The October Daye Series, Part 2
by Seanan McGuire

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted May 1, 2025
Edits and Addenda on May 2, 5, 10, & 18

Book 7 - Chimes at Midnight / 7.5 - "Full of Briars" / ? "Never Shines the Sun" / 8 - The Winter Long / 8.5 - "Heaps of Pearl" / 9. A Red-Rose Chain / 10. Once Broken Faith / 10.5 "Dreams and Slumbers"

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 scent; for Toby it is that of cut grass and copper, for Tybalt it is musk and pennyroyal, Sylvester's is dogwood and daffodils. 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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Not listed at Bookshop. Used copies are available from third-party sellers at Amazon. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted May 10, 2025
A Red-Rose Chain is out of print at this time, but I doubt that will be for long. The previous couple of books I read will get new editions in December, and since the series remains very popular, I am sure DAW will want to make sure all are available. If you can't find a reasonably priced used copy check your library.

At this time I will say this is not as good as The Winter Long, but there is enough action, plus new things learned, more of Toby's abilities revealed, that it was well worth reading. The story begins with Toby, Tybalt, Quentin, and Danny (the frequently seen bridge troll/cab driver) fighting off an invasion of Mauthe Doog, large dog-like creatures who have the ability to move through space similar to Tuatha de Dannan. They had been seen by several human hikers, and when their stories made it to the news, Queen Arden tasked Toby with trapping them. It was not until one of the large creatures encountered Toby's sword, their blood coating it, that Toby got the idea of using her new blood powers to try and understand them. She tastes the blood, immediately realizing they are frightened, that they had been trapped on Earth after passing through a portal which had been opened by Chelsea, Etienne's daughter, as told in the sixth novel, Ashes of Honor. Chelsea is now under a limiting spell, negating her Tuatha de Dannan powers, for a while at least. Another dog-like fae species also figures into this story, as it did in a smaller way in Chimes at Midnight. When Arden had been in hiding, before Toby found her, she had worked at a bookstore/cafe, along with her good friend Madden, a Cu Sidhe. He offers to take the Muathe Doog to another area of the Summerlands, only to be returned to Muir Woods by his sister Tia (full name Faoiltiama). Madden is in a hundred year coma induced by elf-shot. Tia also delivers a declaration of war from King Rhys of the Kingdom of Silences.

On several previous occasions it had been mentioned there had been a war between the Mists, which is in northern California, and the Silences further north. King Rhys' knowe is near Portland, Oregon. Toby did not know a lot about that war, other than the fact many were surprised the Mists had won, considering Silences had the larger army. It is possible the war had been designed by the false and now deposed Queen of the Mists in order to place her lover King Rhys on the throne of Silences. The former rulers of Silences had been of the Yates clan. Another of Toby's frequent allies is Walther Davies, the UC Berkeley chemistry professor and alchemist. He is a cousin of the Yates family, not in the line of succession for the throne, but he had fled Silences after the war because many in the Yates and Davies' families had been killed, and/or elf-shot by King Rhys and his army. Queen Arden appoints Toby as her ambassador to go to Silences to try and avert war. Her entourage includes her squire Quentin, her now fiancé Tybalt, Walther (not realizing his connection), and May, her somewhat sister/former Fetch. What they find in Silences is a very backwards royal court, described several times like people cosplaying at a Renaissance faire. All of the court are pureblood fae, primarily Twyleth Teg (as is Walther), accomplished alchemists. Changelings are lowly servants, thought of as nothing more than animals, many of them subjected to addiction to goblin fruit. One of the king's highest ranking officers is another Twyleth Teg, Marlis, whom Walther later identifies as his sister. Toby wonders why she did not recognize her brother, but it is later learned that everyone is controlled by the king's alchemy, subject to his orders, with no autonomy of their own. Another reason she may not have recognized Walther is revealed later, but I won't give details about that now.

I have often thought that Seanan may have been offered options on her stories for film or TV adaptation. Even if that never happens, and I'm not sure I would want it to, one thing that would be like other shows of this nature would be recurring villains, once thought defeated, but really only escaped. In this case it is the false and deposed Queen, who still hates Toby. The false Queen (and we still don't know her name) was of mixed fae heritage, that of Banshee, Sea Wight, and Siren. It was the latter that Toby was able to extract from the Queen's blood, leaving her with just two. However, she now sits at the right hand of King Rhys, whom she appointed as the new ruler at the end of the previous war. She wants to punish Toby for banishing her from the Mists, but also wants to go to war with the Mists to reclaim her throne. Toby will have none of that.

