Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Satisfying Book Series, with the prompt: Maybe all the books were amazing or there wasn’t any second book syndrome or the final book wrapped everything up soooo perfectly
The prompt seems to put the focus on series that are already completed, but there are at least a few I can think of that really satisfy me even though they’re not done! Here are some favorites:
Series: A Stitch in Time Author: Kelley Armstrong # of books: 4 (plus novellas) Completed? Yes
Amazing timeslip romances with threads to link the stories together, great lead characters, and real emotion!
Series: Folk of the Air Author: Holly Black # of books: 3 (plus stories and a related duology) Completed? Yes
The original trilogy is practically perfect!
Series: Well Met Author: Jen DeLuca # of books: 4 Completed? Yes
This Ren Faire-centered series has great characters, interesting plot complications, and a fabulous setting!
Series: The Expanse Author: James S. A. Corey # of books: 9 (plus stories) Completed? Yes
I absolutely did not want to see this series come to an end! But it comes to such a perfect ending that it’s hard to complain. Love the characters, the complex universe… really, just everything about this series.
Series: October Daye Author: Seanan McGuire # of books: 19 and counting! Completed? No
I honestly hope we never reach the end of this series! I love it to pieces, and there’s not a weak book in the bunch.
Series: Lady Astronaut Author: Mary Robinette Kowal # of books: 4 Completed? Unclear
The Calculating Stars blew me away, and is a fabulous read. The following three books are all good, but none have quite the emotional impact of the first. Still, it’s a great series! And while I thought the 4th book was supposed to be the last one, it now seems that there may be more to come in this world.
Series: The Glamourist Histories Author: Mary Robinette Kowal # of books: 5 Completed? Yes
“Jane Austen with magic” is the short-hand description for this series, but it’s so much more! These five books feature terrific characters, an intricately crafted system of magic, compelling relationships, and high stakes. Completely satisfying from start to finish!
Series: The Interdependency Author: John Scalzi # of books: 3 Completed? Yes
Such an interesting sci-fi world! And yes, it’s funny, even while being more along the lines of “hard” science fiction. I feel like this trilogy is much less well known than the Old Man’s War series (also amazing!), and I think these books deserve more attention! Terrific storytelling.
Series: The Parasol Protectorate Author: Gail Carriger # of books: 4 (plus other related series and many stories) Completed? Yes
I love everything about the Parasol-verse, and this four-book series started it all! The Finishing School and Custard Protocol series are both terrific too!
Series: Gunnie Rose Author: Charlaine Harris # of books: 6 Completed? Yes
Some books in this series are stronger than others, but overall, it’s a terrific alternate world, and I ended up loving the main characters. The series wraps up well… the only unsatisfying thing about it is that I wish the story would continue!
Do we have any series in common? What series do you consider most satisfying?
Title: Silver and Lead Series: October Daye, #19 Author: Seanan McGuire Publisher: Tor Books Publication date: September 30, 2025 Print length: 400 pages Genre: Urban fantasy Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series continues as Toby Daye is thrust once again into danger… and this time she has more than ever to protect.
Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania’s reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists―until it’s discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous
At least the theft means that Sir October “Toby” Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she’s eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby’s child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears….
Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what’s been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all.
What can you say about a series that’s now 19 books long… and going strong? Quite a lot actually… but the short version is: The October Daye series remains sharp, exciting, and as immersive as ever — and it’s never too late to jump in! (But start at the beginning, of course.)
In 2023, author Seanan McGuire published TWO new volumes in the series (Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep), focusing on the same set of cataclysmic events, but told first through the POV of our usual narrator, Toby (October) herself, and then through the POV of Toby’s husband, Tybalt. Both were excellent… and I suppose it’s understandable that we had a two-year wait for another book in the series. (Understandable — hey, get some rest, Seanan McGuire! — but painful as a reader to have to wait to see what happens next!!).
But now, Toby is back! The ripple effects of the disasters from the previous books are still being felt by our beloved characters, in all sorts of distressing ways. Quick recap: Toby is a changeling (part fae, part human), a knight and hero of the realm, and both daughter and niece of First Borns, the most powerful fae other than the big three (Oberon, Titania, and Maeve) themselves. When Titania reemerged into the world and decided to recraft it as she wished, Toby and all those around her were trapped in an illusion that transformed their lives and relationships. Now that Titania’s illusions have been broken, they’re all still recovering from what that experience did to them.
