Rating: 
Summary: trash
Review: A friend gave me this book to read. Thank God I didn't buy it. This is a pornographic version of a penny dreadful. It seems to consist solely of sex scenes ( I cannot say erotic because that implies some degree of artistry)loosely strung together by an unfathomable plot centered around unlikeable characters. I could not finish-just gave up and threw it in the trash.
Rating: 
Summary: An Audiobook Review
Review: I'm not going to rehash the plot of the story here because others have already done that. This review is about listening to the audiobook version of this story.I've listened to the unabridged audiobook version of KOS and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. At first I was a little disconcerted that one woman was doing all of the narration. Given the number of male characters in this story I thought for sure that they would have a man read those parts. But Laural Merlington is a gifted reader and unlike some other narrators I've heard, she has managed to give each character his or her own voice. As the tapes progressed, it was easy to identify which character was speaking by the voice characteristics alone. And given the typical number of characters in LKH's books, this is to be commended. I had already read this book in hardcover and knew the story well, but I have to say that listening to it was a whole new experience. I heard things that I must have glossed over when reading the book. It made the characters much more alive. For fans of the Merry Gentry series, I would definitely recommend getting the unabridged audiobook. Check all possible sources if you're interested in buying it, because I've found a very wide variety of prices and was able to purchase it a much discounted price.
Rating: 
Summary: Fairy Tales are NOT for children
Review: Laurell K. Hamilton is best known for her Anita Blake novels. And deservedly so. However, A Kiss of Shadows starts a new direction for Hamilton. Away from the death and discord of the Vampire Hunter novels, into a sheer, sensually oriented world where a single touch can haunt you forever, and a lover's kiss will steal your mind.
Where the Anita Blake novels are like trying to surface from a world where dark embraces you with light, A Kiss of Shadows is a place where you embrace the dark with the light. And make sure that the darkness is never at your back.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: I know some people complained about the sexual context but that didn't bother me. After reading Anita Blake I can see where it would bother some people though. What bothered me was feeling like this must be the 2nd book in a new series because she never explains about how things operate. I would like a lot more background on the courts, the people who serve it, etc... You do get brief descriptions but did anyone else feel like that wasn't enough? I notice she does this quite a bit, never varying off the storyline to full you in on the background descriptions. With that said I did enjoy this book and I will be looking forward to the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: bleh
Review: I have read all of Ms. Hamilton's Anita Blake stuff. I really enjoyed them, and I even re-read them when I'm low on reading material. In a moment of weakeness, I decided to give her Faery/detective tales a try. Oy veh, that's $6.50 I won't see again. Hell, that's lunch. Kiss of shadows was a combination of all the things I DON'T like about the later Anita Blake books. There's TOO much sex going on and not enough story line. There are interesting faeries, but they are all busy trying to get in each other's pants to really move the story along. First 40 pages is almost exactly like my least favorite part of "Narcissis in Chains." It's so purile and hormonal that it borders on a bad Romance novel. Frankly, if I wanted to read Romance/sex novels, I would, and not worry about the extras, like a plot. I expected so much out of Hamilton that the last few books have been so disappointing . I wish she'd get her mind off her hormones and get back to the storylines!
Rating:
Summary: where is the next one
Review: Kiss of shadows is the 2nd in the series. However, it ended with unanswered questions. Now it seems that at this time there is no ending in sight since there seems to be no 3rd book in the series. I would not recommend you start this one until the next in series is released or you will be left bbhanging there with unanswered questions (will Merry get pregnant? will she inhert the throne?)
Rating:
Summary: Actually, a great book...
Review: I would just like to say that I really enjoyed this book. A lot of the reviews make strong mention of the sexual content found in this novel. However, I believe that these encounters are very important to the overall tone of the book; the society is much easier to understand with the encounters included. I also believe that the frequency is important, and that they are not included for excitement. If the encounters are unenjoyable or distasteful to you as a reader, imagine how Merry must feel! Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I do not believe that it is "porn," because the sexual encounters are vital in setting the tone of the fairie society.
Rating:
Summary: It Had Such Potential!
Review: Let me begin by saying I could never get into the Anita Blake series, and I live in missouri and by and large like vampire fiction.(Love Buffy!) But I REALLY like Fairy stories! Urban fantasy stuff and this started out so promising! Fairies in the St. Louis area! How Cool! But no. Just lots of meaningless sex scenes that could have been paraphrased from penthouse forum! There just wasn't enough story! But I will say that when she finally decided to say something about the whole fairy-legends-culture stuff the things she said were entertaining.I just feel there should have been more story and less sex .
Rating:
Summary: Good reading
Review: LKH has a simplistic style of writing that is refreshing not
to mention interesting. But then, I'm biased since I collect
her books. It's still a good book, though.
Rating:
Summary: The erotic elements really weaken this book
Review: It's not that I'm prudish that the erotic elements of this novel annoy me-- they annoy me because they're irrelevant to the plot and don't add anything to the atmosphere of the book. If I want stroke fiction, there are other places to find that-- if I read a novel, I'm looking for elements that are interrelated. Merry Gentry is a faerie princess on the run, hiding in the mortal world pretending to be a mostly-human private investigator. All is well with the world until she takes the case of a woman being preyed upon by her ex-husband. Suddenly Merry's cover is blown and she's forced to deal with her loving family once again. Hamilton makes this concept of faerie more believable than you have a right to expect-- she's a slick writer and you won't have any complaints about the diction or style.
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