Previous book here. Review has to go below the spoiler cut. Four stars, though.
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FINALLY, IT'S THE DAMN SELKIE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS HAS FINALLY HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know I have to say it.
It's been three years in book time since book 5 when the Luidaeg laid down the law to the Selkies that they're going to have to pick who gets skins, permanently. What took so long?....well, the Luidaeg has been stalling about, basically. It turns out her plan is to bring the Roane back by using Toby (since the rest of the Dochas Sidhe won't do shit) to turn Selkies/their skins into full on Roane, thus bringing back the race and basically eliminating Selkies altogether. Naturally, the Selkies are unhappy about losing out AND that their entire race/culture is going to be wiped out, but what can you do? The Luidaeg made a promise and thanks to her geas, can't break a promise*, and has to stick with it. Right?
- Hey, remember how she told Toby she'd kill her one day? Toby isn't super worrying about that one, though.
So various folks hop on a boat to go to the Duchy of Ships, a very interesting place where the Luidaeg's sister, Amphitrite (who goes by "Captain Pete" these days) rules the roost. Can I just say that Pete is my new fave in this one? She's really great. Pirate queen type. I like her very much. More, please. Anyway, you'd think the Selkie drama would take center stage, but it's pushed offstage when Dianda's estranged brother decides to get her arrested and take over Saltmist. Toby rides to the rescue to get Peter Lorden out of there, and then when she gets back, stumbles into a murder mystery. Just life with Toby, right?
Overall, things come together, a less upsetting resolution is thought of for the Selkie problem, and it all ends happily, so that's good. This isn't a gutwrencher, which I enjoyed, and I liked finally resolving (more or less) what's going on with that.
I would like to note that Marcia is actually on the scene firsthand in this one, and while there are some definite Moments in which it's obvious that she's Not What She Seems....it's not actually gotten into much here. I hate it when Toby is deliberately oblivious at times.
The novella in this one is "Hope Is Swift," and features what Raj, Ginevra (current regent of the Court of Cats), a genderqueer Cait Sidhe associate of his named Cal, and Raj's girlfriend Helen are up to while Toby is away. Raj is mentally dealing with becoming the King of Cats soon, knowing he's going to lose his freedom and that he'll have to break up with Helen even though he obviously adores her. Helen is still freaked out years later after being captured by Blind Michael, and gets triggered when Raj (in cat form) saves Cal from being hit by a car, gets hit himself, and ends up in a vet's office where he might lose those testicles. It's not as whammy-y or deep or surprising as the last several novellas have been, but it's a nice personal journey to read about.
Quote Corner:
- "He was my arrogant, smug, gloriously pointed King of Cats, and I wouldn't want him any other way." -Toby
- "Why do parents always use food names when they're talking to their kids? I'm legally an adult, and you still treat me like a dessert topping." -Gillian
- "I'm hanging out with Ursula on the regular, and I can't even tell the other fairies about it." -Gillian
- "I like adventures. This is going to be an adventure." -Marcia
- "This was a good group of people. Together, we could handle whatever the Luidaeg--and the Undersea--wanted to throw our way." -Toby
- "The time for pretty illusions is over." -Luidaeg
- "You're Sir Daye?"
"Last time I checked. Why?"
"No offense, I beg, but I thought you'd be...well, taller. And larger. And terrifying. I expected substantially more in the way of teeth." --Rodrick and Toby - "I hate politics."
"if you didn't, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun to make you deal with them." --Toby and Luidaeg. - "Not that I don't love my mother, maybe she remain missing until the stars fall from the sky, but who wants to sit at the table and admit they're the full sibling of the biggest bitch to ever walk the world?" -Pete
- "She sounds like a nice lady," I said, as carefully as I could. The Luidaeg snorted. "She sounds like nothing of the sort." (on Titania)
- "We all assumed Mom had fallen in love with the story of a shipwreck or something. It wouldn't have been the first time." -Luidaeg
- "Titania can go hang as far as I'm concerned." -Pete
- "You're a prickly little spirit. No merry wanderer of the night." -Pete to Quentin
- "Does Eira know about him? Is it just killing her to know that one of her precious Daoine Sidhe went and lowered themselves to sport with a fish? Please tell me she knows. I'll forgive you for being annoying if you do." -Pete on Dean.
- "Wait, they did it more than once? Okay, my blessings on their household, solely because it cheeses Eira off." -Pete
- "There's no one in this world you can trust all the time. Not even the people you love, not even the people who love you." -Luidaeg
- "I don't like prophecy. I don't like anything that smacks too much of destiny, of needing to follow someone else's template for what's to come. But it turns out I like Evening even less." -Toby
- "If there's anyone you should feel sorry for, it's the second sons and the dutiful daughters who always thought their day would come, and are about to find out they'll never have the waters after all. They're who I'm worried about." -Luidaeg
- "You didn't answer my question."
"I'm the motherfucking sea witch. I don't have to answer your question."
"You said a swear."
"Again, sea witch. I'm allowed." --kid and Luidaeg - "I've had a long time to learn how to read people." -Luidaeg
- "I once attended a Merrow wedding that was three days of the wedding party punching each other. It might have gone on longer, but the guests felt left out and staged a siege."
"Who won?"
"They were all so busy punching each other that they forgot to guard the cake. So, really, I did." --Luidaeg and Toby - "They'd been married for more than a hundred years, and she still looked at him like he was the greatest treasure in all of Faerie." -Toby on Dianda
- "It's not that I want to be a monster, it's that being a monster means I don't have to deal with people acting like I hung the moons. Who has time for that shit? My parents wanted to be gods. I just wanted not to get slaughtered by my siblings." -Luidaeg
- "Drama queen." --Toby
"Should you be speaking of one of the Firstborn like that?" -Patrick
"Believe me, that's kinder than most of what I have to say about the Firstborn." -Toby
"Truth. My lady possesses a filthy mouth and a creative mind when it comes to describing our forebears." -Tybalt
"Too much information." -Quentin - "The more I learn about what it means to be Dochas Sidhe, the more I wonder how many of my choices-becoming a private investigator, following trails I probably shouldn't have followed--have been guided by my magic trying to find a way to assert itself on the world." --Toby
- "What were they going to do, stab me when I reached the dock? Fine. Whatever." --Toby
- "I got out of the backstabbing and betrayals business when I lost the ability to lie. It's hard to plot against people when they know you'll tell them the truth if you just ask." --Luidaeg
- "Sometimes heroism sucks." -Toby
Four stars. I'm happy we finally went there, we can move on, and we can find out what happens when the Roane exist again and can have prophecies. Especially if it's Gillian. I do like that we've established that there was a reason to get rid of the Roane besides just sisterly hate, and I like the potential of what happens when prophecies can go on again.* And really, is Titania our ultimate villain here instead of just her daughter? I guess we shall see. I hope this isn't the last we see of Pete for seven years though, she's a treat..
- I still wonder if the Luidaeg has them? It's never spelled out.
Four stars.
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