Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
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Book Reviews of Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7)
Book Review: Funny, but not on purpose...
Summary: 3 Stars
Now I will admit, I liked `Lick of Frost' well enough to give it three stars. I just wish that Hamilton had kept that momentum going for this book. I'll warn any readers of this review- I will be somewhat spoilerish.
The last book ended with Merry being raped by her uncle Taranis, king of the golden throng. This book begins with Merry in the hospital, getting treated & examined for said crime. Well, she was supposed to be- the actual treatment is glossed over (I facepalmed when Merry wanted to know why she had to get an ultrasound done- um HELLO- you were raped & the doc wants to ensure that your babies are ok- it's standard procedure. Most of the plot during this point comprised of "Oh, my men are so hot- look at everyone staring at them!" Then a death occurs & Merry goes on a magic pony ride to discover which person was ultimately responsible for said death. There's a bit more to the story than that, but I'll not go into it here. (Especially since so many other reviews have said it all already.)
The bottom line is that this book was funny, but not on purpose. It was funny in a "so bad it's funny" type of way- like when you watch an Ed Wood film & laugh. Most of the book's plot focused around Merry showing off how uber special she is. There's a resolution of the whole Cel thing, but it really doesn't deliver the way I'd hoped it would be. It was pretty much done just so the plot point could be better done. It read more like a fanfiction than anything else.
If you are an ex fan of Hamilton's, this book isn't the "she's back!" herald that you may have subconsciously been waiting for. There's almost no sex in the book, which is a very good thing since she can't write a sexy scene to save her life, but Hamilton still hasn't gotten back into the groove of her previous books. If you like her books, you'll more than likely enjoy this book. For the rest of us it'll be fun because it's so hilariously bad.
I'd give the writing a lower rating, but I laughed incredibly hard during several parts of this book so I do have to give it a higher score than I would otherwise. If I could give it a half star, this rating would be a 2.5, but I laughed hard enough that I'll give it a three star review.
Book Review: I'm confused
Summary: 2 Stars
So I finally got around to reading Swallowing... Darkness (sorry still choking on the name-no pun intended-) and I find myself staring in the mirror asking the same question I asked myself for Blood Noir and Licking Frost "why am I still buying them in hardcover?"
I look hard.... but still no answer... So to all the fans that tell me to stop buying them if I'm going to complain all I can say is that I'm sorry... I don't know why I do it, it must be a pop star train wreck obsession that extends to Laurell K Hamilton.
I'm not sure what to think about SD. I liked Merry better than Anita only because she was loose in the beginning, had a harem of men, and was like "yea so?" She didn't have a major personality switch like Anita so I didn't mind reading them. During a Lick of Frost I cringed because I could see a lobotomy coming on, "Merry LOOK OUT!" Too late, she obviously was mourning over Frost and checking on her twin (with six fathers?) fetuses to listen to a silly little reader like me.
WHACK..... Hamilton lobotomized Merry. Now many readers I have seen like that Merry is getting stronger, faster, more powerful. I really liked the old Merry who was stealthy, political and chose to strategize rather then throw her hands of power out tank windows.
The book was what I feared from the end of Lick of Frost. Merry is acting like a mixture between the Queen of Darkness, Anita and a goddess. All she does in this book is run hither and fro killing Sidhe and popping nails out of her body to save soldiers. Unlike the other books the plot is overwhelming and I find myself flipping back to earlier chapters wondering when that new power appeared... oh it came on the sparkly horses in the great hunt... oh you missed that part? (flip the chapter) it came right after Merry gained the power to call the great hunt and became married to Sholto... you missed that part? Probably because you were too caught up on how easily she forgot her Uncle's rape.
Wow wordy I know but now I'm staring at the book again furious that I paid $18 at Target... I could have bought the new Barbie movie for that and understood the plot better....sigh
Book Review: What happened?
Summary: 2 Stars
I read this book tonight. It was a small enough that I read it in about 4 hrs. I have read all the Merry Gentry books. There were parts of the book that I liked, but other parts I just have to shake my head over and wonder what in the world is going on.
The other books crawled along at a snail's pace. This book races and covers too many things. If these story ideas had been properly dealt with, you would probably have had two long books out of it.
There were good concepts that never developed.
We had two kings crowned. What about all the other fathers?
We should have seen Mistral grow in the story to have more confidence and wield his power after receiving the weapon.
Doyle received a special weapon and it was never used.
