In the aftermath of Amandine's latest betrayal, October "Toby" Daye's fragile self-made family is on the verge of coming apart at the seams. Jazz can't sleep, Sylvester doesn't want to see her, and worst of all, Tybalt has withdrawn from her entirely, retreating into the Court of Cats as he tries to recover from his abduction. Toby is floundering, unable to help the people she loves most heal. She needs a distraction. She needs a quest.
What she doesn't need is the abduction of her estranged human daughter, Gillian. What she doesn't need is to be accused of kidnapping her own child by her ex-boyfriend and his new wife, who seems to be harboring secrets of her own. There's no question of whether she'll take the case. The only question is whether she's emotionally prepared to survive it.
Signs of Faerie's involvement are everywhere, and it's going to take all Toby's nerve and all her allies to get her through this web of old secrets, older hatreds, and new deceits. If she can't find Gillian before time runs out, her own child will pay the price.
Two questions remain: Who in Faerie remembered Gillian existed? And what do they stand to gain?
No matter how this ends, Toby's life will never be the same.
October Daye Series:
In Little Stars (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Rosemary and Rue
A Local Habitation
An Artificial Night
Late Eclipses
Through This House (Short story in the Home Improvement: Undead Edition anthology)
One Salt Sea
In Sea-Salt Tears (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Ashes of Honor
Rat-Catcher (Free short story available on the Lightspeed Magazine website)
No Sooner Met (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Chimes at Midnight
Never Shines the Sun (Short story included in the print version of Chimes at Midnight)
Forbid the Sea (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Stage of Fools (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Voice of Lions (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Act of Hares (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Instruments of Darkness (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
With Honest Trifles (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
In Deepest Consequence (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Jealous in Honor (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Quick in Quarrel (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Winter Long
Heaps of Pearl (Free short story available on Seanan's website)
Shore to Shore (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Write in Water (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Live in Brass (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Ambitious Ocean (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
And Thrice Again (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
The Fixed Stars (Free short story available on the Baen website)
A Red-Rose Chain
Full of Briars (Short story)
Once Broken Faith
Dreams and Slumbers (Short story included in Once Broken Faith)
The Brightest Fell
These Antique Fables (Short story available to purchase through Patreon)
Of Things Unknown (Short story included in The Brightest Fell)
Night and Silence
Suffer a Sea-Change (Short story included in Night and Silence)
The Unkindest Tide
Hope is Swift (Short story included in The Unkindest Tide)
Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information
Review:
Every time I'm convinced this series can't get any better Seanan McGuire writes a book like Night and Silence and proves me wrong! I have to admit I was nervous after reading the blurb and saw that not only are Toby and Tybalt having problems but also that Gillian is abducted again, I was a little bit worried this would feel like a rinse and repeat of stories we've had in this world before but I'm such a huge fan of this author and she's never steered me wrong before so I really should have more faith in her by now.
Seeing how distant Tybalt is was pretty heartbreaking but after everything Amandine put him through his withdrawal was understandable. That doesn't make it any easier to read but there was no way he'd carry on as normal after everything he's experienced. The man always knows how to make an entrance though and there has never been a time when he has let Toby down when she really needs him so you don't need to worry that he'll be absent for the entire book.
Things with Gillian are far more complicated. When Toby offered Gillian the Changeling's choice and reluctantly turned her human it broke her heart but she honestly believed it was what Gillian wanted and needed and she's kept her distance since then trying to respect Gillian's wishes. Toby mistakenly thought that leaving her alone would keep her safe but now she's missing Toby has no idea if the fae are involved. It's always been painful to see how much Toby has suffered because of her abduction, I've hated the way Cliff treats her for a long time now and I would really love to see her build some bridges with her daughter.
The story was everything I'd hoped for and gave all the characters I love most a chance to shine, May has a bigger role than usual, the Luideag steals the show as always, Quentin never fails to make me smile and of course I still love Tybalt no matter how damaged he is right now. There is plenty of action as Toby tries to track down Gillian and encounters some interesting new fae along the way and a totally game changing revelation has given me a new character to loathe but I can't say more about that because SPOILER so you'll just have to read the book to find out more (I guarantee you'll know exactly who I'm talking about once you have!).
Events in this book are going to have a huge impact as the series continues so I'm really looking forward to seeing how Toby copes with the latest developments in When Sorrows Come! This series is definitely one of my favourites and it's still going strong 12 books in.
Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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