A Kiss of Shadows

Rating:
Summary: A bit thick on the sensuality, but a good read nonetheless..
Review: I enjoyed "A Kiss of Shadows." When I first began to read the book, I was abit shocked at the frequent nature of the sensuality. I think Hamilton came very close to tripping over the line in the first 100 and some odd pages of the book. Too much, too soon.

I, unlike other readers, didn't have a problem with the police scene. I actually thought it was a little humorous. (Hey, imagine that folks, a sense of humor...)

Nor did I have trouble with Roane, her lover of two years.

There's one particular scene (involving tentacles...you'll know what I'm talking about), that was bothersome; I think the sheer volume simply got to me. I rolled my eyes and I thought "Come on, this has to be a joke."

I nearly put the book down, to be honest. But I wanted to read the book. I love Hamilton's style and I was determined not to give up on her.

I'm glad I didn't.

The "sensuality" slackens towards the end, or maybe it's just packaged in a more comfortable way. But towards the end of the book, some of the machinations and the plotting in the Unseelie court shines through. And always you're getting a tidbit here and another there regarding this alien culture. Her presentation of the fey is quite fascinating.

Ultimately, this is a worthy read if you can stomach strange sex, and if you can relate the foreign attitiude towards sex with the fact that you're dealing with an alien race. (In short, if you are open minded and not a prude. Please don't attempt to read this if you are a prude. You'll have nightmares for weeks.)

It's tastefully done. It all fits in context. And I believe that the second book in the series will allow the reader to delve even deeper into the fey world. Sans sex or with sex, either way I'm betting it will be a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: If you like soft-core porn, you will like this book. If you like character development or plot development, you won't.

I very much liked the Anita Blake series (with reservations about Obsidian Butterfly). Hamilton created a fully-believable alternative universe, where were-beings, vampires, and the fey, along with conventional humans, are fully realized. The world had internal consistency, which allowed the characters to develop, and the reader to believe in the characters. The Anita Blake universe is a very sexual universe--and the reader is involved in the characters' sexuality, because they are believable.

That is, for me, what divides literature from porn. In literature, the reader responds imaginatively to the characters' sexuality because the reader can imagine inhabiting the characters' universe. In porn, there's no imagination, really, it is just parts rubbing together. In literature, plot makes the world more real. In porn, plot serves to get genitals in proximity.

The world she has created in "Kiss of Shadows" doesn't hang together. Hamilton begs many questions, for example, if the fey moved to the U.S., why? What happened? Are there still fey in Europe? The fey described in "Kiss of Shadows" are all of the Celtic variety--are there others? Why is, uhhhm, racial mixing so prevalent among the fey (brownie-fey, brownie-goblin-fey, human-fey)? Even, jeez, the fey she mentions are physiologically so different, why are these cross-bred beings fertile?

OK, on to character development. I couldn't keep characters straight--descriptions of physical and/or sexual attributes are no substitute for the introduction and development of unique personality traits.

The most charitable thing I could say about this novel is that it is told from the view of a not-quite-human being (Princess Meredith being elven and all) and Hamilton was reaching for a voice that would be convincingly non-human. In my view, she was convincingly wooden, not non-human.

Rating:
Summary: Laurell K. Kept Me Up All Night Again
Review: If you want to read a book that keeps you up all night to finish it. Read this. The characters are that fabulous touch of vurnerable and nasty that Laurell K. specializes in. The book starts out with an MORTAL sidhe having a job in LA as a private detective and it ends up with the same OUTCAST mortal being named heir apparent of the throne and given a gorgeous harem of sidhe lords. Talk about job perks. This is one of those books that you will refuse to put down. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. WAY TO GO LAURELL K. I KNEW THIS BOOK WOULD BE WORTH THE WAIT.

Rating:
Summary: Hmmm
Review: I absolutely love this author's style. She writes in first person, and there is a lot of action. I like the heroine, and I like the alternate reality that includes faeries. I was a bit put off by the unusual sex scenes with all of the different partners. I think that the sex scenes occurred a bit too frequently. I would have preferred more action and less sex. This book basically sets the stage for the future books, and I think that I will like the series, but I am hoping that the rest of the books do not focus on quite so much sex with so many partners. I would like to see a bit more intrigue and action, and possibly a focus on her detective work with a splash of the court intrigue. I think that this series has potential, but I don't think that I could read another book with such a predominant focus on sexual liaisons.

Rating:
Summary: Yeah, there's a lot of sex.
Review: If you think the Anita Blake books just keep getting better and better, buy this. If you think Guilty Pleasures was the peak of the series, don't. That's the simple rule of thumb. If, however, you've never read any LKH and you're considering it, don't start here. It's a good book, but Guilty Pleasures is better.

What I liked about KoS: the setup. It's very detailed, with logical characters, logical motivations, etc. The guys. They're sidhe. She can be outrageously gorgeous (i.e., green hair, blue, etc.) describing them. I also like the fact that I pretty much noticed a theme in there (it has something to do with the openness of the Unseelie Court).

What I didn't like: It felt like too much setup for so little book. It's the kind of book you shouldn't really read until you have the second one sitting beside you. I can't wait until the second comes out; I feel it will fulfill all the promise of the first.

