An Artificial Night (October Daye Series Book 3)

I read someone opining somewhere that any adventure series that goes on long enough eventually does a "The Most Dangerous Game" episode, and I suppose this book is Toby's. It seems that Blind Michael's Hunt (this series's version of the "wild hunt" myth) is preying on children, both fae and human, and once again October Daye, halfling PI and fledgling hero must plunge into a situation way above her head to put a stop to it.

McGuire's October Daye series is a bit of an odd duck in the Urban Fantasy field in that it deals entirely with the Fae living undercover in our modern world, and ignores humans almost completely. In fact, this book has the longest interaction with a human of the series so far, but she's so utterly traumatized that it's still almost no interaction at all. In some ways, the question is being begged. Toby even mentions at one point that she would like to give up the disguises and say "I'm a person just like you", and has in the past commented that the fact that the fey have not yet been discovered is entirely down to luck. I'd like to think an unveiling would go better than expected. On the other hand, Toby and other characters often make offhand remarks about the characteristics of various fey races that if true would make things difficult. (If Selkies for instance really almost can't help drowning people..)

The series is a bit frustrating as well in that a couple of balls tossed into the air in book one have yet to land anywhere -- In particular the bad guy who wrecked Toby's life has yet to reappear, Toby's daughter is still AWOL and the maddness of the Queen remains unexplained as does the provenance of a particular artifact.

As for the action of this book, it has that particular blend of gritty realism and fairy-tale logic that characterizes the series. McGuire walks a fine line in drawing likable, believeable characters who are yet apparently unable to act in a straightforward manner at times. Toby herself lampshades the issue by commenting, in effect, "Why do I always get told things like 'You must seek the counsel of the risen moon' rather than 'Ask Bob, he knows about stuff like that'". Thus it is a bit frustrating for Toby to win free of Blind Michael and then yet feel the logic of the three paths or whatever compells her to go back.

In the end though, Toby's story is a compelling one, and Blind Michael such a menace that you can see why she couldn't leave things be.

If Rosemary and Rue was dipping your toe in, and A Local Habitation was getting your foot wet; with An Artificial Night, Seanan McGuire pushes you all the way in! In this latest October Daye adventure, Toby finds herself on a much bigger stage, with bigger repercussions with each choice she makes, and with a dark Holloweenish feel to it, An Artificial Night is out just in time.

As half-fae Toby licks her wounds from her previous near-death escapade, she wonders if she might have some time to do some normal, everyday things, but soon receives a knock at the door. It's her Fetch, Maye Daye, a special doppelgänger that can only exist if Toby's death is quickly approaching. Wondering where her day will go next, she soon receives news that the ceremonial hunt is now on: Blind Michael, lord of the Wild Hunt, is looking for new recruits; only his methods for acquiring them are unorthodox to say the least: he kidnaps them. Toby finds out that Blind Michael has kidnapped a number of fae children and human children, some of them she is very close to.

There are only certain roads that can take her on this mission to the world fae and the lands of Blind Michael; each of them takes a toll. Toby enlists the help of some unusual allies: Tybalt, Lord of Cats; the Luidaeg, an offspring of Oberon and sibling to Blind Michael; Lily, a powerful fae of the Japanese Gardens in San Francisco; and her fetch, Maye Daye. And it is in Blind Michael's lands that she meets another unusual character who has a strong connection with someone important in Toby's life. Also it seems like this Tybalt guy who Toby has always had to hold her own against, may in fact not be such a bad cat after all.

McGuire kicks the series into high gear with this third book, blending the worlds of fae and fable, storytelling and nursery rhyme; while using the strong and interesting characters of her world. An Artificial Night will leave readers demanding the next book, Late Eclipses, which isn't too far away: March 2011.

Originally written on October 27, 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

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I've been enjoying Seanan's "October Daye" novels since the beginning. They're definitely a cut above the usual elves-in-San Francisco, solidly written and with a nice mix of the genre-familiar and interesting new elements (like Tybalt, King of Cats). Often, series lose momentum, repeat the same unresolved romantic and other tensions, and generally reflect the author's having exhausted the subject. Sometimes, the world and characters just aren't well enough developed to sustain more than one volume; there's only so far you can get on a handful of nifty ideas.

An Artificial Night defies this trend. In many ways, it's stronger and more vivid than the previous books (and if you haven't read them, that should not discourage you from jumping in the middle of the series). October "Toby" Daye is a changeling, half-human, who works as the only private detective to the faerie realm in San Francisco. She's had her share of adventures, mishaps (including being turned into a fish for 15 years), and romances. Her newest assignment involves tracking down children, both human and fae, who've been kidnapped by the Wild Hunt. The landscape, inner and outer, is darker and more intense. Yet in the midst of the tale, McGuire's prose soars from solid to poetic, and it's this that makes the book memorable:

"I killed him with silver and iron and the light of a candle." I shivered as the memories slipped over me, trying to ignore the feeling of blood on my hands. Blood has power; part of me was his forever. The knives had been iron and silver, but hat was only the end of the kill, not the means. He died by blood and fire and faith, by roses and the cold flicker of candlelight. My blades were only an afterthought, a sharp reminder that the long, wild chase was over and it was time to lie down and be still. It was time to close the nursery windows. It was time to grow up.

