Reviews for A kiss of shadows

Publishers Weekly
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Erotica is fantasy, but it rarely gets as fantastic as this. After nine novels featuring Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (Obsidian Butterfly, etc.), Hamilton launches a sizzling new series that blends supernatural fantasy with detective adventure and hot sex. Here, the world is populated with various magical faerie races along with humans. The most supreme of the fey are the immortal sidhe, so beautiful and powerful they were once worshiped as gods. The fey are not only lusty but incredibly accomplished lovers; those of the royal sidhe bloodline are literally addictively sexy. Full-blooded fey are, for the most part, intolerant of cities, metal and technology. They seldom live for long among humans. Mixed-blood Princess Meredith NicEssus, however, has fled the faerie world to pass for three years as Merry Gentry, a human with some fey blood who works in Los Angeles with a detective agency that specializes in supernatural problems and magical solutions. Suddenly outed as the missing princess and fearing that her aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, will kill her, she makes a desperate run aided by her detective pals. The queen does want her, but not in the way Merry expects. Ultimately, Meredith must fulfill the queen's designs for the future of her court, even if it means having to bed the most beautiful studs in the universe. Through constant danger and adventure, Meredith finds herself in a variety of sexual encounters that make it easy to see why her ancestors were so worthy of worship. As wild as the novel's premise is, memorable characters and wicked wit make it all delicious, ribald fun. 8-city author tour. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The stylish creator of nine Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novels (Obsidian Butterfly, 1999, etc.) launches a charm-bearing new series in erotic dark fantasy. Meredith Gentrey is a mock human being, a Los Angeles private eye who also happens to be a Faerie princess and, among others, tracks down fey, semihuman suspects. She's also the mortal niece of the Queen of Air and Darkness, who can hear any word spoken anywhere in darkness. Meredith works for Jeremy Grey, a 400-year-old trow who owns and runs the high-profile Grey Detective Agency. But, Goddess knows, this glowing shamus goes on no quest that would interest a moral knight-errant like Sam Spade. As in the slightly futurist Anita Blake series, wherein the FBI and other forces admit the existence of vampires, witches, and zombies, Meredith (descended from five different fertility deities) has the option of going to the Bureau of Human and Fey Affairs should she dare go public about her real nature or be outed. The Grey Agency specializes in supernatural cases, as do many detective agencies across the States. But she's hiding out from the sidhe and the Royal Court. Then the Queen sends her henchman Doyle, who has green flames in his eyes, to unearth Meredith-of-the-blood-auburn-hair and give her a kiss, passing the Queen's mark onto Merry: "He kissed me like he was trying to climb inside me through my mouth." The Queen's order: Merry must return to the Unseelie Court, where the Queen agonizes over mongrelization of her court with human blood. Now she orders her niece to bear a child to carry on her bloodline. Remnants of ritual flicker all over. Call it the glamour, precious. Spells! There's a lot of crazy stuff lurking under the L.A. smog, and this Hamilton lady has seen all the brownies and goblins. Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This is a new dark fantasy from Hamilton, author of the popular "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series (e.g., Obsidian Butterfly). For three years, Meredith Gentry has been hiding in Los Angeles from her aunt, the wicked Queen of Air and Darkness. Part human, part sidhe (fairy), Meredith is abruptly summoned back to the Faerie Court with the captain of the Queen's guard as her escort and personal bodyguard. What does her aunt want from her? Forging alliances with powerful, immortal men and exploring her newfound magical powers just might keep Meredith alive long enough to figure it all out. Hers is an edgy story of sex, violence, and magic that manages to be both disturbing and entertaining. Highly recommended for all public libraries.DLaurel Bliss, Sterling Memorial Lib., New Haven, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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