the Old Home Week."

One thing that is great for new readers: while you can (and in my opinion, absolutely should) start from the beginning, McGuire does a fairly good job of recapping essential information as she goes through the new books in the series, so although you of course won't get the whole action of the previous books, you can get the gist and not be completely lost.

In Night and Silence, Toby's estranged, college-age human daughter Gillian has been kidnapped, Toby's pretty sure by somebody from faerie (so nothing she can explain to her ex and his new wife when they are curious about where the daughter might have gone), and Toby has to track her down. This isn't the first time that Gillian has been kidnapped because of Toby, but it is a bit more dangerous this time around, for a number of reasons. Toby's made quite a few enemies over the years, so the list of people who might want to punish or blackmail her by taking her daughter is pretty extensive.

I can't really get into too many more details without giving bits away, and the bits are too good to give away. Boy are them some doozy secrets revealed in this one. It feels like a whole new beginning for Toby and a refresh for the series (not that it needs it). I have to admit, when I saw the synopsis for the book, I thought to myself, "Again? She gets kidnapped again?" Especially since some of the characters that pop up as villains once again are folks that we thought were vanquished. Are we never going to be able to trust that someone is dealt with and/or dead, for real? But all of those thoughts went out the window as the story went on, with ever-increasing stakes and a satisfying resolution that left me wanting to read the thirteenth book in the series immediately. (Alas.)

One of my absolute favourite things about this series is the family that McGuire has built around Toby. I think many of us can relate to the idea of our biological families not always being what we need them to be, and of constructing a chosen family around ourselves to fill the gaps. That's truly what Toby has around her now, and they all grok her on such a deep level that it often brings tears to my eyes. The unspectacular way that McGuire has introduced such a diverse range of characters and experiences among the gang is aspirational. And I will always want to be a little bit like Toby: selfless and reliable to a fault, enormously gooey with a hard shell, and endlessly sarcastic. (I think I got that last one pretty well down, actually.)

I highly recommend this series if you are at all interested in faerie/fairy stories, or magic, or just generally awesome fantasy with spectacular and intricate worldbuilding. And if you like this series, Seanan McGuire has written other books under her name, as well as pseudonyms for other genres. They're all stellar.

"We stood there, wounded, frozen, exhausted, and waited for home to start feeling like home again. We waited for safety to come back. We were going to be waiting for a very long time." ~ The Brightest Fell

In Night and Silence we see a Toby who is still reeling from what her mother did to force Toby to find her sister August. Her relationship with Tybalt feels like it is hanging by a thread and Toby is in despair about how to fix things. Toby's friend Danny ineptly tries to encourage Toby to rectify a relationship she fears is irretrievably damaged by talking to Tybalt, who doesn't want to talk to her at all because he has such terrible PTSD. (Ironically, Toby's never been the sort of person to feel very hopeful. Also ironically, when you look a lot like your cruel mother, your mistreated loved one may have issues with you.) May, Toby's Fetch sister, is also trying to hold things together for Jazz, who has recovered a bit better than has Tybalt, but remains deeply shaken. Raj, Tybalt's nephew and heir, treads lightly and often furtively, to avoid too many questions from Toby. Quentin, Toby's squire, ponders whether there is anything he can do other than just be there for all of them.

It is into this messy well of sadness that a new crisis falls- Toby's now-human daughter Gillian is, once again, kidnapped. This time it clearly isn't Sylvester's mentally unhinged daughter Rayseline, since Raysel was elf shot several books back and is still deep in her now full Daoine Sidhe one hundred years' slumber. And Toby is pretty sure that it isn't even a once-again ensorcelled Simon, lost somewhere in deeper Faerie after the events of The Brightest Fell, a failure of Toby's that has her on edge yet again with Sylvester, her uncle, and liege. (Sylvester has asked Toby to keep her distance because his wife Luna is so upset over Simon's being on the loose again.) So who is it and what do they want? Because the only reason to take Gilly is to get to Sir October Daye, Knight of Lost Words, Hero of the Realm. In the process of solving the kidnapping and rescuing Gillian, a question long held by readers of the series will be answered and lives will be forever changed.

It's obvious that the events of this novel have been long-planned by McGuire, over the arc of twelve novels. The payoff is huge. In some ways even bigger than in The Winter Long. I was caught off-guard by the events of the book, which were so very different from what I had expected. On the one hand, the revelations, the outcomes, were rather stunning. On the other hand, part of me was uneasy with Gillian being kidnapped again (she was first kidnapped back in One Salt Sea), and the fact that yet again, we have the revelation that someone wasn't who they seemed to be. Plus, another round of demands we've heard before. (How many times can you viably do this, dear author?) Yet there are major developments built upon this platform. Even the revelations come with their own revelations in this book.

