Rating: 
Summary: Plot of a ...movie
Review: I was really intrigued by the plot of a fairy princess private investigator at odds with her community of magical creatures and I had a great time with this book for the first few pages. But by the end I was so disgusted that I threw it in the garbage. (I didn't even want to take it to the used book store because I didn't want to be responsible for someone else having to suffer through it!) Okay, to be honest I didn't even finish the last thirty pages. The plot was so weak and so stupid that by the time the heroine HAD to have sex with a dozen handsome men or face a horrible fate I wanted to be sick. The author is obviously a capable writer and the characters could have been really fascinating. Why did this have to descend to the level where the sex scenes became the reason for the plot rather then the plot being the reason for the sex scenes? ... I guess I'd recommend this book if you just want to read about an S&M loving fairy having sex with every male she encounters ... But if you actually want a plot, characters that make sense, some mystery, adventure, or even a dark voyage into the realm of the fey save your money for some other more ambitious book.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating
Review: I don't normally write reviews, but I feel I must. I have to say that I feel that a Kiss of Shadows has to be one of the most enthralling, well-written novels that I have read in a LONG time. ... and was recommended this book by a friend. I have owned it 2 days and have read it four times. I was captivated by the book, I couldn't put it down. ... Ms. Hamilton, I loved your book. You have made me a fan. ...Wonderful writing, wonderful story. Read it, it is superb.
Rating: 
Summary: Faerie Princess
Review: Teensy but tough private investigator specializing in the supernatural comes up against...the supernatural? Doesn't sound radically (or at all) different from Hamilton's Anita Blake vampire noir series. Yet Kiss of Shadows quickly establishes its own distinct, enjoyable tone. Whereas the Blake books are distinguished primarily by Anita's wry, appealing voice and their neck-snapping violence, this book succeeds in creating a compelling, detailed fantasy universe. Once heroine Meredith Gentry is revealed to be a faerie princess, more Spenser than Spenser for Hire, the awkward P.I. angle is entirely dropped. Hamilton's Faerie realm suffers some of the blitheness of her wackily vampiric St. Louis at its insections with the real world, but once on Sidhe territory the book really moves. The Sidhe themselves, and the ogres, brownies, and beasties that surround them, continually impress, as does the nastily intricate court intrigue. As with the later Blake books, there's a lot of drearily adolescent "adult" sexuality, but otherwise this is a clear improvement on them. While I wouldn't immediately search out the sequel, Kiss of Shadows turns out to be a surprisingly potent fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing new series
Review: Laurell Hamilton introduces us to a fascinating new world and cast of characters in her new Merry Gentry series. Merry is smart, politically savvy and has a bevy of gorgeous men at her disposal. I have to admit that I find Merry much more interesting as a character than Anita Blake; the gore is more toned down and there's more political intrigue and maneuvering than blood and guts. A few inconsistencies in the plot, as well as a lot of dropped hints that aren't followed up on, and her determinedly casual language gets a little distracting sometimes, but I found the book riveting, nonetheless. As much as I love this new series, though, I'm hoping that this doesn't become another endless series like the AB series--a little closure would be nice!
Rating:
Summary: Laurell Hamilton does it again.
Review: Great book to read if you are an Anita Blake fan.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: I read the second book, A Caress of Twilight, before this one, which gave it an interesting feel. I already knew where it was going, but I had no idea really of how it got there. So it gave this book an interesting twist.
I found that the plot was smooth, and quickly flowing, and it kept me interested and eager to find out what happened next. I knew where the story was heading, but I was pleasantly surprised at how inventive the author was in getting it there. Even having read the sequel, I was still thrilled by the unexpected happenings.
The characters were interesting; a study in diverse personalities. Merry, our Unseelie Sidhe princess, is a vivid, delightfully wicked and thoroughly captivating female, with an energy that carries the book throughout.
The male Fey, Sidhe and others, that fill this book are all so different, it's hard to pick a favorite. Well, maybe not that hard. Definitely Darkness, without a doubt, followed by Killing Frost.
The story was wonderful, showing a vision of a whole realm that facinates me.
It may not be classic fantasy, but I enjoyed it anyway. And I am greatly looking forward to another.
