The general idea of the October Daye books is one that's been told time & time again. Scrappy halfling fights against a deck that's stacked against her while potential love interests (one who may be good for her, one who may not) circle her. However many times this has been told, McGuire manages to breathe new life into something that should (by all accounts) be an idea that would be nothing new.

In the second book of the series, Toby's liege Sylvester has asked her to check in on his niece (January O'Leary) in another County who hasn't responded to any of his calls. It sounded like it would be an easy task, but somehow Toby suspects that it won't be nearly that easy. She soon discovers that January's County has a murderer on the loose- one that manages to make Toby's unique talent of reading blood invalid. With an unknown threat stalking everyone at every turn, it'll take all of Toby's resources to discover who or what is causing the deaths.

I think part of what I really enjoy about this series is that the main character *isn't* all powerful. She's a halfling with limitations & with the exception of a *very* slight power-up in the last book, her power level remains the same. Toby can do things that others can't, but her power level doesn't rise or get leveled up to god-like powers. Anything magical that needs doing, Toby has to figure out a way to do so within the scope of her powers. With so many series out there having their main characters double or triple (or more) their power levels within the first few books, its refreshing to see someone attempt to keep their character's power level at realistic levels. (For now, anyway. Its possible that Toby might get powered up in future books, but I get the impression that if it happens it will be excellently done.)

The plot in this is incredibly interesting & it really fleshes out some of the rules & protocol of McGuire's fae court system. It also explores the night haunts & what they are, which I loved. If you are someone wondering if there will be any steps towards resolving Toby's love life or her difficulty with her ex-husband & daughter. In those aspects the book is at a standstill, but in all fairness- they weren't the subject of the book & there wasn't time for Toby to really focus on such things. (The Tybalt/Toby shipper in me still hopes for a favorable resolution, though!)

If you liked the first book, you'll love this one. Plus with the next one coming out in September 2010, neither you nor I will have to wait very long for our next Toby fix. If you haven't read the previous book, I highly recommend doing so. There's enough previous plot mentioned to where new readers will be slightly confused as to what went on previously.