Considering there are currently nine more novels, with another due out in September, as well as many shorter stories (some only available to Patreon subscibers), we know Toby will be around for a long time, but it does't tell us everything she will encounter, nor how her friends and allies will fare. I won't detail the rest of the story, but once again Tybalt has to deal with Toby taking too many risks, placing herself in danger. Even she doesn't know every power she now possesses, nor what she will discover later. Toby always does what she has to do in the moment, learning more about herself through trial and error. King Rhys wants to use her blood in alchemical ways, to concoct new potions and weapons, both for healing, and for hurting others who stand against him. The false Queen wants her Siren powers back, which she thinks can be found in Toby's blood. Everything becomes more desparate when May is elf-shot. Walther thinks he may be able to concoct a cure for the elf-shot poison, now that Toby has told him who created it, and what their magic was comprised of. Toby finds another ally in Ceres, sister of Luna Torquill, who thanks Toby for killing her father, Blind Michael.

There are several things left unresolved. The biggest question I had was why Tia conspired with King Rhys and against her brother. Also, Toby and Tybalt had met with Portland's local King of Cats, who had known Tybalt for many years, multiple centuries, back in England when he was known as Rand. Jolgeir has a human wife, and several changeling daughters. When he learns of Toby's blood-changing ability, she offers them the choice of alteration to become fully fae, or merely human. If she actually followed through on that it might be mentioned in a later story. This one ends with the Yates family cured of elf-shot, as is May, but both King Rhys and the false Queen are asleep for another hundred years. If and when they awake they will have to answer to High King Aethlin. I am sure Madden will not be the only one awakened from their elf-shot trance as soon as Toby and her entourage return to Muir Woods. Queen Arden's brother Nolan had been shot by the false Queen's forces decades before, the main reason she had remained hidden being to keep him from further harm. I have no idea when Toby and Tybalt's nuptials will take place, but I suspect there may be more roadblocks to their happiness ahead. Something else that will have to wait is more revelations about Toby's half-sister August. I'll follow up with thoughts on the next novel, plus a novella, as soon as possible, but another story from a different author will come before that..

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Once Broken Faith is technically out of print at this time, but will probably get a new edition eventually. You can buy the e-book from Bookshop. At least one third-party seller has a new paperback through Amazon, and of course they have it for Kindle too. A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Posted May 18, 2025
Concerning the elf-shot cure developed my alchemist Walther Davies, he was able to awaken his aunt, Queen Siwan of the Silences, and her consort King Holger, along with others from their family and his. However, the High King received word of the cure in short order, and had issued a decree that it not be used on anyone else until he was able to organize a conclave of regents throughout his realm. I had assumed Queen Arden Windermere in the Mists would have wasted no time in reviving her brother Nolan, and her seneschal Madden. She and Walther had not done that yet, but wanted to do it surreptitiously before High King Athelin's arrival, which was supposed to be within a week. Arden comes to Toby one night to ask for her help in accomplishing that task ahead of time, so they go back to Muir Woods, where Walther revives Madden first, since he had been under the elf-shot spell only a few weeks. Before they can waken Nolan the High King arrives to stop them. Word goes out about the conclave to be held at Muir Woods within a week.

Pureblood fae from many adjacent kingdoms show up, but not from throughout North America. All of those realms are known as the Divided Courts, and some felt they might leave their kingdom open to attack by others if they traveled that far, so the majority of the attendees are only from the western regions of the country. On the dais for the ceremonies are High King Athelin, High Queen Maida, Queen Arden, and Queen Siwan. Others are announced on their entrance, a few described as King "by right of ascension," others "by right of conquest." Since Oberon had declared the Cait Sidhe to be separate but equal to other fae kingdoms, as the King of the Court of Dreaming Cats, Tybalt gets to share the dais, or dining table, with the High King and Queen on several occasions. Lesser nobility are there as well, including Duke Sylvester Torquill, whom Toby has avoided for a while, still upset at his betrayal of lies and/or withheld information concerning her mother and Simon Torquill. Toby is the only changeling in attendance, which is resented by many, but she does have pertinent information to reveal. Well, the only changeling until another arrives in company with the Luidaeg. Karen Brown, middle daughter of Toby's best friend Stacy, is an oneiromancer, a dream-walker. Eira Rosynhwyr/Evening Winterrose, the creator of elf-shot, and now a victim of it, had come to Karen via dreamstate, saying that Karen must be her spokesperson at the conclave.

