Sleep No More (October Daye, #17)

by Seanan McGuire

The 17th novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.

October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family’s tower, serving as August’s companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October’s Faerie. Everything is perfect.

Everything is a lie.

October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania’s ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen’s magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania’s paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.

But first she’ll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place—and this time, much more than Toby’s own life is at stake.

• ISBN10: 0756416833
• ISBN13: 9780756416836
• Publish Date: 5 September 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: DAW
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780756416836

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

October Daye should be celebrating the momentous occasion of her marriage (getting her down the aisle was no small feat). Unfortunately, she has no memories of such a marriage. Or anyone that she had come to call dear to her.

For all October can remember, she has spent her entire life happily under the care of her parents, living alongside her beloved sister. But something is wrong, and nothing is quite as it seems. Will October find the truth, reclaim her title as a knight, and save the day?

My Review:

Ow. My poor heart. I'm pretty sure all fans went into Sleep No More expecting it to hurt. I know I did – and I wasn't wrong. After all, the story literally starts with October's happy memories all gone (along with a few concerning details). It's why I put off reading it.

I won't lie – the first few chapters of Sleep No More were hard to get through. Not because they're poorly written but because it hurt to see Toby in this situation. She's basically surrounded by people who (mostly) don't care about her, believing these horrible lies the fae love to perpetuate. Worse, she helps to spread those lies (since she was "raised" to believe them).

The good news is that once the main plot (IE, October hunting for the truth/protection of those she loves) starts changing quickly. Seeing the Toby we all know and love slowly reappear on the page was a delight, to put it simply.

If there's one thing I love about Sleep No More, it shows the depth and complexity of commands to the fae. Telling someone not to harm doesn't stop them from taking action. While kinda morbid, it was interesting to see how Titania worked around her command.

Are you ready for the really heartbreaking bit? Sleep No More has a companion novel – The Innocent Sleep. It's the same story/timeline (I believe) but from Tybalt's side. Now THAT book is going to wreck me. I plan on reading it this weekend, so don't be surprised if I'm a crying mess for the next week.

Candles and Starlight

As per usual with Seanan McGuire's works, Sleep No More contains a novella at the end. This one is called Candles and Starlight, and it follows Rayseline (yes, THAT Rayseline) through her...adventures during this time.

For context, it starts around the time Be the Serpent wraps up, with Reyseline thinking she will finally have something good happen in her life. Um. Yeah, this novella hurts, to say the least. Still, I love reading about all of the secondary (and tertiary) characters in this world, so I wasn't going to skip the chance here.

Candles and Starlight does help to add context to what is happening outside of Toby's view. Worse, it shows just how much damage Titania has done (is doing?). It also makes me wonder what sort of novella we'll get at the end of The Innocent Sleep...

Highlights:
Complex Fantasy Series
Fae Lore & Magic
Urban Fantasy
Knight of the Fae
Stubborn Main Character

Trigger Warnings:
Loss of Autonomy/Memory
Prejudice (Anti-Changeling)

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