IN REVIEW: One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire

Released: September 6, 2011, 354 pages
Publisher: DAW Books
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7564-0683-7

It’s that time again. How much trouble will October Daye get into, or rather, get out of? Would Toby ever consider being a fish again, knowing what she lost last time? And what’s up with the rocks? I once had a pet rock, talked to it every day, polished it, made it a comfy bed, pulled it along the floor by a leash, it never said anything to me. You know what...never mind, ignore that. Back to the review...Attack pixies? Bogies at twelve o’clock?

One Salt Sea starts about a month after Late Eclipses. Toby is setting up her newly inherited knowe, Goldengreen, when The Luidaeg (sea witch) comes for a debt owed. The debt is nothing major; just find the kidnapped sons of the Duchess of Saltmist, to prevent the inevitable war between the Land and Undersea Fae within 3 days or the Land of Mists will most definitely lose most of its inhabitants. Typical stuff for Toby, right? Well, not exactly.

The 5th book in the October Daye series shows a more matured Toby. She is also more confident in what she can do and tries more hard core spells. Her power is un-gauged since her mother is the only other known Dóchas Sidhe, and no one knows exactly how powerful Amandine is or what their power is capable of.

Don’t worry, Toby is still Toby. She still speaks out inappropriately, and questions the Queen’s motives and actions. Her odd way of resolving problems, being attacked out of nowhere, learning what her new body is capable of, afraid to take a bath, worrying about and being angry at Tybalt, it’s all still there. In fact, One Salt Sea is fast paced, full of adventure, intrigue, and provides backstory for many characters. A lot of my character questions were answered, and of course, new ones surfaced. Not everyone survives this one, and those that do must survive a loss of someone or a part of themselves in order to survive. The rose covered glasses are all gone.

I applaud Seanan McGuire for giving us a strong female heroine with flaws and just as strong and flawed supporting cast. Toby is feminine, wrong at times, beat to death (or near death), screws up a lot, talks back to elders, loyal to a fault, and never gives up, no matter how painful things become or what she will lose. She fights for what's worth fighting for, because it's the right thing to do. She shakes up the stagnant way of fae life and many thank her for it. On the other hand, it also increases her number of enemies.

This series just keeps getting better with each book. Now we must deal with the grueling wait for Ashes of Honor.