Night and Silence left me with so many new questions. One of the most stunning outcomes was disquieting to me because of the looming settlement of Toby's debt with the Luidaeg, who called in the debt of the Selkies a year ago. What's going to happen? (Readers will see what I mean when they read the novella Suffer a Sea Change included at the end of the book and think about the Selkies and the Roane.) While things with Tybalt are better resolved by the novel's end, the means by which this is achieved still seemed precarious to me. Is that truly safe, given the way the Cait Sidhe work? One thing I was glad of is that Toby finally realizes the changelings of the Mists need more attention. And hey, the seneschal of Goldengreen could use a changeling hero's help with her present project. Finally, the other thing, that big reveal... Seriously, what is wrong with some of these fae and human people? The level of their racist hypocrisy is simply stunning. What does it all mean? Decide for yourself, Reader. This is one installment that will leave you thinking until The Unkindest Tide rolls in.

"The world had changed. The world wasn't changing back." ~ Night and Silence

I received an ARC from DAW via NetGalley and a paper ARC from the author.

As with any October Daye novel, there is plenty of adventure and investigating happening in NIGHT AND SILENCE. With her allies by her side, Toby kicks butt and continues to show me why I continue reading after so many novels.

The relationship between Toby and her daughter Gillian is heavily explored in NIGHT AND SILENCE. We learn A LOT about Gillian as well as her father and step mom. We dive deep into feelings all around and I was left so sad and hopeful for their future as mother and daughter at the end of the book.

I'm only going to talk briefly about romantic relationship stuff. I was so scared that the rift between October and Tybalt would ruin NIGHT AND SILENCE for me, but it didn't. It was really sad, but it added some nice emotion to the storyline at multiple points throughout the book.

I love everything about the October Daye series and can still see if continuing for years to come.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After Toby found her half-sister August and freed Tybalt and Jazz after Amandine kidnapped and threatened their lives to ensure Toby's cooperation, any kind of respite is not in the cards for our hero.

For one, things between Toby and Tybalt are strained, to put it mildly. Being forced to stay in his feline form while imprisioned has given him some emotional trauma and instead of talking to Toby, he's shut himself away.

Then, Toby's very human daughter Gillian is kidnapped. Toby will do anything to make sure her daughter is found safe and sound, even if it means confronting some long forgotten foes.

I feel like any long-running series is going to have a few bridge books in their midst, and at the end of the day, that's exactly how Night and Silence read to me.

Seanan McGuire even goes so far as to have a few of the characters comment on how many times Toby's daughter has been kidnapped (answer: previously in One Salt Sea). So, I feel like it's a concious decision to give readers some familiar territory so we're left with enough room to continue processing the ramifications of Amandine’s actions - at least where Tybalt and Toby's relationship is concerned.

I appreciated that this wasn't overlooked or drawn out / put off until the next book. As I said we'll be feeling the ramifications for books to come, as is standard in this series, but I feel like the ice has at least been broken.

Besides the relationship woes, Seanan McGuire continues to build and reinforce the bonds of family and what makes a family. You get to see the juxtaposition of the family life Toby had with her ex and daughter - how they seemingly replaced Toby after her disappearance and then cut all ties when she returned - to what she has built now - how Quentine and May are quick to jump into action to help find Gillian at a moment's notice, no questions asked.

Of course this wouldn't be an October Daye novel without some revelations coming to light, and Seanan McGuire does throw in some very interesting ones, but like the rest of the book, they're more things where the importance or significance will play out over the course of the next book(s).

Still, Night and Silence was a fast-paced, deftly written, enjoyable installment in an already excellent series.

Thank you to Netgalley and DAW for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Disclaimer: This is the 12th book in the series. I highly suggest starting with Rosemary and Rue and read all previous books. This will contain spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series.


October is back, and she is still reeling from her lasting meeting with her mother. The meeting in which her mother forced Tybalt and Jazz into their animal forms and kept them that. Tybalt hasn't been the same and neither has Jazz. In fact October hasn't seen much of Tybalt lately, but she is for a bigger shock when her doorbell rings and her ex and his current wife are waiting at her front door.


They accuse of her of stealing Gillian, and then when they realize she doesn't have her they ask her to find Gillian. So October wakes up Quinton and May and they head out to find Gillian. But the road is long and filled with traps and old enemies. Will October be able to save her daughter this time? Or will all be lost?


