Review: A Shiver of Light by Laurell K Hamilton

Title: A Shiver of Light { Merry Gentry #9}

Published: Bantam Press UK June 2014

Status: Read from June 11 to 12, 2014 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher/netgalley}

My Thoughts:

A Shiver of Light is the ninth book in Laurel K Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series featuring an exiled fairy princess, the descendant of a fertility goddess, and her multitude of handsome consorts. It has been a long wait for the return of Princess Meredith NicEssus, five years in fact, since the publication of Divine Misdemeanors.

A Shiver of Light picks up a short time after the events of Divine Misdemeanors with Merry now heavily pregnant with what was assumed to be twins but is quickly revealed to be triplets. The babies are born, a boy and two girls, fathered by not one but six of her lovers, each child sharing genetic traits with at least two of the men, though paternity has not yet been formally established. It is this uncertainty that has Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, who raped Merry early in her pregnancy, insisting he also has a claim on the children, and with his powers newly restored he begins a frightening campaign to take Merry away from her lovers, and make her his queen.

I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed in the story. There is so much potential that just seems wasted between repetitive descriptions of Merry’s men, far too much talk and very little action. There are a couple of confrontations through the story with Taranis and Queen Andais but most of the excitement, and the single twist, is crammed into the last 30 pages or so.

The only characters to show any real growth in this installment are Galen, who is galvanised by fatherhood, and Queen Andais who is trying to curb her psychotic tendencies in order to forge a relationship with Merry and the babies. Merry is either drowning in hormone induced hysteria for a lot of the novel, or desperately horny. She doesn’t spend a lot of time with her children, leaving their care to their fathers and a phalanx of nannies despite apparently breastfeeding. I am really interested to see how the babies play into the continuing story though. At only a few days old, all three are displaying immense magical abilities.

Despite devouring A Shiver of Light in a couple of hours, in retrospect it was a fairly weak story which failed to live up to expectation. Still I know I will be picking up the next one simply because I am not quite ready to say goodbye… even if I have to wait another five years.