The October Daye Series, Part 2
by Seanan McGuire

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted May 1, 2025
Edits and Addenda on May 2 & 5

Book 7 - Chimes at Midnight / 7.5 - "Full of Briars" / ? "Never Shines the Sun" / 8 - The Winter Long / 8.5 - "Heaps of Pearl"

Buy the e-book of Chimes at Midnight from Bookshop, or used paperback from a third-party seller on Amazon, or for Kindle. A new paperback, based on price probably Trade Pb, will be published December 9, 2025, which can be pre-ordered from either Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

The seventh novel in Seanan's October Daye series was published in 2013. A new edition, linked to above, will be out this December. I'm way behind in this series, which started in 2009, but I didn't read the first book until January of last year. The nineteenth novel will be released this September. It is only coincidence that I read the first six books last year, then took a break from it, only to find in the intro to the seventh that Seanan identifies it as the start of a new chapter in Toby's life. It is indeed, in many different ways. We have discovered new things about Toby's powers and abilities in each book, at the same time she has, but I know there will be more revelations to come. To recap: Toby's mother Amandine is one of the Firstborn, daughter of Oberon, who closed off his realm of Faerie long ago, leaving his descendants to their own fate in smaller realms they had been able to hide from the human world. I am still skeptical concerning what Toby thinks she knows about her father, a human. I actually had a dream about that the night I started reading this book, but that dream ended without a resolution, and even if there had been it would probably have been false information.

Refer back to this page for my thoughts on the first six novels, plus one novella.

Toby is a changeling, half fae, half human, or at least that is what she and most everyone else thinks. She thought her mother was a Daoine Sidhe, making Toby's fae half the same. Later we found out Amandine was actually a Dóchas Sidhe, a fae with even more blood magic. It was revealed that Amandine had attempted to alter Toby's blood to remove her fae nature, making her only human, but right now I can't remember why that was not successful, whether Amandine changed her mind, or Toby, or someone else, was able to stop that transformation. Toby now has the ability to change her own blood, or incorporate other fae blood, giving her multiple fae abilities, even if the new acquisitions are short-lived. This book picks up about three months after the conclusion of the previous one. Toby and Tybalt, the local King of Cats, are now a couple. Toby has been investigating the increased usage of goblin fruit among fae, changelings, and humans. It is used as a recreational drug by fae, but it is usually deadly for humans, and dangerous for changelings too. The situation is so serious Toby feels the need to report it to, and ask help from, someone she would rather never see again; the Queen of the Mists. The Queen doesn't care about Toby's concerns, and proudly admits she is the one responsible for the goblin fruit, her intent being to eliminate as many changelings as possible. And of course, human deaths mean nothing to her either.

During her investigation Toby is exposed to goblin fruit, which puts her into a hallucinatory state. It is so powerful she wants it to continue, and knowing the part of her that is human will feel it even more strongly, she alters her blood to become more human. Luckily she was near Shadowed Hills when the attack came, and Jin, Duke Sylvester's chief healer, is able to stop that transformation before it kills Toby. Only a bare percentage of her fae nature is left, with the only good thing about that is she doesn't need her powers to hide her fae nature, since she looks completely human. She reaches out to old allies and new, in an effort to find a cure, to stave off her craving for more goblin fruit, and to take down the Queen once and for all. Her intention to do that only increases when she discovers the Queen had usurped the throne right after the major earthquake of 1906. King Gilad had been killed during the quake, but not by the quake, and his rightful heirs had been in hiding ever since. A trip to a fae library results in information that leads to them, and to other things needed to take down the Queen. That does not mean the task would be easy, and it proves to be as dangerous as any other thing Toby has ever attempted. One of the hardest things to overcome is that the false Queen is a Siren, able to control others by her voice alone.

