An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire

Title: An Artifical Night
Author: Seanan McGuire
Format: book


I enjoyed this story more than the previous one (A Local Habitation). We see more of the fae side of Toby's life, as opposed to the small snippets from the previous books in the series. Though Toby has a knack for stumbling on the answer rather than intentionally discovering it, we don't quite get stuck and dragged through the events as much as in her previous adventures. 


And oh the adventures. There was more going on this time around, and no time to stop and think things through. Toby gets shuttled from one spot to the next, and no one gives her enough time to ponder. It's do or don't, and there's no room for don't. She has to keep moving forward whether she likes it or not, because the more time she wastes, the more dire the situation becomes. 


I enjoyed reading through a few of the fast-paced scenes, namely the car ride. To avoid spoilers, let's just say I sympathized with all of the passengers. 


One thing I did find a little distracting throughout the book was the repetitive mention of "heroes." Toby has this stubborn fixation on not being a hero, while everyone else seems to believe she is. The flip-flop about what she is or isn't can be a little dull, but I think I understand the reasoning for it. Toby doesn't want to be a hero, but she is. Whether she likes it or not, she does things that makes people think highly positively of her. Well, when she's not doing stupid things, that is. (I have to agree with Luidaeg, sometimes, when she comments about Toby's intellect.) 


Another little mark that often gets mentioned a lot is the rule against directly thanking fae. Though this too can be redundant and stale after a while, I'm less bothered by it because it shows how greatly moved the fae is. Whether it's Toby saying it to another fae or vice versa, it reminds the reader that these characters think highly of each other, and were it not for the rule, a greater show of gratitude would probably take place. Something more humanly common. 


Apart from that, I enjoyed Toby's encounters with Blind Michael. He was a character and creature that had an interesting little spin. The way he functions, the way his powers work, the reason he is such a menace is vastly different from the previous "villains" that Toby's had to face. This has nothing to do about old love or changelings with grudges. This is strictly fae. It hearkens back to the tales we used to know as kids, and reminds us of a world we left behind. 


Which makes Quentin's role in the story the cherry. I'll avoid spilling any details, but let's just say even though his active role isn't huge, the symbol he represents, the internal journey he takes, sums up this story in a nice little nutshell. It's ace, and if you're not paying attention to the cues, it's easy to miss under all the drama. 


Overall: 4 out of 5