Ahead are significant details from Sleep No More (September 2023). Read at your own risk!
Sleep No More (2023) is the seventeenth book of the October Daye series. It follows October Daye's experience being mind-controlled in Titania's Faerie.
“ | Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!" |
” |
–William Shakespeare, Macbeth |
Author's Summary[]
SLEEP NO MORE is narrated by October herself, and picks up pretty much where we left her in BE THE SERPENT. She's living in someone else's fairy tale, and it can't last forever...[1]
Synopsis[]
October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family’s tower, serving as August’s companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October’s Faerie. Everything is perfect.
Everything is a lie.
October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania’s ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen’s magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania’s paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.
But first she’ll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place—and this time, much more than Toby’s own life is at stake.[2]
Plot[]
Chapter 1: in the week before moving day, October is tasked with greeting any travelers who stop by Amandine’s tower. She meets a family of Hamadryads and is not allowed to offer them hospitality, but she does give them food and suggests a place where they can take refuge for the night.
Chapter 2: August drags October with her to Shadowed Hills to enjoy leftover food from last night’s ball.
Chapter 3: While October helps the servants with cleanup, Quentin shoves her into a pile of broken dishware and causes her to bleed. October panics, but Kerry and Melly help her clean up so Amandine doesn’t find out. October tastes her own blood and sees a vision of a place and person she does not recognize: Tybalt, in their bedroom, just before Toby told him she was pregnant.
Chapter 4: Kerry escorts her to the laundry, where the resident Bannick cleans them both up. Kerry implies that October is naive and refuses to see the realities of Faerie, such as the true treatment of changelings not protected by their Firstborn mother. She says this Moving Day seems worse than others, with more than the normal amount of changelings fleeing the Duchy of Wild Strawberries.
August collects her and takes her to see Sylvester and Simon. Sylvester asks for one of the girls to visit the Duchy of Dreamer’s Glass at the request of its duchess, Li Qin Zhou. October volunteers, and Simon agrees that she deserves an adventure outside the tower while under the protections of Moving Day.
Chapter 5: October is given mortal clothing, including her own unrecognized leather jacket and silver knife. Simon teaches her how to spin an illusion to look mortal. Etienne begins her journey to Dreamer’s Glass, but pauses to mention his daughter and need of a favor. October is confused -- he doesn't have a daughter -- but they don’t have time to linger.
When she arrives in Dreamer’s Glass, Li Qin shows her a mysterious computer server that one of her staff had found in Fremont. October presses the on button, it pricks her finger, and April appears and greets October by name.
Chapter 6: October tastes the pinprick of blood left by awakening April and sees a vision of the time she confronted April about January’s death. April explains how she came to be a cyber dryad, and January and Li Qin’s adopted child. She also claims that Titania’s Faerie is a false one, and their allies from far away have been trying to contact her by email to ask what is wrong.
Li Qin believes her immediately and fiercely. She orders October to ride her blood, and October sees a memory of January deciding to hide April away in preparation for Titania’s attack. April tells October she is the most powerful bloodworker she has ever known, and a hero.
Chapter 7: April pushes October to believe that this reality is a false one. October finally, reluctantly accepts it after she realizes she only remembers bleeding twice in her life, and both times today.
She draws her own blood again, and sees her own wedding to Tybalt, officiated by the Luideag. She is horrified to realize Tybalt is Cait Sidhe.
Etienne brings over January on April’s and October’s request, and April orders October to break the spell on her mother.
Chapter 8: October sees a memory of Titania’s geas cast over Tybalt, and how to break the threads. She follows that guide to break January free. January remembers, and thanks Toby, and then Etienne takes Toby to meet his daughter.
Chapter 9: Etienne introduces October to Bridget, his human wife, and asks October to shift Chelsea’s blood to fully fae. They have to wait until Chelsea gets home to ask her, so Bridget orders October to take a nap in the meantime.
Chapter 10: October awakens and meets Chelsea, but the girl has no human blood left in her. October looks deeper and sees the prismatic pink illusion upon all three of them, and gets Chelsea’s permission to break the geas upon her. She sees a memory of Chelsea and Raj bickeringing in the kitchen. Then she breaks the illusion, and a panicking Chelsea pushes her through a portal.
Chapter 11: October finds herself in an alley of the mortal world, beset by three full-fae thugs. October kills one of them in self-defense. When the night-haunts come Jessica Brown greets her and tells her Tybalt is coming for her soon. The night-haunts were not affected by Titania’s illusion.
