The second of Alex's books, and the best of the two by a clear margin.  This one takes place in Australia, and the author nails the setting, while taking the mickey about (northern) Australia's natural population's inherent desire to kill everyone.  Half-off Ragnarok struggled to get this cultural uniqueness right, in my opinion, so it was a relief to see the improvement here.  Shelby still remained elusive as an individual, but her family members more than compensated.

Shelby's family is why I didn't like this book even more; they're over-the-top asses to Alex and it teetered on caricature.

The plot was good; while I wasn't shocked by the turn of events, I didn't see them coming, either.  I love how the author and Alex brought in the wadjets, using this angle to work in the injustice of ‘otherness’, though the Yowie's (who I loved) circumstances turned what was a subtle but effective highlight on that injustice into something more like a sledgehammer.  

The Aeslin mice are here but I did not appreciate the turn of events the author took with them.  Maybe she'd argue it was necessary to the story line, but she'd never convince me.  Luckily it was a relatively short scene.

With every book of McGuire's I've read, I have both enjoyed them and found them problematic.  That I mostly keep coming back (I've skipped a few) for more Price family antics suggests she gets it right more often than she doesn't.

TITLE:  A Killing Frost

AUTHOR:  Seanan McGuire

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DESCRIPTION:

"When October is informed that Simon Torquill—legally her father, due to Faerie's archaic marriage traditions—must be invited to her wedding or risk the ceremony throwing the Kingdom in the Mists into political turmoil, she finds herself setting out on a quest she was not yet prepared to undertake for the sake of her future.... and the man who represents her family's past."

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REVIEW:

This novel started off well, and then just got tedious with the usual Toby antics, flat character writing and lack of internal consistency.  The rose bushes were written with more personality than the characters that have been developing for 14 novels.  Despite the big adventure and all the running around, nothing actually happens.  Quentin tags along, but does absolutely nothing. Tybalt does nothing and only makes a brief appearance.  The plot is also rather lacking in logic.  There were a fair number of "huh??", "why" and "that doesn't make sense" moments.  A disappointing installment.

Hurry and you can download this free from publisher TOR here.

Publisher page for more book details here.

There's also a bookclub for these Tor freebies here.

Well so much for saving this one for a rainy day. I just couldn't wait to dive straight back into the complicated and dangerous goings-on of the Price family.

We've already seen the world through the eyes of Verity, Alex, and Antinomy, and now it's time to see how an Incryptid makes sense of a human-dominated world. And not just any Incryptid; this is Sarah's story. She's a cuckoo, and cuckoos are very, very scary...

"I'm not a Price!"

"You took your last name from a science fiction novel about creepy telepathic children who want to destroy the world," said Verity. "That may be one of the most Price-like things you could have done. You're family. We raised you right. You're a Price and Prices don't run, or hide, or refuse to do something because it might be dangerous."