Bea and Jax Review Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire

Series: October Daye #10
Publisher: DAW
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Challenges: Finishing the Series Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

Politics have never been October “Toby” Daye’s strong suit. When she traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to prevent them from going to war with her home, the Kingdom of the Mists, she wasn’t expecting to return with a cure for elf-shot and a whole new set of political headaches.

Now the events she unwittingly set in motion could change the balance of modern Faerie forever, and she has been ordered to appear before a historic convocation of monarchs, hosted by Queen Windermere in the Mists and overseen by the High King and Queen themselves.

Naturally, things have barely gotten underway when the first dead body shows up. As the only changeling in attendance, Toby is already the target of suspicion and hostility. Now she needs to find a killer before they can strike again—and with the doors locked to keep the guilty from escaping, no one is safe.

As danger draws ever closer to her allies and the people she loves best, Toby will have to race against time to prevent the total political destabilization of the West Coast and to get the convocation back on track…and if she fails, the cure for elf-shot may be buried forever, along with the victims she was too slow to save.

Because there are worse fates than sleeping for a hundred years.

Bea's Thoughts:

Whoa, the last 80 or so pages? OMG. McGuire turned up the tensions, and just when I thought I knew what she was going to do, she surprised me. I'm actually feeling rather ambiguous about the direction she went. It was a happier ending than I expected and I can't help but think of the dramatic possibilities if she had gone the other direction. I know, I know, annoyingly vague but to say more risks a big spoiler. That said, Toby's debt to the Luidaeg keeps getting deeper and deeper. I am seriously worried about what will happen when it comes due. That will be a hell of a book.

McGuire is always mixing things up, never staying in her safe zone. This time around she gave us a Toby Daye book that is basically a mystery for the bulk of the book. Toby has solved mysteries before but this time it's the center of the story. I like reading mysteries so that worked fine for me. Of course, there's politics too. This is a Toby Daye story. And we get to meet the High King and Queen! And we meet Quentin's parents! And Toby's niece Karen is back; it was good to see her again and her abilities.

There are many things that McGuire does well: world building, characterization, and relationships being a few of them. They're all top notch in "Once Broken Faith"; 10 books in and we're still learning about the world and meeting Fae nobility; Toby's relationships are still changing and growing; and each character feels real, despite being Fae and magical. Can I just say how incredibly bitchy the Fae are? Ouch! And you thought human were obnoxious. *shakes head*

Anyway, lots of development, though most of it occurs late in the story; a solid if sometimes confusing murder mystery; a little treason, nothing major, just garden variety treason against the High King, that's all; politics; romance; and a sleepless night as you read the story. You won't be disappointed in "Once Broken Faith".

Jax's Thoughts:

So, we participated in a reread blog tour for the series, just before this post. Basically I was reading book 3 and book 10 almost simultaneously. It made for some very interesting comparisons. Bea is right - McGuire never lets things sit still. Toby's world has grown, and doesn't look like it will slow its progress any time soon.

The new map of Toby's World. Isn't it gorgeous?
Signed by the artist and the author. :D

And we're not just talking geographically. She definitely has ventured well past her home town, but our lovely loner now has a life full of people and love. That was one of the biggest contrasts I noticed. In "An Artificial Night," we see the foundation laid for some of her strongest relationships, and the cracks in friendships she had relied on for much of her life. By the time we get to "Once Broken Faith" Toby's life is full of the bitter and the sweet on the relationship front. But it's definitely richer, and she's better for it.

Those relationships help her in the ever expanding world of Toby In Politics. What I love is that she is still very much the same Toby in this sphere. Never delicate, but can walk the spiderweb fine line between insolence and propriety. With the High King and Queen in residence, that talent has never served her better. It will be fun to see what political heights she reaches in the future.

10 books in, and I'm still waiting with bated breath for what happens next. That's incredible. I have a few other series I follow that have run this long, but none that keep me guessing the way Toby does.