There have been multiple hints along the way that Toby is not only more respected than is typical for fae towards changelings, but that she is destined for even higher esteem. Duke Sylvester considers himself a second father to her. Her new boyfriend Tybalt is a King of Cats, a fae species who have a special dispensation that places them outside the heirarchy of any other fae kingdom. He is completely devoted to her, having placed himself in danger time and time again to help and save her, even when it is clear he is upset that she places herself in danger too many times. I have previously mentioned her squire, Quentin Sollys. He is what is known as a blind foster to the Duke of Shadowed Hills. That means that his parentage is hidden, although I have to assume the Duke knew. As I suspected, he is the son of High King Aethlin and High Queen Maida, thus Crown Prince to all of the Westlands, all fae kingdoms throughout North America. The royals' appearance at the end of this book is very brief, but we should learn more about them in the next story, which centers on Quentin. For the High King to allow his son to be squire to a changeling has to mean he knows a lot about Toby, maybe more than anyone else. I have to wonder how long it will take before everything about Toby is revealed, or if there might be never-ending revelations about her powers, and her eventual fate. Quentin's story, "Full of Briars," is just a novelette, so it shouldn't take me long to read. I will update this page soon..

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Buy the e-book of "Full of Briars" from Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted May 2, 2025
This is the first of the October Daye stories (that I have read at least) to be narrated by someone other than Toby. In this case it is Quentin Sollys, who had been a blind foster to Duke Sylvester Torquill of Shadowed Hills. He has been a part of Toby's story from the first novel, in the beginning just an assistant on certain cases, later squire to her as his knight, Sir October Daye. I may have been wrong that the Duke knew his parentage, but even if so, it was supposed to be a secret for everyone else, including Toby. That was the case up until he felt it necessary to reveal himself in order to impress upon Arden Windermere why it was important that she not abandon her rightful place on the throne as Queen in the Mists. The true name of the false and deposed Queen of the Mists is still not known, but what is known at the end of Chimes at Midnight is that she retained enough loyal followers who where able to help her escape. I assume we will see her again at some point.

Quentin's parents, High King Aethlin and High Queen Maida of the Westlands, come to confirm Arden's ascension to the throne in the Mists, with her knowe in the Muir Woods north of San Francisco. She had grown up there with her younger brother Nolan and their father, King Gilad, before he was murdered. The High King and Queen know Quentin has revealed his true identity, of which they disapprove, and demand he return with them to Toronto. It wasn't clear if they had consulted with the Duke, but everyone else who had worked with Quentin, who had come to know and trust him, objected to that propostion, including Quentin himself. His major point was that if he did go back with them his story would be revealed to all the court, but if he stayed with the Duke and Toby, everyone who knew his identity could be trusted to keep the secret. We find out that includes a few of Quentin's friends outside the inner circle, but he still feels confident he can continue his training with Toby, to become what he needs to be for when he would inherit his father's throne.

Everything appears to be pushing his parents to insist on his return, so it amazes everyone when they eventually relent. When Quentin first came to the Kingdom of the Mists he was of the opinion he was better than anyone else he encountered, and that pureblood fae were superior to changelings, and certainly humans. All of his experiences had opened his eyes to how much his upbringing had been limited in scope. Now he knows everyone has to cooperate or hope will be lost. If nothing else, he has learned how to be diplomatic, something he feels his father and mother need to learn. One other thing he did not want to abandon was a growing friendship, and possible romance, but I will not reveal who that involves..

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"Never Shines the Sun" is exclusive to print editions of Chimes at Midnight. Check purchase links above. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted May 2, 2025
This is a very short story, less than ten pages, included in print copies of Chimes at Midnight, but it is not set within the same time frame as the novel and "Full of Briars" was. Instead it goes back to 1959, when Toby was seven years old. Toby is not the first-person narrator this time either. It is the Luidaeg, who approaches the young Toby in a playground, making sure Toby's mother Amy (Amandine) does not see her. She introduces herself as Annie, and then shaking Toby's hand she is able to sense what Amandine had been trying to do, shifting Toby's blood away from fae and towards human. The Luidaeg reported to Duke Sylvester that Amandine had essentially reduced Toby's life expectancy by a century or more at that point, that they needed to intercede on Toby's behalf. I'm not sure if they were able to reverse any of the damage at that time.