October Daye, private investigator to San Francisco's faerie nobility, stumbles upon her most troubling case yet. Two of her friends' children vanish without a trace, and a third falls into an enchanted sleep from which no one can awaken her. Toby pokes around and learns that other children have been disappearing as well, both fae and human, and that an ancient and sinister power is behind the kidnappings.

Seanan McGuire wisely plays to her strengths -- and Toby's -- in _An Artificial Night_. McGuire is a terrific writer, but concealing the villain's identity isn't always her strong point. It works well, then, that _An Artificial Night_ is not a whodunit. Toby and the reader learn pretty quickly who is responsible, and the real questions are whether Toby can defeat him and how steep the price will be. The first two October Daye novels read like mysteries, but this one reads more like a grim, bloody fairy tale. Of the three it's the closest to "straight" fantasy or to old-school urban fantasy.

As for Toby's strengths, one of the things that has bugged me about this series is the way other characters seem convinced Toby is the biggest badass who ever badass'd. She isn't. She's actually pretty underpowered for her world and often loses fights. Sheer toughness is not what makes her a hero. _An Artificial Night_ features some great exploration of whether Toby is a hero, and if so, what qualities make her worthy of the term.

McGuire also develops Toby's relationships with several beloved secondary characters (Tybalt and the Luideag are my favorites). In one moving scene, Toby learns that there really are people out there who have her back. I'm not sure what I love more about this scene, the way it ties into folklore or the way it brings home to Toby that she isn't alone in the world.

The plot is creepy and compelling, and makes probably the best use of faerie lore we've seen yet in the series. The fae realm comes to life in all its beauty, and its horror, and its tricky bargains. I liked _A Local Habitation_ just a bit better personally -- I think in part because there was more comic relief -- but this is a worthy addition to the series and is almost certainly the best-plotted of the three books so far.

This is the most solid book to come out of this series yet.
And the creepiest. and topping "A Local Habitation" for chill factor was quite the feat in of itself.

I am attracted to the grotesque, the twisted and tainted, in books. I like antagonists who walk a fine line between evil and skewed, bits of humanity showing here and there, making the reader think. Blind Michael is an amazing example of this. Here is a creature so Old and so terrifying, who warps children into monsters, who plays by the rules of children's games and rhymes...and every now and then there is a nuance that slips through, giving away bits and pieces of something deeper than just the monster.

and that, to me, is scarier than a mere bogeyman.

An Artificial Night had solid pacing, an enthralling storyline, and enough sarcasm to keep me happy for ages. For those who love a story of the Old fashioned Halloween, give this one a try. It is heavy with twisted woods, twisted children, and the Wild Hunt that runs wild every now and then...

Toby continues to grow as a character, which I am enjoying. As always, I want more Tybalt (who wouldn't?!) but the part he plays is well done as always. Connor I am still undecided on. He has a rotten marriage, but he seems to me to be a bit of a weak guy, and my opinion of his remains unchanged. Good looking, obviously, and a good friend to Toby, but he...copes poorly, and that coping puts Toby in a bad position.

What we find out about Raysel is chilling and perfect, and even Luna and Lily have gooseflesh-inspiring parts to play in this one.

The Luidaeg and Spike remain my favorites. The Luidaeg is everything I want in an Old Fae, and the idea of a rose goblin makes me adore Spike. Both of them have a LOT of stage time in this book, so all in all, An Artificial night was custom made to make me a happy reader.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT has the most interesting storyline so far in the October Daye series. Instead of playing the role of a failed detective, we watch Toby's attempts at being a hero. And let me just say that I enjoyed this approach much more than the detective route, simply because there was more action and adventure as opposed to idly standing around, clueless.

I thought that this book had a lot more humor in it, much to my delight. I also found that I was unable to willingly set the book down at any point--something that I was able to do with books 1 and 2.

There's no cheerful Toby this time around. She's pessimistic and sarcastic, much like the Toby I have come to know and accept. Said pessimism grated on my nerves at some points, but I think it's more because she attempted to justify her actions a bit too much instead of just sucking it up and moving on. This does not happen often, just once or twice.

In regards to Toby/Tybalt: well, their interactions were limited this time around. Instead of having our darling King of Cats playing a key role in the story, Tybalt steps back to let a few other characters shine. Though that's not to say he doesn't stop by. He does, quite a few times. And he's a bit more affectionate to boot.

When I first initially heard that Tybalt wasn't around as much, I was distraught. Aside from the interesting world building (which I wasn't really feeling in A LOCAL HABITATION), Tybalt is the main reason I adore this series so much. Surprisingly enough, I did enjoy the book, even with the lack of Tybalt.

