Sir October Daye

This year I started serving as a moderator in our Goodreads book club. It's been a crazy, fun ride. I've learnt a lot and can't wait to continue in 2014. What it has rewarded me with is a whole bundle of new series/books, heroines, heroes and new worlds to discover. Because, as you all know, your to be read list can never be too long. So, I've been on the urban fantasy ride this year. A couple of the Goodreads group members kept mentioning this series called October Daye. In my head I was thinking "October Daye who?" and "What's so great about this Tybalt guy?" So I decided to give the series a go and I am so glad I did.

Check after the jump for why this series is so good and why I think the October Daye series is worth checking out. Mildly spoilery.

Introduction

October Daye is an elf. Well, to be exact she is termed a changeling. Part human and part elf, trying to work a delicate balance between the two. It's not an easy job, especially with the elf side of her nature keeps pulling her in all directions. October is a Knight, so squires are required to call her Sir Daye. It took me a while to get my head around this of course as I kept picturing a man. She works as a private investigator. Perfect job for an elf as they are creatures of the night and find it easier to hold an illusion of their appearance when it's dark. October tends to have an affinity for things that are missing, especially if they are children and she will do anything to locate them.

Knight Diet

She lives on coffee and Pop Tarts. I think this is some kind of diet. I might question how much coffee is too much, but hell it keeps her awake to solve crime. Plus, many of her friends have been forgiven for waking her up when they produce coffee for her to drink. So you get the picture. Coffee is her drug of choice. A lot of the time she seems to be forced to drink it cold. Yucky.

The Past Affects the Present

Checked past. Life hasn't been easy.  Her mother Amandine is known as being mad and as such it is assumed by some that October is the same way, however, to me it seems like other characters (not her friends) just mention this in order to hurt her. Amandine has made very few appearances to date, so it would be interesting to see in later novels if she takes a more hands-on approach. October also spent fifteen years as a fish. She had been magically turned into one by Simon, Sylvester's brother. We haven't seen or heard of Simon now for six books. I would love to know where he is hiding out. Being a fish meant October lost her husband and her child. They were human and, of course, life goes on. This is a hard fact for October to reconcile with herself. She misses her child and that remains a powerful factor in her actions.

Great side characters 

I love how Quentin tries to be of service to October. I think it worthy that he becomes October's squire later on. He is obviously fascinated by leading a life where the odds of being hurt or killed are high. Plus October needs someone to watch her back. Quentin's like the little brother October never had, but may have always wanted.

May makes a perfect flatmate for October. While she started out being October's fetch (you get sent a fetch when you are about to die), she turns into October's friend and personal assistant. I don't know if May realizes that she is a personal assistant, but that's how I read her.

Sylvester, The Duke of Shadow Hills, is October's liege and father figure. I'm sure there is more to be discovered about Sylvester as I get the sense he hasn't told October everything. There has to be a reason her mother keeps away. 

Of course, I can't forget Tybalt. King of the Cats. Walker of the Shadow Roads and always around when October needs him. He also loses possession of a jacket to one October Daye. I could go on and on about Tybalt, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say he is a King, he is reliable and he is afraid of going in cars.

My favourite side character though is the Luidaeg or sea witch. She is entertaining for me every time she is on the page. Initially I though she would spell trouble for October, but she has become like a cantankerous relative. She loves donuts too.

Excellent Villains

Who doesn't love a good villain? Each book revolves around a crime that October has to solve. The villains are either changelings or fae and October's unique heritage means she is up to the task of tracking down the culprits. This doesn't mean that October doesn't go through personal loss. McGuire isn't afraid to kill characters off for the betterment of her story. After all, true villains, if they know they are being tracked are going to go after their pursuer and what better way than to attack their friends.

Favourite Book to Date in the Series?

I have to say it is Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6). The reason? It ended perfectly. One of the story lines that had been building for some time, gave this reader a very satisfactory final chapter the book. Plus is was action packed. As usual. It showed an October Daye finally realising that sometimes all you need is a little help from your friends. I'm dying to know if October has any more abilities yet to be discovered. I still have to read Chimes of Midnight. So my opinion might change.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this series. If you are looking for an urban fantasy series that is refreshingly different then this is the one for you. It takes a while to work out what all the different fae are, but after a while it all kind of clicks into place. My favourite book to date is Ashes of Honor. It really starts to feel like McGuire is hitting her stride with the series.

Book order via Goodreads

1. Rosemary and Rue
2. A Local Habitation
3. An Artificial Night
4. Late Eclipses
5. One Salt Sea
6. Ashes of Honor
7. Chimes of Midnight
8. The Winter Long

My Rating

Have you read this series? Do you have a favourite book so far?