Whew this was a ride, and to be honest I was surprised by so many things. Seanan masterfully weaves all kinds of pieces together, and leaves you feeling astonished. I had no idea these things were going to happen and the six degrees of separation. It is crazy, that being said I am so glad Tybalt was back and playing a larger role in this one. I really missed him when he was forced to be cat in the last book.



Not a fan of Cliff at all, or Miranda, but learning more about her was extremely interesting. The only downside to reading this and reviewing this is I really have to wait a whole year for the next book to come out. October has been one of my favorite characters from the moment I read Rosemary and Rue, and I love them all and I look forward to each new addition and I hope Seanan continues to write about her for many years to come.

Toby Daye cannot catch a break.

This story takes place a short time after the events in, "The Brightest Fell." Everyone involved in that last adventure remains emotionally damaged. And then, Toby finds out that her daughter, Gillian, has been kidnapped, again. Immediately, Toby has to get her emotions under control in order to find her before any harm can be done to her, again.

The search for Gilly turns into a game of cat-and-mouse. Toby pushes herself to her limits to protect herself, her family, her allies, and her (many and newfound) secrets. And, the story continues on in, "Suffer a Sea-Change," so fans don't have to wait for answers to certain questions. If anyone has ever read any or all of the books in the "October Daye" series, must read, "Night and Silence," because we learn more about Toby and Faerie through McGuire's worldbuiling and characters, both are well-developed and (too) realistic.

McGuire does an amazing job in reminding her readers that Faerie is NOT the same as Fairy! Sooner or later secrets are revealed, debts are paid, bargains end, and emotions are (somewhat) managed. Fans of the series will pick up on subtle clues of what will happen based on the foreshadowing from previous books. New readers will be able to jump into the action due to the author's clever storytelling method of her characters recalling past events from previous stories.

I found "Night and Silence" to be an enjoyable read containing everything one could want in an urban fantasy story.

Tybalt is suffering after being kidnapped in the last book and has distanced himself from Toby as a result, taking away a significant part of her support team at the same time she finds out her daughter, Gillian, is missing. Again. Per usual plot, Toby has to race against time to find her daughter. The villains in this one are recycled, but that isn’t the important part of the story anyway. The focus is on revealing more truths about the twisted tree that is Toby’s family and making progress to possibly heal the gaping wound that is her relationship with Gillian.

An excellent story, and the novella at the end was a much-needed direct continuation of the plot, but this was definitely a middle arc book, driving us one step closer to finishing out the current plot. For new readers, this is not the book to start with as there are too many references to past events and characters, even with the handy recap at the front of the novel. Start with any of the first three instead.

3.75 Stars (rounded up to 4) because as much as I love this series, Toby’s family is a hot mess and it’s getting out of hand. The confrontations with her ex and Gillian’s step-mom have been a long time coming, but having to deal with the constant, unjustified nastiness towards Toby all the time was just overwhelming. At least she has Tybalt, May, Quentin and the rest of her sidhe Scooby Gang as backup.

We only get one of these books about once a year, and I’m always worried about several things: I won’t remember what’s going on in the story, the book will be terrible, the series will go off the rails, or the author won’t do a good job. I am so happy to report none of these things happened. The one thing I am most worried about, that I won’t remember what’s going on, is definitely taken care of as the author did a great job in filling the reader in as we go along. As such, I was immersed in the story in no time at all, but I must confess that also probably has something to do with the author’s tremendous writing talent. This far in the series, I can’t really say much as I don’t want to spoil anything, but Toby and Tybalt are still very much dealing with the fallout from the previous book, Toby’s daughter is kidnapped but for very interesting reasons (which we don’t find out until the end), and at the end, things are forever changed. If you are a fan of this series, this is a wonderful, wonderful addition!! And, you must read the novella at the end because certain events are shown from another character’s point of view which is very important. If you haven’t read this series before, you must start from the beginning, and it is worth every page! One of my favorite series!! Highly recommend! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

I’ve been following October Daye’s adventures from the very first book, and now twelve books in, I can only say that this series just keeps getting better. I will admit that when I read the blurb, I was a bit put-off – Gillian’s been kidnapped again? Toby’s (non-) relationship with her estranged daughter has been one of my least favorite parts of the series, so the prospect of a book rehashing that all again was not very appealing to me, and I went into this expecting to enjoy the individual bits and pieces (like Toby, May, Danny, and Quentin catching flying faerie pigs in an upscale SF neighborhood) even if I didn’t care for the overall plot. Well, my fears were unfounded, because instead I found another fascinating take on family – the families we make versus the ones we are born into – in a thematic continuation of the last book.

“You’re not alone anymore,” he said softly.

