Swallowing Darkness: A Novel (Merry Gentry, #7)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am Meredith, princess of faerie, and at long last, I am with child–twins, fathered by my royal guard. Now I must stay alive to see my children born, as conspirators from every court plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh who will stand by me. Those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if it means waging a battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

• ISBN10: 0345495942
• ISBN13: 9780345495945
• Publish Date: 24 November 2009 (first published 1 January 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345495945

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

The tags Sex, Faerie and Politics almost say it all. Merry has escaped her uncle, who now claims fatherhood of her twins (even though Merry KNOWS who is the father). Merry now has to try to stay alive in a complicated game of politics and magic. This time thought the politics get her grandmother involved so the family that dislikes each other start to wage war.

With some literal Deus ex Machina moments (I felt like asking her if she really wanted that much attention from the gods?) this is a little overpowered and the character may have been in peril but it never really felt all the perilous.

This series has drawn me in, almost unwillingly, I do want to know what's going to happen but I do wonder that the author hasn't written herself into a bit of a bind. This series is trying very hard to be both a magic returning series and a murderous political thriller while not quite hitting the mark with either.

[Melanie]

Another relisten for me. This book has a different narrator than the rest of the series. I have no idea why, as they go back to the original for the next book. I don't mind this narrator. She didn't do a bad job, I just don't like it when they change narrators in the middle of a series, especially for just one book.

A lot happens in this book and we are back to less sex scenes, I'm assuming because Merry is already pregnant. She starts off the book with the death of her grandmother, the woman who helped raise her and the person she considers her mother in name. She has to face off with her biological mother, who is not a very bright person. She finally sleeps with the goblin twins and gives them their Sidhe powers.

She gets crowned by faery not once, but twice. Once by the Sluagh mound and once by the Unseelie mound. She finds out Cel killed her father. She kills Cel. Both her and Doyle give up the Unseelie crowns to get Frost back. A very busy book.

[ibeforem]

FINALLY, some resolution! This entry in the Merry Gentry series plods along a bit at first, as the characters in this series tend to overanalyze and thoroughly discuss everything, but the major battle between Meredith and her enemies is Laurell Hamilton at her finest. If you read these for the sex, you'll be a bit disappointed with this one. But, if you're reading for the story, you'll be happy to see some conclusions here. This series is far from her best and I think that with some serious editing it would have made a much better trilogy than a seven-book series, but if you are as hooked on Hamilton as I am you will read it regardless of quality.