One Salt Sea (October Daye, Book 5) Seanan McGuire

 

One Salt Sea was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. And then... less. But that's because things happened that I didn't want to happen, but I totally understand why the author took things in that direction. So, no points off for the "and less" part.

I think that I know where things are eventually going to go. I think that several books from now we'll find out that Quentin is King Sollys' son, I also think that eventually Toby will end up as Queen of the Cats, or consort to the King, or whatever title she will have once she and Tybalt are together. And we all know that someday the Queen is going to have to be deposed. But... those are my theories for future books. For this one....

I think this may have been my favorite book of the series. The plot, the interactions between the characters, the new things we learn about several of the characters, the directions I can see the series going (not just what I wrote above, but a lot of things I can't say or they would be spoilerish).

Here's the blurb:

Now that she's a member of the landed nobility, October "Toby" Daye is dealing with a whole new host of challenges—not the least of which is figuring out the limits of her newly-enhanced abilities. Still, it feels like she's finally getting a handle on her life. She has a boyfriend, a roommate, and even a squire. Things couldn't possibly get better...

...but they can get a whole lot worse. Someone has kidnapped the sons of Duchess Dianda Lorden of Saltmist, and to prevent a war, the Luidaeg is calling in all Toby's debts. Toby will need to be smarter, sharper, and quite possibly damper than ever before if she wants to come out of this in one piece—and the fight is getting more personal than she could have dreamed.

One Salt Sea is the fifth book in the October Daye series, a modern urban fantasy set in both the San Francisco Bay Area and the Faerie Kingdom of the Mists which overlays Northern California. It will be released in North America by DAW Books on September 6th, 2011.

And from the back cover:

October "Toby" Daye is finally doing all right. She's settling into her new role as the Countess of Goldengreen; she's actually dating again; she's even agreed to take on Quentin as her official squire. Life is looking up all around—and that inevitably means it's time for things to take a turn for the worse.

Someone has kidnapped the sons of Duchess Dianda Lorden, regent of the Undersea Duchy of Saltmist. To prevent a war between land and sea, Toby must not only find the missing boys, but also prove that the Queen of the Mists was not behind their abduction. She'll need all her tricks and the help of all her allies if she wants to make it through this in one piece.

Toby's search will take her from the streets of San Francisco to the lands beneath the waves, and her deadline is firm: she must find the boys in three days' time, or all of the Mists will pay the price. But someone is determined to stop her—and whoever it is isn't playing by Oberon's Laws...

As the battle grows more and more personal, one thing is chillingly clear. When Faerie goes to war, not everyone will walk away.

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was a stroke of genius. At first I thought it was predictable, but the farther we got into it, the more impressed I was.
• Pacing was perfect
• Prose and dialogue were several levels above and beyond what you'd expect from a skilled author. Seriously well done.
• Character development was superb. No new characters, but the ones we already know are developed further.
• World-building in this series is detailed and interesting and logical, and One Salt Sea continues that tradition.

I really am going to have to think of a category that shows the best of the best. Maybe I'll start a list for "The Best of the Year". If I do, this one will be near the top.

• Book Rating: One Salt Sea: 10 of 10
• Series Rating: 10 of 10

It looks like we'll have to wait a year between books from this point forward.  It was nice to get two books a year for the first of the series, I hate to see that coming to an end.  We do know what the next two books will be titled, I'll be watching for blurbs and excerpts.







1. Rosemary and Rue
2. A Local Habitation
3. An Artificial Night
4. Late Eclipses
5. One Salt Sea (September 6, 2011)
6. Ashes of Honor (Sept 2012)
7. The Chimes at Midnight (Sept 2013)
 
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