I would be remiss if I didn’t firstly point out that Seanan is pronounced SHAWN-in and not Shawn Anne. It is her pet hate.
Rosemary and Rue is the first in a series of books telling the tale of October Daye. October, or Toby for short, is a half Daoine Sidhe and her mother, a full fae, thought her name was quite normal. Prior to this book she established a happy life with her husband, had a daughter and works as both a PI in the mortal realm and a knight errant to the local fae Duke. In the prologue, Toby is sent on a mission for the Duke to save his wife and child from his twin brother. In an unfortunate turn of events she is turned into a Koi carp in the Japanese Tea Gardens, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
After 14 years have passed Toby returns to her normal form and life has moved on. Divorced from her previous existence, she denies her fae origins and retreats to a monotonous mortal life working on checkouts on night shift. Her origins do not want to be denied and the murder of a friend drags her back to her past. As Toby is forced to reconnect with the characters she left behind then we, the audience, get introduced to her past relationships and experiences.
Seanan McGuire is an incredibly talented, highly entertaining and engaging person who is an award winning writer, musician and artist. She is often restricted in producing extra books by her publisher, as the audience can’t keep pace with her, and is instead sent on holiday. I was prompted to read Seanan’s first novel in this Urban Fantasy series after having the privilege of interviewing her at EasterCon 2015. https://www.wonkyspanner.com/podcasts/wonkycast/seanan-mcguire The book is very detailed on the various fae races which demonstrates Seanan’s love of folklore. Her knowledge has been enhanced by obtaining a degree in the subject and being the proud owner of an Aarne-Thompson Index.
I would recommend you read this book if you like Urban Fantasy and in particular if you like Jim Butcher, Benedict Jacka and Emma Newman. It is witty, entertaining and has enough unanswered questions to fuel a long series. I especially want to know if she will get revenge for her fishy encounter.