Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: I read this book in 2 days. I wanted to know what would happen. I think the sex stuf was a wee bit much, but it did not keep me from reading and wanting to know what was going on and what would happen. I can not wait to read the next one. I like the way the real world and fantasy are melded together so, seemingly logically ;)
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best yet.
Review: This book is one of the best that I have read by Ms. Hamilton. It was a non stop page turner. I didn't have the ability to put it down. I have yet to get into a series, with the exception of Anita Blake, that grabbed me from the onset.Merry Gentry is a wonderful character whose smart commets and ready wit lead the reader deeper into the inner workings of an old school court system. She is ready for anything and reacts as a woman is wont to. All of the queen's guard wants her and she is going to have the "pick of the litter". Merry is quick to cast judgement and she holds true to what she believes in. I would recomend this book to anyone that is interested in a page turner that you won't be able to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: A "Faerie" Confusing Book
Review: Although I enjoyed this book, I found myself thoroughly bewildered at many points. What was badly needed was a guide to the kingdoms and creatures of faerie, their appearances, their powers, their lifestyles, etc. I am at sea about a lot of these things, particularly "Seelie" and "Unseelie." I also felt there were just too many characters, and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Some kind of reference would have been very helpful. And I'm not totally able to get involved with a character who enjoys pain with her sex. I may or may not read the next book, but I will definitely wait until it's out in paper.
Rating:
Summary: New Series, New Start... Fantastic!!!
Review: As a great fan of Laurell K Hamiltons Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series the thought of a new series was both scary and exciting. Would it, could it possibly be as interesting, sensual and fanscinating as the world that Anita Blake occupies?? That of Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Ghouls and other preternatural creatures. The answer is a resounding YES. How does one compete with vampires... well bring out the world of the Fey. In Ms. Hamiltons newest venture we are brought to modern day middle America, but an America that which we have never seen, an America where the Fey and the immortal have lived among us for centuries upon centuries and continue to live and work among us. Merry Gentry Private Detective a.k.a Meredith NicEssus Fey Princess of the Unseelie Court has been in hiding in L.A. for three years. Merry who uses "glamour" a Fey "trick" to disguise her appearance has been in deep hiding from her aunt Queen Andais and the entire Unseelie Court (the royal court of Fey and other immortal creatures). Her aunt who tried to drown her when she was six has never approved of Merry's mortal blood a sin which Queen Andais has never been able to forget. The Unseelie will take in all sorts of "monsters" unlike the Seelie (bringers of beauty and truth) who reject "monsters" but the one sin that Queen Andais has never been able to forgive, the one monster so great has been her own niece and her niece's eventual mortality, for although the Fey live forever, Merry being part Fey will one day die. But now the truly miraculous has occured. Queen Andais has dispatched her loyal guardsmen to retrieve the wayward princess and bring her back to the Faerie Mounds for she has a truly remarkable mission for her once exiled niece. Princess Meredith once scorned and always targeted for assasination is now being "welcomed" back home, it is not a fate worse than death, or is it?? For still standing in her way is her VERY evil cousin Cel and her own aunts agenda which may just get Merry killed or worse. Laurell K Hamilton has done it again. Creating a word which we can relate to, a world that is not unlike our own, and yet is so far removed it might as well be another universe. With attention to detail that is unnerving and great character and plot analysis we are brought into Merry's sensual and dangerous world. Like Anita Blake, Meredith Gentry is fascinating and gutsy, she is also strong willed and heroic but that is where the comparison ends. Whereas Anita is rash, blunt, emotionally/spiritually confused, and just plain old young (in her 20's) Meredith is diplomatic, wise and better at keeping her counsel. Being in her 30's and having grown up at court she is better at controlling her emotions and her desires. She is also a character that has already gone through the emotional turmoil that we "see" Anita going through and survived. Fans of Hamilton WILL NOT want to miss this new series filled with everything we have come to expect of Ms Hamilton and more, she never seems to dissapoint and she doesn't start here.
Rating:
Summary: Good intro, not much story
Review: This started out as a pretty good detective novel then just gave that up and became a long winded description of Fairie royal court. Like the Anita Blake series, which I can't get enough of, Hamilton seems to use mysteries as background noise in teh story. Why even bother setting up a mystery if you aren't going to see it through. On the other hand, I admit I'm hooked. Hopefully the next one will be better.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I am waiting rather impatiently for a sequel. Is one coming soon? Hopefully so...
Rating: 
Summary: No, no, no.... really disappointing.
