#seanan was like what if we could be in the undersea all the time and i was there!! with bells on!!

[linovadraws]

August and Peter figuring out the whole ~siblings~ thing. From the October Daye series, specifically the Patreon story, "In Safety Rest".

[pantherlover]

Hello!  It took me a week, but I finally finished The Unkindest Tide!  (I love these books very much, but they are stressful the first read through)  Shockingly enough, I have Thoughts!

Non-spoilery reaction: AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Spoilery reaction:

Jaaaaazzzzzz I love her SO MUCH.  I’m really hoping that the more detailed explanations of Raven Maids means that we’re going to see more about her family in the future.  It would be really nice to get a story where Jazz and May were more central to the plot.

The details we got on the Luidaeg’s geas were fascinating.  It might have actually been really good for Toby that she went back into debt with the Luidaeg before she officially got out of it.  I always thought that the Luidaeg said that she was going to kill Toby because of like, prophecy reasons, but now I think that she has to kill Toby because she said she would, and not killing Toby would lead to Very Bad Consequences.

Pete!  I’m so happy we got to meet a Firstborn who wasn’t a dumpster fire; plus, it was nice to see the Luidaeg with a sibling that she actually likes.

Stacyyyyyy sdlfjsldkfjsdlkjflsdj “If it wouldn’t mean certain death, I’d give the sea witch a piece of my mind for putting this on you.”  We should all have as good a friend as Stacy Brown.  (Please please let her have a bigger role in future books!!!)

I’m sad that we didn’t get to see more of Nolan and Cassandra in this book, especially because I’ve been waiting for ages for Toby to interact with Nolan more, but I liked what little we saw of them!  I’m hoping that them being in this book was setting up a plot point for future books, and we’ll see more of them then.

Selkie politics are SO INTERESTING and I’m happy we got to see more of them, even if they’re kind of obsolete now.

Luidaeeeeeeeeeg GOD this book raised so many interesting, messy points/questions about how much people are responsible for their ancestors’ mistakes, how to deal with the unforgivable, grief and all of the ways that can drag you down; the book didn’t really answer them but it shouldn’t have because there aren’t any answers, the best thing you can do is make sure you can handle the consequences.

There was never going to be a good solution to the Selkies, because how could there be?  But this was probably the solution where the Luidaeg would be able to live with herself in the end, and I’m so so happy that she was able to let go of some of her grief.

I like Gillian so much more now.  I tried!  I tried Really Hard to be sympathetic to her reasons for not liking Toby before, and like, in my head I was?  But in practice, I didn’t really enjoy seeing another person intentionally try to hurt Toby because of things that weren’t actually her fault.  Gillian being mad because Toby’s life means that she keeps getting put in danger?  I understand 100%.

However, I don’t think that Toby staying away has any chance whatsoever of keeping Gillian out of danger.  Toby’s already tried that; she really can���t stay farther away than turning Gillian human and cutting off all contact with her.  Toby’s not going to stop loving her; Gillian’s only going to stop being the easiest target to use against Toby when she stops being the most vulnerable one.

So the woman who told Torin to interfere in the Roane coming back was Eira, right?  Or at least someone that works for her?  If it was Eira herself, is this proof that Simon’s found her and managed to bring her back from the Rose Roads, or did she set this up before she faced off with Toby the last time?

What is going on with Marcia?  I’m still not completely convinced that she’s Maeve in disguise, but there’s clearly something going on.

This book offered exactly zero proof that Toby’s mortal side is going to end up being important at some point; it still made me feel more sure that it will.  Don’t ask me why!  But it did.

Speculation for Future Books

Seanan McGuire mentioned on her blog that the next book was going to involve Dianda punching people, which made me curious about what it could be about.  The only recurring bad guy that might have a connection to the Undersea that I can think of is the False Queen, which means that this might be the book where she’s permanently dealt with.  (I really, really hope so, at least; I’m Very Done with her and I’d like her Gone)

Given that Gillian is Roane now, this means that she might have the gift of prophecy.  Maybe she’ll call Toby and go ‘okay, I still don’t really want to talk to you, but The Bitch that forced me to join Faerie is going to try something and you need to deal with it.’  This might end up with Gillian and Toby spending enough time together that Gillian will warm up to Toby.  Toby might even offer to teach Gillian how to defend herself, which I imagine would be a veeeery different reaction than the one Janet had (I have a feeling that Janet will not take Gillian permanently being part of Faerie well)

I’m sure I have more things to say about this book, but I’ll probably talk about them when I get to this book in my re-read.  Come talk to me about it!

