Geekess reviewed Chimes at midnight by Seanan McGuire (An October Daye novel)
Review of 'Chimes at midnight' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
First read: April 2021
Second read: April 2023
357 pages
English language
Published Sept. 5, 2013 by DAW Books.
Things are starting to look up for October "Toby" Daye. She's training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down ... at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit. Toby's efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queen's decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets--and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there's the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the …
Things are starting to look up for October "Toby" Daye. She's training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down ... at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit. Toby's efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queen's decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets--and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there's the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the throne ... To find the answers, October and her friends will have to travel from the legendary Library of Stars into the hidden depths of the Kingdom of the Mists--and they'll have to do it fast, because time is running out. In faerie, some fates are worse than death. October Daye is about to find out what they are.
First read: April 2021
Second read: April 2023
I really enjoy Seanan McGuire's October Daye series. The basic concept of an Irish-style faerie court in modern day San Francisco just leaves so much room to work with.
Chimes at Midnight begins with the problem that goblin fruit is taking over the streets of San Francisco. Goblin fruit is a powerful enough narcotic to make pureblood fae do dumb things but is addictive to the point of death for changelings, the children of faeries and mortals. October's one-woman fight against the epidemic puts her at odds with the local queen and causes issues where she's got to learn exactly which of her allies is with her.
Fantastic read with some obvious parallels to current events.
Huh. OK, I can get with this, but some things somehow felt slightly off. Maybe I shouldn't read with a migraine.
It's not often a character hot glues themself to a unicorn. Love this series, full review to follow.