After the cliffhanger of the last book, I was thrilled and excited to dive back into the world of October Daye. The world was much changed, though, with Titania back and having cast a massive spell to create her own, more "perfect" version of Faerie.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit; the alternate versions of all the characters we know and love were fascinating to compare with their usual selves, and it was interesting to see Toby thrown into one of her usual life and death situations without her usual friends and even her usual personality to back her up. Still, it was a relief when (spoilers!) she finally got her memories back, and her usual spitfire personality along with them. I'm intrigued to see where the story goes from here!

Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for providing an advance readers' copy of Sleep No More in exchange for my honest review.

After being left on a gripping cliffhanger in the previous book, I was eagerly anticipating "Sleep No More" to see what would unfold next. Although I usually don't prefer 'amnesia' tropes, I was intrigued to see how Seanan would handle it. As the story progressed, I found myself piecing together the puzzle little by little, and I appreciated how the author skillfully portrayed an alternative world.

The vivid depiction of October's journey, pulled from her reality and thrust into a twisted version of Faerie manipulated by Titania, captivated me. Witnessing a different side of October while glimpses of her true self shone through was truly engaging. The struggle of the characters trying to break the spell and convince October of her situation added depth to the plot.

Throughout the book, there was never a dull moment, and I thoroughly enjoyed the seamless blend of action, magic, mystery, and humor. The inclusion of emotional moments added a touching dimension to the story. Overall, "Sleep No More" proved to be a fantastic addition to the series, certain to delight fans. I'm now excited to dive into the next book, which offers Tybalt's perspective on the events, and I'm eager to experience how he perceived everything.

Like all other October Daye fans, I have been waiting for the next episode with baited breath - especially considering how <i>Be the Serpent</i> ended. <i>Sleep no More</i> begins with Toby in an alternate, seriously screwed up version of faery where she has been raised by her distant, First Born mother and adoptive father, Simon Torquil, to be her older sister's devoted and biddable companion and handmaid. It's uncomfortable and the more of this bizarre world is revealed, the more disturbing it becomes.

As the story unfolds, it manages the twin difficult feats of enabling a huge cast to function (subtly altered due to the circumstances) whilst maintaining the delicate balance between audience anticipation and frustration. Considering that this book is a thorough exploration of denial, having your inbuilt prejudices challenged and the disquieting idea that in other worlds, shaped by other selection pressures there is a version(or several) of you who is far less open minded that you want to believe, it is an amazingly compelling read. Nor does McGuire completely insist that these other versions are wholly bad - there is something good to be taken away from even the worst of experiences.

I am ambivalent on the subject of mirror universe episodes. I know many people love them but often they just frustrate me because they interrupt the ongoing story. (One notable exception is The Wish - Ep9 S3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Even in the various iterations of Star Trek they vex me more often than they entertain me. Not so here. I was absolutely pinned to the page, watching the slow horror reveal of alternate faery even as I rooted for Toby to get her memories back. In my opinion, this is the strongest book in the series to date with many elements and deft touches making it a discovery read as well as falling in with well loved characters.

Of course this book sails on a strong following wind - it's not the sort of story you can tell early in a series because you need long time reader investment in the characters. That said, this is one of the finest examples of the form and a brilliant UF novel in its own right. My only criticism is that the wrap up at the end of the book and the final confrontation happened quite abruptly. I would have liked a little more space for events to unfold. That has not dimmed my enjoyment of this book, however and I can''t wait to get to my ARC of <i>The Innocent Sleep</i> in a week's time.

October is very happy under Titania's curse--not that she knows there is a curse. As the beloved younger daughter of Amandine and Simon Torquill, she finally has a loving family and a secure place as her sister's handmaid. Despite the hints of danger to changelings, she wouldn't change a thing. So when one of the vanished, beastly Cait Sidhe crashes her life to tell her that it is all a lie, she is very reluctant to help unravel the curse and restore the "real" world. But she may not have a choice. After all, a hero is still a hero, even when she doesn't want to be.

An amazing book.

Sleep No More is book 17 in the October Day series and it’s a mind bender! Faerie has been rewritten into a twisted reality of Titania’s making. Nothing is as it was unless it fit her narrative of what she wishes faerie to be and the story she has created is dangerously nearing completion and threatens all of faerie if Titania succeeds reality will be rewritten unless October can remember who she really is and stop her. However, in this version of faerie October is very happy as the second daughter of pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August nearly inseparable October and August she spends their days working in her family's tower separated from most of faerie. October serving as August's companion, friend and helpmate waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right and perfect in October's Faerie. But it is all a lie. October believes she was never trained in blood magic and is unaware of her powerful abilities to ride blood memories. Can October find the inner strength to find her true reality can she trust friends and memories she no longer remembers to undo this twisted alternate reality and be reunited with those she loves.

