Today I’m thrilled to be participating in the blog tour for THE BRIGHTEST FELL by Seanan McGuire, the eleventh October Daye novel and the first of the series to be released in hardcover. Check out my review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for ROSEMARY & RUE, the first book in the series!
The Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire (October #11)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: DAW on September 5, 2017
Source: Publisher
My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy. No compensation was provided for this review, and all opinions are my own.
For once, everything in October “Toby” Daye’s life seems to be going right.View Spoiler »
With THE BRIGHTEST FELL, Seanan McGuire brings her much beloved October Daye series to an impressive eleven books. Even more impressive? The series still feels fresh, creative, and fun!
In some ways THE BRIGHTEST FELL feels like mixed fae and human changeling October Daye’s greatest hits album. Throughout the story, we revisit some of Toby’s biggest cases, recapping some of the craziness that’s gone down over the past four years. All this recap means that newcomers to the series could jump in at book 11 rather than book 1, but I do think a lot of the emotional weight of the events in this story would be lost on those who haven’t read the previous books. The quest that Sir Daye, Knight of the Realm finds herself on here is the culmination of all that came before, and I really appreciate the way that McGuire is able to make all these seemingly unrelated events come together in such a logical way.
As Toby, her squire Quentin, and a shady character from their past race through San Francisco, the Summerlands, and other parts of Faerie to save the lives of their friends (again), we get a chance to see the scope of the world McGuire has built here. From the different locales in Faerie to specific species of Fae to the history and politics of the Firstborn, no detail is unimportant. Ten books worth of top-notch world building is subtly woven into THE BRIGHTEST FELL, their importance finally revealed…and the result is impressive. Of all the urban fantasy series I’ve read and loved over the years, the October Daye series is by far the most consistently inventive.
The key to any successful long-running series is a dynamic cast of lovable and flawed characters – that’s definitely not a problem for this series. Toby’s tenacity, bravery, foolhardiness, and her wry wit make her an ideal protagonist, but it’s her friends and family that really help this series shine. Many fan favourites appear here, including Danny the bridge troll taxi driver and some of the more noteworthy villains like Duchess Riordan. My one complaint? There’s wasn’t enough of Toby’s betrothed, Tybalt! The cat shifter who loves Toby, Shakespeare, and leather pants is a beloved character for a reason. *happy sigh*
THE BRIGHTEST FELL is another strong story in a fantastic series, and it’s sure to please old fans and newcomers alike…although longtime readers will find it more rewarding.