A Local Habitation: An October Daye Novel (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

A Local Habitation focuses on the story of October Daye, also known as 'Toby', private detective and a changeling half-breed; half human and half Daoine Sidhe. Due to her dual nature she's been an outsider all her life -- finding herself in both worlds but a part of neither. She seems to have recovered well from the clandestine events of the prior novel. We rejoin her as she gets in from a night out only to find her liege, Sylvester, wishes her to travel to the County of Tamed Lightning to check on his wayward niece. Thus off goes the grumbling knight errant along with Quentin; her new sidekick. She's not happy to say the least! What she finds when she reaches Tamed Lightning is a whole world of problems...

This book absolutely fantastic! I really really enjoyed it. I'd been finding it hard to get into books lately, so it was gratifying to find something so alive and readable. The mystery in this book is very well handled, and McGuire has improved a great deal since writing her first novel Rosemary and Rue. Toby does some clever investigating and deducting -- there's no easy out for her this time. There's a surprising amount of tension and atmosphere to A Local Habitation as things happen within the small confines of Tamed Lightning. It's an eerie, claustrophobic place and I thought the author evoked this quality rather well.

I felt that McGuire absolutely pinpointed Toby's voice in this book: she came through loud and clear which made the story all the more absorbing. Toby is tough and in less of a dark place since we left her -- she's getting her life back on track, and has made some allies. She's not alone anymore. Instead of being completely resistant to investigating this time around, she's actively happy to do it (well, mostly).

Most of the characters from the first book return here. Quentin gets fleshed out well, and I have to say I utterly adore him! He has some nice banter with Toby and we get a much better read on his character as a result. I hope he remains to the forefront of events in the future. We also get to see Connor, Sylvester, the Luidaeg albeit briefly, and of course, the irrepressible Tybalt. Tybalt is interesting, he positively exudes better than thou royalty. Plus he's funny. His relationship with Toby is layered and as yet somewhat undefined. The novel ends with some more questions and I love the touch of mystery that permeates every aspect of Toby's life. There's clearly miles to go before she sleeps.

I'm looking forward to the next book, which is out in september An Artificial Night: An October Daye Novel.

If you enjoyed your first outing with Toby then you are going to love this.

A Local Habitation is the second book in the October Daye series and it is even better than the first.
Six months have passed since the end of Rosemary and Rue and Toby is no longer the empty shell of a woman and is beginning t heal. She has been taking and solving cases and interacting with her friends.
A Local Habitation begins with her liege Sylvester Torquill asking her to go to the small but politically strife riddled fae county Tamed Lightning to check in on his niece January. She stopped returning his calls a little while ago and if he goes himself it will be the beginning of a fae war. So poor Toby is drafted in and as an added bonus teen page Quinton is sent along to help her. It isn't long before it all gets badly out of hand.

Whereas the last book saw Toby running around San Francisco, A Local Habitation is more of a locked door mystery with fairies and most of the action takes place inside ALH; which is January's computer firm. Fans of the Cat King Tybalt will be pleased to know that he makes a greater appearance in this book than he did the first.

The fae world is as interesting as the first time but this book is more about action and the world building does not bog down the story. New types of fae are met and the story is excitingly told as the tension keeps building. There are a couple of things that Toby took longer than necessary to figure out which was a little annoying but forgivable since they never stopped me from enjoying the book.

The story is complete with no cliff-hanger, though still a little melancholy in tone. Toby still has a long way to go for her happy ending and I can hardly wait for the third book (An Artificial Night - Sept)

In this novel October, the changeling detective, investigates murder and mystery at a fae-owned IT company in Seattle. It is both startling and interesting to read about the intertwining of magic and computers. There are times in the story when the reader sees the fae world as mundane and the computer world as magical, and this echoes the subconscious feelings of a lot of people! There is plenty of mayhem and tension to keep thriller readers on the edges of their seats, including major problems with cars and telephones which can be magically influenced. The resolution is a satisfying blend of the worlds of fairies and IT. Throughout the novel the background stories of October and her friends and enemies are further explained and expanded, leading to a strong desire for the next book in the series.

I particularly liked the descriptions of the building the IT company uses - partly in a fairy kingdom and partly in Seattle, it alters inside and dizzies the visitor. How often we have all felt that about the architecture of the buildings big companies inhabit! The cats, too, along with their king, are a powerful part of this book. Ms McGuire's descriptions are detailed, unique and absorbing.

This is a worthy successor to Rosemary and Rue. Seanan McGuire has created a fascinating clash of cultures in her tales of fairies in modern California; the well-researched fairy kingdoms are a vivid counterpoint to present day America and also echo the human condition. The characters are all three dimensional and memorable; even the villains are very real people with nothing 'cardboard' or stereotypical about them.

The writing is assured and smooth. It segues effortlessly between the lyricism of faerie and the grittiness of the classic detective novel. A quintessential urban fantasy with a heroine who will take root in your heart.

Highly recommended.