But first she'll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place - and this time, much more than Toby's own life is at stake."

Absolutely amazing even in a reality meant to remake Toby into the subservient version of herself Titania desires Toby forever the hero cannot turn aside those in need even if she isn’t sure what she believes and October rise again to be the formidable force of nature she is. What an amazing read! I absolutely loved it and I am so excited to see what August and Toby can accomplish together and I’m so happy they had the chance to grow close. I truly wish to see this relationship continue in future books.

Oh and the short story at the end of the book what a tantalizing teaser. We find Rayseline Torquill and Dean in Blind Michael’s land’s. The land of a dead man and a monster who would steal children for the wild hunt. It appears mischief is afoot because it appears Blind Michael is back and up to no good! I loved it as well. I really want so much more I can’t get enough of this world and I’m so excited to see what comes her for our characters!

I specifically enjoy books and series where nominally the same character has a transformation of mind, perception, and/or understanding of current events and their own history. While Toby has changed a great deal over the series so far, up until now most of the changes have been gradual (or, when extreme, temporary - e.g. her brief addiction to Goblin Fruit several books ago). SLEEP NO MORE, at long last, offers a very different version of October. This one is grateful to be her sister’s handmaiden, grew up with Simon Torquill as her father even though they share no blood, and knows of Amandine’s nature as Firstborn of the Dóchas Sidhe. October's memories have been rewritten, recontextualized, transformed to the point that many of the faces she ought to know best are alien to her. Entities who had been dealt with in earlier volumes are returned, rather, to her, they never left. Titania's vision of a perfect Faerie includes neither mixed bloods nor shapeshifters, let alone seers. Most immediately, it does not include the Cait Sidhe, and this version of October has never even met Tybalt.

Because October is unaware of her real previous history, much of the book follows a new storyline which was not present in any of the earlier volumes, but which in another way is a direct continuation of the previous books. There's often much backstory that could be explained, but if every bit of the story that got us here were detailed, not only would October run from the room at the news of just how often she'd gotten hurt before, but also it would bring this story to a grinding halt. Instead, what needs to be explained is summarized for October's benefit and to aid the reader's recall. It avoids belaboring any one point to those magicked to reject that understanding of reality.

SLEEP NO MORE is a direct continuation of the cliffhanger ending in BE THE SERPENT, and it addresses October's side of Titania's illusion. It is paired with the next book, THE INNOCENT SLEEP, which follows the same basic timeframe but from Tybalt's perspective. A few specific things are mentioned towards the end that will need to be handled in later books, but chief among them will be dealing with the aftermath of these events. So many people had their personalities changed and were bound by illusions which messed with their understanding of their own history, and the trauma inflicted here will have long-lasting repercussions.

"Candles and Starlight" is the novella included at the end of SLEEP NO MORE. It follows one of the characters who retained their memories during the illusion because they were too inconvenient to be easily rewritten or put in a new role. It showcases a character who has had a large influence but hasn't yet had much of a voice.

"The 17th novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.

October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family's tower, serving as August's companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October's Faerie. Everything is perfect.

Everything is a lie.

October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania's ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen's magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania's paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.

But first she'll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place - and this time, much more than Toby's own life is at stake."

And you only have a month to wait until volume 18!

I don’t read the synopsis to a Seanan McGuire book, I just get to reading as soon as it’s in my hands. So I was a bit surprised when I started Sleep No More and it began as a look into her past. And then I was even more surprised when Toby was a different Toby.

After getting into the rhythm of the story I realized it was a “what might have been”. Which I thought was a nice change of pace. Perhaps McGuire was trying a different writing style. And then the niceness started to drop away and we began to get the type of book I am always up for when I’m reading an October Daye novel or novella.

Wow! I had been wondering how McGuire could compete with how she ended book sixteen, Be The Serpent, and that was my mistake. I shouldn’t have had any doubts and only believed in a Queen of Urban Fantasy.

It was so interesting seeing how McGuire gave us a different perspective of well established characters, and reminding me of some that I hadn’t read about in awhile.

Another fantastic book in the October Daye series, and I’m looking forward to many, many more.

this was okay, i just made the mistake of picking this up at the wrong time.

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

Seanan, you've done it again! At the end of the seventeenth book, it was hard to see how we could escalate even further from fighting a literal goddess. Surely there was no place to go from here? Wrong. Like all fans, I love an Alternate Universe story, and when Titania changes the universe to her version of a "perfect world," it's a fantastic chance to see October re-develop some of her most beloved traits, meet characters and form relationships that wouldn't otherwise exist and see everyone's "what might have been." It's a treat to read and I'm looking forward even more to "The Innocent Sleep," the direct sequel coming out a month later, showing the same events from Tybalt's perspective.

