Late Eclipses (October Daye)

Late Eclipses (book 4) is a very will written novel with the usual interesting well developed characters once again battling evil in their world. Toby races against time and misinformation as her enemies attempt too kill persons that are important to her. Toby and her friends save the day restoring their world to the peaceful world they love. But evil still is at work as the series continues in the next book in the series. I would recommend this series too anyone who enjoys will written science fiction novels. Enjoy reading

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I have to admit book one, Rosemary and Rue, made me want to keep reading every book that followed, but it was this book, Late Eclipses, that made this series one of my all time favorites and Seanan McGuire one of my top 5 favorite authors (yes, I have a top 5). In other words, this book was AMAZING. I won't say what, but lots of things are revealed, and a lot of things make much more sense. Also let me just say... TOBY AND TYBALT KISS!! That made me very happy :) We also get to know Tybalt so much better, we get a closer look into his world.

This was a very emotional book, there was a lot of heartbreak in it. Lily dies and it was kind of a shock, I mean I kinda saw it coming, but it is such a big loss. Also the kittens dying, that was so sad, I felt so bad for Tybalt and Raj :'( I Loved the ending, Tybalt coming to the rescue with the others and telling her to come back to him was priceless :)

This series just keeps getting better and better. This is the fourth book in the series, and, at this rate, the last one's going to be so mind-blowingly awesome that you're going to kick yourself for the rest of eternity if you don't read it.

I don't want to get into any specifics, because it's hard to do it without huge spoilers that will keep any new potential readers from picking this up. And really, anyone who reads urban fantasy, fairy tales, mysteries, thrillers, or any combination thereof, would enjoy the series. It has a strong, snarky heroine. It has relationship geometry, and side characters you want to get to know better as much as Toby does. It has Cait Sidhe.

One of the things that struck me about this book was the balance in setting. The first book mostly took place in San Francisco, and later ones are more in the Summerlands, where the fae can be themselves. In this, there's a switching back and forth that allows the reader to get to see more of both settings, and it blends them together to make them feel like they're both a part of Toby's world. This was the first book where it felt like an even balance.

Other than that, I have to be vague. Important questions were answered, but in a way that raised new ones. Not in the frustrating Lost kind of way, but in a way that makes me eager to keep reading. Lots of things changed, but it never felt out of the author's hands. I'm confident questions will be answered and conclusions will be reached when the final book hits the shelves. The tension was excellently plotted. If you have any doubt as to this book being a page-turner, allow me to point out that it's 2 AM, and I started reading this book at 9 PM.

McGuire makes writing this well look easy. I'd be totally jealous if she wasn't also an awesome person.

Now, what are you waiting for? Catch up on the series before this one comes out! If you've already read them, re-read them to refresh yourself. And then pick this one up in March.

I may be slightly biased, because I won an advanced copy of this book off a random giveaway (and the above review is copy-pasted from my blog). But this book was good enough to buy a regular copy that'll hold up to multiple readings, which I did today. Pick it up. Stop missing out.

Plot Summary: Changeling October Daye has made quite a few enemies over the years, and now they've teamed up to bring her down. When two of Toby's closest friends fall mortally ill, her foes move to frame her for the crime. The only unforgivable offense in faerie is murder, so to prove her innocence Toby must find and capture the real perpetrator, or she'll be executed by Oberon's law.

(October Daye series: Book Four)

Late Eclipses is a study in contrasts. Toby has loyal friends with the hearts of lions (or cats, at least), but she also has enemies who will stoop to anything and everything to take her down. Since the reader is staunchly on Toby's side, these naked hostilities are a bit perplexing (isn't longing to burn someone alive a little extreme?), but they do provide excellent thrills and chills as the story progresses.