I found that Toby's obliviousness to Tybalt's feelings wasn't driving me insane this time around. I mean, she's still oblivious at times, and it made me want to scream, but then at other times, she hinted that she knew how he felt about her. For instance, during one scene towards the end with her, Connor, and Tybalt. I almost gasped when she acknowledged there might have been something there. Maybe she's finally been slapped around often enough that common sense is overpowering her lack of understanding when that cat flirts with her.

I had a few complaints about Toby's Fetch, May. First of all, what purpose did she serve in the story except to make Connor want to cry, be slightly annoying, and drive like a madwoman? (I'll admit the second scene when she drives over the bridge had me laughing hysterically, but that's more because of the children than anything else.) Second, for someone who's so closely associated with death and whatnot, a lot of the characters acted nonchalant around May. They had an initial reaction of regarding her with distaste, but then they kind of just... shrugged her off and moved on.

I kind of liked May towards the end, but I'm not too fond of her at the same time. I don't like that she's squirmed her way into Toby's life. I don't like that she's just there with no true purpose. There was such a fuss about her at the start, and I feel kind of let down now. I would have awarded this AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT 5 stars if May had been explored--or even if there was a hint about her serving a purpose in the next story.

Likewise, the final showdown didn't entirely feel final. I would have preferred it if there was a huge fight between everyone in the scene right before. That screamed finality to me more than the last scene, but hey, I like my drama, and I like chaos.

Complaints aside, I enjoyed AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT moreso than A LOCAL HABITATION. Despite the fact that Tybalt played less of a role in this story, I think I prefer the adventure over mystery. Toby's a bad detective because she's so oblivious to the things that matter. But a hero? A bit dorky, but a huge improvement. I'm eagerly anticipating book 4, LATE ECLIPSES, in March. Something tells me Tybalt will be playing a larger role this time around.

In this third installment in the October Daye series, author Seanan McGuire delivers another exciting fast-paced urban fantasy set in a lush vivid, yet dark world that draws readers in and won't let them leave. With characters that are just as fascinating as the plot and the world, An Artificial Night is so mesmerizing that you'll desperately be looking for the next installment as soon as you finish the last page -I know I was.

Wise-talking, multi-faceted half-fae detective Toby Day is back, but isn't too happy to encounter May Day, a creature known as her "Fetch" -an ominous omen that pointed to the end for Toby. Soon after, Toby gets word that Blind Michael, the lord of the Wild Hunt, is kidnapping fae and human children to replenish his riders. Toby goes after Michael to bring the children back while discovering some fascinating inner strengths and truths about herself.

Spinning another spellbinding tale, An Artificial Night is a great addition to any paranormal fan's library that will satsify fans of the previous novels while still converting new fans. Be warned though, if you haven't read the two other books in the series, Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation, you'll be pretty lost, so I'd suggest starting with Rosemary and Rue. But let me warn you now -once you start, you'll get addicted.

Can't wait for Late Eclipses to drop in March 2011.

This book just upped the ante on the series. Finally a strong plot with lots of action. I really like the secondary characters and each one received a lot of development in this story, particularly Luidaeg and Quentin. We also meet some new and interesting characters as well. In this book, October learns that children went missing overnight, to include the children of her best friends Mitch and Stacey as well as 5 of the Cait Sidhe children that belong to Tybalt, the King of Cats. October agrees to find the children, and unlike the last book where she's trying to solve a mystery and can't figure out s***, this book she goes on a quest. Much cooler. I heard that the books pick up even more from here and I can't wait! On to book 4!

After reading Seanan McGuire's first two October Daye books, I said in an the store review that I hoped Toby Daye would get out of the PI business, because McGuire didn't seem to have the knack of writing plausible murder mysteries and the weakness of the mystery spoiled the reader's experience of the excellent fantasy setting McGuire has designed.

NOTE--MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

In "An Artificial Night," McGuire does that, more or less. Oh, Toby is still a private investigator catering to the fae, but this book is not a mystery. Instead, Toby gets involved in a harrowing chase to retrieve stolen children before they are turned into monsters. This allows her to display the San Francisco-with-fae setting to advantage, and allows her to develop both returning characters and characters we have not previously seen. A wonderful, can't-put-it-down read; hopefully the remaining books in the series will continue in this vein.

I don't often leave reviews but I have to say I read the first of this series,(Rosemary and Rue)and had to go get the rest. Couldn't put them down! The characters are really interesting, sometimes fun, without being stereotypical. The best part to me is the female lead who DOESN'T moan and whine for herself. I have read so many great books recently where the series devolved into the female lead saying stupid, cliche things over and over like ,"They died for me!" and then having a pity party. Blegh. Followed by going to do something incredibly STUPID to 'avenge' the fallen comrade. While Toby can be brash, she also takes her lumps and tries to straighten things out. Also note that she does not deliberately spend all day taunting stronger characters and starting trouble. No, trouble finds her on it's own! She has real limits, both to magic and her morals. Yes. She is a hero in her own mind sometimes. Well, at least she tries to minimize the collateral damages. Definitely my favorite new female character! Can't wait until next spring for the 4th book!

