McGuire, Seanan-- A Local Habitation informal buddy read starts August 1

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

This thread is open to discuss A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire.



Synopsis
October "Toby" Daye is a changeling, the daughter of Amandine of the fae and a mortal man. Like her mother, she is gifted in blood magic, able to read what has happened to a person through a mere taste of blood. Toby is the only changeling who has earned knighthood, and she re-earns that position every day, undertaking assignments for her liege, Sylvester, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills.

Now Sylvester has asked her to go to the County of Tamed Lightning—otherwise known as Fremont, CA—to make sure that all is well with his niece, Countess January O'Leary, whom he has not been able to contact. It seems like a simple enough assignment—but when dealing with the realm of Faerie nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Toby soon discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, whose domain is a buffer between Sylvester's realm and a scheming rival duchy. If Toby can't find the killer soon, she may well become the next victim.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

      ~ Buddy Style Reads ~
    Three Ways to Enjoy a Book!

At NRBC we use three styles of buddy reads. These will be indicated in the thread title as “Buddy Read”, “Relaxed Buddy Read” or “Informal Buddy Read”.

A “Buddy Read” has a discussion leader and a reading date is set to start the book. A reading schedule is posted prior to the start date and discussion questions are posted each day regarding that section of the book. More information about these types of reads is below. An example is here, showing a reading schedule here.

A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers. An example is here.

An “Informal Buddy Read” doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book. An example is here.

A “Read and Watch Buddy Read” may be set up as any of the above, but we will also watch the movie or T.V. series - or even go to a play! - and make comparisons, discussing what has been left out or changed as well as the actors and actresses. There is a long debate of what one should do first: read the books or watch the movie? We usually read first, but it isn’t essential. Also, if you would like to join in, but don’t want to watch the movie, show, or play, but only read the books, that is fine, too. An example is here.


MORE UNDER SPOILER
(view spoiler)[

“Buddy Reads” (“BRs”) include:

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   **************BEWARE! SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK**************

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• Have fun! We always do when more than one person joins in. And we look less silly
   if someone else discusses a book with us. (hide spoiler)]

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

res

[Devann]

i think i might actually go ahead and start this later today if anyone wants to join in

[Devann]

ok i read chapters 1-5 today.

honestly i'm so glad that i first read this series years ago because if present day me started these books there's a chance i would find tybalt so annoying at this point in the series that i wouldn't want to keep going with it

i love how october is like 'oh yeah let's go do this super easy job! gonna be super easy! can't wait for how super easy this will be!' and like lmao guuuuurl ...you know you're lying to yourself.

i do remember vaguely what kind of fae alex is but i don't remember why quentin is so mad at him. it's amazing all the little things you forget after time

[Jessi]

Didnt see this until just now. I dont have time tonight but will start tomorrow.

[Cathy M.]

I'll join in on this! Am interested in seeing where the plot will go with October. Plus, there are a lot of books in this series so thinking it has to be good to keep going like that!

[Geri]

I just found this thread too. I definitely want to read the second book. I’ll try to start tomorrow. Interested in what everyone thinks!

[Jessi]

Read chapters 1-5 today.

I dont know, I dont find Tybalt annoying....yet. And this is my first time reading this series. I still cant quite figure him out though.

Lol I laughed when she said it was an easy job. Even though shes going to a place of political unrest.

Im curious as to what kind of fae Alex is. Maybe the type he is affects other fae?

What is with all the cats?? Cats cats cats everywhere! Im thinking the author likes cats.

I wonder what January is like? Is she as odd as everyone else in Tamed Lightning?

[Devann]

@Jess the author has three cats currently if i'm remembering correctly so yes she really likes cat lol

i read chapters 6-9 today. not a ton to say about them really. january definitely is 'weird' even by fae standards but so is like everyone who is working for her so i guess that makes sense lol

i did remember what kind of fae alex and terrie are but i would love to see other people's theories, although i can't really comment on them

i really like how this series takes a lot of like 'classic murder mystery' plotlines and adds all the faerie stuff into it. i think it's a really fun blend of genres.

[Jessi]

I don't, or haven't, read too many books about fae. So I have no clue what Alex is. Having 3 cats makes sense lol. I'm surprised she doesn't have more. I really like murder mysteries!

I also have 3 cats but not by my choice. I only like one of them lol

[Cathy M.]

