October is wrapped up in the illusion created by Summer Queen Titania, who has re-crafted Faerie to suit her own prejudices. In this fantasy, Toby believes that she has grown up with happily married Amandine and Simon as parents, destined to be her beloved sister August's handmaiden. She knows her place as a changeling, bowing and scraping, expecting no favours. Not at all the October Daye that we know and love. In fact, it has to be a very, very powerful spell to keep the independent and compassionate October under control.
The illusion receives its first challenge when she is handed a leather jacket and notes that it smells of pennyroyal. Then she ends up bleeding and puts the sore finger in her mouth. Apparently the spell can't change the strength of her blood magic and she gets a glimpse of reality and Tybalt. October is stubborn and determined to stand by Simon and August, but she keeps being pulled toward helping other people. You can't change a person's basic nature, even if you change their environment completely. Also a reflection on that eternal “What if…?” question. What if this or that aspect of my past had been different? Would I be an entirely different person? Probably not. We are who we are and only become more ourselves as we age.
Maybe not the most riveting of the 17 volumes of the series, but enjoyable nonetheless. With the Luidaeg on her side, Toby can accomplish many things, and as she says at one point, “I do some of my best work while dramatically underprepared.” Expanding her found family yet again, Toby does what needs to be done. Just like the hero she is.
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