Plot Summary: October "Toby" Daye is a half-human/half-faerie knight for the Duke of Shadowed Hills, but in simple parlance, she's a private investigator who happens to deal exclusively with fae problems. This time the job is even more personal, when a kidnapper snatches children whom Toby knows and loves. She vows to bring them back or die trying, and death is looking pretty inevitable when her personal Fetch - Toby's harbinger of death - shows up on her doorstep. The kidnapper is an ancient, insane faery who is so powerful that no one has ever tried to stop him, but Toby is a mother who has lost her own child in a sense, and she refuses to accept his evil customs. To get the kids back she'll need to beat him at his own game, which is anything but child's play.

(OCTOBER DAYE SERIES: BOOK THREE)

For me, An Artificial Night, brought this series back up to the five-star rating that I gave to book one, Rosemary and Rue. Seanan McGuire's writing feels so dense and weighty to me, like a flour-less chocolate cake, but what astounds me is that her stories are such easy-to-read page-turners as well. Usually those two concepts do not mix nicely, but it works here, and it works well. The result is an urban fantasy that is at the top of the ever-growing UF pile, and one of my perennial favorites. Considering that this is only book three, I'd say that's a mighty achievement.

This time around, Toby must literally stop one of the boogeymen of faerie children everywhere - Blind Michael. Parents use the fear of Blind Michael to get their kids to eat their vegetables, or do their chores, but Toby learns that he's all too real, and when he snatches some children from a close friend, Toby goes on a personal mission to deliver them back home. It's an impossible task, but with death hanging around her neck, she figures she has nothing left to lose.

I assumed this would be a rather simple three part play: Toby finds the kids; Toby fights the bad guy; Toby brings them home; The End. I was wrong. It was an emotional ride of ups and downs, and Toby is such a gritty, stubborn little fighter. I love her resolve. Toby's personal story progressed, and I have to say, I like where it's going.

An Artificial Night will be released on September 7, 2010. The next book after this one will be called Late Eclipses, and it will come out in March 2011. If you'd like to catch up on this series in the meantime, here is the reading order for the October Daye series.

Rosemary and Rue
A Local Habitation
An Artificial Night

Warning: Certain things in this review might be considered mild spoilers.

You pretty much know the day's going to suck when the harbinger of your death knocks on your front door before dawn. But while October Daye is less than thrilled to meet her Fetch, readers are more likely to enjoy the experience. May is one of several intriguing and entertaining elements in An Artificial Night, the third book in Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy series. (Earlier books are Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation.)

Transformation is a running theme in McGuire's books, and An Artificial Night is a transformative book in the series. Unlike the previous two books, there's no mystery to be solved. There's also a lot less urban and a lot more fantasy to be found here. Except for one adrenaline-pumping chase scene through San Francisco, all the significant action takes place in faerie lands, places you would never mistake for a human city.

More important, this is the book in which we leave behind Toby, the reluctant private investigator and damaged person, and truly meet October Daye, knight of Shadowed Hills and hero. Here in full display is the moral determination, the unshakable loyalty to family and friends (that has in turn inspired the love and loyalty given her, which is key to the book both plotwise and thematically), and the near-pathological stubbornness that together form the core of Toby's character. Instead of being pushed into action, Toby chooses to oppose Blind Michael, leader of the Wild Hunt and a massively powerful Firstborn of the fae. Michael has stolen the children of friends, something Toby finds intolerable, so she takes on a seemingly suicidal quest to retrieve them.

Naturally, since this is a Seanan McGuire story, Toby goes through all sorts of hell in her efforts to free the children, and not everyone gets a happy ending. But the resolution of the primary conflict is believable and effective, and the progress made in both Toby's relationships and her awareness of and belief in herself makes for a satisfying read.

There were some elements I didn't like. I hope there's more information coming in future volumes on why May appeared when she did. There's a riff on Tybalt's feline nature that felt forced and manipulative. I would have liked to see more done with the concept of rhyming magic. I wish Toby spent less time unconscious. And I really, really wish that Toby was quicker on the uptake sometimes. (The initial advice she got from Lily wasn't particularly obscure. I got it immediately, and I shouldn't be that far ahead.)

Still, An Artificial Night is the most exciting and most emotionally satisfying of the October Daye books to date. I give it 4.5 out of five stars.

** spoiler alert **
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When I first read it I thought it was good, but I had to read it a second time to really appreciate it. Reading AAN a second time let me understand it better I think. Also every time I read it I find new little details that I missed the first time. We get introduced to a couple of new characters that you'll love (May and Raj!) The whole book was great, but I especially love the part at the end when everyone's there to stop Blind Michael's ride and Tybalt practically tells him that Toby is his by saying that his claim precedes Blind Michael's. Also, Toby enjoying Tybalt's chin scratching? so cute. Loved the whole book, there was lots of revelations and lots more questions ;)

I always feel like the October Daye books are walking right on the hairs edge of becoming an irresistibly good series...all it needs is for something more between Toby and Tybalt, King of Cats. There are little hints of something between them, but I need for there to be more! If you were hoping for that in this book, sorry, not so much. Although the tease of their being a possibility is still there, taunting the reader.