I'm liking this one so far. Love the addition of her sidekick Quentin, and feel like Toby is much more likable and not as downer, probably because she's had time to adjust to her situation. So far thru Chpt 13 -

(view spoiler)[World building, I feel, is still a little spotty. All these different types of fae & their magic are a little confusing & I wish I had a better grasp of them.

Alex/Terrie are fishy, not doubt about it. I think they are one being separated night & day - they haven't been in the same scenes once since this started. Also, when they discovered Peter, how come no one asked where Alex was? Also interesting that Alex seduced Toby & Quentin is over the moon over Terrie. Some kind of love magic going on. REALLY hoping this isn't a pattern - seduce Toby then come to find out he is the killer.

I usually suck at figuring out the killers in these types of stories but I'm leaning towards Alex/Terrie. Or maybe April - she could be the AI character trying to become real. Also the weird phones - January calling Sylvester & not getting thru & vice versa. Tech tampering which is something that April would be able to do being in the network. (hide spoiler)]

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "ok i read chapters 1-5 today.

honestly i'm so glad that i first read this series years ago because if present day me started these books there's a chance i would find tybalt so annoying at this po..."

Is this one of those series that gets better & better as it goes?

I actually liked Tybolt more than I remembered, even though it was a short scene. I found it more amusing & playful. Based on your response, getting the feeling it stays like this a while?

[Cathy M.]

Jess wrote: "I don't, or haven't, read too many books about fae. So I have no clue what Alex is. Having 3 cats makes sense lol. I'm surprised she doesn't have more. I really like murder mysteries!

I also have ..."

Only one?! Hahaha :D I have 1 cat now & don't really like him anymore - he likes to cry at night while we're sleeping to get attention. Not matter how much I pet him & play with him before bedtime...

I like fae storylines but the approach the author takes is different than others I've read.

[Devann]

@Cathy i mean ...i absolutely love this series right from the beginning, but i guess it does get 'better' as it goes just because more of the side characters get fleshed out and the plot lines get more 'complicated' but if you're asking because you still aren't really enjoying it then i don't know if that will suddenly change later. i do really love the next book though so i guess if you're really on the fence you could try one more.

i have one cat and i like her way more than she likes me lol she glares at me when i try to cuddle her like what are you doing, put me down at once!

[Jessi]

Cathy M. wrote: "Jess wrote: "I don't, or haven't, read too many books about fae. So I have no clue what Alex is. Having 3 cats makes sense lol. I'm surprised she doesn't have more. I really like murder mysteries!
..."

Only 1! The other two are pains in my rear, of the two, one likes to break into the cabinet and tear into whatever she can and eat our food. We've had to baby proof our kitchen....from a cat lol

[Geri]

I read through chapter 7. I am liking the series. It’s light and fun. I am really nterested to know what is going on with January. And Alex and Terri must be fae (view spoiler)[that attract the opposite sex and repel the same sex. I have never heard of this kind of fae before. (hide spoiler)]

DeVann, I feel like the series is getting better. I am getting to know the characters better and forming attachments.

[Devann]

@Geri this series has some really great characters in it, although a lot of my favorites haven't been introduced yet. but yeah pretty much with every book more characters get added and old ones get flesh out more and even if you don't necessarily like all of them, they all feel very real to me.

i read up through chapter 14 today. this is moving a bit more slowly than i remember, but when it picks up it gets really good. there's one part in particular that i'm looking forward to that i honestly thought would have happened by now lol. also i noticed a few little hints at quentin's ~mysterious past~ although that doesn't come into play until MUCH later.

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "@Cathy i mean ...i absolutely love this series right from the beginning, but i guess it does get 'better' as it goes just because more of the side characters get fleshed out and the plot lines get ..."

I am liking the series more with this 2nd book but you know some series are good right from the start, some get better with age. Like Dresden Files or Kate Daniels or Elemental Assassins - the 1st books were okay but they get better with each book in the series. That could also be because you get to know the characters but think it's also that the storylines get better until you're dying to know what happens next!

My other cat was like that too! She was the bitchiest cat ever. She only liked me & the hubby, she didn't like to be petted until she wanted it (& she'd let you know). Very independent but I loved that cat more than anything! Unfortunately she passed away 2 years ago (I was a wreck for WEEKS!). My current cat, Buddy, became super needy after. He always wants to be petted or sit on your lap, super vocal, & just never leaves us alone.

