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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I was actually shocked with this book. |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I noticed some similarities to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and was really into the story especially from the beginning. I'm a big faerie lore fan and enjoyed the mixture of roman noir with urban fantasy that Dresden introduced. Plus to have a faerie princess as a detective sounded all kinds of...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I loved the Anita Blake series... So this one should be good!!!”
Rose R wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a neat series. Read books one and two and skip the next 2 or 3 and then the most recent 3 are good. The middle books lost their plot and were all sex. You don't miss a whole lot. I do enjoy the series tho!”
Jenelle H wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Meredith Gentry #1: A Kiss of Shadows, by Laurell K. Hamilton
leeanna c wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I think this is either a book you love, or a book you hate. There's not much of an in-between. Personally, I rather enjoy this book and have reread it a few times - generally once a year, before I read the newest book in the Merry series.
The basic concept is that Merry Gentry is a faerie princess living in voluntary exile in Los Angeles, working as a private detective. She'd fled the royal courts after she realized the assassination attempts would never stop - most of the sidhe do not welcome Merry because she is half human, and thus half mortal. Her exile is broken when her aunt, Queen Andais sends for Merry - she wants to recognize her niece as heir to the throne at last. But in the Unseelie court, politics are deadly, and just treading water takes a tremendous amount of work. And Andais's offer, like much that occurs at the courts, is not what it seems...
I think the biggest complaint about Hamilton's writing is the amount of sex included in her works. However this first volume is pretty slim in the erotic aspect. I enjoy the Merry series because of the world Hamilton has created - the updating of old stories and legends, the unique characters of the sidhe, the intriguing court politics. Even the human world is aware of the fey and magic; police departments have witches on staff, reporters can sense magic and use it on the trail of stories, etc. I don't care for erotica, and tend to skip past those sections, but I've read where Hamilton says she uses a lot of it for character development and that I can see.
I really, really enjoy many of the characters in Merry's world. Doyle, the Darkness, a sidhe who was the queen's left-hand enforcer - a man who is stern, scary, and yet vulnerable. Barinthus, a former god with the nickname "Queen-maker." Rhys, one of the few sidhe to enjoy the modern world, with a love for Bogart and film noire. Queen Andais, a rather terrifying, sadistic monarch. And Kitto, who's quickly becoming my favorite - a goblin-sidhe crossbred who's agoraphobic and short in stature, a little child who's two thousand years old. And the sidhe...a race much like elves, with glowing skin and beautiful eyes. Many of the sidhe have tricolored eyes, with three bands of color; the sidhe descriptions make for some very gorgeous characters.
All in all, I think it's a pretty damn good story. I love the amount of detail and thought Hamilton puts into her world and its characters. I like how she reveals parts of sidhe history as the book unravels, as well as drops hints about Merry's past. Even though I have read it before, I'm always saying to myself "just one more page" as I go through it again.
5/5.”
“Hamilton is one of my all time favorite authors. Her Merry Gentry series is very enjoyable and you can't put the books down.
Becky W wrote this review Sunday, November 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
If you enjoy these, try the Anita Blake series by Hamilton, too. Very intense!”
“Meredith Gentry had run away from her court. In her 30ies, she had almost no power and that was better then any death sentence. Born of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts, with a little bit of human in her. Neither court wanted to clam her, so she disappeared. Then, a cause she’s working goes bad, and she gets caught. The Sluagh king has come with orders to kill her. Ending up right back in court, she comes into her power, and is aloud to date the undateable. The Queen’s guards and personal lovers. She’s third in line to the throne, gets a group of lovers, a goblin, and more people trying to kill her. She’s alive for only one reason, she’s of the royal line. The Queen’s guards haven’t had a lover in more then 100 year and fall over themselves for the right to be with Merry. The court people fear her too human, her cousin hates her, her Auntie may kill her by accident, and everyone else will kill her on purpose. In a war with enemies in every direction, theses royal guards have their work cut out for them. ”
Jourdan W wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I began reading this book after reading the first Anita Blake book. I wasn't sure what to expect and found the book to be entertaining in a Nora Roberts sort of way.
Kari R wrote this review Wednesday, November 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Meredith Gentry is a princess in the Unseelie court, but because she's a possible heir to the throne she is a target for assassination. She runs away from the court and hides in Los Angeles using Glamour to hide her true identity and working as a private detective in a fey-owned agency. In a world where fey royalty is treated like British royalty Merry is hard pressed to keep her identity secret and when it all begins to fall apart she must decided whether to trust someone or continue running.
Where I was expecting more suspense, more horror and gore I found much more eroticism. The Anita Blake series hints at sex, but mainly she's there to kick some monster ass. Meredith, while tough is surrounded by people who are meant to protect her so she's not the kick ass warrior that Anita is.
But the fantasy aspect is there, melded quite nicely with the real world. There is a underlying sense of suspense, but really the focus is the frequent sex scenes and the love aspect of the story.”“I LOVE IT!!!!!!”
Jessie S wrote this review Sunday, November 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I got sucked in... the description of the characters was AWESOME!”
Lindsey D wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. I am really looking forward to the second book in the series. Merry is a worthy heroine, and Doyle, Frost and Galen are interesting. I can't keep track of the rest of her harem. ”
Carolyn M wrote this review Saturday, November 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