Further complicating Toby’s life, as the book opens, is the fact that she’s in her final month of pregnancy, and her already traumatized family won’t let her do anything — not even get off the couch to grab her own snacks. For a woman who lives her life carrying out dangerous quests, being coddled and confined is beyond frustrating, and while she knows her family is acting from a place of love, she still can’t stand it.
“I’ve got another few weeks of this, you know,” I said. “You don’t want to use up all your fretting on me before the baby even gets here.”
“I promise, I have more fretting in me than you can imagine,” he said.
The action in Silver and Lead kicks off when Toby is summoned to Queen Arden’s court to give testimony against one of the more evil people in the series, the false Queen. Once there, Arden tells Toby that many dangerous artifacts were looted from the royal treasury while Titania’s illusions were in place, and while she’d love to wait until after Toby has the baby to send her back into action, these items could be disastrous in the wrong hands. There’s no time to lose in getting them back. Before Toby can commit one way or the other to this new quest, she discovers that the false Queen is actually someone enchanted to appear to be the false Queen, and that the actual false Queen herself is nowhere to be found.
From here, Toby sets out to gather evidence… cautiously. She won’t endanger herself or the baby; she’s just going to do a bit of detective work on behalf of the realm. Of course, nothing goes according to plan, and she and her household end up in mortal peril, facing unexpected adversaries with truly evil intentions.
The action in Silver and Lead escalates dramatically, and the sense of menace and danger go higher and higher with each chapter. I was on the edge of my seat and practically screaming by the time I got past the first third or so of the book and simply could not put it down. I was terrified for the characters, enthralled by each new development, and scared to death that this was finally something that Toby couldn’t get out of. (Well, I assumed she’d get out of it, as the series isn’t over… but it’s all definitely very tense and frightening!)
At the same time, Silver and Lead is actually very funny at times!
“Look. My hormones are all over the place. Yesterday I burnt a piece of toast and I started crying because what if I’d hurt the bread’s feelings.
Having Toby — eight and a half months pregnant — waddling off on a quest, needing to pee every few minutes, complaining about her aching knees, and in general suffering all the indignities and physical impacts of a late pregnancy is just so incredibly entertaining. This is a woman who’s practically indestructible, and yet people have to help her up the stairs. Good stuff.
The ending of Silver and Lead is quite satisfying, but leaves the door open for yet more drama — because in the world of October Daye, no one gets to just sit and be happy for very long. This book’s main plot is tied up well, but the final pages let us know that bad things — potentially, very bad things — are just around the corner.
As always, I’m left dying to see what’s next… and dreading a year of waiting for the next book.
Silver and Lead is an excellent edition to a can’t-miss fantasy series. I’ll give the same push I give every time I talk about these books: Go pick up a copy of Rosemary and Rue. I’m betting that once you get a taste of October’s world, you won’t want to stop.
As is the custom throughout this series, Silver and Lead includes a novella at the end. This one, Seas and Shores, focuses on Simon, Toby’s father figure — a man with whom Toby has one of the most complicated relationships in the series. The novella is narrated by Simon, and takes place at the same time as the events of Silver and Lead, as Simon heads back to his new home in the Undersea. Seas and Shores is a relatively quiet story, and it’s quite lovely. Simon is a man who’s been through a lot of trauma, and this novella shows the next stage in his attempts to build a good life for himself and those he loves. After the extreme dangers in Silver and Lead, it’s nice to finish on a sweet, happy note.
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Seanan McGuire’s excellent October Daye series is one of my absolute favorites, and I’ve been pining for more in that world for over a year now!
To recap, books 17 and 18, Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep, were released one month apart in fall 2023, and tell essentially the same story, but from two different characters’ perspectives. They were awesome… and they’ve left us all hanging ever since!
Today, I got access to the ARC for the next book in the series, and I am beyond delighted! Here’s a quick peek:
Book #19, Silver and Lead, will be released September 30th:
Seanan McGuire’s New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series continues as Toby Daye is thrust once again into danger… and this time she has more than ever to protect.
Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania’s reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists—until it’s discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous.
At least the theft means that Sir October “Toby” Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she’s eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby’s child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears….
Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what’s been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all.
I can’t wait! But I will… I’m going to try to hold off until closer to the release date, and meanwhile, plan to do a reread of the previous two books. I’m thrilled to be re-entering Toby’s world!
As I was finishing up this post, two exciting pieces of book news crossed my radar, and they’re too good not to share! So while not related to October Daye, they’re both about new books in long-term series… and both are huge!
First:
The next (and final) book in the world of His Dark Materials has been announced!
The Rose Field, book #3 in The Book of Dust series (following La Belle Sauvage, published 2017, and The Secret Commonwealth, published 2019) will be release in fall 2025.
Author Philip Pullman has revealed details of the sixth and final book in his series about Lyra Silvertongue, the character at the heart of His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust trilogies.
The Rose Field will be published on 23 October, and will follow his heroine’s story up to her early 20s.
She was 11 when she was introduced in the best-selling and award-winning first His Dark Materials book, Northern Lights, in 1995.
Pullman, 78, said he was “relieved” to have “come out of the end alive and able to see it being made into a book and published”.
The Rose Field has a scheduled publication date of October 23, 2025. While a cover has not yet been revealed, the publisher’s site has this blurb:
The breathtaking conclusion to Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust! This landmark trilogy, set in the world readers first glimpsed in The Golden Compass, continues the story of Lyra: “one of fantasy’s most indelible heroines” (The New York Times Magazine).
“It’s a stunning achievement, this universe Pullman has created and continues to build on.” —The New York Times
Picking up right where The Secret Commonwealth left off, this story finds Lyra alone in a city haunted by daemons, searching for her beloved Pan. Malcolm Polstead isn’t far behind, searching for Lyra. And they are both racing toward the desert of Karamakan, following the trail of roses said to hold the secret of Dust.
Their allies and enemies are converging on the mysterious red building at the heart of the desert: Marcel Delamare and the military might of the Magisterium; the radical Men from the Mountains; scientists, scholars and spies; troops of witches and other people of the air. And awaiting them all is a previously unseen and chilling new threat that will change everything.
The intertwining odysseys of Malcolm and Lyra, their journeys both internal and external, will test their limits and challenge even their most dearly held beliefs.
As ever, Philip Pullman is using the language of fantasy to illuminate our world and to explore the deepest questions of what it means to be alive and awake to all the splendors and horrors around us. The extraordinary novels of The Book of Dust speak powerfully to today’s readers and will take their place alongside the forever-favorites of His Dark Materials.
Of course, this means that I’ll need to reread (at least) The Secret Commonwealth before October. My reading life has suddenly gotten a whole lot busier!
A treat for fans of the Mercy Thompson series! Here’s a look at the newly revealed cover for an upcoming new release by Patricia Briggs. Coming in October, it’s Blind Date with a Werewolf!
This should be lots of fun!
Here’s the blurb:
When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series.
Includes two all-new stories as well as three previously published stories.
I’m off to place my preorder. A new Mercy-verse book is always worthy of a celebration!
Preorder links: Amazon – Bookshop.org Note: These are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series.
I almost skipped this week’s TTT — this topic is a tough one! I love so many series, and choosing a favorite book from a favorite series is like choosing a favorite child. Don’t make me pick!!
I’d be tempted to just go with the first book from each series, because hey — if the first book didn’t hook me, why would I keep going? But, I feel like I’ve featured first books in series before (for example, here), so instead I’m focusing on books other than the first. The books I’ve chosen all have something about them that makes them stand out. I’m not playing favorites… but all these books are noteworthy!
My top ten are:
Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
Series: The Glamourist Histories Book #: 3 (of 5) Published: 2013
Why this book? The entire series is excellent, so picking a favorite is especially hard. Here in book #3, the setup is just so good, and I really enjoyed the introduction of new political realities and new directions for certain characters.
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
Series: Old Man’s War Book #: 4 (of 6) Published: 2008
Why this book? I actually love the first book in the series best of all, but Zoe’s Tale is just so clever. Basically, this 4th book retells everything that’s already happened in the series, but from a different character’s perspective. I know some people who’ve stopped after book 3, but I always urge them to give Zoe’s Tale a try.