Daye's world is made up of a plethora of mythological and fairy tale creatures, not just the standard ones most people know but an intriguing mix of the known and the unheard of. This time she's playing with childrens nursery and jump roping rhymes in an effort to battle Oberon's son, the Luidaeg's even more awful brother.

The scenery and suspense pop off the page and the characters are almost always interesting. It's October's actions that I don't understand but seem to make her endearing to the other characters. She's determined to get into trouble, neck deep in the drama, even when it's not necessary.And what in the heck is up with her mother? Everyone seems to know who Amandine is but we have no idea why. Hopefully that will get answered in the next book, judging by the snippet at the end of this one, purpose built to intrigue us.

I really wanted to love this series but I gotta be honest, I'm not getting what the big appeal is so far.

I'm trudging through the series because I have heard books 4 & 5 upend things but I have to say I don't trust the author to do that just as much as she doesn't trust the reader to grasp the concept of Toby being a HERO. Seriously, that old chestnut is being shoveled so far down my throat I want to gag every time I hear Toby or one of the other two-dimensional characters bring it up. Newsflash, she isn't a hero she is behaving like a martyr & it's extremely annoying & stupid. Like Toby told Acacia with a big sigh when she was getting ready to die (yet again) on behalf of the kids; 'Let's be done with this already'.

Amen sister. Works for me.

Let's talk about the Hero concept for a moment. Yes...I counted on my kindle, the word comes up 33 times in this book & if you average it out that's effectively once every 10 pages. Seriously!? Let's just get on with it already. What is the freaking point of this? Is McGuire so afraid we won't like her heroine unless she reminds us that she really is a hero? This just grated on my every last nerve. I felt she was condescending to me as a reader.

I mean to put it logically, when we meet Toby she has already been knighted. Now I know Elton John gets knighted now-a-days for slaying the basic pop song but in terms of the book, presumably like all knights you are honoured with this title b'c you have a sense of duty & loyalty & forsake all others for your quest or liege. So ah....why do I have to constantly be reminded that Toby is, was or will be (b'c let's face it...she IS a hero right?) THE HERO of our series.

For crying out loud, does the author not trust her reader that much to grasp the concept? That's what it felt like.

My biggest gripe is that it left me at a distance. At the end of this book - Toby comes to terms & accepts that she is fact...a hero. Who says!? My idea is someone who does something out of duty so much it's not even an inkling in their mind that they are or aren't. Their humility & extreme loyalty is what makes them truly heroic IMO, not trying to run on a suicide mission giving no thought to all of those who have loved & helped her countless times before at their own peril.

However a martyr...well to me that's the great suffering Toby to a T. I beg the author to have Toby work out her mommy issues so we can stop hearing about your ridiculous laments over being vs' not being a true hero. It's juvenile & narcissistic.

The story itself is OK it had potential but like all the others I feel it's meandering along & that there isn't a clear path. I feel like there is an idea there McGuire is trying to get too but is taking the scenic route whilst working on her writing chops.

Toby essentially goes through the same exact motions she has done in the previous 2 books. She goes to the same people, in summary, she asks Luidaeg for a favour, winds up in a robe via Lily, gets hurt, mended, passes out somewhere, gains an eager sidekick, has some sort of incident involving a car, ultimately gets bailed out riding the major coat tails of someone who helps her out, gets yet another new scar, and ends up blacking out with some succinctly poetic sentence at the end of most chapters, like..."and then the world went away" or "and the end world went black" or "and I was done." etc..

It's very hard to take the 'danger' the author is trying to create very seriously when this seems to be the pattern. I have no reason to be on the edge of my seat & therefore, there is no impact on me within the story.

And can we talk about how thick she is? She had no idea who was taking the kids, 1st off I had guessed it was Blind Michael b'c she had referenced him in the 1st book when she was in Home & discussing the street urchins. We hadn't even met the character. Then Lilly's oh-so-not cryptic 'talk to the moon' hint. Who the hell did Toby think she was referencing if not Luna?

And hey.....isn't the Wild Hunt fiercely famous? Don't all the fae know about their own lore?? I mean she knew about the type of Fae Alex & Terrie were even though they were very rare, she DOES know about Blind Michael....COME ON. But I have a better idea - instead of running around like a chicken without a head, why doesn't she use the internet? Or better yet, call her liege who should basically be a veritable encyclopedia of Fae history & origins & just fricking ask outright. It would save me re-reading what I already know.

I agree with Luidaeg & other characters assessment of Toby being pretty stupid. I might have excused it more if she wasn't the only fae P.I. out there but she is & therefore, her deduction skills & quick thinking lack major aptitude. Then you add the fact that she was raised a street kid in Home so you would think that would give her street smart advantage but, no.