When the book starts, the repercussions from The Brightest Fell are still being felt – one large one being that Tybalt has PTSD from Amandine’s imprisonment, and even Toby’s resemblance to her mother is enough to trigger it, so he’s avoiding her and any attempt at help. Toby’s actually rather introspective at being on the wrong end of the “I can handle my problems MYSELF!” stick, so while she’s happy for some work to get her mind off of her relationship problems, the last thing she needs is her ex and his new wife showing up on her doorstep and accusing her of kidnapping Gillian from UC Berkeley, where she attends college. Toby, of course, rushes off to investigate, and as the clues pile up, it’s clear that the perpetrator is someone in Faerie. But where the kidnappers targeting Toby herself, or is there more at work than meets the eye?

“No matter how far we run, we never get away from family.”

I’ve had a lot of mixed feelings about Toby and Gillian’s relationship – when the book starts, she didn’t even know that Gillian was attending college, let alone which one – and while I’ve come to understand and sympathize with her reasons for walking away from a daughter she obviously loves so much, it’s never sat quite right with me. The interesting thing, though, is that Toby is a much different person now than she was when back in Rosemary and Rue, and she’s got a wealth of friends and found family to back her up (or be used as hostages, as she found in the last book). At one point, Toby describes her early self as a Nancy Drew knock-off, and it’s a fairly accurate description, and a reminder of another of my favorite parts of this series: Toby grows and changes, and you can never expect exactly what will happen. The broken Toby who came back to the human world after fifteen years as a koi is very different from the Toby who’s deposed two monarchs and defeated a Firstborn, or, more importantly, the Toby who, at the end of a long day, looks forward to returning home to her house to her Fetch and her girlfriend, her squire and his friends, and her fiancé. What we’re reminded of, most importantly, through the book and the novella that follows, is that there’s more than one side to every story, and sometimes people have REASONS.

“Um, this is Toby,” said Quentin. “We’re always about to die. When we’re not about to die, we’re still about to be about to die. She’s like a Rube Goldberg machine whose only job is generating life-threatening situations.”

Please note the all-caps on that “reasons,” because about halfway through the book, there’s a humongous plot twist that puts a lot of things into a new light, including Toby’s relationship with Gillian, which, needless to say, I felt a lot differently about at the end of the book. Beyond the unexpectedness, there’s the same tight mystery plot I’ve come to expect, and the same cast of characters I’ve grown to love, including Walther, Arden, Danny, and, of course, the Luidaeg. I am continuously wowed by how Ms. McGuire never seems to phone these books in, despite writing one a year for the past twelve years – there’s always a new fully-formed area of Faerie to explore or a new revelation to rip open Toby’s world. The worst part about reading these books? Knowing that I’ll have to wait until next September for another one!

“Well,” said May, after a long pause. “You’ve pissed off the Queen who’s actually in charge of us and convinced a Queen who isn’t that she should help us out. That’s … pretty true to form. You’re still you. I just checked.”

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

After the ending of The Brightest Fell I wasn't sure were McGuire was going to go with October Daye but I'm happy to say at Night and Silence met every expectation and more...and I loved it. There is just something about McGuire's writing that captivates and keeps me clinging to the pages. I say "something", but what I really mean is Seanan McGuire's ability to master that illusive character connection that makes you become a part a written word's world!

I received this ARC of Night Silence from Berkley Publishing Group - DAW. This is my honest and voluntary review. Night Silence is set for publication Sept. 4, 2018.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Seanan McGuire
Series: October Daye
Sequence in Series: Book 12
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
ISBN-10: 0756414768
ISBN-13: 978-0756414764
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Paranormal Romance

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Silence-...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nigh...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/nigh...

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4.5 Stars, rounded up because seriously DAW, we need more books in this series, okay?

"A little more than kin, and less than kind." ~ from Hamlet, Wm. Shakespeare

In late 2009 my friend Diana (The Literate Kitty) pressed me to read Rosemary and Rue, the debut novel by an author by the name of Seanan McGuire. It had everything she knew I loved- Shakespeare, Celtic fae, cats, and a contemplative tone. Oh, and lots of coffee. Twelve books later and if anyone asks what some of my favorite urban fantasy series are, they're going to hear all about my love of Toby Daye and Kate Daniels (by Ilona Andrews) and how these two series, though very different in tone and their heroines' nature, have given readers some of the finest urban fantasy out there. (It's been a stellar week in urban fantasy with both series releasing books within a week of one another!) If pressed to choose a favorite between the two, I honestly don't think I could. But let me tell you about Toby.