In reference to the sex: there's a little more in here than there was in Blue Moon, and it's a little more overt, but it's integral to the plot. As a matter of fact, without the sex, the plot wouldn't hold together. I won't say it's her best work, but it's got some really memorable characters.

LKH's distinctive writing style obviously shows through. There are a lot more similarities between Merry and Anita than another reviewer said, but I can't enumerate all of them without giving stuff away. They both look good in jewel tones (red, royal blue, etc.) and black, though, and they both have a thing for men with long hair, and looks aren't quite everything.

That said, Merry doesn't sound quite like Anita. They're different people, with different childhoods, different situations. The worlds they live in are NOT the same; they don't even seem to be related. The fey are fascinating, especially the sidhe and the half-breeds. If anyone wondered, "Rhys" sounds the same as "Reese".

I think, however, that I prefer Anita at this point.

Rating:
Summary: THIS ISN'T ANITA--BUT WHAT IS IT?
Review: Anita Blake fans will buy this book, but may be in for a big disappointment. Though the Fairie folks are interesting and their proclivities are surely different, there isn't the humor or the character development to be found thus far in this first book of the new series. I kept reading, thinking things would surely become more interesting, but they actually became fairly repetative. Doyle is a good character, but he isn't even Richard, much less Jean Claude. Merry seems a bit watered down, even though the development of her powers was fairly riviting reading. I don't have a problem with the sexual nature of the characters, but after a while all the gratuitous groping became boring. Hope this series picks up its pace with some plot, but in the meantime, more Anita, please! These characters need some heart and honest emotions. Just because they are not entirely human doesn't mean that we (fairly) human readers don't want to see that good old friendship, loyalty, or even love stuff.

Rating:
Summary: FROST FROST FROST FROST FROST
Review: I have a new favorite character. FORST! He's so cool. He's the greatest nonperson since Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books. He's wonderful. This series is going to be soooooo good. I can't wait until the next one comes out.

Rating:
Summary: An exhilarating and liberating book
Review: I found "A Kiss of Shadows" the most exhilarating and liberating book I'd read in a long time. LKH's themes and references are complex and sophisticated, and the use of the word "ribald" was an excellent choice by one professional reviewer.

Meredith Gentry is compassionate and warm, clever and vulnerable. This is a quest story, with the narrator seeking to survive politics and find her life path.

The reviews here at Amazon are informative, in that they seem to be by readers who are angry. Either angry that LKH verged into a new series instead of writing Anita Blake books more-better-faster. Or the readers are dismayed at LKH's frankness and Meredith's pleasure in sexuality.

Of course, we don't see reviews at Amazon (or too many other places, since Amie is not a message board) complaining that the violence and action sequences, the crime scenes and the magic, and the blood in the Anita Blake:Vampire Hunter are grotesque and perverse and that reader is never buying another book from the author.

As LKH has said several times in print: "There isn't that much sex in this book."

She is correct. But unsophisticated readers will only notice the erotic elements. (And these are really, really, good.) They might miss the fascinating magic that occurs (entirely different from the Anitaverse), the strong family and loyalty bonds that fill Merry's life, the wit, the Celtic lore that has played out with the Fey living in the USA, the sense of the team at the Grey Detective Agency in LA, the range of diverse characters (not all male) at the Unseelie Court and throughout the novel, plus the Queen of Air and Darkness who is terrifying.

This is an adult book. I mean, it is for anyone who brings their mature, inquiring mind to a novel of speculative fiction. What if everyone around you is immortal? How do they spend eternity? And how precious is life to you (Meredith) as a mortal in their midst?

What would it mean for you if physical pleasure, the life of the senses, a bond with nature, and a search for a mate to awaken your personal magic and link to your fertility were key in your life as a woman?

I highly recommend this book. It is extremely unusual.

Rating:
Summary: A Kiss of Shadows
Review: After reading my first Anita Blake book, I immedeately called the book store and ordered all the rest. What a treat! I couldn't wait for the next anything written by this unbelievable mind. I was not in the least disappointed. I read A Kiss of Shadows in 2 days(only because work got in the way). Fairies with attitude! What an idea! What solid Hamilton. When is the next installment?

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was really looking forward to this book but found the lack of decent plot to be a big turn off (imagine that, a turn OFF associated with this book). Plot is basically: Women walks into agency and need help, guy wants to have sex with Merry. The police officers want to have sex with her. Merry is on the run, has sex with seal guy. Merry is in the van on the run, cuddles/kisses a guy that wants to have sex with her. Merry meets tentacle man, he wants to have sex with her. Merry meets the Dark guy, he wants to have sex with her and romps around with her on the bed and sucks on her thigh...wash, rinse, repeat.

Is anyone else disturbed that the description of both Anita and Merry (short, dark, curly hair, petite) are a dead on match for the author picture of Laurell on the back of her books?

In her books, every man is attracted to Merry/Anita and wants to have sex with them. I just feel a little uncomfortable reading Laurell's fantasies explicitly describing how sexy she is and how every man wants to bed her.

Bought the book the day it came out, read the first 70 pages, skimmed the rest...taking it back today. It's not an awful book, but the same sexy/tease scene is repeated too many times to pay hard cover price.