The secondary characters...I don't feel attached to any of them at all. I feel they're no more than props to allow McGuire to world build a little more & help Toby out b'c she has created a character that requires more than a Scooby Gang but her own ER wing but three books in & who are they really?

Connor is whiny, mopey, overly earnest & feels like baggage due to his situation.

Tibault ...well, he is increasingly cryptic & bizarrely didn't flinch twice when he realized Toby's Fetch was coming to get her or that she was running back to her doom again at the end of the book. For a guy we're supposed to believe has been stalking her over the years b'c he secretly admires or loves her - a very strange reaction. Unless of course, he doesn't take the danger she puts herself in seriously anymore b'c he knows she'll make it out for a few more books too.

Lilly cares about what people wear, makes trippy tea & can heal people.

Luidaeg is old as dirt, is lonely, gets freaky looking when she's angry or working her magic & affectionately threatens to kill Toby time & again but we all know she does it out of fondness so it doesn't really count.

And Blind Michael? I mean...why is he the way he is really? There was barely anything to his character & I'm supposed to be scared of him as the uber-villian? I could barely must up the intensity to imagine his character.

Blah, blah, etcetera, etc.

Toby herself is OK. I've read worse characters & she doesn't grate as much as she should baring in mind my feelings thus far but she also doesn't pull me in. She doesn't resonate in any way so that I care what happens to her or those around her.

And that's just the key point I guess, I am not invested. The storytelling has yet to pull me in b'c I haven't found that McGuire is actually a good weaver of stories. I just feel like it's a lot of info-dumping of previous books, a lot of inane dialog which wastes a bunch of pages, a lot of the same really. I just find it all too illogical & a bit amateurish. Which is a shame b'c the prologue in the 1st book had me at hello. It was one of the best I've read but it has really fallen short of expectations.

I really want to just give it up to be honest but I am hoping that the raves I heard for the next book are true so I will continue. Here's to hoping...

(Some minor SPOILERS) When I read book 1, I thought this has the makings of a good series. So I got book 2. Still pretty good, although I had it figured out waaaaay before Toby did. But at least Tybalt played a bigger part. I thought it might lead to something significant in book 3. So I've just finished book 3 and I'm not really that impressed. The overall plot was interesting, but there was too much detail in the journeys, to the point where I actually skimmed parts. I found May annoying and the fact that she has moved in with Toby disappoints me.

But my biggest disappointment is that Tybalt is so far in the background as to have disappeared. I'm wondering if he's going to just be a footnote in book 4. Seriously, I like a book with lots of action, but I like some romance, too, even a little sex! Quentin, a 15-year old, and Connor, a married man play a much larger part in Toby's life than an actual eligible man. It's like she's being held away from men, and let's face it, she's not a teenager.

I also got very tired of the "hero" bit.

What would you do if met with the reality of your impending death? This is the question McGuire examines in the latest installment of the series and she answers it in a manner that readers have come to expect from Toby that will leave you shaking your head for more.

Well, it was definitely better than the last. The plot moved along fairly quickly and made for an easy fast read. I thought the problem was more plausible than the last, also. Toby still has a mystery to solve...kids are kidnapped during the night (two of which are Toby's "adopted" niece and nephew) and several from Tybalts people. Toby plays the hero and sets out to save the day, but not before her herald of death, her Fletch (self-proclaimed "May")shows up. It would be nice if there was some growth in character and relationships within the book. Enough with all the cryptic crud. Too much more of that and I will be through with this series.

My largest problem with the book concerns the ending. Blind Michael is built up throughout the novel as the holy terror of all time in faerie knowledge. Yet, the resolution of the book was too easily solved. Why not do in the beginning what happened in the end? It made no sense to me.

This series gets better with each book. There’s so much darkness here, and real poetry in the writing. I know this is a series, but I’m always relieved and amazed when October survives at the end.

First off, you can read and enjoy this book without having read the first two it stands on it's own two feet.

Other reviews go over the plot of this book and I won't rehash.
Book one set up the world and the rules, book two got the authors ducks in a row. Now we get to see some awesome action. Fairies are other, they are dangerous that's what all of the old mythology says - in general you should avoid dealing with them. One of the Fae starts stealing children from their bedrooms and October goes out to save them in an adventure that simply just sizzles, I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down it was simply amazing. This simply is one of the best fantasy stories I've read this year and by far one of the best urban fantasy books I've read all year.

Half-fae detective Sir Toby Daye the changeling is stunned and despondent to meet May Daye, a magical doppelganger whose encounter means the sleuth's death will come shortly. Even before she reacts to meeting the Fetch, she learns the Lord of the Wild Hunt Blind Michael has abducted numerous fae and human children as a source to replace his depleted riders.

Since some of the kidnapped are part of her extended family, an outraged Toby plans to challenge Blind Michael though that is a very dangerous notion as there are three roads to this powerful essence, but none can be used twice. She tracks him on the deadly Faerie Roads which is his element and on the streets of San Francisco, which sadly is also his element. On her treacherous quest, Toby is renewed with new supporters risking their lives to further the chance of success of her mission.

