[Review] A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire

[celestineangel]

There will be all sorts of spoilers this time around. Also, I'll be talking a little bit about An Artificial Night even though I haven't finished it. Also spoilers.

Comments

[miintikwa]

OMG, thank you! I get so crazy, because I love these books, but Toby is incredibly incompetent, and I keep wishing for more. (also, Toby/Tybalt FTW!)

[celestineangel]

And everyone keeps calling her a hero and I'm like "since when are heroes this incompetent?"

It's worse because all the stupid things she's doing don't actually have any direct consequences. I mean, okay, she gets people killed (YES I SAID IT) but there's never any direct correlation between her stupidity and the deaths.

Like her babbling to anyone who asked all the details of the case, or especially telling Sylvester over the phone line she knew had been tampered with. Anyone with any brains knows these are bad ideas, but Toby does them anyway, it it wouldn't be quite so annoying as a whole (I mean, it would be, but I wouldn't be annoyed at the author) if something bad happened as a direct result of this, like, I dunno, Gordan and/or April had used that information against Toby. Then maybe Toby would have an opportunity to learn from her stupidity. But no, nothing ever actually happens as a result. Other than Toby not learning anything and not stopping anything and people dying anyway

[miintikwa]

AMEN TO THAT! Augh.

Also, I started reading the "In Death" series by JD Robb, because my late mother-in-law used to love them. And I'm looking at them, and looking at the Toby books, and I'm like "wait, how are fluffy romance novels doing better with the competent protagonist than my beloved fantasy? NOT COOL!"

(Though, the Robb books have issues, too, like the MC's stubborn refusal to accept help for NO GOOD REASON! Augh.)

[celestineangel]

I have to say, though, that One Salt Sea is soooooo much better. Have you gotten that far yet?