[Cathy M.]

Jess wrote: "Cathy M. wrote: "Jess wrote: "I don't, or haven't, read too many books about fae. So I have no clue what Alex is. Having 3 cats makes sense lol. I'm surprised she doesn't have more. I really like m..."

Oh my god, that is so funny!!!!!!!

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "@Geri this series has some really great characters in it, although a lot of my favorites haven't been introduced yet. but yeah pretty much with every book more characters get added and old ones get..."

Oh wow, did not notice anything about Quentin yet! Didn't even know he HAD a mysterious past!

It is moving a little slow but I am still finding it really entertaining. Only thru Chpt 18 right now & not much else to add but (view spoiler)[why would Sylvester send Connor? I thought for sure it was going to be Tybalt. And not looking forward to this ritual that Toby's doing to call the night-haunts. Doesn't sound like a good idea! (hide spoiler)]

[Jessi]

Chapters 6-10

Ya'll I struggled through these chapters. Everyone keeps talking in circles around Toby and it's pissing her off and pissing me off lol.

April is super weird and is creeping me out big time. She reminds me of the episode in season 1 of Buffy the Vampire slayer where a demon gets sucked into the world wide web and befriends Willow. Ok...maybe that's a stretch but still, she gives the creeps.

Not too many other thoughts for now.

[Cathy M.]

Jess wrote: "Chapters 6-10

Ya'll I struggled through these chapters. Everyone keeps talking in circles around Toby and it's pissing her off and pissing me off lol.

April is super weird and is creeping me out..."

I think it does move a little slowly but I feel like we're getting to know Toby more.

Totally agree with you on April! I don't remember that Buffy episode (it's been too long!) but she IS super creepy!

[Devann]

re Quentin - basically i meant like where he's from / who his parents are, since it's been mentioned that like no one at shadowed hills except sylvester knows at this point

[Jessi]

Actually I think it's season two of Buffy lol.

It wasn't totally boring, I mean someone did die, just everyone giving her the run around bugged me.

[Devann]

read up through chapter 18 today. things are definitely about to get interesting as toby prepares her signature move of doing something ridiculously stupid to get information lol i think i might have remembered whodunnit as well, but to be fair our cast of characters IS quickly dwindling

[Geri]

Devann wrote: "read up through chapter 18 today. things are definitely about to get interesting as toby prepares her signature move of doing something ridiculously stupid to get information lol i think i might ha..."

I read through 18 too. Things are picking up! (view spoiler)[ Everyone is dying. And I understand Toby’s frustration with them not listening to her. Toby thinks the killer may be someone there. I think it may be Alex or Terrie. They are strange. And why do they never appear together? At least I do not remember them in the same room at the same time. (hide spoiler)]

I really laughed when Toby told Quentin that he should eat something nutritious with his soda like a Snickers bar. Because they have peanuts which have protein, right? I didn’t hide this because it’s not much of a spoiler. But this is what I’m really enjoying about the book!

There’s a lot of mysterious stuff going on. I agree the ritual Toby is about to do will definitely cause trouble! LOL

[Devann]

haha i laughed at the snickers bar thing too, especially because she's basically being serious. just coffee and snickers bars lol. honestly i don't know how they're all just living off vending machine food and it seems ridiculous that not a single person there knows how to cook but i guess that's the fae for you

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "haha i laughed at the snickers bar thing too, especially because she's basically being serious. just coffee and snickers bars lol. honestly i don't know how they're all just living off vending mach..."

That was great! The only seem to drink copious amounts of coffee & eat donuts!

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "re Quentin - basically i meant like where he's from / who his parents are, since it's been mentioned that like no one at shadowed hills except sylvester knows at this point"

It's great to hear that Quentin will be a recurring character. I really love him!

[Cathy M.]

Finished earlier! I liked this one a lot more than the 1st one. I do get what you mean, Devan, about it being more of a mystery with the fae elements. After finishing, I think that's a good way to describe this - not fast-paced action-packed like most Urban Fantasy books but it relies more heavily on the mystery part with fae/magic mixed in. I do like that, and am now ready to read the next one!

Some thoughts about this one - (view spoiler)[God, the people of ALH were so stupid! Toby told them HOW many times to not go off alone????? And they wonder why people keep dying. REALLY? Didn't see Jan dying, and should've caught on earlier about Gordan, but it did keep me guessing who the culprit was. I pretty much figured out about Alex/Terrie but it was crazy that Terrie died & Toby was able to bring Alex back!

