Book: Kiss of Shadows

Laurell K Hamilton
Fantasy
Del Rey / 10/2000
Hardcover / 448 pages
The Meredith Gentry Series #1

A Kiss of Shadows introduces Merry Gentry, a.k.a. Meredith NicEssus, a faerie princess of the Unseelie Court, where politics is a blood sport. Merry, who's part sidhe, part brownie, and part human, never really fit in. She's short, not skilled in offensive magic, and mortal because of her human blood. These are real liabilities when your family, especially aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, is out to kill you. Merry has been in hiding for three years, living in Los Angeles and working for the Grey Detective Agency, which specializes in "supernatural problems, magical solutions." A new case sets her against a man who uses forbidden magic to seduce fey women and drain their power. A plan to trap him goes awry and Merry's cover is blown. Now Andais knows where she is. But things have changed in Andais's court, and Merry is changing too.

Despite the selkies, brownies, goblins, and ogres in this book, it's not for children. The fey are "creatures of the senses"--and in the Unseelie court, sex and pain go together. Merry is sexually adventurous and surrounded by gorgeous, powerful males, most of whom want her badly.

I picked this book up because I adore anything about the Sidhe and it's by LKH, what more could a girl ask for.

What I liked the Most? Darkness - wow. What a character.

What I liked the Least? It almost felt like you had to have too much background to enjoy any of the story. This is so&so his story is blank. For every new character. Not so bad in an established tale, but for every new character in a new series. Hmmm, little much.

My Review: I for one, love this book. Mrs Hamilton's writing style & prose comes together in a wonderful way with Merry Gentry hiding, living in LA (if there are any angels they are flying blind) working as a PI and she is doing pretty well. That is until one case reveals her as Princess Meredith NicEssus, the lost Princess of the Unseelie court. So she being brought back home, to the very place she has been running from for the past three years. The place where attempts on her life had been overlooked by the Queen, and even accepted by some of the nobles. It had been made very clear that she was wanted dead. But now there are other plans in motion, and the Raven's are dancing Merry's tune.

The imagination and thought that Laurell K. Hamilton put into this book is amazing. She created a world where humans and Faerie live and cooperate together. I love the plot and premise, and Laurell's writing style only adds to the story.

My Rant: Oh for petes sake, can these stupid whiney people stop crying about how Meredith was screwing every man in the book. It starts out with sex & it doesn't stop. Hmmm, I don't know what book you were reading, but the book I was reading started out with the girl at work, trying to convince herself & her boss not to take a magical murder case because it was bad news. And then she is raped by use of Aeval's Joy a magical aphrodisiac specifically designed to stimulate and make your body scream yes. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this is still rape, right? Then she has sex with her boyfriend and the scene was more magical then sexual in description. So what if she has sex, she is clearly old enough to make up her own mind. If you don't want to read about sex, it's really simple - DON'T READ THIS BOOK OR ANY IN THE SERIES. I understand the beef about Anita Blake - she started out a prude and ended up catting around with everyone & their brother, but Merry is sexual from book one. Just don't read this series.

Recommended to: Adult!! Fairy Fiends

Best Quote: "I don't want your life, Doyle, just your body."

Challenges: 100+, Para999, Summer Reading