Urban Fantasy (Merry Gentry 7) (A Merry Gentry Novel)

All of the things the other reviewers have written - both good and bad - are mostly true. This is definitely an average read. The only thing I could NOT get pass was the fact that Merry Gentry turned into Anita Blake within 3 chapters and stayed there. Merry, who always was political correct and just slightly a coward, turned a new leaf and ran around killing people left and right. Yeah, I get that she was backed into a corner, but the old Merry would have found her way out of it using her guile, men and beauty. For me, this change in character took a lot out of the series and caused me several times to stop and shake my head. As for this not being the last book, I understand that completely because Merry has only been crowned Queen of two kingdoms - heck, we still have Goblin Land, Seelie Court, Red Caps, Brownies and sections of the humans to go. I guarantee before this series is over, Merry will be crowned Queen of all of them, as well as have a King for each land. She is going to be pretty busy traveling from kingdom to kingdom her entire life, with the babies in tow. But fear not, she will have a King waiting patiently for her in each section!

I loved the first few books in this series, hated one, and now this one is just so disappointing. The plot is a whirlwind that never seems to make sense, the ending is unsatisfying, key characters I wanted to see we left out or glossed over. I would have happily waited another 6 months or a year to get a better book. Maybe LKH should take a break so she can catch her breath and once again give us the writing we loved.

As for this book, don't waste your time.

A decent series, brought to a mind-numbing ridiculous end. I am sad that I pre-ordered it and even paid for it. Laurell Hamilton should be embarrassed that this was allowed to even be published. What a terrible book, what a terrible ending to a fun, romantic, adventurous storyline. Better that it had never been written and I imagined the next books possibilities.

I have been following the Merry Gentry series for a few years now and I just read this book I thought it was wonderful, it sets you up for a possible different future for Merry Gentry. Since I am currently reading so many different series I liked the fact that she went back and gave you some brief summary of the previous books along with all the characters again mainly the less seen characters through out the books. I am excited to read the next installment and hope there are many more out there.

Just finished reading this book, and thru all the low-rated reviews I liked it. I think the weakness that Merry had was her pregnancy,and her Guards. Losing her beloved Killing Frost she had to keep it together to protect her other Guards. After, losing her beloved Gran she bent revenge against Cairn,her cousin and King Taranis's Court. I also think that she killed without totally understanding her consequences, and that will be dealt with in future books,I hope. I'm soooo happy that at the end The White Stag is killed by Cel, protecting Merry, and Frost is happily returned to Merry and her Guards. I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in this series, I also hope that this book is not the end. At least one more with the birth of her Twins and eagerly seeing how all her Guards will cope her pregnancy and dealing with labor&delivery. Please read the other books before reading this book,you will be totally lost if you start with this book, but I have enjoyed the whole series so far...

I listened to "Swallowing Darkness" first and I adored Claudia Black's voice acting. The story was a bit slow, to begin with. Then, I really got caught up in the characters, the legends and the magical, sensual world of Merry Gentry.

In fact, I was anxious to read ALL of the books in the series to learn more about the characters. So, I ordered them right here on the store.com!

Luckily, I found an audio book in the bargain bin at a local book store.I wanted to hear how the previous reader compared to Claudia Black. The book was "Mistral's Kiss" and it did contain quite a few sex scenes.(Not bad sex scenes but, more than needed to propel the story.)

Merlington's reading style did have some some strengths: her light, airy voice was good for the Princess, she performed an excellent night hag and a perfect evil voice for the Queen of Air of Darkness. I thought her men's voices were too exaggerated to the point of being more comic than serious. Her reading didn't move me like Black's. I enjoyed "Mistral's Kiss" but, the Princess was always the "damsel in distress" in this book and I missed her more feisty attitude.

In "Swallowing Darkness" the sorrow and loss the Princess suffered became very real and I became teary eyed due to the emotional strength of Black's acting style. Maybe, I have a weakness for Aussie accents still, I consider her voice acting phenomenal.

Frankly, I enjoyed all of the books in this series! The books provided a sexy and suspenseful wild ride for my imagination!

I really do not understand the bad comments about this novel. I thoght the story was well paced and entertaining. All of the Meredith Gentry books had a basic structure to expect. Fairies, magic, Goddesses & Gods, politics(court), assassination/torture/battle, and sex between the characters.

Although I absolutely loved the last few books LKH wrote for this series, I also felt the larger conflicts were not steadily solved through out the series. In addition, progress and the morphing of each character as they were affected by each event that took place during the many novels was staggering at best. Basically, the books kept me entertained, but my only drawback was that the characters themselves and/or the major conflicts that were left unresolved seemed to just hang as major obstacles in every subsequent book and their wasn't a resolution to any of them in sight.

But then came "Swallowing Darkness" and I was happy to deduce that this book answered some major plot points. I mean there was character death and mysteries solved.... what was there not to love about this book! I think many people would enjoy LKH books more if they take it on stand-alone analysis. Use previous books in the series not as a basis for all subsequent books to aspire to, but as a mark in the series to progress a story. So I encourage many to get this novel and try it, it was definately a fantastic read!