Both "Annie" and "Amy" were daughters of Oberon and Maeve, but one of their half sisters was a daughter of Titania. I won't mention her name yet, but it also came up in Chimes of Midnight. I didn't catch the significance, other than she was someone to be feared. She may appear in later books. From previous books we had learned that Toby lived with her mother in the Summerlands for a while, but I am not sure if that was before or after the time in this story, although I think after. Now that we know Toby is a Dóchas Sidhe, able to alter her own blood, she may have the ability to counteract what Amandine did, and might be able to swing back and forth, more toward being human, or more toward fae, depending on what her task at hand might require. Pureblood fae are immortal, barring murder or acts of war, but Toby cannot count on that. Or maybe she will be able to later, if she changes her blood the correct way. We will have to wait and see about that. There are other stories included in other books, a few available for download on Seanan's website, including a few I should have read last year in between the first six books. Maybe I will get to them when I re-read, which I wish I had time for now..

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Buy The Winter Long from Bookshop or Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted May 5, 2025
The links above are for the new paperback edition due out in December, but you will also see other purchase options, either used copies of the original, e-books, or audio. This book would be extremely easy to spoil, but I will try to reveal only the essentials to show why it is the best so far, and most of my comments will refer back to previous events. In the intro to this novel Seanan says it was one she had outlined from the very beginning, but it took the previous seven novels to get to the point where these events could transpire. She had said that Chimes at Midnight was the beginning of a new chapter in Toby's life, but that goes double for this one, while at the same time it brings the story back to its beginnings. Several times in previous portions of my reviews I said I had stumbled onto a spoiler, although now I think I must have misread that. It was during reading the first novel, when I wanted to know a bit more about the individual fae species, their magical abilities, and everyone's relation to each other. Toby is a Knight to Duke Sylvester Torquill of Shadowed Hills. Sylvester has a twin brother, Simon, who was responsible for the kidnapping of the Duke's wife and daughter, Luna and Rayseline, in Rosemary and Rue, and he is the one who transformed Toby into a fish. He had escaped and had been in hiding, but he had an accomplice, Oleander, who in a later book poisoned Luna and others, including Toby. Oleander is now dead, or at least everyone thinks so, but based on this book I have to wonder.

The spoiler, as I thought I read it, made me think Sylvester might actually be Toby's father. I didn't go back to the wiki to check since I didn't want to stumble on more spoilers, but apparently it was Simon that I read about, but he is not Toby's father, only her step-father, husband to Amandine. Fae marriages are both simple and complicated, the complications usually having to do with children and inheritances. Any spouse could have an affair, with another fae, or with a human or changeling, even marry the other person, without it dissolving their fae marriage. Getting a divorce was simple though, as simple as saying "We are not married anymore. Goodbye." But Simon and Amandine had not done that, so they are still married, even though Amandine had married Toby's human father, who I believe died when she was around seven years old. I am still desperate for more of Amandine's backstory, and information on Toby's father, but will have to wait on that. I didn't mention it in my comments on the previous novel, but both Tybalt and the Luidaeg had searched for Amandine, to find out what she might know about the Queen of the Mists, but they had had no luck. The same happens in this book. She does not appear, but Toby is also desperate to see and talk to her, to unravel all of the things about her heritage, things that had been withheld from her all her life. Something else I have not mentioned involves one of Toby's abilities, which apparently surpasses even some purebloods. Any mature fae who can perform magic exhibits a certain aroma; for Toby it is that of cut grass and copper. Toby is so sensitive she can smell and taste the magic of others, even when they are not performing their magic. One example of that is evident early in this book.

The story begins a few months later, on Yule, with Toby going to a party at Queen Arden's knowe in Muir Woods. The Queen declares that Toby is a Hero in the Mists, also saying she had asked Duke Sylvester to relinquish his hold on Toby so she could transfer her allegiance to the Kingdom of the Mists. Sylvester had refused, which was what Toby would have expected, and what she wanted. By the end of this book she might be reconsidering that. Fae are predominately nocturnal, the party lasting to almost dawn. Toby and her companions go home to sleep, but she is disturbed by the door bell even before getting to sleep. Sylvester is at her door, and even though she is surprised she welcomes him in. Big mistake. As he crosses the threshold and passes her she knows he is not Sylvester, but his twin brother Simon. She also knows, or at least believes, she is no match for his magic. Simon tries to convince her he means no harm, even claims that when he turned her into a fish it was to save her from a worse fate. He cannot tell her why, or who directed his actions, then and now, since they have placed a geas on him. He can't reveal their identity even if he wanted to, and he says he wants to. This is when she learns he is/was her step-father, but she also knows what he did to her in the past, what he did to Luna and Rayseline. When she comes after him with a knife he casts a spell to immobilize her, just as Jasmine comes into the room. Jazz is May's girlfriend, May being Toby's sister now, previously her Fetch. Without understanding how she did it, Toby is able to reflect Simon's spell back onto him, although Jazz is half transformed into a fish. She later recovers, but Simon has escaped again.

