Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

This thread is open to discuss An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire.



Synopsis
Changeling knight in the court of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, October "Toby" Daye has survived numerous challenges that would destroy fae and mortal alike. Now Toby must take on a nightmarish new assignment.

Someone is stealing both fae and mortal children—and all signs point to Blind Michael. When the young son of Toby's closest friends is snatched from their Northern California home, Toby has no choice but to track the villains down, even when there are only three magical roads by which to reach Blind Michael's realm—home of the legendary Wild Hunt—and no road may be taken more than once. If she cannot escape with all the children before the candle that guides and protects her burns away, Toby herself will fall prey to Blind Michael's inescapable power.

And it doesn't bode well for the success of her mission that her own personal Fetch, May Daye—the harbinger of Toby's own death—has suddenly turned up on her doorstep...

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Checking in!

good idea! i can't wait to start this one. i love all the books in this series but i think most people agree that this one is where things really take off

Yay!

I got a head start on this one. Very interesting story. I’ll wait until everyone else starts to comment.

should i go ahead and start this today or are most of you waiting until quidditch is over?

I started yesterday

ok, i'll probably start it in a little bit then because i am in a major slump trying to find something new to read so maybe rereading something old will help lol

I have finished. I chuckled often. Especially in chapter 2 when we meet (view spoiler)[ May Daye, Toby’s fetch. I actually LOLd. (hide spoiler)] I’m interested in what you guys have to say about Luna. I found the ending bittersweet but well written. But I’ll wait until everyone gets there to talk more about it. It felt like this book was a sort of turning point for Toby.

I'm starting today!

@Geri I love (view spoiler)[May so much! And also yes I get far too much amusement out of their month themed names (hide spoiler)]

I'm only on chapter 3 lol. @Devann I hate reading slumps! Hopefully this book will help!

i haven't had one in over a year i think but lately everything i've started i've read like 2 chapters and then just taken it off my tbr lol i guess that's one way to cut it down

i read chapters 1-8 so far

i love how danny decides to adopt the barghests [is that the correct spelling? too lazy to check lol] like 'who's an adorable little monster? you are!' i feel like him and hagrid would probably get along

anyway i guess this first bit is mostly getting things in motion and i don't want to say much because i'll just spoil everything but i really love this book it's just so dark!

also i love how october is always like 'look i know i do ten suicidal things every morning before i even have breakfast but i don't want to DIE' like oh honey lol

i read chapters 9-17 today so i'm about half way through. i'm kind of surprised at how fast the plot is moving along, there must be quite a bit of stuff at the end that i've forgotten lol

i really love (view spoiler)[luna's backstory although we haven't really gotten the whole thing at this point, but it's getting there. (hide spoiler)] also there are a few hints being dropped about why amandine is so important to everyone although i don't think that comes up until later books.

i love toby's line about how the candle 'couldn't protect me from my own stupidity' or whatever because she just never even thinks about it and is like MUST RISK MY LIFE TO SAVE OTHERS. idk if anyone else listens to the adventure zone but there's a character called magnus who does the same thing a lot and they will always say 'magnus rushes in!' so i just keep thinking 'toby rushes in!' during this reread lol

kind of debating whether i want to read more of this today or try to start something else ...

I liked this one a lot more than I did book 2, though I think at this point I'm burning out on the series a little bit. The pace is better and Toby does a lot less carrying of the idiot ball, so it was less frustrating.

(view spoiler)[Does anyone else think it's kinda weird that this book has like four climaxes, though? I was reading an ebook and I kept expecting it to end. (hide spoiler)]

I've been reading a bit slower this time around so am only thru Chpt 8 right now -

(view spoiler)[I love how Spike keeps tagging along with Toby :)

Having & meeting your Fetch is a bit disconcerting. One thing about series like this is even though our MC is in danger & can get hurt, you always know that they will live thru it. But May was sent as a decoy? How does that work - like who is controlling May? Blind Michael or his minions?

Why is everyone talking in so many riddles?! Just spit it out people! I'm sort of missing Quentin as her sidekick but am liking the story so far. (hide spoiler)]

@Alanna i do feel like the pacing is a bit off in this one. (view spoiler)[i mean it's kind of almost like 2 different stories, like at the halfway point you almost feel like that should be the end but then you've got a whole other thing to go through. i don't mind it though but i can see how it's a bit weird (hide spoiler)]

i read up to chapter ...25 i think? last night and i know i had something to say about it but sleep has apparently made me forget lol. maybe i'll remember when i finish it later

I've read through chapter nine. I am so glad the Luidaeg is back in person for this book i just love her! So many riddles so little time. I'm like Toby and would just prefer hitting the riddler until they give me the answer. I'm not halfway yet so I can't really comment on the pace of the story...yet.

ok i read chapters 26 to the end today

i really like this one both because i feel like the high stakes make the characters grow a lot as people and also just the structure with all the nursery rhymes and poetry and stuff is all very ~atmospheric~ lol.

also like that we get to see more of lily, luna, and the luidaeg and also meet may because in the second book people just kept coming to help toby and they were all men and i was like 'i do not remember this series being such a sausage fest' lol so it's nice that there's more women taking a larger role in this one.

interested to see what everyone else thinks as they go along :)

Devann wrote: "@Alanna i do feel like the pacing is a bit off in this one. [spoilers removed]

i read up to chapter ...25 i think? last night and i know i had something to say about it but sleep has apparently ma..."