Chapter 12: October is found by the Queen’s guard and thrown into an iron dungeon for killing a pureblood. October is horrified that Titania’s favorite would use something so beasty as iron. She tries to unweave the illusion over herself but is unable to.
Arden and Nolan teleport into the cell to rescue her, aided by a charm smelling of Simon’s magic. They bring her to Golden Shore, specifically to their private rooms so she can rest before all hell breaks loose.
Chapter 13: Arden takes her to a washroom to clean up, and October enjoys a nice hot bath. While October had slept, Arden and Nolan retraced her steps and talked to the disillusioned April, January, and Chelsea.
October attends the king and queen of Golden Shore, where she is reunited with Simon and August. Also there are Tybalt, Ginevra, Garm, and Grianne. Ginevera tries to explain the situation to October, while Tybalt punches walls in a corner rather than face an October who does not know him.
Chapter 14: Ginevra shares more updates, while August tries to shield October from her “truth.” October uses blood to confirm that Ginevra and Tybalt are free of the prismatic pink illusion. Tybalt accesses the Shadow Roads, and she realizes the leather jacket she’s been wearing since Shadowed Hills smells of his pennyroyal magic. Ginevera urges Toby to break the illusion on herself, but October doesn’t think she even can.
Chapter 15: They have dinner with the monarchs, and Tybalt abruptly leaves when October continues to insist that she is not capable of helping them. Ginevra keeps working on her and produces the Summer Roads Key. October eventually agrees to attempt to help them, despite Simon’s objections.
Chapter 16: Ginevra, Grianne, and October use the Summer Roads Key to access the Thorn Road. They locate Eira, whom they leave undisturbed, and then the Luidaeg, whom they find transformed into a tree and awaken.
Chapter 17: Luidaeg educates them about the Heart of Faerie, then creates passage to Blind Michael’s Realm. They are greeted by the Riders, and Luidaeg orders them to take the group to her brother. October faints from fear.
Chapter 18: When she awakens, they go to Blind Michael’s bonfire. They encounter Rayseline and Dean, who have been aware and trapped the past four months along with other “impossible” people in Titania’s Faerie. The Luidaeg orders Toby to remove the enchantment on whoever is impersonating her brother, and October complies.
Chapter 19: Anthony Brown is unconscious under the Blind Michael illusion. October gets permission from a distraught Acacia to remove the illusion on her as well. They all regroup, resting and eating under Acacia’s hospitality, and Rayseline introduces herself to her grandmother.
October is convinced that August won’t want to help break the enchantments. Acacia shares that the past four months are still real to her memory, even as she remembers everything pre-illusion.
Chapter 20: October dreams of a heartbroken Tybalt. When she wakes, Luidaeg talks to her about the real world. Then the Luidaeg explains the plan to break the illusion.
Chapter 21: Acacia opens a passageway to Shadowed Hills, where they are reunited with Etienne. They try to talk to Sylvester, but Quentin summons the Queen of the Mist’s guards to have October arrested. Ginevra takes October into the Shadow Roads to escape. They return to Amandine’s Tower only to find that October is locked out of the wards.
Chapter 22: Luidaeg gets Etienne to tell his story in this world, and prods him until he mentions the rumors of Home. They go there, and the Luidaeg orders October to unbind the false Devin. They find Andrew Brown in his place.
October confirms with Chelsea that unbinding her memories does not take away the lived experiences of the last four months under the illusion. She knows it will be hard to convince August to remove October’s illusion and risk losing her sister. She also knows that she has learned too much of the real world, including the way Tybalt looks at her in her memories, to be able to go back to living the lie.
Eira calls on October’s cell phone and tries to convince her to turn herself in and allow herself to be executed at sundown. October refuses. The enemy uses a Baobhan Sith to track her blood to Home, and they are all arrested.
Chapter 23: October and Luidaeg are imprisoned separate from their allies. The fake Eira visits to needle them, and Luidaeg realizes that the Ride’s purpose is the route itself: taking them all into Faerie so they can unlock the deeper realms.
Eira relocates them to a cell with their allies, including August, Simon, and Tybalt. They compare adventures thus far; Simon is in shock after reuniting with Patrick and having his memories unbound by August.
October convinces August to unbind her own memories. She reunites with Tybalt, and reassures both of them that she has not lost the pregnancy.
Luidaeg uses her Firstborn resistance to pick the iron lock holding them in.
