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Late Eclipses (2011)
Written by: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 372 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Four of the October Daye Series
Disclaimer: free from author (giveaway)

Why I Read It: An Artificial Night sold me on the October Daye series, which is pretty impressive, since I wasn't very impressed with the first two installments. But after book three, I had to keep reading, and winning a signed copy from the author made my day!

The premise: ganked from BN.com: In October "Toby" Daye's fourth outing, following 2010's An Artificial Night, the half-Fae private detective is once again run through the wringer when problems plaguing the San Francisco Fae community strike home on a personal level. First, in an unprecedented, unexpected move, the Queen of the Mists promotes Toby to countess. Given that the Queen hates her, it's quite obviously a trap, but not something Toby can refuse or avoid. Subsequently, several of Toby's closest friends are struck down through poison and illness, and she's accused of murder. Has an enemy from Toby's past resurfaced, or is she losing her mind? Physically, emotionally, and magically drained, faced with tragedy and despair, Toby's forced to deal with the long-hidden truth behind her Fae heritage. In this tightly plotted adventure, McGuire mixes nonstop action with a wealth of mythology to deliver a wholly satisfying story.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I'm doing an experiment and want to try really hard to avoid spoilers. Just for giggles. That doesn't mean, however, that I won't spoil books one through three, so read at your own risk. Skip to "My Rating" if you're worried.



Thumbs Up: I can't believe that back in October I was all ready to give up on this series. Thanks to all of you commenters who promised more Spike and Tybalt in book three, which kept me going. Once I read it, I had to get my hands on the latest installment ASAP, and now that I'm done with it, I'm just marveling that this series has moved so quickly to the top of my "must" list.

Toby's growing as a character. Bit by bit, she's becoming more mature and more aware of both her limitations and her responsibilities. No longer the longer we saw in book one, Toby's got a wealth of allies, and it's not due to some stupid Mary Sue "everybody loves me!" syndrome, though some characters, like Raysel, would beg to differ. No, Toby's earned the respect of each and every one of her allies, and that's one of the things that makes this series stand out from most of the urban fantasy chaff: we've got a cast to root for, not simply a heroine. That's not to say that Toby isn't the star (after all, it is called "An October Daye Novel"), but she's got relationships with other people aside from her love interests. And that's awesome. She's also becoming increasingly aware of what being a hero means and why she does what she does. Her choice in this book was pretty powerful, and I can't wait to see how the ramifications of this choice plays out in later books. What does it mean to be Amandine's daughter? We're just barely starting to find out.

Seeing May taking charge of her own life, as ironic as it sounds, was also a major plus. Not only in the choices she makes (her outlook on life, her fashion, etc), but her fate. I can't wait to see how May's character plays a role in later novels now that the obvious role has been extinguished. Also? I adore her love interest, and I'm really excited to see McGuire go in that direction in this series.

We finally learn way Raysel has such a chip on her shoulder, as well as see Raysel start down the path of becoming a formidable villain. Toby didn't save her, and had the audacity to come back after death and still be loved. No, Toby's not a Mary Sue, but those whose respect she'd earned love her, and for those whose respect she hasn't earned, or has lost, like Raysel, well, there's hell to pay. I'm not sure if I'm excited or scared to see where Raysel's story will take us, but if this book wasn't a set-up for something great, I don't know what it is.

Addressing one of my quibbles from the previous novel is it seems that Toby and Julie have mended their fences. I don't believe they'll ever be BFF's again, not like they were, but if Julie stops attacking Toby every chance she gets, I welcome that change.

I'm quite interested in the way that McGuire is developing her romance, as well as the way she's kind of sneaking in a triangle. I'll be honest: Connor does nothing for me, and now that he's technically available, I'm a little worried that Toby's just going to fall into old habits, you know? The title of the fifth book, One Salt Sea, has me even more worried in that department, that it will be a very Connor-centric book. It's funny, because I get tired of overbearing Alphas (and no, that's not an oxymoron, believe it or not), and desire to see a Beta as a tangible love interest, but the instant I get one in Connor, I'm not interested. Oh, he's a nice guy and seems to make a great friend, but I don't want him for Toby. If May hadn't expressed interest elsewhere, I'd say he'd be a better fit for May instead.

What I love is the sizzle between Toby and Tybalt. Tybalt, who's so careful about not letting anything show but when push comes to shove, the mask slips. I love that. I love the energy between these two characters, so it should come to no surprise to anyone who's read these reviews that I'm an official Toby/Tybalt shipper.

A side note, yay for rose goblins and yay for Spike! Also, Hobbs are awesome.

Thumbs Down: Not much to say here, except that for a while, I was convinced that Lily and Toby were somehow related. That may still very well be the case, especially with the revelation regarding Luidaeg, but I'm still a little fuzzy on this family tree. If not in a book, I'd love to see McGuire post some kind of family tree of sorts on her website to help me sort it all out. Because McGuire's weakness still shows here, though not as badly as it did in An Artificial Night, and that is when the characters seem to understand what's going on, but no one really sits down to make sure the reader gets it. Sure, McGuire's SHOWING and not TELLING which is what all good writers are supposed to do, but sometimes that means revelations are a little murky and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to understand the implied answers or if there's still mystery involved, you know?

Aside from that, I'm good.



My Rating

Must Read: These books just keep getting better and better, and I thank everyone yet again who encouraged me to keep going after A Local Habitation. What's great about this series is how each book builds on those that came before, which means, of course, you really need to read this series in order to fully appreciate the story and the cast and all the development that goes into the series. This installment is my favorite to date, horribly difficult to put down. There's so many revelations in this book that really cast Toby and her purpose in a new light, and the cast is just delightful. I can't say more without gushing, so I'll shut up, and say that if you're an urban fantasy fan and you haven't at least read up to book three, An Artificial Night, you're missing out. And if you're already a fan, you definitely don't want to miss this one.

Cover Commentary: This is, hands-down, my favorite cover of the series. We've got Tybalt's jacket contrasting nicely with a ballgown, which is all kinds of awesome. I also like the fact Toby's holding a cup (important to the story) and a knife (which is her weapon of choice). Love the blues, and frankly, I think it's the artist's best representation of her features to date. Gee… I wonder what book five will look like in that regard?

Next up: Prospero in Hell by L. Jagi Lamplighter