McGuire's October Daye books are a series that looks at marginalized races (changelings, mixed bloods, shapeshifter fae, humans), mental health issues, and families and their secrets. The series is largely set in the San Francisco Bay area, in a fae kingdom call the Mists. Toby Daye holds onto her last traces of humanity proudly and is undoubtedly one of the most productive and useful changelings in the Mists. She's not alone, though. We've also met a slew of changelings with remarkable talents, including the powerful portal-punching Chelsea, sisters with rare gifts of sight, Karen and Cassandra, and (in theory) brave Marcia, who manages to make herself indispensable wherever she serves. (So many people suspect Marcia is more than she seems.) All in all, while most pureblooded fae have looked down on the changelings, it seems that the present crop can possess rare skills. Overlooking them and trying to marginalize them has proven foolish, especially for one False Queen, and her collaborator in a neighboring kingdom, King Rhys. Also, we've recently seen in one of McGuire's best-deal-on-the-internet Patreon stories, some pretty important changelings have been changed, via hope chests, into pureblooded fae. Who knows how many people in this 'verse were initially part human in origin? Certainly not Toby Daye. After all, when we first met her, Toby knew very little about her own family and those that surround her. She was too traumatized by her upbringing and some searing life events.

Part of the reason that Toby was in the dark about goings-on in her own family was due to having lost fourteen years of her life after being turned into a fish by the man that turned out to be her stepfather, Simon Torquill. (Some significant relationship information withheld from her by her liege, Sylvester.) Toby went through a serious depression after recovering her original form and finding her daughter Gillian and Gilly's father Cliff had moved on with their lives and wanted nothing to do with her. Cliff married a woman named Miranda, who has embraced Gillian, a toddler when Toby disappeared, as her own daughter. Toby's depression and risk-taking behavior made those around her careful with what they have told her. But the truth will out, eventually. Over the course of eleven books we've come to see Toby's mother as cruel and mentally unstable, learn that Toby had a missing older sister, August, that her stepfather Simon might have been trying to spare her a worse fate than being a fish, and that Toby's mother and two of her fearsome aunts are Firstborn among the fae- direct descendants of Oberon. While Toby's growing friendship with the Luidaeg, her aunt Antigone, has become surrogate mother-like in some respects, her relationship to her other aunt, Evening Winterrose, has become one of overt enmity. And in the most recent book, The Brightest Fell, Toby parted ways with her mother, Amandine, after Amy forced Toby to find her missing sister August, by doing some pretty despicable stuff to Toby's fiancé, Tybalt, and her Fetch sister May's girlfriend Jazz.

Toby has come a long way since we first met her. She's been something of a wrecking ball, taking down a False Queen and installing a real one, and doing the same in a neighboring kingdom. All while solving mysteries, murders, and championing changeling rights. The Dóchas Sidhe race that she, her mother, and sister August belong to was supposed to be one of hope (and more than just a hope chest kind of hope) but Toby is the only one that's currently supplying it in her family line. Though she represents hope, in multiple respects, Toby herself hasn't been able to catch much of a breather. We can assume that there are times where she and her chosen family (Tybalt, May, Quentin, Raj, and Jazz) can just chill. Of course, chilling doesn't make for a dramatic plot, so usually when we see Toby she's literally bleeding all over everything and running on fumes.

One of the plot devices that McGuire has used in this series, several times now, is the idea of "look again." Toby can go somewhere and brush by someone that a few books later turns out to be a crucial person she's been looking for. (Impressive plot planning by McGuire here.) The idea of looking deeper and realizing that you don't really know what you're looking at until you need to know, is an interesting one. (It's also one that an author has to be careful not to overuse.)

"We stood there, wounded, frozen, exhausted, and waited for home to start feeling like home again. We waited for safety to come back. We were going to be waiting for a very long time." ~ The Brightest Fell

In Night and Silence we see a Toby who is still reeling from what her mother did to force Toby to find her sister August. Her relationship with Tybalt feels like it is hanging by a thread and Toby is in despair about how to fix things. Toby's friend Danny ineptly tries to encourage Toby to rectify a relationship she fears is irretrievably damaged by talking to Tybalt, who doesn't want to talk to her at all because he has such terrible PTSD. (Ironically, Toby's never been the sort of person to feel very hopeful. Also ironically, when you look a lot like your cruel mother, your mistreated loved one may have issues with you.) May, Toby's Fetch sister, is also trying to hold things together for Jazz, who has recovered a bit better than has Tybalt, but remains deeply shaken. Raj, Tybalt's nephew and heir, treads lightly and often furtively, to avoid too many questions from Toby. Quentin, Toby's squire, ponders whether there is anything he can do other than just be there for all of them.

