Night and Silence (October Daye, #12)

by Seanan McGuire

[Quirky Cat]

Night and Silence is the twelveth novel in the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. And our girl is still getting herself into a whole new world of trouble. It's both impressive and terrifying. But at least it makes for a good story for us all to read.
This novel, like so many previously, brings some of Toby's story full circle. In this instance, she likely would have preferred to leave things well enough alone. You see, once again Toby faces a world in which her daughter has been abducted. Again. And this time around her daughter is wholly human, and not able to defend herself.
So it's up to Toby to find her daughter and find her quickly. The real question is, who is behind it this time? We can only hope it was a human, and not one of Toby's many enemies. But we all know that it's unlikely to be the case.
This novel also follows the tradition of the last few, including a novella at the end. This one is titled Suffer A Sea-Change, and can't really be described without spoiling the conclusion for Night and Silence. So do make sure to read things in the correct order!
“You lost a great deal of blood.” “I didn’t lose it,” I said. “I know exactly where it is.” (Seanan McGuire, Night and Silence).

Night and Silence is an intense read, especially following the events of the previous novel. Toby and her family are still trying to recover, but it's clear that the universe isn't willing to give them that break.
It also seems like Gillian can't catch a break either. First, her mom went missing. Then, years and years later, she got abducted. And now the whole thing is happening all over again. I'd say that I was hoping this would be the last time it happens, but that would feel like I was rooting for her to die (because that's the only way I see this ever ending).
I think, in a way, that Toby needed a quest to distract her. I know that Tybalt did. I don't think either of them wanted a quest quite like this one, however. I know that Tybalt never would have wished this on Gillian, even if it did help him get out of the cycle he had trapped himself in.
On the bright side, this novel does start off on a slightly more cheerful note. I don't think Danny can be involved and not have it be cheerful. Not when little critters running loose are involved, at least. But maybe I shouldn't say that, it sounds too much like a challenge.
The pacing of this novel is pretty fast, and Toby is really put through the wringer in this one. As were all of the people that love and support her. And it was heartwarming to see how many people stepped up in an effort to help Toby. Even if they could only help a little bit – it still clearly meant the world to her.
There were some shockingly emotional revelations in this novel. There were also some unexpected twists, which I won't dig into too much. Let's just say that I've officially found a new character that I love to hate. And I'm not going to feel guilty about feeling that way. Because she deserves it if you ask me.
The conclusion of this novel was rough. It was beautiful. But it was still rough. There were a lot of things happening, and a lot of people stepping up. I think what the Luidaeg did – at no cost – is what hit me hardest. There was something in it that just really touched me, so I can't imagine how it made Toby feel.
Now there's just one novel left in the series and I'll be caught up. I'm actually more than a little bit sad by that. At least there's the novellas and short stories to read. And the fact that the series is clearly not over yet.

Suffer A Sea-Change is the novella immediately following the conclusion of Night and Silence. Actually, some of the events overlap. So if you don't want spoilers, don't skip ahead and read it. Because it is super spoilery, I'm going to try and be as vague as possible here.
It was interesting to see Gillian's perspective on these events. I wish I could say that I like her more, having seen things from her eyes. But I don't. I don't dislike her, per se, but I don't like her either. I know she's been through a lot though, so I'm willing to give her more benefit of the doubt than I'm inclined to give.
I will say that it's interesting seeing the same events from the eyes of a person who is human. And thus literally can't see some of what was happening. It's an interesting viewpoint to include, and went a long way in reminding us of what happens to humans when the fae chose to target them.
I'm happy that this one got included at the end of Night and Silence. Now nobody will stumble upon it by mistake. And once again, it makes me realize that I really need to read the rest of the novellas for this series.

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