For example, to enter a Knowe a person often needs to enact a series of fairy tale like steps such as running twice around a bush or climbing the air below a bridge, and each morning fae risk their magic being seriously affected by the dawn, (including the disguises that help them remain unnoticed by humans). This firstly creates a wonderfully medieval political structure, with nobles of all stripes going as far as different kings and queens, power plays, conflicting loyalties and alliances, but also a wonderfully alien world in which the action can take place, since the fae world is one of hidden shadows, odd rituals and darkly alien savagery. The fae realm is made up of many pure blood lordlings each possessing their own Knowe, or dwelling, which can be as small as a manner or as large as an entire hidden kingdom. Rather than having a world hidden in plain sight or a world which seemingly everyone from crime lords to police knows about but doesn't acknowledge, McGuire has the fairy world existing almost completely separate from the world we know, indeed in this respect her world building almost resembles Rowling’s.
One aspect of the book which is truly exceptional is the way McGuire represents the world of the fae and characters’ relations to it. Rosemary and Rue follows the adventures of October Daye, a changeling private investigator living in San Francisco, but also in a world full of the magic and politics of the hidden fae. Dark recommended Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, as books which were both most definitely urban fantasy and also highly worth reading, I was eager to give them a try. Of course there have been plenty of books about hidden fantastical worlds in the modern day I've loved, from Rowling's Harry Potter to Barker's Weaveworld, but the specific mix of mythological or horrific monsters, mystery and high octane action usually typified by the urban fantasy label has never cooked up something that really grabbed my attention. Fun most certainly, but never anything that specifically stayed with me, or made me really care about its world or characters when I stopped reading. Despite my recent introduction to the joys of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have never come across an urban fantasy book that really struck me as exceptional.
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