The Brightest Fell

May 15, 2017

Life seems to be finally settling down for October "Toby" Daye--until her mother, Amandine, demands her help in finding Toby's long-missing sister August. Unable to refuse, Toby must team up with one person she does not trust, Simon Torquill. Fans of McGuire's (Every Heart a Doorway) emotional and exciting writing will relish the Fae Knight's new adventure.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 14, 2017
This impressive 11th entry (following 2016’s Once Broken Faith) in the saga of October “Toby” Daye, changeling private detective, sees Toby enjoying a rare moment of peace and happiness as she and her friends celebrate her engagement to Tybalt, King of Cats. Then Toby’s mother, Amandine, one of the most powerful and unpredictable fae, crashes the party. Amandine kidnaps Tybalt in order to force Toby to track down August, Toby’s sister, who’s been missing for a century. To accomplish this, Toby recruits one of her greatest foes, Simon Torquill—her much-hated stepfather. Their search takes them through faerie and mortal lands alike, with Toby forced to confront the uncomfortable loose ends of past adventures as well as her complicated family dynamic, leading to moments of sacrifice and sorrow. By this point in the series, McGuire has become extremely skilled at twisting the knife, putting her characters through emotional and physical wringers; she proves that no dangling plot thread is too obscure when it comes to terrorizing Toby. This compelling mystery with intensely personal stakes and genuine surprises is one of the strongest installments to date. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary.

Starred review from August 1, 2017

After a night celebrating at her bachelorette party, the last thing changeling knight October ("Toby") Daye expects is a visit from her estranged mother, the powerful fae Amandine. She's not bearing good wishes; instead, she kidnaps Toby's fiance Tybalt and her sister May's lover Jazz and holds them hostage to force Toby to find her missing daughter, August. Toby agrees but needs the help of August's father. The problem is that August's father is Simon Torquill, who destroyed Toby's family when he turned her into a fish in the first book of the series, Rosemary and Rue. Every time she is close to happiness, Toby faces catastrophe, and this volume (the first in the series to premiere in hardcover) is no exception. If anything, the stakes are even higher than usual, as our protagonist is forced to confront the ruthless nature of her mother, whose love she can never earn. VERDICT Full of action and emotion, this is a great entry in one of the most consistently superb series in urban fantasy.--MM

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.