Review: Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #7)

Chimes at Midnight (October Daye #7)
Seanan McGuire
Published: Sept. 3, 2013 (DAW)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events from previous books in the series. We suggest starting with Rosemary and Rue.

Chimes at Midnight picks up roughly three months after the events in Ashes of Honor. The issues with goblin fruit, which were briefly introduced at the beginning of the last book, have escalated. Goblin fruit is a drug of euphoria for pure bloods, but when given to a changeling or human causes instant addiction and death soon after, and more and more of it is being peddled on the streets. Not knowing what else to do, Toby decides to bring up this problem to the Queen.

Everyone knows that the Queen and Toby have a barely tolerated relationship at best, but the Queen has had enough of Toby’s ‘insolence’ and banishes her from the Mists. Toby has three days to get her affairs in order and leave. Little does the Queen know that three days is plenty of time for Toby to work out a solution, and that solution is looking more and more like questioning the Queen’s very right to the throne. Toby will have to use every avenue available in order to ensure her own survival, but, for Toby, that’s nothing new, right?

I can’t believe we are already on the seventh book of this series. I really appreciate the planning that Seanan McGuire has obviously taken when writing, where a simple phrase or dialogue in passing will end up being an important bit of information later on. Things with the Queen have been escalating since the beginning of the series and McGuire did a good job in finally addressing the issue here. I just felt like starting off with the goblin fruit problem was a bit misleading, because it then was overshadowed by the Queen, and then Toby trying to focus on avoiding her banishment. I looked at it as more of an ongoing problem that will have to be solved over time, and making sure Toby was around was the first step in ensuring that a solution could be found.

Toby’s relationship with Tybalt is going strong. I think McGuire did a good job putting all feelings out in the open in Ashes of Honor and here we actually get to see them in the relationship—working around Toby’s unavoidable penchant for trouble and Tybalt deciding to stay by her side for the long run. It was sweet seeing their devotion to one another unwavering.

McGuire again gives readers a unique take on Fae with descriptive visuals and interesting twists and turns in Chimes at Midnight. We learn new things about old characters and we’re introduced to new ones. Not everything is figured out in the end but what would Toby do if another problem didn’t pop up for her to solve?

I can’t believe I’m finally caught up with the series. I’m excitedly anticipating book eight The Winter Long. Based on some of the things started in Chimes at Midnight, I’m interested to see what trouble finds Toby next.

Sexual content: kissing