Tybalt is growing on me, and the thing with Connor really needs to stop. (hide spoiler)]

[Devann]

I'm going to try to finish it today but i'm only a little over halfway through so idk if i'll make it lol but i would love to keep buddy reading them with you guys. do we want to keep doing like one a month or jump the schedule up a bit?

@Cathy also i agree that everyone at ALH was just so dumb lol but i guess to be fair most of the purebloods just apparently have NO idea how to deal with death so they're like pretty in denial about the whole thing. but still, like ...how not to get murdered 101 lol

also agree that (view spoiler)[tybalt grows on you as the series continues. i don't necessarily have a problem with connor himself but at the moment it's all 'oh i'm married but i love you' and that's just never not annoying (hide spoiler)]

[Jessi]

Im in another BR at the moment so there is no way I can finish this today. I would like to continue the series with you guys. Maybe mid-August or beginning of September?

[Geri]

I won’t be able to finish until Monday. Too much going on right now. But I’d be interested in continuing. DeVann says it’s her favorite. I am curious!

[Devann]

i spent most of the morning reading another book for the maze so i doubt i'll actually finish today either, it was just a dream lol

and if we're going to continue i think it would be easiest to just start them at the beginning of the month if that would work for most people

[Jessi]

@Devann works for me.

[Devann]

ok so i did finish it today after all lol

i almost feel bad saying this but i had forgotten how absolutely moronic all these people were and almost want to say that they deserved it. i mean maybe not the first few, but the ones who died after october came because she probably could have figured out what was happening like IMMEDIATELY if they had just filled her in on some basic info. (view spoiler)[i mean oh boy people are dying randomly and also for some reason their blood has no memories and hey were are doing this thing where we are trying to upload peoples' memories to a computer do you think that could POSSIBLY be related nope probably not! (hide spoiler)] i had remembered the basics of this book but not the details and god i hate to say it but they were literally just too stupid to live lol

also i had forgotten the thing with alex (view spoiler)[basically trying to force himself on her and also the fact that she possibly would have died if she slept with him. which AGAIN is really something you should warn people about. i mean i guess alex/terrie has a right to privacy but also i feel like other people's personal safety maybe trumps that in this situation. also terrie said he COULD control it and just didn't so like ...dick move. wish he would have died instead of her honestly (hide spoiler)]

should i just go ahead and request a buddy read for the next book for the 1st of next month? because if we don't do it on the 1st then we might need to wait til like ...the 7th or 8th or something because the new book comes out on the 4th and i don't think i can be reading them both at the same time lol

[Cathy M.]

Devann wrote: "ok so i did finish it today after all lol

i almost feel bad saying this but i had forgotten how absolutely moronic all these people were and almost want to say that they deserved it. i mean maybe ..."

I would be down to continue this series but 1 a month is going to take a year!

Oh my god yes. The people at ALH were supposed to be smart so couldn't see how they were so dumb. It's like, people are dying, enough with the secrets! How did they expect her to do anything when they kept so much from her?

And you are so right about Alex. Totally negligence on their part, & his lack of morals (which is usually a fae trait in these types of stories so not THAT surprising) made me really hate him.

[Devann]

haha yeah it would take a long time that way, we can always speed it up if people want but i know everyone probably has other challenges going on and whatnot. but whatever everyone else wants to do is fine

[Jessi]

I've read through chapter 25 so I'm close to finishing. Wil be back with my thoughts once I'm finished.

I would like to try to read 2 of these a month. I really like them and don't want to take a year to read them all lol

[Devann]

we could do a buddy read for the next one on the 15th then and just have one on the 1st and 15th of every month till we finish so they're all evenly spaced out

[Geri]

I dug in and finished. The ending with Gordon was exciting. It was a bit heartbreaking, though, about April and (view spoiler)[ Jan dying and later at Jan’s funeral. (hide spoiler)] I had everything all wrong. But I’m glad I didn’t figure it out. I could actually see how people so smart could be so dumb. LOL I wonder if we will see April again in the series?

And the sighting of Toby’s (view spoiler)[ mother must be a preview of the next book. (hide spoiler)]

I want to buddy read the next book. I will try to keep up with the 2 a month schedule. The books are fun!