Many different royal families, from many different fae species, together in one place was a recipe for arguments, threats, and bluster. What no one expected, especially with the presence of the High King and Queen, was murder. King Antonio Robinson of the Angels (Southern California) gets in an argument with Dianda, Duchess of Saltmists. Toby and a few of her friends go out on a patio for quiet. When they return to the banquet hall it is empty, but there is a distinct noise in the air, which Toby recognizes as the approach of the night-haunts. She discovers the body of King Antonio under a table. When the night-haunts arrive, Toby requests to speak to the King's haunt. It tells her he did not see who attacked him, but he had heard a sound like tin foil ripping, and it seemed that time had altered in some way, stopping for an indeterminate period. The conclave still has to continue, and Toby needs to participate, but once again she has to don her private investigator persona to track down a killer. Plus there are more attacks, the second being against Duchess Dianda, who is elf-shot. Karen is recruited to go into Dianda's dreams to find out if she had seen her assailant. She had, he is apprehended, he confesses, but Toby is sure he is not the one who killed King Antonio.

Her investigation is stymied by the continued arguments of whether the elf-shot cure should be allowed, or if elf-shot itself be banned. Karen reports that Eira Rosynhwyr wants elf-shot to remain an option. Even though fae are immortal they can be killed, and had been in past wars or assassinations. She and Oberon thought elf-shot was a humane (or whatever term would apply for fae) way around Oberon's Law that fae should not kill fae. A hundred years sleep was nothing to an immortal. However, it was known that other magics could be used in addition to the standard elf-shot, poisons that would give the sleeper torturous nightmares, or an extension beyond one hundred years. Another variation comes up in the novella that follows. Toby wants the deposed King Rhys and the false Queen of the Mists to remain under their elf-shot spell, but many others were innocent victims. Even Sylvester's daughter Rayseline deserved to be awakened, since the bad things she had done had been the results of spells and manipulations by Simon and Oleander. Of course, the majority of pureblood fae were angered that a changeling had the audacity to tell them how to conduct their lives. And therein lies another way in which Toby continues to alter everyone's perceptions.

Elf-shot is generally fatal for changelings, but it is shrugged off by purebloods as just a blip in their lives that could span millennia. As she witnessed in the Silences, and sees again in the words and actions of many at the conclave, changelings are superfluous to most purebloods. And of course there is a heirarchy among even purebloods, with the major clans, the Daoine Sidhe, Tuatha de Dannan, Twyleth Teg, looking down on "lesser" fae like the Cu Sidhe, Hob, Coblynau, Barrow Wight, etc. Most of them are usually servants, cooks, guards, expendable. The lower fae have more in common with changelings than the higher purebloods. Toby makes an impassioned plea to the conclave that until there is equality and compassion among all fae, no matter their blood strength, the kingdoms will be forever mired in outdated traditions and morals. Elf-shot should remain, but only as a last resort. Fae must respect all fae, stop thinking of any as expendable, including changelings. And humans, since their population is higher, and interaction with them has increased. That is the only way for the fae world to stay sane and liveable, something to be proud of. The High King eventually declares the elf-shot cure can be used, with each kingdom deciding for itself who should get the cure.

It is possible Toby was responsible for that, due to things everyone had witnessed. After all [minor spoilers] she did die again, or at least Jin, Sylvester's main healer, is convinced she did. I guess everyone might have relented since they were afraid of what Toby might do if they didn't. How Toby can continue to "die," or seriously injure herself, then recover rapidly, is baffling to everyone, including herself. She has ceased to care anymore. She knows she will die, completely, at some point, but worry about that should not interfere with whatever case she has to solve. And there were other things to solve this time too, but I won't say who else was elf-shot, other than they were all very near and dear to her. Next up, the story of Queen Arden and Prince Nolan..

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Posted May 18, 2025
Queen Arden Windermere in the Mists narrates this story. There are comments about her past, but most of the action takes place immediately after the end of the conclave detailed in the novel above. Her brother, Prince Nolan, is still asleep. She wants to wake him of course, but keeps putting it off. She hasn't yet settled into her new-found life as Queen, continually second-guessing herself. If she can't figure out how to be Queen, how will she manage bringing her brother up to speed? Even though he is younger, she always felt he was better suited to wear their father's crown. He had been under the elf-shot spell for eighty years, and would sleep for another twenty before waking naturally, so she does have time to decide. She trusts Walther, the alchemist who created the cure, but he had also said each dose had to be tailored to the specific ingredients, the unique magic used, for each case. What if he had mixed the cure wrong for Nolan? Shouldn't she give Walther the time to make sure her brother's cure is fool-proof? She finally decides she, and she alone, has to do it, or else no one would respect any decision she made as Queen. Nolan wakes, they have a few words, then she takes him to the room in the knowe he had when their father was still alive. Almost immediately he falls forward on the bed, asleep again, and Arden cannot wake him this time.

