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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