The October Daye series reads a lot like a detective story. It just happens to have a faerie knight as the P.I., and a passel of sidekicks who are magical misfits. Late Eclipses finally swings the story full circle to where it all begin in book one, Rosemary and Rue, where Toby is transformed into a fish for 14 years (that prologue broke my heart). Two people were responsible for Toby's imprisonment, and one of them resurfaces here to torment her again. The aptly named Oleander is an assassin who works with poison, and as the death toll mounts, Toby is the only person who knows who is responsible, mainly because Oleander is messing with Toby's mind.

For longtime fans of this series, I will say that it provides a few more clues for two continuing puzzles. One, we learn more about Toby's heritage and her mother, which is fascinating stuff, even if it wasn't all crystal clear. Second, the unacknowledged "thing" between Toby and Tybalt progresses nicely, but I won't give anything away, don't worry. Is it too early to look forward to the next book in the October Daye series? Not for me! I read a small preview for One Salt Sea, the fifth book that's coming in September 2011, and it was fantastic. Toby makes a getaway on a steep San Francisco street with a mermaid on a wheelchair. How awesome is that?

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:
[...]

From the first book, ROSEMARY AND RUE, it has felt like I jumped into the October Daye series "in media res." Quickly swept away by action and character development, I had for the most part forgotten Toby's mysterious past. LATE ECLIPSES not only brings it all back, but also explodes Toby's own preconceived ideas about herself and her heritage. While not a cliff hanger, this book ends poised at the top of an arc, and I can't wait to read where all of this forward momentum is going to take the series.

If book #3, AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, took us out of Toby's daily life and deep into the mythos of fairy, LATE ECLIPSES stays very much on her home turf. Unfortunately for Toby, that doesn't mean there isn't danger and intrigue, it just means her friends and family are in the line of fire. Flitting about Toby's consciousness, amidst mysterious sicknesses and political attacks, hints of Oleander de Merelands are appearing. One of the people responsible for Toby's fourteen year stint as a gold fish, the loss of her husband and child, and the twisted madness of her beloved liege lord's daughter, Oleander is one of the boogeymen of fairy, an evil individual and twisted assassin. No one wants to believe that Oleander is back, and even Toby is unsure of her own sanity at the suggestion, adding a psychological twist to a story that I already found compelling.

While the action is certainly non-stop, it was the characters that held my undivided attention. The book starts with glimpses of the home life Toby and May have built for themselves, and in the deadly cascade of events that follows, the possibility that they could lose that relationship was the one thought that really tugged at my heartstrings. In addition to May, Tybalt and Connor both share significant page time. I felt like I learned more about Tybalt and Toby's past relationship, as well as saw hints of it's future. However, McGuire isn't committing Toby to any one romantic path. Connor has always been the one that got away, and despite being married, the sexual tension (and his criminally insane wife) keep things interesting. Tybalt and Connor are two very different men, it may prove to be a Peeta and Gale moment when this tension is resolved.

Overall, Seanan McGuire has done a stellar job of developing her characters while interweaving action and suspense. As much as I enjoyed the romantic tension in LATE ECLIPSES, it was the details about Toby's family, both blood relation and adopted, that truly touched me. The story as a whole has me on the edge of my seat for ONE SALT SEA in September, I am eager to find out how all this will play out.

Sexual Content: Kissing, mention of prostitution and sexual relationships.

I am enjoying this series so very much. And particularly Late Eclipses. I don't know what it is about this book in particular that grabbed my heart strings and pulled, but boy howdy, that was one heck of a tug.

I think what I love most of all about Seanan's books is her way with character. I've said before, I read for character. Yes, yes, give me a plot that holds together and doesn't allow me to steer a cargo vessel through the holes. That's important too. I will, however, forgive smaller holes if you give me characters I give a damn about.

And I do. Sylvester and Luna, Quentin, Connor. Lily and Etienne and Tybalt.

Oh. My. God. Tybalt. I could go on for days about Tybalt, but you all get that about him right? It's not just me? It can't just be me.

Even better, though I don't -like- them, I even get and understand the "bad guys". No mustache-twirling bad guys. She makes them understandable. Crazy? Sure. But understandable.

And not everyone pulls that off.

