Title: Rosemary and Rue
Author: Seanan McGuire
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fae, Mystery
Publisher: DAW BOOKS Inc (Penguin Random House)
Date published: September 1, 2009
Page Count: 368

October “Toby” Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a “normal” life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas…

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening’s dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening’s killer.

– My Review –

My friend Milana from A Couple Reads had been trying to get me to read these books for somewhere between half a year, and a whole year, when I finally picked up the first book, Rosemary and Rue, last December. And I’m so glad that she finally convinced me, because I’m now on book 4, and loving it. I am seriously so addicted. I had just finished reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, was in desperate need for more Faerie, and well … Rosemary and Rue was the perfect choice!

I have always loved reading about the world and creatures of Faerie, but sometimes I feel such a need for it that I just binge every faerie book that I can get my hands on. And, well, the October Daye series was the right choice for that, because there are 11 books out so far, and more on the way! This was my very first McGuire book, and I am liking her more and more as an author the more of her books that I read (I will likely pick up her Wayward Children series once I’m caught up on October Daye). McGuire does a great job at explaining the world in Rosemary and Rue, and nothing was confusing that wasn’t meant to be confusing on purpose. She leaves us in the dark about some particular plot things, and I absolutely love that. The mystery keeps me intrigued. I was not too sure how I felt about October and the other characters right at first, but I was definitely attached to October and some of the others by the end of book 1 (and am now completely emotionally devoted to her and a few others mid-way through book 4! Like … seriously, it might become a problem, haha). There is a ton of character development, and the relationships between characters really progress more visible over the course of multiple books, rather than being really noticeable in any one book.

I feel like I forgot to mention many many things, but I can always mention them when I get to the reviews for the other books in the series. This is really such a great series, and I so so grateful to Milana for telling me about it! I recommend this to readers ranging from late teens to adult, and readers who enjoy urban fantasy involving folklore, the Fae, and the lands of Faerie.

– The Author –

Seanan McGuire is a native Californian, which has resulted in her being exceedingly laid-back about venomous wildlife, and terrified of weather. When not writing urban fantasy (as herself) and science fiction thrillers (as Mira Grant), she likes to watch way too many horror movies, wander around in swamps, record albums of original music, and harass her cats. Seanan is the author of the October Daye, InCryptid, and Indexing series of urban fantasies; the Newsflesh trilogy; the Parasitology duology; and the “Velveteen vs.” superhero shorts. Her cats, Lilly, Alice, and Thomas, are plotting world domination even as we speak, but are easily distracted by feathers on sticks, so mankind is probably safe. For now. Seanan’s favorite things include the X-Men, folklore, and the Black Death. No, seriously. She writes all biographies in the third person, because it’s easier that way.

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!