Review – Be the Serpent (October Daye, Book 16) by Seanan McGuire (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 362 pages
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: August 30, 2022
ASIN: B09N6KN7RR
Stand Alone or Series: 16th book in the October Daye series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley to Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
“October Daye is finally something she never expected to be: married. All the trials and turmoils and terrors of a hero’s life have done very little to prepare her for the expectation that she will actually share her life with someone else, the good parts and the bad ones alike, not just allow them to dabble around the edges in the things she wants to share. But with an official break from hero duties from the Queen in the Mists, and her family wholly on board with this new version of “normal,” she’s doing her best to adjust.
It isn’t always easy, but she’s a hero, right? She’s done harder.
Until an old friend and ally turns out to have been an enemy in disguise for this entire time, and October’s brief respite turns into a battle for her life, her community, and everything she has ever believed to be true.
The debts of the Broken Ride are coming due, and whether she incurred them or not, she’s going to be the one who has to pay.”
Series Info/Source: This is the sixteenth book in the October Daye series. I got an ebook of this to review through NetGalley.
Thoughts: I continue to be completely in love with this series! Toby and Tybalt are finally married but they end up diving right back into fairy’s problems. Toby’s old enemy, Raysaline, is up for trial to be awakened from Elf Shot and has a request of Toby upon her awakening. Things get even crazier when suddenly Toby’s best friend’s kids (the Browns) end up under attack. As things unfold we find out the events may tie back to Oberson and the first queens of fairy.
I never end up rating the October Daye books any lower than 5 stars. I love this world and these characters so much and they have been a part of my life for so long that it always like visiting old friends when I read these. This is an incredibly well done addition to this series and starts to bring the original fae (Oberon, Maeve, Titania) into the story. The secrets that are unraveled here are mind-blowing.
As in all of these books that writing is fantastic, the plot is intricate and intriguing, and the characters are amazing. The ending ends on a complete cliffhanger which I wasn’t thrilled with but honestly was expecting and it makes a lot of sense given the rest of the story. This book also includes a novella that covers the Luidaeg’s past which provided some heart-breaking background for our sea witch.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this installment in the October Date series. All of our favorite characters are here and some huge revelations are made. This was completely engaging, impossible to put down, and a bit heartbreaking as well. Will Toby ever get a break? I am desperately looking forward to reading the next book in this series!