Abigail_ATUF
"a gritty and glorious true urban fantasy. I defy you to put this book down after the first chapter."
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a gritty and glorious true urban fantasy. I defy you to put this book down after the first chapter.
-
Jul 31, 2010
- by Abigail_ATUF
Rating:
Review courtesy of [...]
+3
ROSEMARY AND RUE, which gets its title from Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, is a gritty and glorious true urban fantasy. I defy you to put this book down after the first chapter.
The world building in ROSEMARY AND RUE is among the best I've ever read in an urban fantasy. The world of the Faerie is as dangerous and beautiful as a glass rose. In the human world, unbeknownst to us, Kelpies lurk in dark alleys, Pixies wage wars over grocery store turfs, and bridge trolls drive taxis. Full blooded Faeries have always derided the Changelings with their mixed human and Faerie blood, and forced them to survive the cruel and ruthless life on the fringes of both worlds.
The writing is also beautifully textured. Seanan masterfully brings her world to life by giving her readers a completely sensory experience. The signature scents of magic unique to the one who cast it, the feel of acidic iron slicing through faerie flesh, the sound of dawn cracking apart the illusions of the previous night. You will believe you are in ROSEMARY AND RUE rather then just reading it.
My only complaint is the nature of some of the relationships in ROSEMARY AND RUE. Toby grew up in a place called Home, a kind of Dickens-esque refuge for Changelings that is run by another, more powerful Changeling. The relationship that they had was seriously twisted and abusive. It didn't make sense to me that Toby would harbor any lingering feelings for him.
Overall, ROSEMARY AND RUE shocked me with how good it was. Toby is an excellent damaged yet strong heroine in the vein of Kate Daniels, the urban and fantasy elements are given equal importance in Seanan's Faerie/San Francisco setting. There promises to be more revelations about Toby in the subsequent books in this series. A Local Habitation is available now, and An Artificial Light, the third October Daye novel will be released on September 7, 2010.
Sexual Content: References to sex. References to prostitution. References to sexual abuse.
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About the reviewer
Abigail (Abigail_ATUF)
I am a 20-something book lover with an obsession for all things urban fantasy. I cut my teeth on the paranormal genre withBuffyandTwilightbefore discoveringPatricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. Suffice … more
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About this book
Singer-songwriter McGuire adeptly infuses her debut with hardboiled sensibilities and a wide array of mythological influences, set against a moody San Francisco backdrop. October Toby Daye is half-human, half-faerie, a changeling PI with a foot in both worlds. After spending 14 years as a fish following a botched assignment, she's desperate to avoid magic, but the dying curse of a murdered elven lady forces her to investigate the killing, with the price of failure being Toby's own painful death. Toby struggles with court intrigue, magical mayhem, would-be assassins and her own past, always driven by the need to succeed and survive. Well researched, sharply told, highly atmospheric and as brutal as any pulp detective tale, this promising start to a new urban fantasy series is sure to appeal to fans of Jim Butcher or Kim Harrison.(Sept.)
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