Well, I sped through this book wanting to know more about what was going on, and I got some of my answers, so I was overall pleased. It wasn't some thorough thought provoking read, but then, it's not -supposed- to be, and that is just fine by me. For what it is, I was satisfied, I enjoyed my read, it was a great romp and it was fun. Sorry to those who don't like sex, but I have no issue with it when it's part of the plot line, and with Laurell K. Hamilton, it is always part of the plot line.

A good fluffy read for late at night when you want some action and romance.

This book was fantastic, the imagery is gorgeous and the charcacters keep you spell bound, its a book worthy of my attentions and everyone who reads them will kick themselves for not reading them before. I knew what I wanted when I ordered this book and the it got to me so very quickly that I was able to read it before christmas morning. Its absolutley wonderful and the plot is fantastic!!! Wonderful Item!

The whole series of Meredith Gentry is well written and keeps
your interest through out the entire book. I would recommend
this book to a mature reader they will enjoy it very much it
if they are into Fantasy fiction.

I always enjoy her writing it makes you feel like you are there and can actually see the scene as she has written it. Reading her books always leaves me wanting her to write more. I do hope that there is more to this series. Being able to escape into a book in this day is a relief and a pleasure with her books. Thank you for giving us all something to escape from our stressful lives and into something full of adventure, suspense, and romance.

I just received the book earlier today and just finished it.

I really loved it. Merry Gentry is getting much more proactive in how she handles her enemies. There is very little sex in this book, and it works very well. Merry, and her followers, get around quite a bit in this book, but I don't think that is boring. While it answers a lot of questions, it leaves me with a lot more.

I've been surprised how much I enjoyed this series. Magic and fairies are not my usual fare. I've already read the first 6 books 3 times. "Swallowing Darkness" was terrific!!! I would really love to read more about Merry and her men.

I love all things Laurell K Hamilton, so it comes as no big surprise that this was yet another awesome book in the Merry Gentry series. I don't know where I would be if I didn't get my books from the store! This story was a excitingly chilling continuation of a great series. Thanks so much Laurell you are my #1 Favorite Author of all time and have been for many years.

Jen

I adore, worship and love Laurell K. Hamilton. I discovered her with the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels and I was a little nervous about starting the Faerie Series because I loved the Anita Blake books so much. But I had no reason to worry. They are just as good. I loved the new book "Swallowing Darkness" it was fast paced and utterly entertaining. With lots of plot twists and ecxitement. I highly recommend this book and the series. And if you have not read the Anita Blake books you should also.

Hurray! She's back to writing with character development, plot and emotional reality! I read this book in one day and throughly enjoyed it! Merry and her men are committed and unified and the development of Fairie is coming along nicely. I'm so glad that she's chosen to go this route and not continue the bad soft porn she had been writing. Yeah and please keep it up!

Man--while some of the observations have some truth in them, way too many of the negative ones have been given too much credit.

It is true, the entire book seemed to be a rush from one incident to another, but I really think that is the author's attempt to appease some of her die-hard fans. There has been much complaint about the length and content of previous books (approx 200 pages comprising of a few days in the life).

I for one was glad that something happened. I have enjoyed all the previous Merry books, but they felt like they were all building to something; a lot of it was the events in this book. Contrary to previous reviews, this is NOT the last book in the series and the story is not finished. Again contrary to previous reviews, if they were paying attention, they would have seen that the main protagonist was shifted a couple of books ago from Merry's cousin Cel, to her uncle Taranis.

Another thing that I don't think I appreciate is critics pulling their feelings and agendas into another authors story. The fae don't have any puritanical issues with sex so I would imagine that a rape in their world means something totally different. You might as well complain that Merry was forced to get pregnant to rule--what kind of barbaric society is that? Sheesh.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book and will just mark it up to the fact that I can take a book in the spirit in which it is given. Unless I can do better, I aint knockin it.

You DO know the store has a return policy don't you?

I love all things Laurell K Hamilton, so it comes as no big surprise that this was yet another awesome book in the Merry Gentry series. I don't know where I would be if I didn't get my books from the store! This story was a excitingly chilling continuation of a great series. Thanks so much Laurell you are my #1 Favorite Author of all time and have been for many years.

Jen

She is my favorite Author. I love this series. Her, "Anita Blake Series" is just as good. She really knows how to get you hooked on her books. I recommend any and all of her books. I have read both of the full series three times and plan on reading them until the bindings give out.

I adore, worship and love Laurell K. Hamilton. I discovered her with the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels and I was a little nervous about starting the Faerie Series because I loved the Anita Blake books so much. But I had no reason to worry. They are just as good. I loved the new book "Swallowing Darkness" it was fast paced and utterly entertaining. With lots of plot twists and ecxitement. I highly recommend this book and the series. And if you have not read the Anita Blake books you should also.

Hurray! She's back to writing with character development, plot and emotional reality! I read this book in one day and throughly enjoyed it! Merry and her men are committed and unified and the development of Fairie is coming along nicely. I'm so glad that she's chosen to go this route and not continue the bad soft porn she had been writing. Yeah and please keep it up!