Chapter 24: Now in the False Queen’s knowe, they go to the stables. They find Titania, Amandine, and the Riders. Only Amandine is really present, the others an illusion to delay the heroes. Simon has also disappeared.
Chapter 25: They use the Thorn Road to catch up with the Ride, where they find both Simon and Quentin on horses to be sacrificed.
Chapter 26: August and Toby claim Simon, while Dean and Luidaeg claim Quentin. Rather than traditional transformation, Titania uses illusions as the trials: Simon trying to abandon August and October to Amandine’s tower (“the birds that tries to fly”). Simon choosing Oleander and verbally abusing August (“the snakes that seeks to strike”). Simon physically attacking them with a knife. And then back in reality, Simon’s entire being setting fire. Toby and August hold on through it all, and finally he is freed from Titania’s grasp.
Titania declares they will regret making an enemy of her, and disappears, called to answer the call of the Heart.
Chapter 27: Three months later, Tybalt escorts Toby to a formal Court at Muir Woods. Toby reflects on the various missing people who were located after the spell was broken and how everyone is dealing with the emotional fallout.
Characters[]
See also: Titania's Faerie
Major[]
- October Daye
- August Torquill
- Simon Torquill
- Amandine
- Sylvester Torquill
- Quentin Sollys
- April O'Leary
- Li Qin Zhou
- January O'Leary
- Etienne
- Bridget Ames
- Chelsea Ames
- Arden Windermere
- Nolan Windermere
- Ginevra
- Grianne
- Rayseline Torquill
- Dean Lorden
- Blind Michael
- Acacia
- Titania
- Tybalt
Minor[]
- Hamadryad family: Parents Eion, Maia, and unnamed woman; children Ashla and Gable
- Garm
- Kerry
- Melly
- Meriel
- Ilya
- Avebury
- Chrysanthe and Theron
- Unnamed Bridge Troll - a thug who hangs out in mortal alleys.
- Eloise Altair - a thug who hangs out in mortal alleys.
- Kyle - a thug who hangs out in mortal alleys. Killed by October.
- Jessica Brown, a night-haunt
- Unnamed Daoine Sidhe twins - guards for the monarchs of Golden Shore, one male and one female
- Luna Torquill
- Devin/Anthony Brown
- Carl (changeling)
- Unnamed Baobhan Sith- sent to track October down for the False Queen
- Eira Rosynhwyr - asleep on the Thorn Road
Mentioned[]
- Maeve
- Oberon
- Queen of the Mists
- Siôn - A Coblynau who works for Li Qin
- Terrie Olsen and Alex Olsen
- Yui Hyouden
- Minna
- Bridget’s mother
- Melia - Firstborn of the Hamadryads
- September Torquill - the aunt October was named after, which she knows in this reality.
- Helen
- Ormond
- Sylvester and Simon’s parents: Septimius Torquill and Glynis Torquill. Overprotective of their sons.
- Poppy
- Oleander de Merelands
- Madden
- Gilad Windermere and Queen Sebille
- Peter Lorden - Dean’s brother. Has been sending Dean updates about August prior to Titania’s enchantment.
- Stacy Brown
- May Daye - not protected by Oberon’s geas while Toby is under Titania’s illusion, because October doesn’t know she is family.
- Gillian Marks - not protected by Oberon’s geas while Toby is under Titania’s illusion, because October doesn’t know she is family.
- Janet Carter - Toby’s maternal grandmother, who broke Maeve’s Ride. Status in the illusion world unknown.
- Patrick Lorden
- Dianda Lorden
- Cliff Marks
- Jasmine Patel - whereabouts unknown in this world
- Raj
- Ismene - Firstborn of Maeve
- Hirsent - Firstborn of Maeve
- Tam Lin - the original sacrifice for Maeve's Last Ride
- Jin
Places[]
See also: Titania's Faerie
- Kingdom in the Mists - held by the False Queen
- Amandine's Tower - home to August, Simon, and October. Amandine is frequently away.
- Shadowed Hills - Bespelled Toby always feels like she’s forgetting “some small but essential accessory” when visiting.
- Duchy of Wild Strawberries (mentioned) - an especially large number of changelings are fleeing it this year.
- County of Goldengreen (metioned) - held by a false Eira Rosynhwr, whose identity as a Firstborn is commonly known.
- Duchy of Dreamer's Glass - held by Li Qin
- False Queen’s knowe - recreated in the illusion, but not actually real.
