A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire

When I requested an ARC of A Killing Frost I had no idea that it was the fourteenth book of a series. I saw Seanan McGuire, also known as Mira Grant, and jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of her next novel. Silly me! BUT – she included tons of background info throughout and so I never felt like I was missing out on anything. Because I haven’t read the rest of the series I have no idea if I’m spoiling things – so BEWARE OF SPOILERS!

About The Book 📚

Title: A Killing Frost (October Daye #14)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Publisher: DAW

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Fairies

Triggers: I didn’t make note of all of them. Here are a few: blood, gore, graphic injuries, abduction, death, torture, violence, swearing. Book publishers should include a rating on books just like we do for movies and TV.
http://www.laurenhannah.net/book-trigger-list/

Click Here for a Content Warning Database

Synopsis

“When October is informed that Simon Torquill—legally her father, due to Faerie’s archaic marriage traditions—must be invited to her wedding or risk the ceremony throwing the Kingdom in the Mists into political turmoil, she finds herself setting out on a quest she was not yet prepared to undertake for the sake of her future…. and the man who represents her family’s past.”

About The Author

“Hi! I’m Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I’m also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.

Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).”
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire

My Review

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 8
Well-developed with interesting side characters.
October, a private investigator is engaged to Tybalt. May is a “pureblood” and was created in a special way so she has October’s memories up to the point of May’s creation and some memories of who she was before.
Quentin, October’s squire until his parents ask him to fulfill his role as Crown Prince of the Westlands in Toronto (Faerie call North America the Westlands). August is October’s sister and Simon Torquill is her father. He is Fae, and apparently turned October into a fish fourteen years ago.

“My name is October Daye because my mother should never have been allowed to name her own children. My mother should never have been allowed to have children. She’s a Firstborn daughter of Oberon, absent Lord of Faerie, and nothing about her is human. She used to pretend she was, once upon a time, and that’s how I happened, because my father was as human as they come. I’m what we call a changeling, a blend of two worlds, magical and mortal at the same time.”

› Atmosphere: 7
Lots of description and world-building. Love the San Fran setting!

› Writing Style: 7
I liked the writing style, but for an adult book with mature themes it didn’t feel like it was written for adults. I can’t pinpoint an example or reasoning, it just didn’t feel quite right.

› Plot: 6
Longer than it needed to be, the meandering plot was confusing at times.

› Intrigue: 5
I have to admit I had to force myself to pick this up and finish it.

› Logic: 7
I liked that McGuire included an “October Daye Pronunciation Guide”. I didn’t like the relationship between a College professor and a student, even if they are Fae, it’s just weird and inappropriate, AND there’s a large age-gap between October and Tybalt but I couldn’t figure out quite how much. He’s also been asking October to give up her human side and that also made me feel queasy. I really don’t like him at all, but I am wondering if maybe not reading the first thirteen books has given me the wrong perspective on their relationship and on his character. I often felt confused about the magic system, but I think it’s because I didn’t read the rest of the series.

› Enjoyment: 8
I love October’s sarcastic sense of humour and although I had a hard time finishing and felt confused many times, overall I did enjoy A Killing Frost – enough that I am interested in reading the rest of the series!

Average 6.9

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★