Read Along: Rosemary and Rue – Week Four

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| Week Four |

Welcome to the Read Along of Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire, organised by Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow.

Welcome to the fourth and final post in the Rosemary and Rue Read Along! As expected, from the moment I posted Week One, this has fast become one of my favourite urban fantasies.  With a read along of the second October Daye novel, A Local Habitation, coming up in March, I’m sure Seanan McGuire will soon be taking over my bookshelves!

This week is once again hosted by Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow who has some juicy questions for our final week.  Here’s how the schedule looks:

Week 1 (Saturday 9th January)

Chapters 1-6 – hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow

Week 2 (Saturday 16th January)

Chapters 7-14 – hosted by Lynn at Lynn’s Books

Week 3 (Saturday 23rd January)

Chapters 15-20 – hosted by Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings

Week 4 (Saturday 30th January)

Chapters 21-End – hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow

There will be spoilers!

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| Week Three Rating |

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| The Questions |

| 1. |

On the way to finding Evening’s killer at last, we get to meet the Luidaeg in person. What are your impressions of her, and what do you think of the sneaky ‘deal’ Toby managed to make with her?

As much as it would anger the Luidaeg, I really do pity her. She’s alone in both the world of fae and in the world of humans; a creature of myth and nightmares at worst or complete obscurity at best. But she’s also brilliantly witty, intelligent and gives the firm impression that she’s not a woman, demon or otherwise to cross lightly. Toby really is in for some trouble if she isn’t careful! I’m very she threw caution to the wind though as it means the Luidaeg is likely to make a return in future novels – something I very much look forward to!

| 2. |

Next stop is the Court of Cats, where we see Tybalt in his role as a king, followed by another visit to Lily to finally learn the truth. We get some more evidence of the regard they both have for Toby; in light of previous discussions about Toby’s friendships, what do you make of this new evidence?

Oooh the Court of Cats! I honestly cannot wait to see more! Unfotunately poor Toby only had time for a flying visit as, despite the fact that she’s only just got her friends back,  she’s already lost one… but at least it gives Tybalt the chance to defend her honour in a most spectacular and manly manner! Love it. His willingness to help her and leave himself exposed to her blood magic is also very intriguing. She definitely has a powerful ally there – even if she can’t see it herself! Similarly, Lily seems the sort of character who would do anything for Toby – she definitely takes the role of a much needed mothering figure. I can’t wait to see more of both Tybalt and Lily in future novels.

| 3. |

Now for the final reveal! Devin ‘fesses up, and Dare is killed defending Toby… Was any of this finale what you’d expected? What do you make of Devin’s reasons for killing Evening?

Devin was definitely the most obvious choice from the start… but it still surprised me! It’s almost like his sleazy and control-freak character couldn’t get any worse… but I guess I was wrong! He’s completely unhinged and has an almost psychopathic desire to get his hands on the Hope Chest – something he couldn’t possibly know was the real thing or if it would even work! However, it was the emptiness in him that I found most disturbing. You could almost imagine, in his own messed up way, that he actually cared for the people at Home but this complete void which he managed to hide behind his possessive, obsessive and selfish character turned out to be quite the shock at the end. Psychopath!

And Dare… nooo! Heartbreaking. She wanted to get out and make a new life so badly… but it just wasn’t to be. Despite being under Devin’s influence, I still find myself angry at Manuel. Here’s hoping it becomes a force for good. I’m not sure I can forgive him though.

| 4. |

The hope chest is given over to the Queen at the end of the story. In light of what we’ve seen of her and the potential power that the hope chest has (regardless of what it does), do you think this was the right thing for Toby to do?

The Queen is slightly unhinged and somewhat untrustworthy but, unless Toby wanted to use the chest herself, it would be far too dangerous for her to keep it in her own possession.  It would also be a bit unfair to extend the promise made by Tybalt to keep the Hope Chest safe and I’m not sure Toby would forgive herself if some harm came to him because of it (even if she doesn’t know her own feelings yet and he is a complete badass in a fight!). I expect the Hope Chest will make a splendid reappearance just when we least expect it!

Stay tuned for the Read Along of A Local Habitation in March!