What propels the rest of the plot is Toby's anger, her resentment that everyone she had trusted had been lying to her, or just not telling her things she should have known. Her Duke, her mother, the Luidaeg, who is her mother's sister, even Tybalt. In his case he said it never came up, never occurred to him she needed to know about Simon. Some fae can be noble and admirable, but most of the time they are very insular, only thinking of themselves, their families, and to whom they owe allegiance, which for most would be their parents or the head of their fae order, or their Firstborn if they are still alive. We know some are not alive, and I'm not sure how many there were in the beginning, but Oberon had offspring with both Maeve and Titania. Maeve was the mother of Amandine and the Luidaeg, and many more, but the one mentioned in Chimes at Midnight and "Never Shines the Sun" was the oldest daughter of Titania. Many of the Firstborn took on another name, such as the Luidaeg, whose given name was Antigone. If Amandine ever used another name it has not been revealed or I missed it. Amandine and Antigone's half sister's given name was Eira Rosynhwyr. Toby was unaware of her, or at least thought so, but knew her by several of her assumed names. It was Eira's "murder" that Toby investigated in the first book, after she threw off Simon's spell and escaped the koi pond. Eira Rosynhwyr is/was Mrs. Winters, aka Evening Winterrose, Countess of Goldengreen, the county later granted to Toby, then transferred to Dean Lorden. She had been in hiding for several years, but is now back to reclaim her county, her followers, maybe the whole Kingdom of the Mists.

Eira is the Firstborn to all Daoine Sidhe, and as such can command them to do her bidding, which includes Duke Sylvester. Toby's Duke, who knew Amandine and Simon were married but never bothered to tell her. I can understand how Eira was able to place the geas on Simon, but not how she could control Antigone, the Luidaeg, who is not Daoine Sidhe. Toby knows she must protect her squire, Quentin, from Eira, since he is Daoine Sidhe, as are his parents, the High King and Queen of all the Westlands. If Eira could control them she would rule the whole continent. The Luidaeg was not able to tell Toby who placed the geas, but in every other encounter Toby had with her, she knew she would only get answers if she asked the right questions. So she asks if it is someone she knows, and the answer is yes, which nearly costs the Luidaeg her life. Actually it did, but Toby's new found blood magic now includes bringing people back from the dead. I'm not sure where all of Toby's new found powers come from, and she surprises herself almost constantly, including being able to break spells cast by Simon and Eira. To be able to go up against a Firsborn and not only survive, but best them in the conflict, is something hardly anyone else is willing to believe.

Firstborn can be killed, which Toby learned early with Blind Michael, for which the false Queen of the Mists wanted to try her for breaking Oberon's Law, "Fae Shall Not Kill Fae." The deaths of other Firstborn may have been in wars, which is allowed. One of the wars is recounted in a short story, unfortunately not available for download, only included in a multi-author anthology, which I might be able to track down one of these days. Another unfortunate thing is the backstory of Eira/Evening Winterrose, how and why she cast the geas on the Luidaeg and Simon, is in a novella included with the sixteenth novel, which is the one beyond what I got in the Kobo Humble Bundle. Hopefully when I get to that point Be the Serpent will be available from my library. It is now, but I will wait, since it might contain spoilers for novels yet to be read. In summation, Toby is able to defeat Eira and Simon, but not kill them. They are both in stasis caused by elf-shot, which was a creation of Eira's. Rayseline is also 'asleep' from elf-shot, but destined to awake one day. How long that will last might be as much as a hundred years, but something tells me Eira might be able to circumvent that. Eira is not dead, again, so I would not doubt she will show up again.