The third October Daye (see Rosemary and Rue, and A Local Habitation) is a fabulous private investigative urban fantasy. Toby, who has been burned by both sides of her DNA, is foolishly brave, kick butt tough and spunky sass as she traverses the roads of no return; while knowing deep in her soul failure could prove worse than death because she might be trapped as part of the Wild Hunt. An Artificial Night is a strong Noir due to the heroine and her tours of San Francisco and the land of Fairie as she works a perilous abduction case.

Harriet Klausner

A very well written mystery that is will written mystery and series with interesting well developed characters, lots of non-stop action, interesting relationships, and great endings. I would recommend this book and series too anyone who enjoys well written mysteries.

There are some things that are just endemic to all series. The second book will always be the weakest in the series in regards to plot and character development. If there is an element of romantic tension between two main characters, the author will always, but always, drag it out entirely too long because they are incapable of writing interesting relationships where couples are actually together. There will be one, (in this case 3) overarching "mysteries" that show up in bits, and with which the readers usually become bored long before the writer actually decides to make it relevant. The main character doesn't grow but becomes a parody of themselves or the archetype they portray.

This series has just about every single one of those flaws. It's not quite annoying enough (except a couple of things) to make me not bother to read the next one, but it's coming close. While the second in this series was just idiotic in regards to plot, there is much improvement in the main plot of this one. But what is horrendous in the never-ending mystery arches that have been dropped into every book in the series without any furtherance of the plot or any movement towards solving them. If there is no movement on the mother mystery, or the Luna disappearance mystery, or any of the other "hint-hint-hint" issues the author keeps dropping in, I am probably done. At book four, if she's still just spinning her wheels, I am getting off the ride.

Then there's the love interest angle. It appeared since book 1 that the author was setting Tybalt up to be a suitor who had admired Toby from afar for a while. Of course, the author is one of those typical writers who can't advance a love plot, so his solution was that Tybalt would from now on be randomly dropped into the beginning for about three sentences of blather then show up to help Toby for about a chapter towards the middle and then disappear at the end of the book. In book 2 it wasn't quite so bad, but in this book, Tybalt is informed that Toby is most likely going to die and he kind of shrugs and goes, "ah okay come see me later if you live". WTF? I am supposed to get behind a pairing where the guy is that blase about his lady loves impending death?? So I can only assume I've been reading it wrong all along and Tybalt is not going to be Toby's main squeeze, because who would believe it now?

Also, and here's a little hint to all the aspiring writers out there, there is a difference between a hero and a martyr. And if all the other main characters have to make a humongous deal out of your main character, and every single one of them, explain patiently to her why they understand the reason she has to behave like a total idiot and go charging off to her death "because she's the hero", then that's a pretty good clue she's not actually a hero, just a victim of her own PR. By the time the third person had told TOby how they knew she had to go do something suicidal and stupid because she was the hero, I actually wanted to vomit. If you have to force feed the concept to your reader like that, you need to get out of writing, because clearly you aren't selling it with subtlety.

I think this series has potential. It needs to hatchet half the extraneous plot lines and redundant characters ( I mean really what's the difference between Luna and Lily except one plays in the water and the other with posies) and tighten up the loose threads and it could grow into something.

But right now, as it stands, if #4 doesn't at least tie up something, I am done.

i like this series ,of course ive read them out of order and the 1st and 4th books rock i do like this book. ms mcguire got a little bogged down in toby being a hero. . ilove the luidaeg , she seems more like a mother than tobys real mom . i hope she corrects that in future books i do like toby very much and look forward to future stories

I didn't enjoy the first two in the series very much, but I kept going because I'm a Mira Grant fan. This fantastic book was worth the wait! It was scary and captured childhood nightmares quite well. Toby was finally really awesome and impressive. It's nice to see her be a real hero. The plot was interesting and kept me on my toes. Great read!

I have listened to all three in this series in audio format and really enjoyed them. It was gratifying to see that Toby finally acknowledged her true "hero" self. Like others I am still waiting to see if anything develops between her and Tybalt but am willing to wait.

Excellent, simply excellent. I stayed up until 4 am last night finishing it. This book is better than book 2 and may be better than the first book in the series. I need to run to my B&N and get the fourth book now.

Seanan McGuire did an awesome job with the latest addition to the series. She stayed true to the weirdness of faeries and didn't try to make them too human. The story moved at a quick and entertaining pace, and the characters' personalities were developed more. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

Since it's already been done, I wont bother to summarize the plot, other than to say that some kids go missing and of course, it's up to Toby to find them. This book was a lot better plotted than the previous installment, nonetheless, I was pretty disappointed with it. In fact, I no longer plan to follow this series unless I happen to spot it at the library.