Almost all fae are nocturnal. Arden knows Walther always works late in his office or lab at Berkeley. Arden is a Tuatha de Dannan, able to create portals for movement across long distances. Without telling anyone else, since they would think she was abandoning everything, she portals herself to Berkeley, where she finds Walther in his office, but someone else is with him. It is Cassandra "Cassie" Brown, Karen's older sister. Arden mistakenly thinks Cassie is another oneiromancer like her sister, and wants to ask her to go into Nolan's dreams. But Cassie is something else, which I will mention later. She tranports all three of them back to the knowe, where Walther, after sampling Nolan's blood again, determines there had been an additional spell on top of the elf-shot poison, a spell which put Nolan back to sleep again, but a sleep unlike the previous. Elf-shot sleep was like stasis, the victim didn't need to eat or drink, not even breathe, but would still live through the hundred years. Now Nolan is essentially in a normal coma, so palliative care has to be maintained or else he will die. He needs true human medicine, no magic would help, but if they can figure out who and how that extra spell was placed, Nolan's situation might be reversed. Walther asks Arden if she is up for a bit of larceny, and of course she would do anything to save her brother. She transports them to several hospitals around San Francisco where they steal IV drips and stands, and other essential supplies.

Now I need to explain a bit about Cassie. Several times Arden noticed Cassie was in a sort of spell herself, staring at something, not really focused on anything. She is not an oneiromancer, but identifies herself as an aeromancer. She can sense vibrations in the air itself, and she had been staring at the air just above the vial of elf-shot cure on the table next to Nolan. After more concentration she is sure she knows who was responsible for the extra spell. Once again Arden has to transport them from Muir Woods to San Francisco, even though she is afraid of what they will encounter, and also afraid she will run out of her magic portal powers before the night is done. They go to the docks where the Luidaeg, the sea witch, lives. The Luidaeg, Antigone, is the oldest of the Firstborn, the oldest daughter of Maeve. There have been hints throughout the books that she had been cursed, by her half-sister Eira Rosynhwyr for sure, but maybe either Maeve or Titania, Oberon's other wife, or perhaps even Oberon himself. She cannot lie, although she can skirt around the truth if the question isn't worded properly. She is also compelled to provide magic for others, but only if they agree to her price. The false Queen is the one responsible for Nolan being elf-shot, but it was the Luidaeg who created the extra spell. We don't know what the false Queen paid for that, but Arden is willing to pay anything if the Luidaeg will agree to help wake Nolan. She does. All Arden had to promise was to not abandon her throne. The Luidaeg had too many other things to do and worry about, she didn't have time to deal with another abdication or a monarch overthrown.

This will be the last for this page. When I continue with the series I will create a third, but for now a bit of summation. I feel confident we will see Cassie more often. She is possibly on the cusp of having a relationship with Walther. She is attending Berkeley, but not taking any of his classes. Instead, her major is in physics, with the intention of using science to study magic. I don't know what position she will fill, but Arden has offered her a job, and a place to live in her knowe. Toby did not appear in this novella, but was mentioned several times. Part of the problem Arden had thinking of herself as Queen was she had maintained her anonymity, and kept Nolan safe, for over eighty years, until Toby found her. She fears Toby a bit, resents her presumptiousness, even though she also knows Toby is loyal to the Mists, and it appears Toby and Sylvester may be able to heal their rift. The Mists had been the most democratic kingdom, in spite of the vitriol of the false Queen. Sylvester has great respect for Toby, and had good rapport with other changelings, and "lesser" fae at Shadowed Hills. Changelings throughout the Mists may still be second-class citizens, but at least they are citizens, not slaves like they are in other kingdoms. Conditions in the Mists will continue to improve, not just because of Toby's efforts, but I am sure Karen and Cassie will play a part.

Everyone is continually surprised by what Toby can do. At one point in Once Broken Faith she was convinced she had to change her blood completely to fae, burn out her humanity, become pureblood. Then again, she knew what she would be giving up, and it turned out she didn't have to take that step. Yet. Toby is a changeling, but with her blood powers she is unique. First, her mother was a Firstborn, which very few other fae, even many hundreds of years older, could boast. That has to mean something about her abilities, and it is the major reason I want to learn more about Amandine. But what about Cassie and Karen? Their father is a half-blood, their mother Stacy is less than that, but I'm not sure what percentage, maybe less than quarter. That would make Cassie and Karen no more than eighth-blood fae. Yet their powers are almost extinct among purebloods. It has been mentioned several times that no other oneiromancer has been known for hundreds of years. Arden had never heard of an aeromancer like Cassie. How can they have such powers with so little fae blood? As far as I know, their family has no connection to Toby's, but I might be wrong. I can't help but think a major revelation lies ahead. That will have to wait for a while though. I don't know when I will get back to this series, but I promise you I will.

 

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