A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read the paper version of this book when it first came out. My review is here. I was on a long car trip, and so I listened to the audio version, narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal. It's not that different an experience; Ms. Kowal's narration doesn't detract from the story, and she's pleasant to listen to for hours on end. She's not how I heard Toby's voice, but she's not jarringly different, either, and I kept forgetting that I'd first heard her voice on the Writing Excuses podcast.
What struck me the most about this reading was the pacing. I know I remarked on it in my other review, but it's even more noticeable when I can't skim ahead to make sure everything works out okay. My mother, who listened to the book with me, actually yelled at the stereo when there was a brief pause for switching discs, right in the middle of the summoning scene.
As in Rosemary and Rue, there are a lot of clues to the deeper story, and a lot of hints to the revelations to come. Information is gleaned from the night haunts, and there are some tantalizing hints that it goes even deeper than that. Seanan McGuire was setting up a lot of later revelations from the very start of the series, and it's fun to go back and find those breadcrumbs. I'm sure there are even more hints of what's to come, but I'm enjoying discovering things as they're revealed.
I plan on rereading all of the October Daye books before Ashes of Honor comes out in September. These books lend themselves to rereading quite well.
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