It is into this messy well of sadness that a new crisis falls- Toby's now-human daughter Gillian is, once again, kidnapped. This time it clearly isn't Sylvester's mentally unhinged daughter Rayseline, since Raysel was elf shot several books back and is still deep in her now full Daoine Sidhe one hundred years' slumber. And Toby is pretty sure that it isn't even a once-again ensorcelled Simon, lost somewhere in deeper Faerie after the events of The Brightest Fell, a failure of Toby's that has her on edge yet again with Sylvester, her uncle, and liege. (Sylvester has asked Toby to keep her distance because his wife Luna is so upset over Simon's being on the loose again.) So who is it and what do they want? Because the only reason to take Gilly is to get to Sir October Daye, Knight of Lost Words, Hero of the Realm. In the process of solving the kidnapping and rescuing Gillian, a question long held by readers of the series will be answered and lives will be forever changed.

It's obvious that the events of this novel have been long-planned by McGuire, over the arc of twelve novels. The payoff is huge. In some ways even bigger than in The Winter Long. I was caught off-guard by the events of the book, which were so very different from what I had expected. On the one hand, the revelations, the outcomes, were rather stunning. On the other hand, part of me was uneasy with Gillian being kidnapped again (she was first kidnapped back in One Salt Sea), and the fact that yet again, we have the revelation that someone wasn't who they seemed to be. Plus, another round of demands we've heard before. (How many times can you viably do this, dear author?) Yet there are major developments built upon this platform. Even the revelations come with their own revelations in this book.

Night and Silence left me with so many new questions. One of the most stunning outcomes was disquieting to me because of the looming settlement of Toby's debt with the Luidaeg, who called in the debt of the Selkies a year ago. What's going to happen? (Readers will see what I mean when they read the novella Suffer a Sea Change included at the end of the book and think about the Selkies and the Roane.) While things with Tybalt are better resolved by the novel's end, the means by which this is achieved still seemed precarious to me. Is that truly safe, given the way the Cait Sidhe work? One thing I was glad of is that Toby finally realizes the changelings of the Mists need more attention. And hey, the seneschal of Goldengreen could use a changeling hero's help with her present project. Finally, the other thing, that big reveal... Seriously, what is wrong with some of these fae and human people? The level of their racist hypocrisy is simply stunning. What does it all mean? Decide for yourself, Reader. This is one installment that will leave you thinking until The Unkindest Tide rolls in.

"The world had changed. The world wasn't changing back." ~ Night and Silence

I received an ARC from DAW via NetGalley and a paper ARC from the author.

After the events that occurred in The Brightest Fell, Toby is trying her best to pull her family back together. However, Amandine the Liar’s actions left everybody with some form of suffering or trauma. Jazz doesn’t sleep and May is going everything she can to keep Jazz sane. Tybalt on the other hand, has withdrawn from Toby completely to the point that it has been weeks since he last visited since he refuses to let Toby help him deal with his trauma. Sadly, Toby needs to set aside the pain of his absence when her ex-boyfriend Cliff and his wife Miranda show up at her house. The reason for this visit? Both are accusing Toby of kidnapping her own daughter, Gillian, who appears to have been kidnapped again. After making it clear to them that she would never do something to her own daughter, Toby begins her search for Gillian and everything points to Faerie’s involvement. Now who would want Gillian now that she’s no longer part of the Fae and there’s also not many who know that Toby has a human daughter. Then again, Toby has made quite a number of enemies which includes some we may have forgotten about. Nonetheless, Toby is not going to let anything stop her from rescuing Gillian even if it costs her life which what the enemy is hoping for.

Overall, Night and Silence was a strong addition to the October Daye series! Seriously, this has got to be one of the most informative novels of the series. Not only were their plenty of twists but there were startling revelations about Toby’s family. This may be the 12th installment but Seanan McGuire show no signs loosing her touch. In fact, its the opposite and each installment is getting stronger! It really makes me look forward to the next novel. We also get another a short story, Suffer A Sea-Change, like in the last two books which retells a part of Night and Silence but from Gillian’s perspective. Thought that was a nice touch from Seanan McGuire since Gillian’s appearance in the novel was short but the short story makes up for it. I always wanted to know what goes through Gillian’s head since I thought it was unfair that she grew up believing Toby abandoned her and her father. Thankfully, it looks like that estranged relationship between Toby and Gillian will begin to thaw out due to the events in Night and Silence. So that’s another thing I look forward to in the next novel. Now I wish September 2019 was here already so I can my hands on The Unkindest Tide. However, until then, fans will definitely enjoy Night and Silence which I promise will be an enjoyable adventure to read!

