A Local Habitation

An October Daye Novel (October Daye, Book 2)

By: Seanan McGuire

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

October “Toby” Daye is a changeling, the daughter of Amandine of the fae and a mortal man. Like her mother, she is gifted in blood magic, able to read what has happened to a person through a mere taste of blood.

Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, most changelings are second-class children of Faerie, spending their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Toby is the only changeling who has earned knighthood, and she re-earns that position every day, undertaking assignments for her liege, Sylvester, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills.

Now Sylvester has asked her to go to the County of Tamed Lightning — otherwise known as Fremont, California — to make sure that all is well with his niece, Countess January O’Leary, whom he has not been able to contact. It seems like a simple enough assignment — but when dealing with the realm of Faerie, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

January runs a company that produces computer fantasy games, and her domain is a buffer between Sylvester’s realm and a rival duchy whose ruler is looking for an opportunity to seize control. And that is the least of January’s problems. For Tamed Lightning has somehow been cut off from the other domains, and now someone has begun to murder January’s key people. If Toby can’t find and stop the killer soon, she may well become the next victim.

©2010 Seanan McGuire (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What A Story!!

A Local Habitation is the second installment of this series (which should definitely be read in order). Another amazing story with narration that is well-done and consistent with the first book. I can't recommend this series enough! I am already anticipating the the third book that is releasing in September.

Unique urban fantasy series with softer feel

What other book might you compare A Local Habitation to and why?

This is a very unique urban fantasy series in that it had a much softer feel than most UF. Toby is more mature, and the focus is more on growth and plot than on mindless action or sex.

What does Mary Robinette Kowal bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration has a soft mature tone that matches the story. The accents and voices used for all the characters were great. Quentin sounded like a teenager, and the accents on Sylvester and Tybalt were simply amazing.

exiting

story is interesting even if you can quess who is behind of those weird killings.

Spell binding!

The series so far is fantastic. Nice character development, wonderful story arcs and surprise endings. Can't wait to read the next one!

Thin plot device ***spoiler***

I like the world that has been created and the characters are worth investing in, but the idea that O.D couldn’t figure out that the phones from Tamed Lightning weren’t connecting to Sylvester’s kingdom isn’t believable considering O.D. is a detective. The rest of the story fit with itself, although the crazy person losing track of the weapon and hostage in the middle of a personal and dramatic rant has been done. Despite these its an entertaining story.

Not As Good as the First

As my title says, this one was not even close to being as good as the first in this series. The first was well written. This one seemed formulaic. I won't be listening to more, I suspect.

Love me some Toby Daye!

Love the story and characters that Seanan McQuire has created and I'm only two books in. This series so far reminds a little of Jim Butcher and his Dresden...you love the wisecracking main character, you're intrigued by the supporting cast and the setting and you generally feel like you're in good story telling hands. As for narration, I love the vocal nuances of Toby, Quentin, Sylvester and Tybalt. The narrator totally nails Toby's one liners. Onto book 3!

Captivating

Any additional comments?

Great book, but can't imagine anyone, even someone who is half faerie living through multiple attacks, gunshots, etc. Love everything except all the blood and violence.

outstanding story....and even better narration!

I had already read some of the October Daye series so I had high hopes for the audio. i was not disappointed. The story was better than I remembered and ...these are the Fae the way they should be. But the narration is simply the best I have heard. And I love listening to audio books.

Not bad

Let me start by stating, I truly can see the attraction of this series to other readers. There are a lot of hooks and pulls that exist within the narrative. If you are a fan of those types, this will be a huge win for you, probably a five star. They include a new look at Fae, cross of tech and magic, and a smattering of romance, just to name a few. I touch on those three specifically because those are the bits that made me very - meh - to the book. They didn't add anything to the story for me. In fact, they even distracted in many respects.

That being said, I really believe that Seanan is a good writer. Her ideas seem clearly thought out and executed, she has a strong understanding of her characters, and she constructs her tales in a way that actively engages the reader. Because of that alone, there is a chance I will return to this series, or find other works by her. I like her characters. I hope that continues.