Rating:
Summary: Erotica with fantasy trappings
Review: I really enjoyed the first four Anita Blake books with their combination of alternate history, fantasy, mystery, and romance so I was deeply disappointed when I picked up Kiss of Shadow, looking forward to a new fantasy outing from the same author, and found simply an erotica story dressed up (or undressed) in fantasy clothes. In the first 50 pages, Meredith Gentry, the hot-to-trot faerie princess of our story, has three different sexual encounters all of them the cliched stuff of most erotica fiction--she gets hit with an aphrodiasic, almost has an orgy at the police station, and has kinky sex with her selkie boyfriend. Hamilton sets up an interesting fantasy background for her heroine and could have made a really riveting story from it, but the plot is simply a device to get Meredith from one sexual situation to another. Hamilton has appeared to have moved away from fantasies with a strong mystery element to erotica set in a fantasy world. The later Anita Blake novels have also devolved in this manner to the point where they are no longer readable. I have read and enjoyed erotica in the past, but Hamilton's attempt to meld it with serious alternate history fantasy has resulted in a very unsatisfactory hybrid of the two. If you like erotica, you'll enjoy this book. If you're looking for a well-plotted fantasy novel, avoid it.
Rating:
Summary: Merry Gentry returns to the Faerie Court
Review: Merry Gentry has been hiding from her family for years. Third in line to the Unseelie throne, her cousin has been trying to kill her for years. Her Aunt the Queen has summoned her home to make her the heir. But will she survive to become queen? This author has an amazing gift for description, I just couldn't put the book down. Great Story!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Off the beaten path...
Review: This was classic Hamilton work and I'm looking forward to the next sequel. I was at first disappointed because I was into her vampire world so deeply that moving to a fairy world was a bit of a jolt, but after reading the book, I'm beginning to find intrigue in this story and a have a lot of unanswered questions, which of course Laurell does on purpose to keep us all going to the next book! I have recommended all her previous books to all who say they like that sort of thing (some can't handle the sex or the violence), but I've loved everything she wrote and am looking forward to more! Thanks, Laurell!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic introduction to the world of the Sidhe
Review: This is the second Laurell K. Hamilton book that I have devoured in one evening (two different evenings, fortunately!). A KISS OF SHADOWS introduces a different kind of paranormal being - the faeries (or the Sidhe, divided into the Seelie and the UnSeelie, whose differences seem minor), the brownies, and a variety of other beings, including the slaugh (trolls? hags? definitely underworld, anyway). In Merry Gentry's world, there are many human beings who have a trace of faerie ancestry (and are thus fey). There is also one interesting selkie who has survived the loss of his skin. Oh, and there is the tabloid press and the paparazzi, including one particularly intrusive scumbag. The story has been summarized by others, and reacted to either positively or negatively. I like this writer (fast, fun, engrossing reads), and I am not attached to Anita Blake. So my review is from the perspective of what works, and what does not. What works is the plot: there is a mystery at work, although the solution becomes clear some time before the end. Who is trying to kill Merry Gentry (or Princess Meredith nicEssus), and why? How does Merry fit in or not fit into the UnSeelie Court? What are Merry's feelings about the members of the Court, and about the members of the Queen's Guard? How does she relate to her human and fey friends? Will life at the UnSeelie Court tempt her away from life as a private investigator? These questions are partially answered in this first book; we cannot know of course, whether Merry will end up with a foot in either world, and what the hidden goals and needs of all the characters are. In this first book, Merry comes into her full powers (including the ability to reverse living beings inside out through the Hand of Flesh) via sex. She has a healthy attitude to sex, although she will not sleep with anyone who is ugly, mean/cruel, or stupid. [Quite reasonable objections]. If you object to a heroine who is quite happy with multiple partners, stop right here. Avoid this book, the rest of the series, and the rest of the Anita Blake series (starting with NARCISSUS IN CHAINS) as well. I find such a heroine interesting, and more in sync with many modern women. Laurell Hamilton does not write romances (where the ideal is one man and one woman); she writes paranormal horror cum suspense cum fantasy. The romantic element is there, but it is not your conventional romance(s). I found myself interested in the deeper issues of the book, as mentioned by another reviewer. What exactly is the difference between Seelie and UnSeelie, other than adherence to a standard of looks (or lack of such adherence)? When did this schism happen? What exactly happened in the wars between the faerie (or Sidhe) and the humans? Is the situation in Europe really that different from that in the USA? I wish that the author had included a vocabulary, but otherwise, I found the book sufficiently interesting that I supplied my own meanings for several terms rather than backtrack. I also regretted the dropping of Merry's concerns about the human part of her life while she was at the UnSeelie Court (although I appreciate that she had some major problems). Rating = 4.4 (A-)
Breakdown = Paranormal, fantasy & horror, i.e. genre-specific elements 4.8 (A+); writing 4.4 (B+); plot development 4.3 (B+); characterization 4.8 (A). Glossary, or list of different types of paranormal beings badly needed (0.3 deduction) Recommended = highly, if you like paranormal/horror/fantasy, and enjoy strong female protagonists. An exceptional start, with some minor problems.
|