Leviathan Falls by James S. A. Corey
Series: The Expanse Book #: 9 (of 9) Published: 2021
Why this book? Because it pulls off the seemingly impossible feat of providing a stellar ending to a complicated (and excellent) series.
Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
Series: Incryptids Book #: 4 (of 13 – so far) Published: 2015
Why this book? This is a somewhat random choice, since the whole series is really fun. This one shifts the action to Australia, which is new for the series, and introduces new characters and monsters in a really engaging way. With this many books in an ongoing series, it’s notable when an earlier book really sticks with a reader, and this one does.
Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
Series: The Rajes Book #: 3 (of 4) Published: 2021
Why this book? Each of the four books in the series retells a Jane Austen novel, and this one works especially well. I loved the setup, the characters, and the plot development.
Breakup by Dana Stabenow
Series: Kate Shugak Book #: 7 (of 23 – so far) Published: 1997
Why this book? For a series that goes to some pretty dark places, this 7th book is actually very funny. If you’re binging the series, it’s a really enjoyable moment of lightness before more tragic events come in the next few books.
A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Stitch in Time Book #: 2 (of 4) Published: 2021
Why this book? The timeslip story in this installment resolves a mystery introduced in the first book. The characters are terrific, and there’s a lot of emotion mixed in with the adventure.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons Book #: 4 (of 8) Published: 2002
Why this book? First of all, it’s the only one I’ve read twice! I love all the Bridgerton kids, but Colin and Penelope’s romance is a special treat. (And it’s my most recent foray into the series, since I just reread it, so it’s freshest in my mind…)
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children Book #: 2 (of 9 – so far) Published: 2017
Why this book? The story in this installment is particularly haunting and beautifully written. I’ve enjoyed each book, but this one is a stand-out.
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander Book #: 8.5 (of 9 – so far) Published: 2012
Why this book? OK, let’s be real. My choice for a favorite in the Outlander series should absolutely be (and truly is) the first book, Outlander. But that’s kind of obvious… so instead I’ll highlight this excellent novella, which fills in the blanks of a particular character’s family history and is simply excellent storytelling. I know a lot of Outlander fans focus just on the main novels (or, Big Enormous Books, as the author refers to them) — but skipping the novellas and other related novels means missing out on a lot of content that adds so much to the overall Outlander-verse.
How did you do with this week’s topic? Did you have as hard a time as I did with narrowing down the choices?
If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!
Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must stop a disaster of world-shattering proportions in this exhilarating entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.
My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.
But I’m not alone anymore.
Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .
Mercy Thompson has been one of my favorite fictional heroines since the moment I read the very first book in the series, Moon Called. I love this series and the world Patricia Briggs has created, with its complex characters and dynamics, dangerous supernatural beings and mysterious powers, and deep, meaningful personal connections too.
You can imagine how much it pains me to give a Mercy book fewer than four stars. Not that Winter Lost isn’t a good book — it just doesn’t measure up to how great I know this series can be, and it left me feeling uninvolved for far too long of the story.
Probably needless to say, but the 14th book in a series is not a good starting place. I’ll talk about this book, but I’m not going to explain the entire backstory of the series. (But seriously, give yourself a treat and pick up Moon Called, if you haven’t read it yet!)
The events of Winter Lost feel quite separate in many ways from the main through-stories of the series, especially given the way the plot unfolds. The series as a whole is very firmly rooted in the Tri-Cities region of Washington State. Community matters a lot in Mercy’s world. And yet, in Winter Lost, Mercy and her husband Adam spend most of the book away from home, journeying to the wilderness of Montana to remove a curse from Mercy’s brother (and, along the way, try to stop the world from ending).
In “interludes” sprinkled in between the main chapters, we get glimpses of what’s going on back at home, as well as the actions of other (new) characters who have a part to play in the central action of the story. The chapters focus on Mercy and Adam as they travel to the mountain lodge, learn more about what they’re dealing with, and then (of course) save the day.
