A Local Habitation
A Local Habitation follows Rosemary and Rue
to continue the ongoing October Daye series from Seanan McGuire. It's a
bit of a step down from the first book but is still a mostly enjoyable
read.
The thing I like about these books, and McGuire's writing in general, is how well thought-out her worlds are. This series takes place in a San Francisco that has Faerie peering in at the edges. There are several different kingdoms contained in the city with many different races of Fae and the complicated politics that go along with that. Toby has to navigate this confusing world with the added difficulty that she is only half-Fae, resulting in a much-reduced status.
As in the first book, the world in which this story takes place is well-realized. The surrounding characters are distinct and interesting. Overall, the book is a fun, light read.
The problem is the plot (and I've been assured that this is the weakest book of the series, so there is that). Toby is sent to Fremont where she finds herself investigating a string of murders at a computer company/small Fae county. Though this is initially a really cool twist on the locked room mystery, it gets a bit tiresome by the end of the book. Every time another body turns up, the pool of suspects necessarily shrinks. The killer is found more by process of elimination than any actual detective work, and I'm not sure whether that makes the killer stupider than Toby or not.
But what Toby lacks in smarts, she makes up in snark. She may not have the slightest idea who is killing all the people. She may be missing things that are glaringly obvious to the reader. She may be better at bandaging wounds than asking the right questions (which really says all you need to know about her and these books). But she never loses her sense of humor or wit. So even when she's failing to do her job, she's still a decent protagonist to hang out with.
As I said, I've heard that this series gets better as it goes. So I'll probably get around to the rest of the series (or at least the next book) eventually. If my to-read list ever manages to get any shorter.
The thing I like about these books, and McGuire's writing in general, is how well thought-out her worlds are. This series takes place in a San Francisco that has Faerie peering in at the edges. There are several different kingdoms contained in the city with many different races of Fae and the complicated politics that go along with that. Toby has to navigate this confusing world with the added difficulty that she is only half-Fae, resulting in a much-reduced status.
As in the first book, the world in which this story takes place is well-realized. The surrounding characters are distinct and interesting. Overall, the book is a fun, light read.
The problem is the plot (and I've been assured that this is the weakest book of the series, so there is that). Toby is sent to Fremont where she finds herself investigating a string of murders at a computer company/small Fae county. Though this is initially a really cool twist on the locked room mystery, it gets a bit tiresome by the end of the book. Every time another body turns up, the pool of suspects necessarily shrinks. The killer is found more by process of elimination than any actual detective work, and I'm not sure whether that makes the killer stupider than Toby or not.
But what Toby lacks in smarts, she makes up in snark. She may not have the slightest idea who is killing all the people. She may be missing things that are glaringly obvious to the reader. She may be better at bandaging wounds than asking the right questions (which really says all you need to know about her and these books). But she never loses her sense of humor or wit. So even when she's failing to do her job, she's still a decent protagonist to hang out with.
As I said, I've heard that this series gets better as it goes. So I'll probably get around to the rest of the series (or at least the next book) eventually. If my to-read list ever manages to get any shorter.
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