I thought this series had a ton of potential, but I feel as though it's going nowhere. I also get the feeling that the author doesn't know where she's going with a lot of the things and plots she's introducing. Or rather, I feel as though she has the vague idea of where she wants to end up, but no real ideas or plans as to how she's going to get there. There is nothing wrong with that (it must be true of many authors), it's just that, as a reader, I don't like to be aware of it, you know?

For instance, here we are introduced to Toby's "fetch," a fey-like doppleganger creature who supposedly heralds Toby's own death. An interesting concept I guess, yet it seems to mean absolutely nothing in this story. This was presented as being a huge deal--supposedly "fetches" are rare--yet pretty much everyone acts like it's business as usual. Technically it is, I mean Toby always has brushes with death, right? But this Fetch was apparently only here for some comic relief and occasionally lending a hand. I guess beyond that, the author hasn't really figured it out. I'm sure she has ideas, but as yet, none are forthcoming. This really annoyed me. I mean why make this "plotline" (really, it was more like an idea) such a big part of the story if she's not going to address it--or at the very least, advance it a little? I guess I could assume she's got something clever and interesting planned for it in the next book, but I feel like I've been doing that since the end of book 1...and I'm STILL waiting.

There was also Toby's whole quest to defeat Blind Michael. I don't want to give anything away, so I will only say that I felt like there was a whole lot of build up to this quest (like this was going to be the hardest thing Toby ever pulled off), and I'm sorry, but in the end I was like, really, that's it? That's all there was to it? Again, I assume the author is planning to address the rest of this in the next book, but all I can say is, I'm not planning on sticking around for it.

The same can be said of the whole will-they-or-wont-they Toby+Tybalt romance. To be fair, I think my disappointment here is mostly my own fault. I thought I had Tybalt all figured out. I figured he had been carrying a torch for Toby for a while, and I thought maybe he was secretly madly in love with her or something... But after reading this book, all I can say is the author REALLY blows us off (yet again) on this front... I get that this is not supposed to be romance, but I find it very irritating that in the last book Tybalt seemed to be all about protecting Toby, yet in this book Tybalt doesn't even seem to mind that Toby's own death herald's in town and she's supposedly in a world of crap. What's worse, is the author's got Tybalt giving all these really annoying cryptic excuses for his absences. Obviously, she's setting something up, right? Yet she's not giving the reader actual hints, she's just giving us these lame cryptic remarks that mean absolutely nothing. There seemed to be a half-hearted attempt at making us believe Tybalt cared near the end, but by then it was just way too little too late.
So I guess in the end I no longer feel like I can trust this author to deliver, yet at the same time, I felt that I had to give this book 3 stars instead of 2, 'cause it was actually better than the last one.

UPDATE(Feb 2015): Not that I think anyone cares, but I recently read (or listened to) Late Eclipses (October Daye) and immediately became engrossed in this series in a way I never was before. It gets WAY less frustrating when Toby's story finally picks up in the next book (apparently, the author really DID have a plan--only took me 5 years to realize it...). I'm late to the party but it's become one of my favorite series now, though I gotta say, I tried to re-read the first 3 books and still found that they weren't nearly as good as the rest of this series (which is why I didn't change this review). I would say I regret waiting 5 years but I don't, as I liked being able to gorge myself on the next 5 books in rapid succession instead of waiting impatiently between books.

I've read Book 1 and 2, and found them to be average (3 stars at most). Unfortunately, Book 3 is even weaker than the first 2 books.

Now, the world building is pretty good. There was a lot of things going on - different types of faeries, different realms, legends and so on. Clearly, the author has done her research and lovingly crafted an interesting world. Sadly, the lead characters in this series are poorly written or have terrible flaws.

Toby is not a strong lead character in the series even up to book 3. She was supposed to be a PI, but she blunders from situation to situation. She doesn't even try to solve a clue when it's right in front of her face (#1 - talk to the moon, #2 - talk to Darkness ... or something). I feel myself smacking my forehead more than a few times thinking "Really?! You didn't get that??!" She doesn't do very much except jumps into situation without planning properly, and then gets bailed out by others. She's not a terribly unlikeable character, but just an extremely inept one. Which makes me wonder why the lead character goes on like that.

As a romantic backstory, she gets Tybald. Every time she sees him, she goes on thinking that Tybald is her "enemy", even when they have helped each other more than a few times. The romantic backstory is really poorly written. To see an example of a well written one - read the Kate Daniels series.

Tybald could have been an interesting character. Instead, he gets roped in, whenever Toby needs help, and disappears when done. He's never consistently there in the books. His character feels extremely flat.

Blind Michael in this book was one of the firstborn. Extremely powerful - almost like a god. But in the end, he lost so easily. Even the purebloods could command Toby and turn her into a fish for 14 years. How does this Firstborn get defeated on hand-to-hand combat? Doesn't he have some spell that will just blast her mind into pieces? So here's my biggest gripe of this series so far. At times, certain characters were shown to be extremely powerful. At times, they are so weak, it's laughable. This inconsistency is the weakest link, apart from a weak lead character and several weak supporting casts.