Bea's Blog Tour Re-Read of Chimes At Midnight by Seanan McGuire & 2 Giveaways!

 

Series: October Daye #7
Publisher:  DAW Fantasy
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | iTunes* 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

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 Queens 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.

My Thoughts:

I was delighted to receive the email for this tour and hurried to sign up. I love this series so much it should be illegal. It's rich, complex, funny, romantic, action packed, full of politics and mythology, and twistier than Machiavelli slithering like a snake. Having to choose which book to re-read was a challenge. The first book was okay but subsequent books are freaking fantastic and full of more goodness than a plateful of chewy brownies. And I LOOOOOOOOVE brownies.

Basically, I closed my eyes and went 'eeny meany miney moe'. :D I picked a good one it turned out, as the events in this one relate directly to her forthcoming book, "Once Broken Faith" (Jax and I will be reviewing that one next month).

I reviewed "Chimes At Midnight" when it first came out; I'm not going to review here it again but I will say that this statement I made is still true -

McGuire does it again. Happy sigh. Tobey is in the thick of things again with all her idiocy and smart-assiness (is that a word? I want it to be a word) intact...It's tight story-telling without a single misstep.

So, what makes this story so wonderful? Let me share a few favorite scenes and quotes with you and you can decide for yourself. SPOILERS if you haven't read this book or are behind on reading earlier books!

This sums both Tybalt and Tobey quite nicely, and there's even humor and a hint of romance. :)

"If I may," said Tybalt. "Were I the Queen, I would almost certainly set someone to watching this house, to see if you went racing about the city, looking for aid. Were I the Queen, I would also be quite likely arrogant enough to disregard the fact that you are being courted by a man who can take you anywhere you wish without needing to move the car or, indeed, step outside the threshold."

"Were you the Queen, I wouldn't be dating you, but point taken," I said. "Can you carry me and Quentin over to 5th and Brannan? I'm not leaving him here just so the Queen doesn't follow me."

"Your loyalty will be the death of us all one day (I can so see that happening, it's so Tobey. If McGuire were to go that route, I might have to go postal on her. Or, you know, binge on a hundred plates of brownies. ~ Bea), but yes, I can take you both," said Tybalt. "It may not be pleasant. I can still manage it."

Look at how much McGuire packed in there: political maneuvering, Tybalt's adeptness at thinking strategically, Tobey's ability to take advice, Tybalt's deep understanding of both Tobey and the Queen, Tobey's loyalty, a bit of humor, and a bit of romance, all in a few short paragraphs. She showed us, she didn't tell us.

Tobey is a changeling, part fae and part human, and all sass and contrariness and cockiness. : D As a changeling, she gets little respect from most pure blooded fae and is often underestimated:

"But you're human," said Dean.

 I looked at him, trying to project a calm I didn't feel. "Only mostly," I said. "I guess the universe decided it was time the Queen had a fighting chance."

Tobey is expressive and not afraid to say what's on her mind:

"Luidaeg, you are a fabulous monster, and an even better bitch," I muttered.

Tybalt too has little trouble speaking his mind, and he's got a sense of humor to help ease situations:

"Don't make fun of me while I'm in the middle of a crisis."

Tybalt peeled my hand away from his face, holding it as he stepped closer. There was no space left between us. "My sweet little fish. If I refused to make fun of you simply because you were in the grips of a crisis, I would never have the opportunity to make fun of you again."

"I'd be okay with that," I said.

McGuire has a fantastic ability to show us a characters thoughts and inner workings; sometimes she straight up tells us but she more often shows us, with action or bit of dialogue. She reveals her characters slowly, over time, in this case, over the course of a series. Her characters change and grow over time. Both Tybalt and Quentin were snotty, rude, and arrogant in the beginning of the series. They can still be arrogant, but they're less snotty now. Their perspectives on some things have changed and Tobey herself has changed. McGuire's characters aren't stagnant and they aren't all good or all evil but a mix. They may lean heavily in one direction but they're complex and complicated and occasionally contradictory. As much as I love McGuire's story telling and the amazing world she's created, it's the characters that call to me and keep me coming back. In "Chimes At Midnight", we get to see different sides of all of the characters. Every time I read the book, I come away with a new understanding or a new perspective, or just a new favorite quote. There's always something new for me to discover.

Have you read "Chimes At Midnight"? What did you think? What did you like about it? Dislike? Did anything shock or surprise you?

There are two giveaways today. One is just for the blog and the other is a tour-wide giveaway.

Blog Giveaway:

Thanks to the publisher, we are giving away 2 copies of "Chimes At Midnight"; 2 books, 2 winners, 1 book each. US/Canada only. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Read our giveaway and privacy policies. The publisher will ship directly to the winners. Giveaway ends September 2nd. Leave a comment with your email address below to enter.

Tour Giveaway:

Prize Pack includes:

1. All 10 October Daye novels signed by Seanan McGuire
2. A Seanan McGuire tote bag
3. A map of the Kingdom of the Westlands signed by Seanan McGuire and artist Priscilla Spencer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway