I'm reading through this long-running UF series for the first time. I love these kinds of books for their dependable plots that pay off in character work, particularly the way the ensemble cast grows together. My Discord read Kate Daniels last year, and this year, we've turned to October Daye, so it's hard not to compare the two for me.

This was darker than I expected in some ways—not in a strictly amount-of-violence sort of way, but in terms of the brutality of the world overall. The opening scenes of this book were pretty devastating to me.

I like Toby pretty well, but not as much as I loved Kate Daniels, or Mercy Thompson, or Eve Dallas from the outset. I think, ultimately, Toby (the character) suffers because of the weakness of the plots she's in, and the plot suffers because of Toby's lack of skill as an investigator and lack of agency.

My one particular to this book critique is that, ultimately,

Spoiler

I feel like Toby comes around to Devin being the worst, but not quite for all the right reasons. I feel like it's realistic that she still has some blinders on when it comes to the very terrible relationship he had with her, but from a reading experience perspective, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I wanted the book to go a little more in on being like CHILD ABUSER AND PREDATOR!!! and not just "Oh, he betrayed her, and something something about treating changelings poorly."