The best part? I still have more books to read. :)

[...]

Late Eclipses is the fourth book in the October Daye series that takes you on a non-stop, action packed and emotional ride from page one. Toby ( aka October) has finally found a balanced and safe point in her life after her horrific and soul breaking encounter with Blind Michael in An Artificial Night. But poor Toby, life can never stay simple. She gets word that her dear friend Lily,the Lady of the Tea Gardens, has fallen gravely ill. When all signs point to Lily being poisoned, Toby quickly jumps on the case. However with others falling ill, The Queen coming after her with a malicious vendetta, along with her live in fetch as constant reminder of her imminent death, and finally Toby being haunted by an evil in her past that makes her question her own sanity, will she find out who is behind it all? Or will other obstacles keep her from helping those she loves?

This book is riveting. I have no other words to describe it. McGuire did a phenomenal job with character development. We see her building a life with May, becoming closer with Tybalt-King of Cats, Connor, as well as, Toby discovering her heritage. We see her internal battle over her sanity, and her selfless decisions when saving those she cares about. For those seeking answers, then you will not be let down. McGuire opens Toby's past and allows us to learn about her father and mother, along with what Toby is. However, that pesky Tybalt/Connor/Toby relationship, or lack there of, is still hanging in the air. But at least McGuire gives us hope and a little bit more interaction between Toby and her men. These along with many other exciting answers come with Late Eclipses, but with answers, often comes more questions, and this holds true in this book. But hey! Don't fear, because the fifth October Daye Book One Salt Sea comes out in September!

McGuire's latest October Daye novel did a superb job in character development. Finally, we see into October's childhood, new and interesting developments of who/what Toby really is, plus we get an eyeful of Tybault. Not only that, but McGuire doesn't hand us the questions and then leave us hanging. There was plenty of action, a crime to solve (what is making the fairie sick), a bogie man (Oleander) to catch and evade, and even a bit of romance thrown in (Tybault and Connor).

I would definitely recommend this book, but it should be read in order. I look forward to reading the next.

Great read... great Series

I have come to love the Toby Daye series and recommend it to friends all the time. I'm not usually a Fae world enthusiast, however, Toby leads the reader through the fantastical with a good grounding in the real world, making it easy to follow. Lots of action, romance, plot and well defined characters make this well worth reading... I just love Tybolt, the Cat King! Can't wait for the next one!

This is a great series. Powerful world-building and good character development. The previous book with Blind Michael and this book together have made this a great urban fantasy series that does not rely on a romance to keep the series interesting and page-turning. Don't get me wrong, there is romantic tension, but the world-building makes this a great one to escape into and get lost in. It is not quite in the league of Rachel Morgan or Sookie Stackhouse, but this series comes close, and will be one I keep track of.

Book 4 sees the October Daye series still going strong... a few surprises for Toby and some development in different character relationships kept the series feeling fresh. With every addition to the series, I re-read from Book 1 forward... not because I can't remember what happened in the others, but because I love how the books just pull you into Toby's world. I can't wait for the next one in September, and hopefully Toby will finally get some... preferably with Tybalt!

Like "An Artificial Night," "Late Eclipses" shows Toby fulfilling her knightly duties to Shadowed Hills rather than doing much in the way of sleuthing. It's better that way, since as I pointed out in my reviews of the first two books of this series, McGuire is no mystery writer. She's much, much better at showing us her concept of the Fae, and it's that which keeps me reading.

Another suspenseful and action packed novel by Seanan McGuire.

October (Toby) Daye is back as the changeling knight who always seems to always find more trouble than normal. In this novel, an old foe returns and preys upon Toby's friends. The plot was a wild ride until the end. Toby's "relationship" with the cat king Tybalt deepens and the tension between these two is intense. You can feel it rolling off the pages. We learn more about Toby's mysterious childhood and her mother, but questions remain as to "what" she actually is. I'm looking forward to the next series installment, One Salt Sea due out in September 2011.