I've become quite a fan of Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, and while the October Daye series has been on my radar to begin reading, I'll have to admit that this is my first October Daye book (and it's the tenth in the series).

While this book is mostly pretty straight-forward and a self-contained story, it was very evident that there is an awful lot of history here and that those of us just jumping in have missed out on a lot.

October Daye has traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to try to keep the peace between them and he home, the Kingdom of Mists. But now she's back and she has a new cure for "elf-shot" (a sort of magic coma that can put a magical being to sleep for centuries without causing any other harm) and she's has become the primary figure in a battle of political tug-of-war. October is the heir apparent for the troubled Kingdom, but she wants nothing to do with politics and leadership.

When one of October's closest associates and friends is in mortal danger, she'll be forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life.

Seanan McGuire is quickly rising to become one of my favorite fantasy authors. Bother as McGuire and as Mira Grant, she publishes a steady stream of fiction that is tremendously readable, highly original, and character-driven but intricate plotted. This book is no exception to that list, but because it's a long-running series to which I am a virgin reader, I spent much of the first half of the book simply trying to become familiar with this world and to understand the rules of how magic works here. In this sense I grew a bit bored.

But once I understood the landscape, I began to see the signature writing of a Seanan McGuire novel and became more deeply interested in the story and the characters. Enough so that I now desire to go back to the beginning of the series and work my way through (local library, here I come!) and with the book ending the way it did, I, like most fans of the book, will be eager to see what Daye makes of herself.

The book includes a novella that was every bit as interesting as the book - perhaps even more-so for me as I had just become invested in the world.

Looking for a good book? If you read urban fantasy, you will want to have a regular diet of Seanan McGuire, and <em>Once Broken Faith</em>, the tenth book in the October Daye series, is book (and a series) that you will enjoy.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The continuing adventures of Toby Daye unfold in complexity and richness, a true delight for any fan of urban fantasy. This far into the series, it's unwise to pick up a volume if you're not familiar with the story and characters. That should not deter new readers from grabbing all the earlier books for a gigantic feast. Highly recommended as a series whole.

Months ago, I requested Once Broken Faith, the tenth book in a series I had not started, because I had a shitload of faith that I would like it enough not to regret that. The publisher may have preferred a more timely review out of me, but I also bought nine books to read my one review copy, so I think they came off alright in the end. I suspected I’d like the October Daye books, because Seanan McGuire, but I didn’t expect to love the October Daye books as much as I actually do.

I came to Seanan McGuire from her pseudonym Mira Grant. The Newsflesh trilogy is one of my favorites ever. October Daye, though, might be better. Actually, based on the reviews for the new Newsflesh book, I’m pretty damn sure October Daye is better. It shocks me to say that, but it’s true.

In this series, McGuire has built a truly massive cast, but she’s done it so slowly and organically that you find yourself loving everyone and caring so damn much even about secondary characters. I mean, I have some serious Patrick and Dianda feels, let me tell you. Oh, also, if you read these, read the novellas. There’s so much lgbt goodness in those, and you get to know so much more about these wonderful characters.

Of an amazing group of books, Once Broken Faith is, without a doubt, one of my favorites. It ripped my heart apart a bit, but lbr they all do. Every day with Toby feels like it could be the very last day with Toby, even though you know there are more books left and so it probably won’t be.

It’s really hard to talk about the tenth book in a series without massive spoilers for people who haven’t read yet. Keeping it super simple, it’s continually amazing how McGuire never stops raising the stakes from book to book, both plot-wise and character-wise. <spoiler>It fucking destroyed me in both good and bad ways that Toby was ready to burn the rest of her humanity out for Tybalt. I KNOW WHAT THAT FUCKING MEANS TO HER.</spoiler>

Though I can’t say I’ve read a ton of adult urban fantasy, I can basically guarantee the October Daye series resides among the very best of this genre. If you’re not reading them, you should be. There’s an OTP of OTPs, a cast of vicious cinnamon rolls, and so much representation. GET ON THIS AND HAVE FEELS WITH ME.