I'm through book 4 but (view spoiler)[I've been give to understand that the multiple climax thing is just A Thing throughout the series. Which, as you say, is fine and I don't actually mind it, it just feels odd to start what would be the climax of any other book and know that it isn't. (hide spoiler)]

@Alanna i don't remember a lot about the pacing of the next couple of books so i can't comment on that but i felt like the first two had a fairly standard structure. i'll definitely keep it in mind as i continue forward though

Read thru Chpt 21 last night & (view spoiler)[that was WAY too easy getting those kids out of Blind Michael's realm. it did have it's challenges but I thought it would be a lot more difficult, with more action & fighting. Know it can't be over yet. And what's to stop his riders from kidnapping more children?

Can't believe Toby is still stuck as a little kid! And am still so confused about May/Fetch... like people don't usually meet their Fetches right? And why is May around then?

& geez, Luna & Tybalt both knowing that sending Toby on this quest was sending her to her death. Felt so bad for Toby. (hide spoiler)]

@Cathy re: the fetch thing (view spoiler)[i'm not exactly sure bc we haven't seen any other fetches in the series so far but i think generally how it works is like the fetch shows up to tell you that you're about to die and then it kind of just hangs out like in the general area but not necessarily WITH you and then it just dies when you die? i think it's kind of supposed be like a heads up / courtesy thing to 'important' people so they can get all their shit together before they die BUT of course ...toby being toby, she can't do anything like she's supposed to and ends up befriending her fetch and is also too stubborn to die like she's 'supposed' to lol. (hide spoiler)]

Cathy M. wrote: "Read thru Chpt 21 last night & .."

I so agree about Luna and Tybalt too. (view spoiler)[ I was surprised they could just let Toby go knowing she was going to die! What kind of friend is that. And the way Luna just lied about who Blind Michael really was. (hide spoiler)] But as DeVann says, Toby is too stubborn to die! LOL

Quentin’s decision about his girlfriend was so bittersweet to me too. I wonder if this story has really ended? We still haven’t seen Toby’s mom or Toby’s daughter. I may sneak peeks at upcoming books because I am curious. LOL

I'm about to finish today. When I'm done I will be back to discuss how I feel about this one.

should i ask for a buddy read for the next one for september 1st or do we want to make adjustments to the schedule?

September 1st works for me

I will likely start late like September 3rd, if that is okay. Weekends are usually too crazy for me. I see the new book is being released September 4. Do you want to have book 4 read before the new one, DeVann?

yeah i plan on reading book 4 from like sept 1-4 then starting the new one on the 5th probably, but if you can't start until the 3rd that's fine. i just figured it would be easiest if we keep it on a schedule of like 2 weeks for every book

I have mixed feelings about this one.
(view spoiler)[ I like the dark atmosphere and the poetry of all the nursery rhymes and children's games. I don't mind the multiple climax thing except for a few things.
I hate that the first time she goes to Blind Michael's land she makes a wager with him and he says its a game. Then he does NOTHING to stop her...until the very last moment. That "climax" was a bit anti climatic for me.
Then Toby goes back AGAIN! I get it, I do. Karen's self was still trapped. BUT when Michael offers a trade she sort of shrugs and says yes and there is absolutely no fight in her. *sigh* This was yet again, anti climatic.
Then the best part of the story happens. ALL her friends save her ass during the Ride.
Then Toby does my least favorite thing ever! She turns right around and GOES BACK AGAIN!!! Basically slapping her friends in the face by not caring, wanting to die, being stupid as hell, and not saying a proper thanks (which I know she can't say with words)
One more thing to vent about I promise. The repetition of the word Hero. How many damn times does a person need to proclaim they're not a hero? About a bagillion apparently.
I rated it as 4 stars because I round up. That was a 3.5 for me. I don't know why I like the second one better than this one but I do. In the second one everyone else was stupid in this Toby was extremely stupid and I like her a little less right now. (hide spoiler)]

Sorry that was so long.