- Library of the Stars (mentioned) - contains histories that contradict Titania’s Faerie, as well as secrets such as Quentin’s princehood
- Home - recreated in the illusion, but only the sign is real.
- Fiefdom of Chained Thunder (mentioned) - a failed Fiefdom that Amandine took August to see
- Court of Dreaming Cats (mentioned) - Tybalt's Court
- Kingdom on the Golden Shore - refuge to changelings and shapeshifters. Does not have an extradition agreement with the Mists. Has pixies, piskies and Cornish Pixies in residence.
- Duchy of Cattails (mentioned) - led by Dame vch Gwenlan
- Kingdom of Silences (mentioned)
- County of Briarholme (mentioned) - January’s demesne, inherited from her father
- Court of Whispering Cats (mentioned) - Ginevra's home Court
- Faerie Roads
- The Thorn Road - used by Maeve’s children to escape Titania’s
- The Moorland Trail - used as a shortcut by some of the Firstborn. Only accessible if you are already on one of the old roads and know the way
- The Road of Rust - opened for the Gremlins (mentioned)
- Annwn (mentioned) - August was trapped there for a century in the real world
Continuity[]
Debts[]
- No new debts explicitly incurred or resolved.
Past[]
- October views several memories of events from previous books:
- About to tell Tybalt she is pregnant in Be the Serpent
- Talking to April about January’s death in A Local Habitation
- Getting married to Tybalt in When Sorrows Come
- Luna opening the Rose Road/Thorn Road for her in A Killing Frost
- Encountering Devin in Rosemary and Rue
- Toby’s restored memories:
- Toby, pregnant with Gillian, won her freedom from Devin in Strangers in Court
- Simon sent Toby into the pond in Rosemary and Rue. After living in Titania’s Faerie, Toby can understand a little better that it had been a kindness compared to killing her.
- She was bound by Evening in Rosemary and Rue
- Tybalt confessed his love for Toby in Ashes of Honor.
- Toby and Tybalt got engaged in The Winter Long
- The real Minna died in Once Broken Faith
- The changeling uprising Etienne refers to is likely the merlin war from The Fixed Stars
- Luidaeg references Merlin trapped in the hawthorn tree, from Sun Sets Weeping
- Maeve helped Toby from the Thorn Road in A Killing Frost
- Luidaeg sent Toby to Blind Michael’s Realm using the Blood Road in An Artificial Night and did not let her use the easy shortcut they access now. Toby killed Blind Michael on that journey.
- Titania bound Luidaeg with her first geas, which the Luidaeg does not want broken while she is needed to help the heroes, in Such Dangerous Seas. She has previously said that she doesn't dare break the geas while Toby needs her around for emergencies, in Be the Serpent.
- Luidaeg first gave Toby crystallized blood lozenges in Chimes at Midnight, and again in Be the Serpent
- Simon divorced Amandine and married Dean’s parents in A Killing Frost
- The truth of Oberon’s binding upon Titania was discovered in Be the Serpent, where it was also discovered that Titania was disguised as Stacy Brown
- Luidaeg first met the child October in Never Shines the Sun
- Toby gained a Countess rank in Late Eclipses and gave it away in One Salt Sea
- Chelsea previously encountered Duchess Riordan’s lies in Ashes of Honor
- Devin was killed six years ago, and Home was burnt to the ground, in Rosemary and Rue
- Luidaeg explicitly thanked Toby after Toby saved her life in The Winter Long
Quotes[]
- "Methought I heard a voice cry, 'sleep no more!'" -William Shakespeare, Macbeth
- King Macbeth is feeling haunted after he killed King Duncan to steal the throne. Lady Macbeth engineered the whole scheme and is dismissive of his concerns.[3]
- Titania, like Lady Macbeth, is willing to do whatever necessary in order to become the Queen of All Faerie.
- October and August are both haunted by thoughts/nightmares that seep in from the real world.
- This title shares a quote with The Innocent Sleep, which covers the same events from Tybalt's point of view.[1]
External Links[]
- Seanan under contract for Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep (Tumblr)
- Announcement of Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep release dates (Instagram)
- September 5 is the correct release day, not September 9. (Twitter)
- Seanan calls it a "brutal candyland of a book." (Twitter)
- Cover reveal and Chapter 1 excerpt
- The baby will not be harmed.[4]
- Discussion post for SLEEP NO MORE - SeananMcGuire.com