A Review of Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: September 2009
Type: Novel
Reviewed by: Jennifer Brozek
Rating: 5/5
I am a great fan of writing and reading stories about protagonists in a heap of trouble digging themselves out to win the day. Rosemary and Rue is exactly that kind of book. In less than the first 100 pages, October “Toby” Daye, a half-breed Daoine Sidhe and former street kid, is cursed twice, loses everything she holds dear, winds up in a job she hates and has an unpleasant encounter with the King of Cats. Frankly, if I were Toby and I met Seanan on the street, I would punch her.
Yes, I really loved this book. Toby is a flawed protagonist in all of the right ways. She is scared, hurt, angry, and forced to do things she would have done anyway but resents the power that is forcing her to do exactly that. Every person Toby turns to for help she knows she cannot trust. Every person who loves Toby is hurt by this lack of trust. But, honestly, the reader cannot fault Toby. She is acting in a logical and emotional–if reactionary–manner to everything that is happening to and around her.
One of the best parts about Rosemary and Rue is the fact that while it is one step into the world of the Fey, changelings, pixies, trolls, and goblins, there is still a true sense of reality. Having once lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the story is set, I can imagine the world of Oberon’s court just beyond visible sight. The places are real. The emotions are real. The pain, loss, and infrequent joys are real. So real that sometimes this is a hard book to read. Fortunately, it is a harder book to put down.
Seanan McGuire’s funny, raw, and engaging style of writing has put her at the top of my “new favorite authors” pile. I highly recommend Rosemary and Rue as a fantastic debut novel and eagerly wait to see what comes next both in this series and from the author.
Jennifer Brozek, the creator and co-editor of the Grants Pass anthology, is a freelance author for many RPG companies including Margaret Weis Productions, Rogue Games and Catalyst Labs. Her contributions to RPG sourcebooks include Dragonlance, Castlemourn, Colonial Gothic, Shadowrun, and Serenity. She has also co-authored three books (A Player’s Guide to Castlemourn with Ed Greenwood, 2006; Dragonvarld Adventures with Margaret Weis, 2008 and Chill, 3rd Edition with Mike Callahan, 2008). She is published in several anthologies and is the creator and editor of the semi-pro webzine The Edge of Propinquity. When she is not writing her heart out, she is a loving wife to her husband, Jeff, and an indulgent ‘mother’ to their three cats while gallivanting around the Pacific Northwest in its wonderfully mercurial weather. You can visit her blog at http://jennifer-brozek.livejournal.com.
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