@Jess i kind of get what you mean (view spoiler)[about it being anti-climactic because on the one hand it totally is but on the other hand i do really like how toby is saved A LOT by other people in this book because it kind of shows that even though she TRIES to do everything all by herself it can't actually work that way. i will totally admit that she acts stupidly a lot in this one but again that's actually one of the reasons i like it because i find her to be an incredibly flawed person and i think that's relatable, although i can see how from a strictly narrative standpoint it can get very frustrating lol (hide spoiler)]

Geri wrote: "Cathy M. wrote: "Read thru Chpt 21 last night & .."

I so agree about Luna and Tybalt too. [spoilers removed] But as DeVann says, Toby is too stubborn to die! LOL

Quentin’s decision about his girl..."

Very true (about her being too stubborn to die)!

I really thought we would've met Amandine by now. Especially after Toby thought she saw her mother at January's funeral.

I'll start whenever you guys are ready. TT will be over so my reading schedule won't be so packed! Looking forward to reading at a leisurely pace :P

Jess wrote: "I have mixed feelings about this one...."

I thought the same!

(view spoiler)[The 2nd time she went back, I thought, okay it will end this time. But LOVED that her friends saved her! Remember in Book 1 when she was more of a loner & it appeared that she didn't really have any friends? We see Toby in a different position now, seeing that she has a lot of support & love around her. & let me just say I so love Luidaeg!!!! She was intriguing & funny before but we've seen so much more of her. Same with Lily. On the other hand I definitely like Luna a lot less... Will be interesting to see if Toby is ever able to trust her again.

But that last trip back to Blind Michael's land sort of annoyed me. Like she went back AGAIN?!?!?! It was almost like a never ending cycle. And with how powerful he was, how the hell did she, a mere changling, expect to kill him? Glad it worked out in the end, he got what was long overdue.

Hahahaha loved your mini-rant about how Toby kept saying she wasn't a hero :)

Even with those frustrating parts, the series is getting better & better IMO. I don't think there was so much of a mystery as much as the last one but the storyline was interesting, pacing was a little faster, liking the characters more & more. I still can't see where the overall story is going. I could read the summaries for the upcoming books but I'll try to hold off a bit on that... I don't want to get too many spoilers for later books quite yet! (hide spoiler)]

Cathy M. wrote: "Jess wrote: "I have mixed feelings about this one...."

I thought the same!

The 2nd time she went back, I thought, okay it will end this time. But LOVED that her friends saved her! Remember in Bo..."

Her friends saving her was my favorite part in the whole book! I actually really liked a lot about this book I promise! lol but the things that irked me, irked me so bad it just lowered my rating. And I had to vent about it!

I like how May is her complete opposite and is kind of keeping her grounded and telling her what to do.

I definitely felt like this book might be a turning point for Toby. She did act like she did not care whether she lived or died. Hence why she kept going back again and AGAIN. LOL But I do think her attitude may be changing and I liked that. I am not “loving” the series yet. But I want to see where the series is going.

Cathy M. wrote: "I'll start whenever you guys are ready. TT will be over so my reading schedule won't be so packed! Looking forward to reading at a leisurely pace :P"

You and me both! I have been reading too many books lately! I want to read book 4 at a slower pace and savor it more. I want to do the same with other books on my to read list.

Cathy M. wrote: ".I really thought we would've met Amandine by now. Especially after Toby thought she saw her mother at January's funeral. "

I hope the story about Toby’s mom is worth the wait.

I'm trying to remember when Amandine actually shows up in the books and I can't lol I honestly have no memory of the next book and I didn't think it was in book 5 but i think it definitely happens before book 6 so ...still soon at any rate I guess

I'm about 10 chapters in on this one and hopefully, i can finish it tonight so i can join in on the next book tomorrow. So far this book is really interesting and it sucks you in really quickly. can't wait to see what happens.

Devann wrote: "also i love how october is always like 'look i know i do ten suicidal things every morning before i even have breakfast but i don't want to DIE' like oh honey lol..."

LOl that was my reaction too.

Ok so I finished the book and I really enjoyed it. I think we actually see some character growth from Toby in this book. Let's see if it continues in the upcoming books.

(view spoiler)[I mean we go through the whole book with a Toby who just seems resigned to dying. She continually throws herself impulsively into situations not caring. I like that at the end she realizes that she can't keep doing that to the people who care about her. Here's hoping it sticks. The whole Quintin & Katie situation was sad. I hope things get better for Quintin despite having to make such hard choices. (hide spoiler)]

i agree that this book is really good for toby's character development, it's kind of a wake up call in a lot of ways and i think it finally yanks her out of that semi-suicidal spot she was always in. before this i think she was kind of just like ...not used to being alive i guess after spending 14 years as a fish and not allowing herself to move forward, but now she realizes that she has tons of people who care about her