[terramythos]

Notes from my October Daye reread, #7 Chimes At Midnight. Or, "don't eat evil pie if you're planning to overthrow the government". Advanced spoilers, please read the books, etc. 

Reminder right off the bat that sweet fashion disaster May used to be an eldritch horror of the night???

-the month name in her case seems to be a coincidence? (But like. How could a name like May Daye be a coincidence. Come the fuck on.)

-Goblin fruit is super yikes. Super addictive drug that inevitably leads to death?

- Tybalt and Toby domestic shit hell yeah

Tybalt: arrested for being horny on main

- Toby: let's visit the Queen, who demonstrably hates me, about the goblin fruit problem. What could possibly go wrong (spoiler: a whole lot)

-"i may be a composite of multiple dead people, but I'm not stupid" May is nonbinary, pass the fucking tea

-The Gang Overthrows the Queen

Quentin is such a good kid! Fuck!

-I just... love the characters and how they've developed over the series. Quentin is great, Tybalt is great, The Luidaeg is great... October has changed into a more open and less depressed person. It's great! I mean, everything goes to shit over the next 2 books, but we've come so far!

-Quentin getting extremely upset that The High King didn't notice the Queen didn't have a legitimate claim to the throne? Haha. Haha. *takes another shot*

-Quentin: we could just like... TELL the High King that shes not a legitimate ruler. Like we literally could just call him up and say--

Toby: he would probably kill us and how would we do that anyway

Quentin: *silently screaming*

Have I mentioned I LOVE the Luidaeg? Shes such a great character.

-the implication that tybalt's archaic speech is at least partially just to fuck with Toby is so fuckign funny god they're so cute

GOD...

-Quentin not quite bowing to Arden, or at least not as formally as the others. That's foreshadowing. God damn it.

- The Undersea: is relevant

Me: wow I knew we introduced all that lore 2 books ago for a reason

- "Princesses aren't exciting. I've met Princesses." I am so glad I am not ACTUALLY drinking every time Quentin's identity is foreshadowed, because this book alone would have killed me by now.

- everything: goes to shit

Me: ah, there it is

- Toby becoming instantly addicted to goblin fruit and forgetting 2 of the most important people in her life has me at a severe oof. :(

- fucking props to seanan for making pie legitimately threatening.

- October Daye patch 7.1 notes: due to balance concerns, toby has been shifted back to more human.

Gameplay effects: hair is brown again. blood magic effects and self-healing have been reduced by 75%. Iron resistance increased 75%.

-Theres a line about how Tybalt should have known better than to believe anything could have gone right for very long and. Yikes in context. Yikes with knowing Tybalt's backstory.

- fun lore with the Luidaeg offering to turn Toby into a Selkie to save her from impending death. Being like... technically the Selkie Firstborn. And how much doing that would actually cost. It's certainly something to file away for later because I don't imagine we would introduce a concept like that and then abandon it...

-SUDDEN HEAVY SETUP FOR BOOK 8 STUFF. SUDDEN BOOK 1 BEING RELEVANT. Why did Evening, some random noble, have a fucking ancient powerful artifact just kinda... randomly in her possession? INDEED.

- toby: Why does the name Eira Rosenhwyr sound so familiar?

Mags: Oh she's a Firstborn

Toby: Right, that definitely explains it one hundred percent. Time to not think about it at all ever again.

- TOBY I'm aware you're kind of out of your mind right now but surely you can see the aesthetic similarity between EIRA ROSENHWYR and EVENING WINTERROSE. Ajdjenskkelbsbd

- I fucking googled it and Eira Rosenhwyr translates roughly to "Snow Rose Evening" lmfao

- Mags, continuing exposition: yeah she always had this Snow White thing where like she never stayed dead for long

Me, considering book 1's central conflict and how Evening was described multiple times as Snow White: 🙃

- I really appreciate the fact that whenever Walther shows up in a book he pretty much saves the day in a major way just by making like. A potion

- toby: magic is weird. Candy made from my blood that temporarily curbs the effects of addiction? Right

Walther: you're dating a cat

-I forgot we learn The Luidaeg's actual name in this one???? "Yeah I'm Antigone what up"

-OH THATS WHERE THE "ANNIE" PSEUDONYM COMES FROM. God damn it.