4.25 stars.

Just edging over 4 stars! I did really enjoy this book, as a continuation of the October Daye story. After the cliffhanger at the end of Be the Serpent, I was very excited to get this ARC. The prose leaned even a little more purple than the October Daye standard, only to be expected of a version of the world where everyone wears kirtles. Seeing Toby exist as this version of herself was super interesting, and I am VERY exited to see how her much-deepened relationship with August changes things in the future.


ALSO: Who do we think Is Maeve. Is Marcia still the main guess?

This book gives loyal fans a reintroduction to a character that we’ve met 16 books ago and shows us how important she always was. This book made sad for Toby and sad for the denizens of Faerie in equal measures (especially Tybalt and Quentin) but it also has shown me unequivocally that a subservient October is not an October that any of us want in Faerie!!!

Okay let me start by saying I love this series and have ever since the first book. I eagerly await each new title, and October is one of my favorite characters in urban fantasy. When the last book ended with a beyond dramatic cliffhanger, I had no idea where things were going to go but was eager to dive in.

Even given all that, when I first started this one I was stunned at where things were going and almost stopped reading because pathetic rule-following Toby was driving me insane. I turned to other reviews to see if anyone else was equally irritated, only to find myself faced with a forest of five stars, so I persevered with some skimming because I could only read her mewling about obligation and her second class status so much before I kept finding myself so irritated I almost walked away repeatedly. I am so glad I hung with it, and should have known better than to ever question McGuire, because this turned out to be a fantastic story - albeit one I doubt I would read again unlike many others in the series.

I am continually amazed at Maguire's ability to develop this universe and its characters in so many novel directions across so many books. Her world-building is so skillful. Her characterizations are incredibly detailed and her ability to continually move her people in new directions that are consistent yet constantly engaging and surprising never ceases to amaze me.

I can't wait to dive into The Innocent Sleep now and catch this story from Tybalt's perspective!

I was so excited when I got this arc it was great way to start off my birthday and the book did not disappoint I loved it. I really liked the whole what if/through the looking glass aspect to see what these character would do if dropped into entirly different world with no memory or the possibility of who they would be without a certain person in their life. it reminded me a lot of agents of shield season 4 and if you watched that show then you know what I mean. I really loved getting to see what august and October and Simon relationship could be Iike if given the chance I really loved the whole dynamic and seeing the possibility of what they can become. the one con I have is tybalt I can understand why he's upset and can kinda understand why he reacts the way does but I just expected him to handle the whole situation better I think we are missing moment where he and October have an actual conversation before she gets her memories back it felt like an opportunity missed for me.

This book was worth waiting for! I was on tenterhooks after the last volume, Be The Serpent, ended in a cliffhanger and this follow up did not disappoint!

I love Seanan McGuire. (Note: I review a bunch of her books so I am copying part of some of my other reviews here to save time.). She has quickly become my favorite living writer and I feel very lucky that she is so prolific. I was first introduced to her work when her book Parasite, written as Mira Grant, was nominated for a Hugo Award. I loved it and quickly devoured the Newsflesh series before I realized that Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire were the same person.

I started reading her works under her own name, starting with Sparrow Hill Road, which is amazing, but I picked it because I was intimidated by her long running October Daye series. I had read some Urban Fantasy before, and I fondly remember Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde books, but my tastes run more to science fiction and then secondary world fantasy, so I was hesitant to dive into such a long series. I picked up the first book, Rosemary and Rue, when it was on sale as a kindle daily deal, and I found it somewhat disappointing compared to her other work. I reminded myself that it was her first published novel, so I cut it some slack. Then Incryptid was nominated for the Best Series Hugo in 2018 and I dove into that instead. I loved it! So I vowed to give Toby another chance. And I was so glad that I did! It is no one of my favorite series.

I was overjoyed when The publisher and NetGalley awarded me an eARC of Sleep No More - I couldn’t stand waiting any longer to find out what happened after Toby was ensorcelled to believe that she had never left her mother. It turns out that Toby wasn’t the only one affected (or is that effected?). A large chunk of Faerie was totally rewritten and it was a thrill to see our characters acting familiarly yet differently based on their new roles in this revised timeline. It reminded me of the TNG episode Condundrum in all of the best ways. As the book progressed, the cracks in the illusion start to show in interesting ways. I was very excited to see January, the cyber-dryad show up in a pivotal role. This was a stellar entry in this series.

And the bonus novella was excellent! It was from Rayseline’s point of view and really fleshed out her experiences during this time period in a way that I really appreciated getting, but would not have fit into the main narrative flow of this story.

