A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton (UK edition)

Title: A Shiver of Light (Merry Gentry #9)
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Bantam Press (3rd June 2014)
Blurb:

I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because princess looks so pretentious on a driver’s licence. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but wouldn’t be the only one for much longer . . .

Merry Gentry, ex-private detective, now fill-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but it was only when she learned she was going to have triplets that she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has been the curse of the high ranks of faerie for centuries and now the nobility – of both sexes and of both courts – are coming to Los Angeles to woo the exiled Merry and her male courtiers. They will do anything to have children of their own.

But the attentions of Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, are a more pressing – and deadly – problem. He once forced himself upon Merry – and now he is claiming one of her children as his own.

To save herself and her babies, Merry calls upon the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and they will confront the high courts of faerie – and do whatever it takes to contain the war that threatens to engulf the innocent humans who are now in very real danger of becoming collateral damage . . .

Five years after Divine Misdemeanors, Merry Gentry is back – and her life’s become a lot more complicated . . . and even more dangerous.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

A SHIVER OF LIGHT is the latest installment of Laurell K. Hamilton’s MERRY GENTRY series. A SHIVER OF LIGHT takes place several months after the end of the previous book in the series, DIVINE MISDEMEANORS, with Merry due to give birth only days away. Life is, of course, never easy or quiet for America’s only faerie princess.

I cannot belive that it has been five years since DIVINE MISDEMEANORS was released. It seems like the eighth MERRY GENTRY book was released a long time ago, and yet at the same time it feels like no time has passed at all. I am a fan of Hamilton’s take on The Fair Folk, so I have been looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this book for a while. Hamilton’s alluring monsters and their politics are fascinating to watch on the page.

A SHIVER OF LIGHT wasn’t quite what I was expecting from Hamilton, which isn’t to say the book didn’t blow me away – it did – but for me personally it didn’t quite have the magic of the previous books in the series. I think a lot of that was down to the fact that A SHIVER OF LIGHT focuses much more on the interpersonal relationships of the characters, rather than court politics or a murder mystery as the previous books do. As such, sometimes I felt that the transition between chapters felt a little choppy and oddly balanced.

As always Hamilton did a brilliant job conjuring the world and characters. I actually quite enjoyed how Hamilton handled the introduction of children to her narrative. It felt very believable, and it was interesting to see how the characters adjusted to the change in their lives. There isn’t actually a lot of sex in this book because of this – Hamilton keeps a healthy dose of realism in this, I think.

There isn’t much of a plot arc to A SHIVER OF LIGHT, it’s much more of a character arc which considering it has been five years since we’ve had a new adventure in this world was a little disappointing – hey, I’m always up for more pages 😉 – but still compelling to watch unfold. The ending of the book blew me away – honestly, I’m still reeling a little! But there was almost a note of finality to it, like this might be our last adventure with Merry and her men.

If you have enjoyed Merry’s adventures so far, then I don’t think you will be disappointed with A SHIVER OF LIGHT. It is a brilliant addition to the series.