-God I love Danny and his godawful expletives "Oberon's scrotum". God

- I haven't mentioned it too much but there are soooooo many good tybalt and toby moments. They have such a good and loving relationship. Boy I die

-there's a bit where Toby consumes some of the Luidaeg's blood for Reasons and gets a brief Luidaeg-POV flashback.. which shows the Luidaeg protesting Amandine abusing Toby as a kid. So even though they don't really meet until book 1, it puts her first unofficial appearance in a new context. Just some all powerful ancient sea witch checkin up on her niece at Safeway, y'know

- god the first Cu Sidhe shows up in this one and he just looks like a glam rocker who's also sort of a dog. Jesus christ

- they just act like dogs too and it is so funny. Fucking zero attention span, super excited and happy at being told they did a good job.

- arden: there's no way you're amandine's kid. She would never sleep with a human. Her husband would be pissed

Toby: ??? My mom isn't married?

(Oh boy that's gonna be a fun one)

AND, AFTER SIX AND A HALF BOOKS OF SOLID FORESHADOWING:

We get the Quentin reveal. The alcohol poisoning ceases.

-There's some real good irony in like. THE Crown Prince getting apprenticed to Toby, who is a member of Faerie's biggest underclass. And they become fucking BFFs over the course of the series. That's some good shit

👌👌👌some GOOD👌 shit right there

-God just going back there are SO many hints. I noted a lot of them on this series reread but some of my favorites are the real subtle ones. Like Quentin in book 2 being inexplicably amused when Toby orders him to do something.

- Like?? She makes the kid do chores. She's almost gotten him killed like half a dozen times. That's just some... premium good shit.

Well the book sums up that revelation pretty well lmao

- Did... did Arden just imply Toby's mom caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake...? That is certainly something I either missed or forgot. How is that like even a thing

- The night haunts are cool as shit and I'm glad they're showing up as bigger players. And now we have setup for Toby owing them a favor. Delightful.

ME SIPPING THAT LUIDAEG LORE JUICE

- October Daye patch 7.1.8 notes: oh god we fucked up we fucked up changes reverted

-Blood magic CPR? Canon. Then again I'm pretty sure Toby was established using blood magic to resurrect someone in book 2. So. Book 2 is still relevant

God I'm such a sucker for this angsty shit. And of course this would be Tybalt's solution, considering his backstory. God. Fuck

-I like how they went from enemies to like ridiculously sweet and affectionate lovers.. but it's not 100% perfect, they still have arguments and disagreements. But it all comes down to them caring about each other. That's some good shit right there

- Dianda being a huge badass and just singlehandedly taking out six guards while iron poisoned. a good development.

- new toby power of literally stealing someone's powers by drinking their blood. We're going like full vampire here huh

- and The Queen... who we establish actually traded her name away... manages to escape. Wonder when she shows up again 🤔🤔🤔

- ok god the fucking short story epilogue is SO GOOD. Luidaeg POV!!! Luidaeg lore is always good but this is one of the only parts we have seen Amandine. It reveals that The Luidaeg literally has just been October's guardian angel for years, which explains why some all powerful sea witch just stumbles into Toby's life???. Amandine is a fucking brat. It foreshadows fucking... SOMETHING with the goddamn month names. And it sets up Eira. God next book is going to be so good.

- There are interesting parallels between Toby and her mom. Amandine was trying to turn Toby into a human for fucking years?? As some kind of shitty experiment? Almost succeeded until The Luidaeg intervened. There's all these lines about how Amandine had stolen centuries of Toby's life, how Toby would be defenseless and Faerie would still know who she was even if Amandine succeeded. What does this say about Gillian? Toby turned her completely human in book 4 to save her life. There's no way that's not going to come back in a big way.

-What. Is with. The month names. Seriously we have not had any new ones since 3 but that's still like 5 characters. I know there are several more coming in the next few books and I still don't know why the fuck lol

-This book was mostly the final setup for next book, which is an absolute fucking bombshell. Probably the best book in the series and that is saying something. I'm excited to reread it. But on it's own this one is a good read too... love that we finally got the Quentin reveal!! The horrific Queen is gone for now! Stuff!