October "Toby" Daye is a changeling -- part human, part fae. She can move through both worlds yet isn't completely at home in either. Being half Daoine Sidhe does provide her with a unique gift, however: the ability to access memories from the blood of the recently deceased. This talent has led her to a career as a P.I. in her chosen home of San Francisco, yet she is still responsible to the fae, so when her liege "requests" that she check on his niece January, the Countess of Tamed Lightning in the Fairie realm, Toby reluctantly obeys.

The task seems routine at first, other than the minor annoyance of having a sullen teenager named Quentin tagging along as an apprentice. But shortly after arriving at January's business, ALH Computing, Toby discovers there have been three deaths and someone (or something) is preventing outside communication. Even more disturbing, when she "rides the blood," Toby finds nothing. It's as if the murderer is not only taking lives but taking memories as well -- leaving Toby with little to go on to solve the crimes. As the body count continues to rise, she must use everything at her disposal, both mundane and magical, to try to stop a seemingly unstoppable killer.

Seanan McGuire has built a beautifully detailed world here -- so much so that at times, especially early in the book, I felt a bit lost, not having read the previous novel (ROSEMARY AND RUE). But the characters are what drew me in: Toby is a tough, cynical heroine, yet like many of us mere mortals, she is still searching for her place in life; Quentin at first seems to be a stereotypical teenager but develops surprising maturity and courage; no character is stock or trite -- everyone is fully realized, with quirks, moods and abilities, from the Dryad April to Tybalt, King of Cats. Fans of urban fantasy should definitely check out this series!

Book Summary

Now comes the second in the series-from a dynamic new fantasy talent!

Toby Daye-a half-human, half-fae changeling-has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world had other ideas...

Now her liege, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills, has asked Toby to go to the Country of Tamed Lightening to make sure all is well with his niece, Countess January O'Leary. It seems like a simple enough assignment-until Toby discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, and that if the killer isn't stopped, January may be the next victim.

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