Beyond the action of this particular quest, Mercy and Adam are also dealing with the fallout from the last book, Soul Taken, which left Mercy with a cosmic sort of damage that’s slowly eating away at her soul and her magic. She has a mystical band-aid of sorts, thanks to the intervention of a fae who cares for her, but long-term, this damage will kill her if they can’t fix it… and fixing it seems like something beyond the skills of anyone in their sphere. This fear underlies every moment, adding a sense of urgency to everything Mercy and Adam do, but especially to their more private moments together.
The plot of Winter Lost just didn’t captivate me the way I’ve come to expect from Mercy books. The plot is an adventure story, but it happens far from home, isolated from much of the ongoing story threads of the series. The adventure concludes at the end of the book, and the pieces are mainly reset — so except for one key element, nothing is all that different from where we picked up at the start of the book. (Keeping it vague… no spoilers here!)
I think one reason I didn’t love Winter Lost quite as much is the distance from Mercy and Adam’s home. I love them as characters and will follow them anywhere, but their stories are always much richer when they’re set amidst the world of their pack, their extended family, and their various and sundry allies and acquaintances. Mercy and Adam can carry the story by themselves, but I missed being around all the rest of the characters we’ve come to know and love.
Winter Lost is a quest story, and I was much more engaged for the last third or so… but still, I can’t wait for the series to move back home and let us see the entire pack back together and back in action.
Despite my 3.5 stars for this particular book, my love for the Mercy-verse remains strong! According to the author’s website, next year will bring a new book in the spin-off Alpha & Omega series (yay!), and so I assume it’ll be 2026 until we see the next Mercy book… and I have a feeling I’ll be doing at least a little rereading between now and then.
Title: A Grave Robbery Series: Veronica Speedwell, #9 Author: Deanna Raybourn Publisher: Berkley Publication date: March 12, 2024 Length: 336 pages Genre: Historical fiction Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.
Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?
Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?
Veronica Speedwell is back! This outing — another potentially deadly investigation with her lover and partner Stoker — provides everything fans of this series love: Dastardly deeds, scheming scientists, Victorian scandal, and lots of sexy bantering.
As she and Stoker happily work on their ongoing commission to catalog and restore their patron Lord Rosemorran’s vast collection of natural wonders, a new challenge comes their way. Lord Rosemorran has purchased a waxwork of a lovely young woman, and to entertain his rambunctious youngest daughter, wants Stoker to add a mechanical element to give the illusion of breathing, as seen in a famous attraction at Madame Tussaud’s.
The promise of a new case to investigate becomes apparent once Stoker starts his work and discovers that this is no waxwork, but the meticulously preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who was she, and how did she come to be in this condition?
The more Veronica and Stoker learn, the more questions arise. It appears that this may be the body of a young woman who was found drowned in a river some fifteen years earlier, but that fact does not provide clues to her identity or shed light on the mystery of how such an impeccable work of preservation was carried out.
The details of their investigation are as delicious as readers can rightfully expect in this series, as we descend into worlds of mortuaries, mad scientists, and questionable examples of *ahem* anatomical study aides.
Through it all, Veronica and Stoker remain as wonderfully intertwined and perfectly in tune as ever, enjoying their restorative bouts of “congress” (as Veronica calls it) while also engaging as equal partners at a time when women are expected to be submissive.
It has been my experience that the male of the species, though often thoroughly illogical, can — when encouraged to sit quietly and think hard — be guided into a position of sense.
Veronica defers to no one and never backs down. She’s a smart, confident woman of science, and demands to be treated as such at all times. She never hesitates to call Stoker out, including his tendency toward anti-social behavior:
“Thanks to you, I speak to entirely too many people, entirely too often.”
“Exactly. You were practically a hermit when I met you.
“I was not a hermit,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was a professional man with work that I was actually permitted to do rather than being dragged into murder investigations because I had not yet met a woman whose very raison d’être seems to be falling over dead bodies.”
Author Deanna Raybourn seems to be having oodles of fun with these stories and characters. Her descriptions sparkle, and the quips, insults, and banter fly with zingy style. Even little throwaway lines are pure delight:
“That is the most preposterous load of plangent poppycock I have ever heard.”
