Review: A Divided Duty

The consequences of Silver and Lead continue to spin out throughout the fae communities. Turns out that it really messes with your head to have memories of 2 lives lived - especially one so dramatically different than the real one. We are also seemingly close to ending the major story arc for Rayseline (if this book wasn’t the end of focusing on it for now).

Very few people crazily jump straight into book 20 of a series, so I’m assuming if you’ve made it this far and are perusing this review to consider whether or not to keep going - you’ve read the prior 19 books. (And perhaps the associated novellas and short stories. If you’re not, you REALLY should join her patreon - the $1 level gives you 1 Seanan McGuire short story per month) Ever since Titania’s Matrix (as we call the events in my household) I feel like the October Daye books are stuck on neutral. To take things to a SF analogy, since that’s the book’s setting, it’s like we can’t quite crest the hill and get to the next intersection. I am enjoying the books. Last night I made a bad choice and stayed up until midnight to get to the penultimate chapter and would have probably stayed up later if I didn’t have a bunch of meetings today.

But I feel like, after all the progress Toby and crew have made, we’re somewhat stuck in a tango - going back and forth. Oberon’s back, but that doesn’t mean anything (so far). The Roane are back, but so far that doesn’t have any consequences yet either. Everyone that was evil - SImon, Raysel, probably at least one other I’m forgetting - have reconciled or at least made a reasonable level of progress given their trauma. But all the books, some of the short stories, and novellas have all been about the aftermath of Titania’s Matrix. And I understand, because it was traumatic and McGuire is very good in this series and others (like Wayward Children) of not speeding past the trauma like other books do. But another part of me really wants to get to the next phase of October Daye.

That said, I gave it 4.5 stars because as a book on its own (without the baggage of - ugh ANOTHER Titania’s Matrix plot) it was very entertaining. Lots of great one-liners. Lots of character growth for a bunch of Torquills as well as Chelsea. October and Tybalt have falling into a great rhythm of trust. Things are rocking and rolling. And I think that, perhaps, the consequences of Toby’s path through this adventure (and I’m being very deliberate with my words here) may have important consequences for Evening Winterrose and the next phase of October Daye.

• Books

• October-Daye
• Seanan-McGuire