Rating: 
Summary: Stick with Anita Blake
Review: I have read most of the Anita Blake series and I really enjoy them. That said I was very disappointed with this book. The character was poorly developed and the story weak. The whole farie world is very confusing to follow and Halmilton does not make much of an attempt to claify it in her writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Faerie Tales
Review: This novel was in a word "fantastic". I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. Merry "Princess Meredith" has been hiding out in Los Angeles for the past three years because someone is trying to kill her and it appears to be someone close to home. While growing up Merry was considered the "ugly duckling" because she was too short, too human but mostly because she had no real power like the others at court. Merry is employed by a detective agency as a P.I. - while working on a case someone ends up dead and Merry is being held as the prime suspect in the murder she didn't commit. The media attention Merry receives after her release leads to her being discovered by the folks back home and she is forced to return to the land where she still fears for her life. Merry learns upon her return that she may now inherit the throne from the very person she believes wants her dead and to her surprise and she is now coming into her powers which have been dormant all theses years -- making her a source to be contended with. Merry is definitely the new star on my block hands down. I found all the characters to be refreshing -- even the bad guys. This novel is one you just can put down but it's definitely not for conservatives. I don't know how Ms. Hamilton can improve upon this novel but I surely can't wait to read the next installation. I loved it and I believe most of you will also.
Rating:
Summary: Does she have to have sex with EVERY guy in the book??
Review: At the time I write this, there are already 151 other reviews of this book, awaiting your perusal. I shall, therefore, mainly focus only on why I did not like this book at all, and earnestly avoid yet another plot summary. I have read all of the Anita Blake books (except Narcissus in Chains ... after the travesty of A Kiss of Shadows, and the poor reviews for Narcissus, I cannot bring myself to spend my hard-earned money on it). The Anita Blake books cycled from being too fascinating not to forgive Ms. Hamilton's less than exquisite writing techniques, to so irritating as to wonder why the book was still in my hand, and not in the garbage. None-the-less, I am a fan of her imaginative characters, and, as such, felt compelled to purchase and read A Kiss of Shadows. The plot sounded fascinating; a new twist of her tough-as-nails chick character. But, a chapter or two in, I realized this book was essentially how the heroine, Merry, gets from point A to point B, and all of the males she sleeps with (or at least shares strong sexual innuendo with) along the way. This would include every single male character in the entire book. That's fine. I could live with that. But really, every situation introduced into the plot line was merely a means to get her into bed with someone else. Or someone elses. That's not a book - that's a story in Penthouse. And, as I have mentioned with the Anita Blake series, Ms. Hamilton is not the most profound writer. She has a rather aggravating tendancy to repeat herself, as if to prove to her readers that she really has done her research on a topic. What I find most irritating of all (speaking from reading her Anita Blake series) is that although a character, or a relationship, or a problem, is advanced or resolved at the end of one book, she picks up the next book as if said resolution never occured. So, in summation, with the fairly weak writing style of Ms. Hamilton combined with her desperate need to get her heroine to have sex with as many people as possible, I'm afraid that A Kiss of Shadows plummets to the lowest depths of the opinions I have of all of the books I have read. Oh, and I guess I also had several eye-rolling episodes when Ms. Hamilton would describe either Anita Blake or Merry Gentry, and, upon glancing at the author's picture on the back jacket, it was most clear that the characters were modeled after the author's own looks, coloring, and physique. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Ms. Hamilton also restricts her attire to black, blues, and reds. But that's just a guess.
Rating: 
Summary: Kiss of Shadows
Review: I enjoyed this book. I have been reading Laurel K. Hamilton since "Nightseer" great book by the way.This book is on a completely different scale than the Anita Blake series. Meredith Gentry is not anything like Anita Blake, except for the fact that they are both short women. In this book you get a more in depth perception of what the Fey are like. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys something just a little unusual. Enjoy!!!
Rating: 
Summary: a wasted potential
Review: My friend has been persistently recommending Laurell K. Hamilton to me and never having been able to get through the blake series,I've decided to try the fey fantasies.Now,I might have been spoiled in the past by reading authors,who can actually write,do so well and without using 50 cents magic words,and that could explain my dissapoitment,but there definetely others factors,such as
1.is she absolutely incapable of writing stand-alones?I'm sure what writing series is far more commercially sound,but the artistic integrity goes right out of the window.
2.the characters were persistently inconsistant and not overly compelling either.
3.does every major statement have to be made with such redundancy and proven to us as though we're creatures of far inferior intellect then that of Ms.Hamilton.
Having that been said,if you are a fan,get it,cause I'm sure although the settings are different,the book still has plenty of whatever it is you liked about the rest of her books.She doesn't seem original enough to have it be any other way.