Man--while some of the observations have some truth in them, way too many of the negative ones have been given too much credit.

It is true, the entire book seemed to be a rush from one incident to another, but I really think that is the author's attempt to appease some of her die-hard fans. There has been much complaint about the length and content of previous books (approx 200 pages comprising of a few days in the life).

I for one was glad that something happened. I have enjoyed all the previous Merry books, but they felt like they were all building to something; a lot of it was the events in this book. Contrary to previous reviews, this is NOT the last book in the series and the story is not finished. Again contrary to previous reviews, if they were paying attention, they would have seen that the main protagonist was shifted a couple of books ago from Merry's cousin Cel, to her uncle Taranis.

Another thing that I don't think I appreciate is critics pulling their feelings and agendas into another authors story. The fae don't have any puritanical issues with sex so I would imagine that a rape in their world means something totally different. You might as well complain that Merry was forced to get pregnant to rule--what kind of barbaric society is that? Sheesh.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book and will just mark it up to the fact that I can take a book in the spirit in which it is given. Unless I can do better, I aint knockin it.

You DO know the store has a return policy don't you?

This is yet another fabulous rendering from a master writer of intrigue, action, and fantasy which drips sensual titillation. Ms. Hamilton's imagination boggles the mind with it's inventiveness and always produces a "can't put it down read". So go ahead, treat yourself.

I loved Swallowing Darkness. I read it in 2 nights! Had to go to work during the day! Ha! Frost and Doyle are yummy! Not to mention the others! Oops almost put a plot spoiler in there! Thanks for another great book! I loved this series and am sad to see it end!

I don't understand the negative reviews for this book. It was absolutely excellent. Very well written and very enjoyable. I loved the fast pace of the book and how the plot worked out. I felt the characters were true to what we had come to expect. If it is the ending of the series its a great ending. I hope there are more books in the series, but I found this book extremely satisfying. Highly recommended.

and i absoultly postively loved this book. i havent paid attention to anything else really all day long even while i was casting my vote for the next president i was just so into this book. i dont want say anything that may spoil it for anyone else so im just going to shut up now.but i will say that i learned more about some of the charters that i was interested in and that something happen that i have been waiting to happen for a while.

Merry is in the hospital, pregnant with twins, recovering from her attack and kidnapping by Taranis, when Gran is used as a weapon against her. Swearing out an act of vengeance, Merry calls out the Wild Hunt against her cousin Cair in the Seelie Court. There she learns of a planned attack against Mistral, one of the twins’ fathers.

In this story we learn more about the sluagh and more relics that had disappeared long ago are gifted to Merry, Doyle and Mistral. There is quite a bit of action and emotion with various things that take place. There are a couple of sex scenes, but they don’t dominate the story. Decisions made by both Merry and the Goddess will shock some readers and Merry’s world is definitely changing.

Like the last book, A Lick of Frost, I thought this was one of the better stories in the series, at least after the third book. I enjoy the characters, the different cultures created and Merry’s reasoning in various situations and relationships. Expect to need a few tissues for this one.

While I understood I was reading smut, none of the books were THIS bad until now. Not only does Hamilton seem to forget her own plot ("It got leaked to the press somehow that my uncle might be my rapist" ...Um, yeah, because you told them before being carted off to the hospital? Did you think we would just forget that, Hamilton?) and recap so much history from the other books as to make most of the book skimmable yet again, but then she makes the whole series pointless as well? This ending didn't look stoic or sweet. It read like the kind of ending you'd give to young children so they wouldn't have to have bad thoughts.

And for the love of Pete, stop calling them "thicker things" and "extras". They're called "entrails" or "guts" or even something like "wet, slimy meat", and "tentacles". If you're going to be writing about violence in your books, embrace it. Don't shirk describing it in a little more detail.

Would not recommend.

Meredith Gentry #7: Swallowing Darkness, by Laurell K. Hamilton

There is a lot going on in "Swallowing Darkness" and not all of it is good. While some plot lines from previous novels are finally resolved, they are usually done so in a "telling" rather than showing manner. It is a relief though to finally see something brought to a finish, as some of the books in the series meandered and didn't really accomplish a whole lot other than stretching out the story.

Merry is much harsher then ever before - now that she is finally pregnant, Hamilton uses that as an excuse for her new attitude - protecting herself, her unborn children, and their fathers at all costs, and hell with everybody else. Merry even goes so far as to draw the Illinois National Guard into sidhe conflicts, threatening the lives of dozens of humans so she can stay alive. This seems like a far cry from the Merry of previous novels, a character was merciful and gentle, and who generally tried to avoid bloodshed.

Without trying to spoil too much, Merry's goal also changes in this novel, and she ponders giving up the throne for the men she loves. Again, different character from the one in the previous books - many many times Merry told readers how she would take the Unseelie throne because she was the best choice, between her sadistic aunt and insane cousin.

I will say that I enjoyed "Swallowing Darkness" on the surface, but if I dug too deeply I didn't like it as much. It seems as if Hamilton spent 6 books building a plot, world, and characters, and then in 1 book changed way too many things to sum things up and move on to something else.

3/5.