Four months after the events of Sleep No More, Toby is 8 1/2 months pregnant and going stir crazy. When Arden announces several important and dangerous artifacts have been stolen from the armory, she sends Toby on the case. Can Toby find them, all while dealing with a increasingly upset husband, a miserable member of Fae nobility, and her aunt the sea witch wanting to stand in as Godmother to her unborn child? And what happens when Toby realizes that what’s been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all….
Let me tell you how much I am obsessed with this series; I drove almost two hours to go to the nearest bookstore that sold it and read it in one sitting. And then wanted to read it again immediately after. I can’t even with this book; McGuire is firing on all cylinders as always.
Toby and Tybalt are still one of the best couples I have ever read about in literature, even with his (admittedly somewhat justified) overbearing protectiveness. And when there’s a problem, he and Toby discuss it out like adults. Most of the familiar characters make appearances, and only one of the ones I absolutely loathe shows up instead of just being mentioned. Rayseline actually continues to grow on me, and I’m glad that Quentin is simultaneously getting back to his old self and growing a strong hatred for Sylvester. Simon, meanwhile, still needs a hug, and as always, the Luidheag is one of the best things in the book.
And of course, Toby is hip deep in trouble for the majority of the book, even with her moving like a slow landmass and having a bladder the size of a pea. Also present, as usual, is the continued trauma of everything that has happened in the last several years after the return from the pond. Though now everyone is trying to get through what happened during the last two books, so at least Toby has company.
Plot threads are filled in some, while new threads are added to the growing tapestry of the story. I can not wait for the next book, because the end of this one opens up whole realms of possibility. And the novella at the end? Can I just say; let this be the end of that tradition.
(I have never had to skate around a book review like this before. I guess this is what I get for writing a review two days after a book is released and wanting to avoid spoilers.)
Warning: lot of blood and grievous injuries mentioned. Lot of blood. Lot of grievous injuries.