What happened with the house in LA? There had been fairy changes occurring in it. There were lesser fey in it. Where did everyone go?
Merry had the ability to call those with fairy blood to her. Humans that had some fairy blood in them could be called to her. Why was this not developed in some way?
Why did Sholto listen to Merry's aunt? He said the queen had forbade him to participate? We had been told in previous books that the Queen was afraid of the slaugh.
The Goddess talked to Merry about what was going to happen if the court refused to accept her. We never heard this ever mentioned again.
I would guess there were no more than 10 pages that dealt with the Unseelie Queen.
If I am not mistaken, Merry had more than her six men in LA at the time she was kidnapped. Where did they go?
What was the point of bringing Holly and Ash into this book?
There were many other things that were dropped and never dealt with, but those would give too much of a spoiler for the end of the book.
There was a resolution of sorts at the end of the book, but there should have been about 1,000 pages between the beginning of this book and the end. There was so much potential here, but things were just glossed over and left hanging.
Book Review: One of the best in the series...
Summary: 4 Stars
The most recent installment of Laurel K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, "Swallowing Darkness," answered some lingering questions...and then asked a whole bunch more...
When we meet up with our heroine in this installment, she is newly pregnant with twins. (Fathered by not one but FIVE of her royal guards. Oh, and Sholto the King of the Slaugh. Lucky girl.) Her pregnancy is both a blessing and a curse as it secures her position as heir to the Unseelie throne but also increases the pressure on her enemies to end her life before she can become queen. After her beloved grandmother dies in her arms, she makes the decision to return to self-imposed exile in California to protect her life and the lives of her babies.
But nothing in Faery is that easy, and Merry's treacherous cousin (and rival for the throne) Cel has a final trick up his sleeve. He refuses to be graceful in his defeat. And despite his cruelty, many among the Unseelie Sidhe would prefer his leadership to that of a mixed-blood mortal.
So the insanity ensues. There is a singularly bloody battle that reminds all of us of Laurel K. Hamilton's vampire executioner roots. Magic and mind-bending glamour abound. Traitors are exposed, and familiar faces return. I can't say much more about the climax because I don't want to spoil the carefully woven surprises that make this book so satisfying. Needless to say, it is a close victory for Merry and crew (come on, there's another book coming out in October. You already knew her team won.)
I have to say, this ended up being one of my favorite books in this series. It really did tie up some big loose ends that have been hanging around since the beginning. Most importantly, it kept her from having to choose a single member of her royal guard as her King. She is clearly in love with several, and in serious like with a couple more. The development of her twins having multiple fathers (three each) really saved her butt. Here's to hoping the next book in the series, "Divine Misdemeanors" allows some of her good fortune to continue.
Book Review: This book is almost nonstop action.
Summary: 5 Stars
She is Princess Meredith Nic Essus. Wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and now pregnant with twins. The fathers being her loyal bodyguards. All of whom were once her Aunt's bodyguards, Andais the Queen of Air and Darkness, and Queen of the Unseelie court. There is Doyle, known as simply Darkness by most circles, and her strong right hand. Frost, also known as Killing Frost, lost in the last book of the series to help Meredith bring back much of the magic once lost magic to Faerie. Sholto, King of the sluagh, Lord of that Which Passes Between. Rhys, once a death god. Galen, the Greenman, her childhood love. Mistral, the Storm Lord. All of whom have regained powers thought lost by sharing the bed of Meredith.
Swallowing Darkness begins where A Lick of Frost ended. Merry is in a hospital's maternity ward after being magically raped by her Uncle, King Taranis, The King of Light and Illusion and leader of the Seelie court. The pace of the novel begins here slowly, but with a sense of building. Is Merry now Queen of the Unseelie since she's finally pregnant? Will revenge be taken upon Taranis? Will Merry's children look like Sidhe or something else due to her and the fathers mixed heritage?
This book is almost nonstop action. It can be read in one sitting because you don't want to put it down. What made this novel better than the others is the pace. Once it gets a hold of you, it doesn't let go. Ms. Hamilton almost lost me in this series with Mistral's Kiss and A Stroke of Midnight, but the series came back with A Lick of Frost. With Swallowing Darkness it solidifies Ms. Hamilton's storytelling abilities once again.
Is this the last book in the series as the net rumor holds? I don't think so. There are too many questions left unanswered. What I do know is that this novel is one of the best Ms. Hamilton has produced in years. Well worth buying in hard bound.
Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by SunandHeir