Review: I really enjoyed Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I actually read Narcissus in Chains first. I was so intrigued with the world she had created that I then went back to the beginning of that series. It's rewarding to read a writer's works that thoroughly develop characters in each volume yet continues to introduce interesting new characters and complex situations in each succeeding volume. The relationships that develop are multi-faceted and the dark yet moral world that Anita thrives in is stimulating and humorous. The sleuthing into murder mysteries keeps the the reader guessing and Anita growing as a character. Sex, when it occasionally appears, is intrinsic to the plot line and character development, and unique. I want to find out more about Anita and her pard, her relationship with Damian, Jean-Claude, Asher and Micah. I want to find out what the triumpherate will become. In Hamilton's excursion into the fairie world, A Kiss of Shadows, I was annoyed and disappointed by characters who do not have any depth. Sex seems to be the favorite past-time of the characters rather than any plot development - the more bizarre the sex and the characters the better. Who are these characters and why should I care about them? I enjoy Hamilton's prose and creative genius; her plot developments, on the whole, are clever and most of the time, unanticipated. I enjoy her pushing the boundaries of "what is acceptable" be it gore or wild sex, but it must support the plot. This latest series seems tired and not up to the complex depth that I have become accustomed to in Hamilton's previous work. I hope Hamilton returns soon to her unique world of preternatural crime, Necromancers, Master Vampires and Nimar-Ras.
Rating:
Summary: Cannot wait for the sequel
Review: I did not think LKH could get any better than her vampire series, but she has. This book has political intrigue, beautful men and women and a great plot. This book is outstanding and I cannot wait for Caress of Twilight. LKH cannot write them fast enough for me.
Rating:
Summary: Felt like watching anime...
Review: Quick and to the point. I loved this book. I watch japanese animation and love reading japanese comics for girls. Laurell K Hamilton has a way of capturing the most beautiful men and writing about them. But because this new series is so different from the Anita Blake books, she can give them any hair and eye color she wants so it's just like reading manga (japanese comics) by artists that draw very attractive personalities on beautiful bishounen. It's good to know alot of women prefer beautiful men, not just buff and handsome. Can't wait for the next.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous, Fun-filled Visit with the Fey!
Review: "A Kiss of Shadows" begins Laurell K. Hamilton's new series revolving around Meredith NicEssus, a faerie princess of the Unseelie Court. This book is a wonderful, sensuous read, full of rich and vivid characters in a thrilling storyline that will keep you turning pages all night long. This is a very promising beginning to what seems to be another highly addictive series by LKH.
Princess Meredith NicEssus has been hiding out in Los Angeles for three years under the name Meredith Gentry, working as a private detective specializing in the supernatural. Merry is hiding because her aunt Andais, the Queen of Air and Darkness, wants her dead (and being half-human, not full sidhe, Merry is mortal and easily killed).
When Merry takes a case involving faerie magic, she ends up the victim of a spell that destroys the careful disguise she creates using glamour, and the secret is out that Princess Meredith is in LA. It doesn't take long for her aunt's guards to come searching for her, and after some suspenseful and exciting scenes, Meredith is finally forced to return home. Luckily for Merry, however, she has finally come into her own power, inheriting the "hand of flesh" from her father, and making her a power to be reckoned with.
But a surprise awaits her when she arrives home. It seems that her aunt no longer wants her dead. In fact, due to some unknown falling out with her unbalanced and cruel son, Merry's cousin Cel, Queen Andais gives Merry a chance to inherit the throne. Whoever produces an heir first, Merry or Cel, will become the next ruler of the Unseelie Court, and Merry may have her pick of all the Queen's guards as lovers.
This sounds great in theory, but the truth of it is that someone wants Merry dead, and she isn't home an hour before the first attempt on her life occurs. Merry is nearly positive that it is her cousin Cel, trying to ensure that he inherits the throne, but the Queen always looks the other way for her only son, so Merry's life is left in extreme peril.
Hamilton does a fantastic job of portraying the Unseelie Court, and all the politics that go along with it. The Queen's guards are all fascinating characters, and I look forward to learning more about them in future books. Doyle, the Queen's darkness, and the most feared of all the guards is my favourite. His interactions with Merry are intriguing and skilfully rendered, and his commitment to her, to keep her safe, is quite touching. The other guards, such as Frost (The Killing Frost), Rhys (once a death god), Barinthus and Galen, are also utterly loyal to Merry, and are all interesting characters who add depth to the story.
Merry herself is a great character. She is small and tough, like Anita Blake from Hamilton's Vampire Hunter series, but that is where the similarities end. Merry is an innately sexual being, comfortable with her sexuality and not afraid to show it. These views on Merry's part, and the inherently sexual nature of the fey, make for a lot of erotica in this novel, which I really enjoyed. I found the sex scenes tasteful and highly sensual, not to mention essential to the telling of the story.
Once again Hamilton has created a new, magical world in which readers can immerse themselves. Merry's world of breathtakingly beautiful and grotesque faeries, multi-eyed goblins, brownies and ghosts is wonderfully imaginative and hugely fun to read about. I truly enjoyed this book and went into work completely bleary-eyed two days in a row, because I simply could not put this book down. Hamilton is a wonderful storyteller, and this new series already has me hooked. So don't miss out on the fun, buy this book today!
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