Rosemary and Rue (October Daye Series #1)

ROSEMARY AND RUE is a winner in a sub-genre that has been butchered recently with zillions of imitations

In San Francisco private investigator Toby Daye is a half-breed part human and part fae. She avoids magic like it's the plague having spent fourteen years as a fish following an investigation that turned ugly. She refuses cases that have even a potential taint of magic.

However, in spite of her avoidance doctrine, a female elf in her dying last breath curses Toby who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The elf's last wish is for Toby to uncover who murdered her; if she fails Toby will die quite painfully. With an incentive like that , Toby makes inquires that lead to magical and mundane assassination attempts. If she survives the attempts to kill her, she still has to survive the killing curse with her time running out or she will die anyway.

This is a super new urban noir fantasy that will remind readers of Cast A Deadly Spell though six decades later and just less than 400 miles to the north. The story line is fast-paced from the opening scene as readers meet the magic-phobic half-breed heroine who does not want to be tied in knots as the incredible Ms. Limpet and never slows down as she works a particularly nasty personalized case. ROSEMARY AND RUE is a winner in a sub-genre that has been butchered recently with zillions of imitations.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A total waste of time; pathetic at best

I had to force myself to finish this book after I bought it. It wasn't worth it. The characters are weak, the "heroine" totally unsympathetic, selfish, and whiney. It is slow in the beginning, slower in the middle, and slow at the end. The world she has created is totally unbelievable, even for an urban fantasy. The rules make absolutely no sense, and require not so much a suspension of disbelief as an ability to read while brain-dead.

SPOILER ALERT: For an example of how irritating this book is, consider this: you will wait 200 pages for something to happen. Seriously, out of a 300ish page book, 200 pages is October blindly wandering around and whining. Around page 200 she idiotically wanders into an ambush and is shot. She cleverly responds to this by almost dying, being rescued through no power of her own, and wandering off against all advice into ANOTHER ambush, getting shot AGAIN, and this time getting a friend killed in the process.

This is the kind of author that latched onto the urban fantasy craze, and litters the field with useless "tough-girl" heroines, barely thought-through worlds, and truly pathetic attempts at plot.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Darn Good!

I almost did not buy this because the back cover did not show a story line I thought would interest me. The ladies at my local bookstore know me by name (I am wondering just how much $ I spend on books.). They recommended it to me, knowing the type of books I read.

I will be buying any subsequent books in this series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book.

Every time I thought this book might slow down, it just took off. What a storyline! This books is a great premise for a series to start with. But viewed as a standalone it is wonderful. I can't believe I waited this long to start this series. Seanan McGuire has a definite hit with October Daye. Don't miss her other series, the first book is Feed and written under the pseudonym Mira Grant.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Phenomenal Start to a New Dark Urban Fantasy Series!

Since this book has been thoroughly reviewed, my review will be brief. I really enjoyed this book. There aren't many favorable urban fantasy books that involve the fae and cater to adults; thank the goddess, I can now add this book to my short list. This story is a unique and distinguishable contender among the vast urban fantasy genre. The world Seanan McGuire built is dark, dangerous and enchanting. The story was creative, well written and flowed nicely. There was plenty of action, mystery and magic and very little sex. October Daye is tough, brave and intelligent. I highly recommend this new series to dark urban fantasy readers and look forward to the next book in the series Local Habitation due out 3/2/2010.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A wonderful page turner!

Rosemary and Rue is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading in awhile. Seanan McGuire gives us an easily believable world that quickly sucks the reader in, and delivers a great story that will have you marking your calendars in a countdown to the sequel. A must read for all fans of the fae genre.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Vivid And Engaging Investigative Urban Fantasy

With imaginative portrayals of fae creatures, vivid descriptions of San Francisco and fantastic visualizations of local faerie courts and magic, this book spins a fascinating investigative tale told in the first person narrative of a hybrid (human/fae) changeling named Toby (October) Daye. After recovering from a spell which held her in the form of a clueless coy fish for fourteen years, Toby has foresworn her previous high risk career and actively avoids contact with former fae friends and associates, including her liege, Duke Sylvester Torquill. Unfortunately, one of those friends, Countess Evening Winterrose, is murdered and manages to curse Toby before she dies, via a recorded phone message, to discover her murderer on pain of death. The investigation leads Toby on a trail which is fraught with magic, deadly assaults by fae assassins and unforgettable fae encounters. The book has a brisk pace, is peppered by action sequences and reaches a satisfying climax. As regards the protagonist, (who was born in 1952 but retains the looks and health of a young adult), I occasionally became annoyed by her overly naive reactions and/or inexperience behavior. Nonetheless, Toby is personable and engaging throughout most of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next October Daye novel. If you enjoy urban fantasy, magic and/or faeries, you can't go wrong with this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Twig snaps

A figure darts back to scarlet letter

Mimi to boys

Anyone single

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Libbet

Wheres hermes cabin...seriosly this isn't a joke

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantira

Ok well maybe u dont need to do tht but do u nd ur daughter still communicate?

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kain

Hey guys i didnt know i was rping fot another jason so ill turn my name to kain

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ABEL IS LOCKED OUT!!!!

Thanl you for your time and consideration.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Falen

I was told we need to move camp. Go to camp all results.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Raya

I know you guys read this. Sorry for whatever i did to make you hate me.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sabrinna

Hello. Im sabrinna. Im pretty, with a cinnamon tan and long and glossy honey blond curls. My eyes are sometimes blue and other times hazel green. I love fashion but never wear skirts-at least not on a daily basis. My father is apollo. I love wearing things from abercrombie fitch and hollister, and i can also charmspeak. Im tall for my age and very athletic sinc i play soccer volleyball and basketball at my high school. Even though i have learning problems because of adhd and dyslexia i was in the popular clique. I am going to turn fifteen pretty soon. My favorite thing to do is something that gets my heart pumping but im actually a good singer. I love singing. And somehow even though i didnt like horses and think theyre disgusting most pegasai seem to like me. The thing avout me is i always hate being wrong and if someone goads me i will rise to the bait quicker than u can say pegasus. I used to run a percy jackson roleplay under the name angela but i got locked out and realized i really wanted to b in one. So here i am. May i please join? PS I HAVE A WRITING CONTEST AT LOVE WRITING FIRST RESULT IF U WANT TO JOIN! PLEASE CHECK IT OUT ANYONE IS WELCOME AND I WOULD LOVE IT IF U JOINED

Laymona

I wish to join

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Maddie

*sighs and sits up in tree and feels alone and as tht happens clouds go over moon* il ciel est cuvert its french of cloudy skies

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sam

Cale. Im back....

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.