October Daye is perpetually on the top of my best series Hugo ballot - she deserves to win. This type of long running series excellence is what this award was designed for and none of the other nominees come close. This was another amazing entry in this series and I cannot wait to devour the next one!

Follows up from the cliffhanger ending of the previous book. Toby lives happily with her family - mother, father, and sister--in Amandine's Tower. Moving Day is approaching, an important event on the Faerie., especially for changelings While visiting her uncle's house, strange things start happening, making October question her life.

Very engaging and exciting.
***Read an eARC from NetGalley***

Read SLEEP NO MORE (October Daye book 17) by Seanan McGuire if you love overwriting history, family dynamics, fighting systems of oppression, fanfiction, amnesia, magic, lots of blood, old friends, what is & what was, questioning reality, running around, and sad kitty cats.

I have been a fan of Seanan McGuire’s for years, and I fairly leapt at the opportunity to read the next October Daye book.

At the end of the last book, October has been transplanted into Titania'S perfect version of Faerie, where she is the dutiful, meek changeling daughter duly bound to serve her sister. Things start fraying around her when she is asked to investigate a mysterious box by the Duchess of Dreamer’s Glass.

So, while I love Seanan McGuire and the October Daye books, this had an unbelievably slow start. I completely understand that it was necessary for the story being told and who October is in this false Faerie, but it took me a while to get into the story. A meek and mild October is not who I have spent the last 16 books falling in love with. And it was difficult reading about an October who was so passive.

But once the action picked up about a third of the way in, I could not put this down. Watching the threads of Titania’s machinations fall away is entrancing while the tension is continuously ramping up as we learn more of her plan.

It was so fun to see the return of some old favorite characters, while we also get to meet several new people. We also get to revisit some old locations.

This was a genuine delight to read, and I’ve already preordered my copy of this and Tybalt’s book to add to my library.

Many thanks to NetGalley and DAW for this ARC!

After the ending of book 16, October Daye fans were on tenterhooks for Sleep No More. It's been a long road with a LOT of world building and connecting threads for McGuire to get us here. And I think it's pretty amazing how she can continue to throw us something we didn't see coming.

Without getting into spoiler-y specifics, one thing that I was particularly intrigued by are the relationships forged between several different characters who had never really had a chance to get to know each other previously. They open up lots of new layers and possibilities for future books. McGuire's characters have always felt very real, they have real tensions and real difficulties and real ways of working through them even though they're usually in the midst of a stressful and chaotic plot. I've always loved her ability to balance the heroic adventures with the mundane, and this particular book forges some alliances out of necessity that are quite unexpected, but in a good way.

In the forward, McGuire states that she wrote this book when our world was changing because of the global pandemic, and humanity had to adapt to a reality we didn't always recognize. Reflecting on this book with that fact in mind really puts some things into context. I have always loved how fiction is a place we can process big things, both as readers and writers, and I think McGuire does an amazing job with that in Sleep No More.

That said, if you want to read this purely for the fantasy and escape the real world for a bit - it's still a great read for that too! Compelling, fast-paced, at times heart-wrenching and at times hopeful, this is essentially a book about what family is and holding fast to it when you've found it.

The novella that follows the book takes place at the same time but from Rayseline's point of view. She's a character who I've been very sympathetic to after the events of the last book or so, and I really liked getting to see how she was thinking and problem solving, and earnestly trying to live in the circumstances she lands in.

Entire review is a big spoiler for the series as a whole, if you haven't started it but would like to, so proceed at your own risk. No spoilers here for this book.
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Titania is really, really mad at Toby. And what worse revenge could she get than to curse her into an existence where she meekly accepts a quiet life under the thumb of her cruel mother, Amandine?

In an enormous undertaking, Titania rebuilds the world into one in her own image, placing everyone where she believes they belong, and fabricating an alternative history that paints her in the best light. And the place where she wants Toby is as a submissive changeling, clueless of her prior life, friends, and husband, and happy to serve those in power.

While Titania cannot change the personalities of someone, she can cause them to misremember the past and believe they have experienced life a certain way. In a sense, she cannot change their nature, but she can change their nurturing -- or what they think their nurturing was, anyway. As we meet well-known characters who have been very differently formed by the false world around them, we begin to see the changes. A few seem more or less the same, just in different life situations, some less likeable characters seem much more lovable, and some lovable characters turn out downright villainous.

(All this begs some pretty deep philosophical questions concerning whether our own goodness is innate or dependent on those around us and the gray, fuzzy line between what makes someone a "good" person or a "bad" one.)

But this spell is beginning to crack in places, and some begin to realize that something is not quite right.

The next book, The Innocent Sleep, retells the same time period and events from the viewpoint of Tybalt.

Copy received to review