I do hope she’ll continue writing Veronica Speedwell stories for many years to come. Each year’s new installment is something to savor… but sadly, they’re such fast, absorbing reads that I come to the end almost too quickly. And now, it’s another long year of waiting for the next adventure!
I’ll wrap up with words borrowed from my reviews of earlier books in the series:
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, start with book #1,A Curious Beginning. There’s a very good chance you’ll want to continue!
This series has become one of my favorites. Don’t miss it.
Title: Not the Ones Dead Series: Kate Shugak, #23 Author: Dana Stabenow Publisher: Head of Zeus Publication date: April 11, 2023 Length: 336 pages Genre: Mystery/crime Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The gripping new Kate Shugak novel by New York Times bestselling author Dana Stabenow. What seems a tragic accident soon becomes a murder investigation as Kate is drawn into a case of political intrigue.
A mid-air collision in the Alaskan wilderness between two small aircraft leaves ten people dead. Was it a bird strike, pilot error… or premeditated murder?
Then an eleventh body is found in the wreckage: a man shot gangland style, twice in the chest and once in the head.
In an investigation that reaches to the highest levels of government, justice may not be served, but Kate Shugak is determined that the truth will out, even at the risk of her life and the lives of those she loves most.
The Kate Shugak series is 23 books strong (with a 24th book announced for publication in 2025)… and when I say strong, I mean it! This series shows absolutely no signs of running out of steam. I enjoy every new addition to the overall series, and Not the Ones Dead is no exception.
In Not the Ones Dead, we open with glimpses of outsiders in the Park (the fictional national park in Alaska where most of the Kate stories take place). The residents of Niniltna and the surrounding area, known affectionately as Park rats, are an eclectic mix, but they look out for their own… and these strangers seem to be nothing but trouble.
As the story unfolds, strange and threatening incidents occur, culminating in the midair collision between two small aircraft. At roughly the same time, a beloved local is run off the road, and there’s a blatant case of arson that impacts the entire community. When Kate is hired to look into the midair, she begins to uncover a web of secrets and violence, not without danger to herself and her chosen family.
I won’t go into plot — there’s really no need. Kate Shugak is a terrific character in her own right, and the series is filled with a cast of characters who’ve come to each have a role in the community Kate inhabits. When I read a Kate Shugak book, it’s less for the crime/mystery story and more for the chance to revisit these amazing people, the settings, and the interwoven connections between all the various people in Kate’s orbit.
(I need to give my standard shout-out to Mutt, as I do whenever I write about a Kate book. Mutt is a Very Good Dog, definitely a top contender for best dog in fiction, and no review of a Kate Shugak novel would be complete without a salute to Mutt.)
I’ll give my standard disclaimer: Yes, you could probably pick up Not the Ones Dead and follow the overall mystery storyline… but I tend to think you’d be lost overall, without the context of who these people are, what the different factions, associations, and aunties represent, and reference points to earlier events in Kate’s life and career.
As always, I’ll simply suggest starting with book #1, A Cold Day for Murder. It might feel daunting to start at the beginning of a 23-book series, but trust me, it’s worth it!
Not the Ones Dead is an engaging, satisfying read, and I’m always thankful for the chance to spend time in Kate’s world. Can’t wait for #24!
Just shared today! It’s the cover reveal for the next Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs! Winter Lost will be released in June 2024. Here’s the new (gorgeous) cover:
The last Mercy book was released in 2022, so it’s thrilling to see a cover and confirmed date.
Here’s the blurb for the plot:
Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must stop a disaster of world-shattering proportions in this exhilarating entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.
My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.
But I’m not alone anymore.
Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .
Title: The Innocent Sleep Series: October Daye, #18 Author: Seanan McGuire Publisher: DAW Publication date: October 24, 2023 Print length: 368 pages Genre: Urban fantasy Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
For one bright, shining moment, Tybalt, King of Cats, had everything he had ever wanted. He was soon to set his crown aside; he had married the woman he loved; he was going to be a father. After centuries of searching for a family of his own, he had finally found a way to construct the life of his dreams, and was looking forward to a period of peace—or at least as much peace as is ever in the offing for the husband of a hero.
