And at last, we come to an end of the books out so far, and Seanan McGuire thankfully ends it on an upbeat note.
I vastly preferred Tybalt’s point of view of the events that happened in Sleep No More; not only was there more action, but there was a narrator I want to hug, not slap. For a man who’s philosophy has to be “when this is all said and done, I will definitely have that nervous breakdown I’ve scheduled because I certainly deserve it”, he handles things rather well. Sure, a lot of the people around him are jerks, Nolan Windemere (and to a slightly lesser extent Arden) is selfish and even more resistant to change than Toby, and Tybalt has to deal with not only starving Cait Sithe but flinging himself into the water only to get trapped in the Duchy of Saltmist, but all things considered he handles everything well. I have wanted to give Tybalt a hug through most of this series, but this book is where he really, truly earns it.
A lot more personally favorite characters make appearances here; Patrick and Dianda for two, Amphitrite for another, and I can not forget Magdalena or May in the Library of the Stars (still wish that place was real). And of course, the Luidheag, but seeing as she was also in Sleep No More, that’s not a surprise.
The writing is, as usual, spot on, and thankfully we actually get some humor in the middle of all the crushing misery; Tybalt discussing the joys of shoplifting from Costco alone is worth the price of admission. And, while not humorous, Toby has a speech directed at Amandine that I am desperately here for, and was always hoping that someone would say the underlying message of it to Amy sometime in the series; no surprise it was Toby, though my other guess would probably have been the Luidheag.
(One of these two, directed at Amy, with a side helping towards the cause of all the problems).
Just as I said about the last book, therapy needs abound here, as well as the realization that several people’s relationships have taken serious hits and will need time and effort to heal.
I know I rarely talk about them, but I have to also definitely recommend the novella in this book; not only is Gilly apparently still making leaps and bounds in her relationship with Toby, but there’s a new change in the Duchy of Saltmist that I can not wait to read more about. Now I just have to wait until the end of next month for Silver and Lead to come out.
Sucks that according to Seanan McGuire, that’s going to be the penultimate book; I haven’t loved a series like this in a very long time.
Favorite Quotes:
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Love is a knife forever suspended an inch from your heart, and if it falls or you stumble into it, you can all too easily find yourself impaled and bleeding.
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Not that I was here to critique the décor, but the temptation was strong.
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I was doing my best. I really didn’t see what more she could ask. I was staying away so that she could talk to the woman I loved without the risk of my clear distress interfering; I was punching the wall, not shredding the tapestries or turning into a cat and hiding under the nearest piece of furniture. Really, by any reasonable standard, I was behaving myself fantastically well.