*I received Night and Silence from Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley in return for an honest review.*

"Now in hardcover, the twelfth installment of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times-bestselling Toby Daye urban fantasy series!

Things are not okay.

In the aftermath of Amandine's latest betrayal, October "Toby" Daye's fragile self-made family is on the verge of coming apart at the seams. Jazz can't sleep, Sylvester doesn't want to see her, and worst of all, Tybalt has withdrawn from her entirely, retreating into the Court of Cats as he tries to recover from his abduction. Toby is floundering, unable to help the people she loves most heal. She needs a distraction. She needs a quest.

What she doesn't need is the abduction of her estranged human daughter, Gillian. What she doesn't need is to be accused of kidnapping her own child by her ex-boyfriend and his new wife, who seems to be harboring secrets of her own. There's no question of whether she'll take the case. The only question is whether she's emotionally prepared to survive it.

Signs of Faerie's involvement are everywhere, and it's going to take all Toby's nerve and all her allies to get her through this web of old secrets, older hatreds, and new deceits. If she can't find Gillian before time runs out, her own child will pay the price.

Two questions remain: Who in Faerie remembered Gillian existed? And what do they stand to gain?

No matter how this ends, Toby's life will never be the same."

Damn right now in hardcover!

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

October Daye is a heroine that keeps getting better with every book. Even with the fact that similar themes from another book are brought back up October has grown enough that everything seems new. I read this not long after losing my mother to cancer. This book spoke to me about a mother's love that I needed during this time. McGuire is a brilliant author creating a masterpiece that I am going to treasure forever. I have so much more praise, but for now, all I can say is please buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

This is the 12th book in the October Daye series, right now there are 13 books on contract for this series. This book was an amazing addition to this series and I really loved it a lot. We get to dive into Toby’s past and interact with her “human” family .

Toby’s daughter, Gillian, has been kidnapped and Toby’s ex begs her to help look for Gillian. The big question is whether Gillian was kidnapped by a normal human criminal or if Faerie was involved. The answer ends up being startling and intriguing.

Meanwhile, Tybalt is still recovering from his ordeals in the last book and trying to come to terms with his new fears and self-doubts. I was glad when he re-entered the story; he is one of my favorites.

The story was masterfully crafted and I continue to really love all of these characters. I loved how things were tied up and am curious to see where the story goes from here. There is a novella at the end that details what Gillian goes through at the end of the “Night and Silence”; this was well done and provided excellent insight into Gillian’s character.

Overall this book was an amazing addition to what is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. I love every aspect of this book. I am curious to hear if this series ends at 13 or if there are more novels planned.

Seanan McGuire's October Daye series just gets better and better. It was nice to see Toby finally speak up in her own defense - to SEVERAL individuals who richly deserved it - and stop eating her words and stifling her reactions. It's about time.
Despite each book seeming like it couldn't possibly be topped, Ms. McGuire has done it again. (Why am I surprised?) This installment in Toby's adventures exceeded the high bar of the previous titles. I cannot recommend highly enough.

I don't know how Seanan McGuire continues to write compelling installments of the October Daye series but she does.

Night and Silence is the 12th in an urban fantasy series that is easily one of my top five "must reads". This is one of those series that I would recommend starting at the bottom and reading your way up. October "Toby" Daye has too much backstory to simply start in the middle, although the author does do a good job of getting you up to speed if you've forgotten what happened in the previous book.

One thing that Seanan McGuire does well is persecuting her MC. Toby's life is not sunshine and roses. Sometimes good, sometimes terrible, there are no quick fixes in Toby's world. McGuire's characters certainly suffer for the greater good, and sometimes for the lesser evil. I love that her characters not only change and grow but suffer setbacks. Unlike authors whose characters develop in leaps and bounds, McGuire's are more two steps forward and one step back. While there is romance, it takes a backseat to the storyline and character development. I appreciate that it's there, but if I want to read romance, Imma gonna read romance, know what I mean?

While Night and Silence isn't my favorite of the twelve, it certainly is a great continuation of the series. If you love urban fantasy, especially fae urban fantasy, and you haven't read the October Daye series, do yourself a favor and pick it up!

eanan McGuire's Night and Silence is the Twelfth installment in the authors October Daye series. As the story opens, things are not going well for October "Toby" Daye and her adopted family. Owing to her mother's latest actions, Toby's family is cracking: her sister's girlfriend Jazz doesn't sleep, and her beloved Tybalt has withdrawn from her and refuses to reach out for help. In order to keep herself from breaking down, Toby, Danny, and Quentin are tasked at hunting down creatures who are not supposed to exist, or be in this world.