Alas for Tybalt and his domestic aspirations, fate—and Titania—had other ideas. His perfect world had been complete for only a moment when it was ripped away, to be replaced by hers. Titania, Faerie’s Summer Queen, Mother of Illusions and enemy of so many he holds dear, has seized control of the Kingdom, remaking it in her own image. An image which does not include meddlesome shapeshifters getting in her way. Tybalt quickly finds himself banished from her reality, along with the Undersea and the rest of the Court of Cats.
To protect his people and his future, Tybalt must find the woman he loves in a world designed to keep her from him, convince her that he’s not a stranger trying to ruin her life for no apparent reason, and get her to unmake the illusion she’s been firmly enmeshed in. And he’ll have to do it all while she doesn’t know him, and every unrecognizing look is a knife to his heart.
For Tybalt, King of Cats, the happily ever after was just the beginning.
Buckle up! The 18th book in the excellent October Daye fantasy series is unusual, powerful, and a one hell of a ride.
The Innocent Sleep is a big departure from the norms of the series, in two significant ways: 1) It’s releasing only a month and a half after the previous book, Sleep No More, rather than the usual one-year gap between installments, and 2) for the first time in the series, the book’s POV character is not Toby herself, but her husband Tybalt, King of Cats.
As we saw in book #17, Titania has worked her malevolent magic to create a new version of reality — a version where changelings like Toby exist to serve their pureblood families, and those of magical lines that don’t fit Titania’s ideals, such as shapeshifters and other inconveniences, are locked away in skerries or sealed-off courts, dead or non-existent to the rest of Faerie.
For October and Tybalt, this is a problem. Tybalt’s magic allows him to see through illusions quickly, so he knows the truth and that Titania’s world is a lie — but as the King of the local Cait Sidh court, his first duty is keeping his trapped people alive and cared for, an exhausting task leaving him no time to try to rescue Toby.
In Sleep No More, the construct of this false reality leaves Toby and Tybalt separated for much of the book, and here in The Innocent Sleep we get to find out more about what he’s been up to during this forced separation. As we’d expect, he does not take it at all well, and spends much of his time absolutely furious, as well as deathly afraid for his beloved. After receiving dire prophecies from a Seer, Tybalt is forced to do something he’s not at all good at — waiting. The time isn’t right yet for him to intervene, and while everything in him is frantically urging him to rescue Toby NOW, he’s been told in no uncertain terms that doing so will doom them all.
Tybalt’s mind is an interesting place to spend a book. We know he’s madly, passionately in love with Toby — but as a hero of the realm, she’s not a safe or easy person to care for. Through Tybalt’s narrative, we learn just what he experiences every time she goes off to fight or undertake a dangerous quest. It’s fascinating to see this man, who’s a King and defers to no one, show again and again how much he supports Toby’s path in life, even while desperately afraid that one day she’ll meet something or someone she can’t survive.
Tybalt is haughty, is often accused of speaking like someone in a Shakespearean play (which is true), and is fabulously entertaining.
“I am a cat, sir. I always look my very best, even when I don’t, and to so much as imply otherwise is to run the risk of treason.”
I looked back to Simon, summoning every ounce of haughty disdain I could find. I had quite a bit.
That woman can hold a grudge like a cat, and I have very few higher compliments that I can give.
The Innocent Sleep has an interesting problem at its core, which is that the plot itself isn’t moving the overall series story forward. This book covers the same time period and events as the previous one, and it ends at the same point as well. This means that we already know the outcome of the central crisis, which lessens the dramatic impact. On the other hand, it is fascinating to see how Tybalt experiences these events, and to learn more about what he’s been doing all the time he’s off-page in Sleep No More. The author does a great job of weaving the books together whenever Toby and Tybalt are in the same scene, so that the dialogue and stage-direction matches completely — but now we understand how all of this looks and feels to Tybalt, which is really fun.
I truly can’t wait to see what happens next in the series. Alas, I’m afraid we’re now back to waiting a year for a new book!
The Innocent Sleep includes a novella at the end, as is typical for the October Daye series. This one, Doubtless and Secure, is about Dianda and her life as ruler of Saltmist in the Undersea. It’s good, but very long. It’s always interesting to get these side-stories filling in the blanks of other characters’ lives — someday, I’d love to see a whole collection of Toby-verse stories!
Bookshelf Fantasies 