If you've never read her books before,save your time and money and get a book that will actually stimulate more than your erogenous zones.
this is only an opinion,no offence or disrespect was meant:)read on
Rating: 
Summary: My goodness!
Review: I really liked Hamilton's Blake series, but I've noticed a trend... the more recent the book, the more sex! This one was allright, but the sex did get a little....over much. I can understand that perhaps Hamilton wanted to get across to the reader that sex is a important part of Sidhe culture but I don't think she had to have so much of it. Not that I'm complaining-- I like some steamy sex scenes, but instead of enhancing the story and the plot's credibility, it detracted from it slightly. I do like that the story went somewhere... unlike anita blake, instead of sticking around and investigating, we get a nice view of both L.A. and Merry's roots in the fairy mounds. Too many authors find a setting for their characters and stick with it. I'm glad this wasn't the case....I hope the next book in the series gets Merry back to the Unseleigh court for a time....
Rating:
Summary: Derivative, but enjoyable.
Review: I won't go into a plot summary, since others already have. I will say that, rightly or wrongly, I feel that Laurell Hamilton was very influenced by Mercedes Lackey (the Diana Tregarde series) and Emma Bull (War for the Oaks) -- okay, with some serious Anne Rice (her erotic "Beauty" trilogy) thrown in. But hey, this all works for me, since I loved all of the above. This book doesn't break any new ground, but it was certainly an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, not bad at all...
Review: Okay people, listen up. No more of this I love Anita Blake series, yada, yada, yada. Don't get me wrong, that series kicks major .... BUT I say again, But, don't compare the two. They are completely different. This comparison is making people not see the whole picture. You ruin it when you start comparing it with the other series. Just take this new series as it is: with an open mind. When I first picked it up, I thought, gee, a spin off of Anita Blake. Wrong. It's so different I was surprised by it. I really didn't find any elements that were too similar. Sure there are some similarities. Short, tough, gets the job done, mostly tall depictedly gorgeous men. Oh yeah, my favorite guy? Doyle. If you have to compare, Doyle is sort of not really like Jean-Claude. He's defiantly the guy you want Merry with. But do they.....? It starts out with an Unseelie fey Princess named Meredith NicEssus hiding from all those assassins who are trying to kill her. The only power she possesses, so far is her strong ability to use glamour to hide herself. She's half human, brownie and fey which her aunt, Queen of Air and Darkness, doesn't particularly like in a fey heir. Well, major skippage here-your just going to have to read it to get the full thing-Meredith finally comes into power, the hand of flesh (pretty cool). AND her aunt wants her back home; she's a major witch. Hmmmm. The plot thickens... Hey now, give this book a chance. Granted it's not the best-so far, yet-but it's only the first in this series. Not as much kicking ..., but still good. There are no vampires, ghouls, ghosts and goblins-well, 3 out 4 ain't bad. It's the other side of fantasy,of faeires and etc. Meredith is really short-5 feet tall-with blood red hair and tri-color eyes. She's tough but her weapon of choice is her magic and even that's not used all the time. She's also very classy, clever and not afraid of her sexuality, hello, she has to sleep with a lot of the Queen's Guard... I for one enjoyed the book and can't wait for the next one. It'll be interesting to see how the writing, story line and characters develop. Give it a chance!
Rating:
Summary: mesmerized
Review: Today for the second time I read this book.I do not know how Laurell does this,but I get into her books and I do not have the energy to get up and close the book. She has wonderful way of describing her characters that I really love. Her writing may be rough in a lot of ways, but she has the ability to get you into her way,so to speak. I do not compare her to Anita at all and I think I would be foolish to do so, because she is a totally differant person.
Merry is an older person than Anita and little wiser because she is more secure in many ways, but in many ways the same. I also love all the men her new series as in Anita I did not think that Richard was her type. Anita also questions herself about becoming a monster. Merry knows that when you stop asking questions to yourself you have become a monster. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel "Caress of Twilight" to see Merry and her gents get along....
Rating:
Summary: Awesome intro for a new series!
Review: I love all of Laurell K. Hamilton's previous writings, and sure enough, A Kiss of Shadows didn't fall short of any expectations I had. It's true that the ending left things hanging, but to those that haven't been following up on the news of this book, it's an introduction into a series and has to leave things hanging for the next book! I love the way she combines actual mythology and historical references to create her fey world, making it somewhat believable. Merry and her friends are an awesome group of characters unlike any other I've ever read and the images that Laurell paints throughout the book are breathtaking and very imaginative. If anyone is looking for a book with a lot of mystery, suspense, action, and last but not least sex, then you should definately pick up A Kiss of Shadows ASAP!!!
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