[Devann]

@Geri i agree that it makes sense how smart people could be so dumb but it is still more than a bit infuriating lol

and i will go request the thread for the next one right now. so glad that people are liking the series because i've been meaning to reread it for awhile and it's fun to see other people experience it for the first time :)

[Jessi]

Finished last night!! I believe I'm the last one to finish so no spoiler tags on my post!

If things get too hectic with other challenges (like TT because I know you guys are doing the Tri-Wizard at the moment) then I'm fine with doing just one if that works better for others. I would just prefer to do two a month.

Now for the book.
I agree, they were all stupid! If Jan has just been upfront from the get go it might have avoided some of the killings. I had sort of figured out the whole Terrie/Alex thing but I hadn't figured out it was Gordan AND April!

I feel like they were all crazy because they all wanted what Gordan wanted, essentially, they just weren't killing people, intentionally, to get what they wanted. Gordan just lost her ever loving mind.

I have a question about April because maybe I missed something.
Why did she not help with Jan? If she really didn't understand that when Gordan made people go offline they didn't come back then why wouldn't she help? Did she just not want her to ever go offline at all? Even if it was for just a "short" time?

I really liked this one! There were some slow moments in the beginning with everyone playing ring-around-the-Toby. But all in all I still really enjoyed the mystery and everyone wondering who was going to be next. I enjoyed Tybalt even more in this one than the first book. I wish Conner wouldn't cheat on his wife. Even if she is bat shit crazy. Cheating really bothers me in books. I'm also disappointed about Terrie! It should have been Alex instead.

[Devann]

i think it should be fine with TT because this series can definitely fit into the challenge both as a spell-it-out with character names and also some of the tri-wizard tasks as well.

also SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT

yeah i did remember it was gordan after it was revealed that elliot was engaged to yuki [i knew it was one of them but couldn't remember for awhile] but i had totally forgotten that april was involved at all.

as for why she didn't want to help with jan yeah i think it was because she kind of realized in the back of her mind that if people were not coming back immediately then they might not come back at all and she didn't want to take the risk with jan. although it's kind of hard to figure out what she's thinking a lot of the time bc her experience is so different than usual.

i really like this one too, although i know a lot of people don't and i even saw the author say on tumblr yesterday that she thinks it's her weakest book in the series, but i really enjoy how it's more of like a 'classic' mystery but with all the fae elements added.

[Jessi]

Well if this is one is her weakest then I can't wait to read the others!

[Alanna]

How did I miss this? I'm through book 3 (and my best friend who is also reading is on book 6, I'll try to get her in here).

I didn't really like this one. I liked the more traditional mystery elements, but the good part of a mystery is finding out who did it along with the character or maybe a bit before, and I thought it was way too obvious. Which made it feel slower, somehow.

I'm also a little annoyed by how "noir-y" the endings have been so far. I get that Toby's upset about failing, or in mourning, but the tone doesn't really match.

I know that sounds like I don't like the series; I promise, I do! Said best friend has told me too much about books 4-6 and I think I'd agree that this book is the weakest, and the others just have little annoyances.

[Geri]

Alanna wrote: "How did I miss this? I'm through book 3 (and my best friend who is also reading is on book 6, I'll try to get her in here).

I didn't really like this one. I liked the more traditional mystery elem..."

Yes, a lot of times a series gets better with each book. I want to see how the books evolve.

[Jessi]

I don't know about the endings and the tone not matching. It seems as though Toby was written to be really hard on herself all the time. That any little screw up is always her fault. She blames herself for getting turned into a fish and not saving Luna and Reysel from whatever they went through. But the real person to blame is Simon and the woman he was with (can't remember her name at the moment). It also isn't her fault that people kept dying in this one. That would be Gordan for killing people and also everyone else for not being up front and honest with Toby from the get go. Toby is too hard on herself when she doesn't need to be. It makes her seem more human. After all, don't we all have something that we are hard on ourselves about? What we look like, how we eat, how we talked to someone, blaming ourselves for other's problems? It makes her easier to connect with. Even if it is rather irritating when we can see it wasn't her fault.

Ok, I'm done now.

[Devann]

yeah i feel like she is definitely too hard on herself but like you said that is something that makes her more relatable because we're all guilty of doing that at one point or another. also she has to start somewhere so there will be room for her to grow as a person, it would be pretty boring to me if she was just perfect from the start lol