Even though this book is only a few pages longer than the previous one, there is so much plot and action it felt like twice as long, with the first part seeming a long time ago, part of a previous book. But Toby's narration is exciting and propulsive, keeping me reading late into the night for two nights. Toby's relationship with Duke Sylvester is up in the air, and her relationship with Tybalt might be about to change too, but other dangers might lurk around the next corner, which could alter both of those situations. Up next will be another short story, recommended to be read after this novel..

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"Heaps of Pearl" is available for download at Seanan's website in various formats. Don't choose the .mobi option unless your Kindle is more than five years old. More recent models use .epub, which is what every other e-reader uses. As far as I can tell it is not available any other way at this time.

Posted May 6, 2025
No matter how it might seem to others, I try my best to not reveal too much in my reviews. This short story, only available as a digital download from Seanan's website, mentions a character that came up for the first time in The Winter Long, yet another secret that had been withheld from Toby. ISFDb.org (the Internet Speculative Fiction Database) says "Heaps of Pearl" is in continuity with the fifth novel, One Salt Sea, since it is the origin story of Queen Dianda Lorden of the Saltmists, at least as far as it depicts her first meeting with her eventual Consort, Patrick Twycross, who would later take her surname. But Seanan says it should not be read until after The Winter Long, so I took her word for it. Patrick had been born near Boston, but his parents had sent him to be fostered in the Kingdom of the Mists, although I am not sure by which court, but probably Shadowed Hills since he is a Daoine Sidhe. While growing up in Boston, Patrick had been fascinated by sailing ships, and later steamships. Remember, fae live very long lives. The first steamship was developed in 1807. "Heaps of Pearl" takes place in 1840. Patrick had continued his interest in steamships, one of his major endeavors was building his own. Since he is a Daoine Sidhe, not a Tuatha de Dannan, fae who can create spatial portals to move from one place to another, Patrick wants a fast ship which could make a trip back to Boston, and to his family's original home, which was somewhere in the British Isles. He is a Baron at the time this story begins, but had no land of his own, and he was sure it would be hundreds of years before he would inherit from his father.

Patrick is working on his engine when Simon Torquill comes to take him to a party at King Gilad's court, a party Patrick had conveniently forgotten about. He is shy, especially around women, fae or human, so hadn't planned on going. Simon talks him into it though. Once there he tries to be inconspicuous, eventually going out onto a balcony, where he runs into a woman desperate to find more to eat than the miniscule canapés being offered in the main hall. Patrick was familiar with, and welcome in the kitchens of every court in the Mists. He is able to offer the woman, not beautiful but not unattractive either, large portions of food, from meats and cheeses, breads to deserts. She devours everything, and their conversation was more to his liking than the boring ones he would have had to listen to in the King's court. They finally eat as much as either needed, and she had a prodigious appetite, so they go back to the main hall, to find her father berating the King for losing sight of his daughter. As Patrick watches from the sidelines, his companion calls out, "Here I am, father." It dawns on him that she is the reason for the party, for the King to elevate her to Duchess of Saltmist. And that Dianda is a Merrow, a mermaid, only not in her Undersea form.

Toby was born in 1952, only learning about her fae nature when she was seven, but even by the time of The Winter Long, when she is at least sixty years old, there was much she still did not know. Also at King Gilad's party in 1840 was someone she had just become aware of. In the company of Amandine, Toby's mother, and her husband Simon Torquill, was their sixteen-year-old daughter August, but her appearance is very brief, since this is not her story. By the time of The Winter Long August had been missing for many years, although I am not sure exactly how long. The fact she was mentioned in the previous novel, and Seanan suggested this story be read after it, I can't help but think she will turn up soon, or at least Toby will learn more about her half-sister. I have already read the first couple of chapters in the next book, which makes me want to track down another story that Seanan doesn't offer for download. It is only in a now out of print multi-author anthology, although it is available as an e-book, but neither are at my library. I'll update again in a few days with my thoughts on the ninth novel, A Red-Rose Chain.

 

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