Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Mini: The Winter Long (October Daye, #8) by Seanan McGuire


Last year I read the entire Toby Daye series (Books 1 to 7). I wasn't blown away with the beginning of the series, but somehow both the series and Toby grew on me and I devoured all the books consecutively.

Guess what? Surprise! So far, for me, The Winter Long is the best urban fantasy read of the year. I am really impressed with how beautifully Seanan McGuire weaved threads throughout the series, even bringing in the smallest of details, and wrapping them up in this book, while creating new ones. There are answers that go back to the first book -- remember when Toby was turned into a fish? Expect answers to those events and more.

There are also some terrible betrayals leading to heartbreak for Toby. However, loyal friends do step up to the plate as Toby battles an old powerful frenemy and seeks answers to a personal history that gets more complex by the minute. She gets some much needed answers, but McGuire simultaneously creates new threads by raising new questions and dropping clues to maintain the reader speculating and waiting for more adventures. Toby still ends up bloody and broken, she is still the hero jumping to the rescue, but in The Winter Long she slows down long enough to finally pay attention.

This installment has just enough action, mystery, revelations, and the right pacing to keep the flow going to the beautiful surprise at the end. Great execution. I love this installment.

4 comments:

  1. Hey there Hils :) Happy you enjoyed this one so much! I'm always in for a book that finally answers questions! :) Especially long ones! Unfortunately, I don't know. I felt the pacing of this one was a bit long. I guess it's because I knew it answered questions and wanted them now....

    I did like the ending though :)

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    1. LOL Nath! You were impatient and wanted your answers right away. . .

      I really like the fact that Toby was finally patient enough to listen for clues, and took the time to at least plan a little bit. There wasn't a rush to DIE in this one. I do believe that feeling responsible for Quentin and her relationship with Tybalt make a huge difference. Yeah... this really worked for me. :D

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  2. Agree Toby finally grows up some in this book! I love how she feels responsible for Quentin (and Raj and May, and well, her whole self-made family). I think you liked this book a bit more than I did - I felt her writing quirks were a bit more obvious this time around and that meant the story flowed less smoothly for me. But there were some big reveals indeed - I'm really looking forward to finding out more.

    Li

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    1. Li, I really got into this book and the quirks didn't bother me as much. I can't wait to find out more about Toby. It's really getting interesting now.

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