But, nobody could have foreseen what happens next. Her ex-boyfriend Cliff and his new wife Miranda show up on her doorstep with an accusation: daughter Gillian has been kidnapped and they hold Toby responsible. While it's obvious that Toby will investigate, it's utter horse manure that Toby would jeopardize the daughter she has had no contact with since the day she gave Gillian the Changeling's Choice by removing any Fae blood and leaving her 100% human.

The same choice she was given back in 1959. (Oh, there's a novella called Never Shines the Sun that will explain that to you.) The daughter who has no clue what actually happened to Toby, thanks to her father, that caused her to disappear for 14 years. Who in Faerie has the knowledge that Toby has a human daughter? Of all those who knew, they're either supposed to be dead, or were Elf shot and are supposed to be sleeping for 100 years. Knowing that Toby has more enemies than the President of the US, anyone could be involved.

After all, it's not easy going through life being known as the King Breaker, or being the daughter of Amandine who put Toby and her friends through hell in the previous installment. It's also not easy being the so called Hero of the Kingdom in the Mists. Whenever Faerie is involved, secrets tend to be revealed, and villains pop up seemingly from beyond the grave. Toby must find Gillian before time runs out or the cost may be too much for everyone involved. She also has to find a way to get through to Tybalt before she loses him forever.

There are a few things you need to know to better enjoy the story. First, the story takes place soon after the aftermath of what happened to Toby and her crew in Once Broken Faith. You really must read the stories back to back to understand what happened, and why characters like May, Tybalt, Jazz, and yes, even Toby, are struggling to get on with their lives. Especially Tybalt who has basically disappeared from Toby's life.

Second, there is a novella included in the back of this book. It is called a Suffer a Sea-Change. I read Toby's story first and then the novella to see where in the story this novella takes place. If you've read Night and Silence, you know what happens and where the novella intersects with the main book. It's apparent to me that this is another of the author's story arcs. I wouldn't be surprised if the story continues in the next installment called The Unkindest Tide (2019).

I admit that I loathe Cliff and hope that we, as readers, don't ever have to hear about him again. I will never forgive him for shutting the door, literally, in Toby's face without understanding what happened to her, and then not allowing their daughter to discover the truth. For everything that Cliff did to Toby, the worse was allowing Gillian to believe that she had been abandoned by her own mother. Toby does get some satisfaction in putting him in his place. Can't tell you how happy that made me feel.

Then there's Miranda who swooped in like a avenging angel to take Toby's family away from her in her absence. There's so much I'd like to say about Miranda, but I can't because it's a major part of several plot lines. One could legitimately say that Toby's blood family is absolutely screwed up, while her adopted family are the ones who have stood by her through many, many, many episodes of Toby ending up bloody, hurt, and almost dead.

I always start counting down the days until I can read a new Toby book from the second I finished the last one. So, now I've started counting down again. The Toby books are ones that I'm always happy I read, but I'm always sad that I've finished them because that means I can't read them for the first time again.

Toby is trying to put her family back together after her mother, Amandine the Liar, took Jazz and Tybalt, and locked them away until Toby did what she wanted. Neither Tybalt or Jazz are doing all that well. In fact, Tybalt is so not doing well that Toby's not seen him in days, and it's ripping her apart. He's so much part of her life now. And to put the cherry on that terrible sundae, her ex Cliff and his new wife, Miranda, have burst into her house to accuse her of kidnapping her daughter Gillian, who she hasn't seen in 2 years.

Now she has to figure out who has her daughter, why Gillian was taken, who the bad guys are, and why they are acting the way that they are. And she has to still figure out her personal life at the same time.

Tybalt and Toby are one of my favorite couples in urban fantasy these days. I mean, a Shakespeare spouting wet dream who turns into a cat? That's seriously magical if you ask me. I've loved their story arc from the very beginning, and I look forward to seeing it continue. The Luidaeg is as cantankerous, mysterious, and obscure as she ever is, and I hope that she never changes. I think she is one of the best villains who maybe aren't as villainous as they appear out there. Not that she's nice and sweet or anything, she's anything but, but she's not necessarily a villain either. She is, as ever, motivated by things that no one else knows or understands. I love that sea witch.

I can't wait to see what happens in the next book because there have been big changes and there are definitely going to be ripples out from them. And hopefully Toby and Tybalt can finally get married!

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire, Can't say how much I really like this series. It's well written and engaging with just enough "fairy tales" pulled in to leave you thinking "Hmmm that works". This book pulls you further into the Rabbit Hole with even more backstory to make you not want the book to end!