Swallowing Darkness by LK Hamilton

I just finished the latest Meredith Gentry novel by Laurell K. Hamilton and I have to wonder…is Swallowing Darkness the end?

At the end of Lick of Frost, we found out that Meredith was pregnant with twins by six of her guards.  Then she gets kidnapped by Taranis, the King of Light and Illusion or the Seelie King, and is raped.  Swallowing Darkness is picking up where Lick of Frost had ended.  Meredith is in the hospital, plotting ways of punishing Taranis for what he has done.  However, through all of this, she has to mourn the lost of her Killing Frost.  She’s not taking it too kindly, but she’s living with what she has.

Hamilton is one author who has no problem killing off characters and she shows it in Swallowing Darkness.  The book has a very final feel to it and it has me wondering if there will be another Meredith novel.  A lot of the story arc that sprung up in Kiss of Shadows has been dealt with.  We find out how a fight between Meredith and Cel would end; we find out what Meredith will or won’t do to become the Unseelie Queen; and we’re given a glimpse of the life Merry will soon lead.  All of this has happened and now I’m wondering, what’s next?  With the hope that I haven’t or won’t give to much away, I will say that Taranis hasn’t been dealt with yet.  So maybe Hamilton is setting up a new story arc for Merry and her men, but nothing is known yet.

One thing I did find with Swallowing Darkness is that there is sooo fewer sex scenes than in any other Meredith novel.  I think that’s another reason why I feel this could be the end.  Granted, Merry is pregnant, so the need for sex has diminished, but Swallowing Darkness definitely has a different feel to it than the rest of the series.  Whereas before, sex was one of the main elements in the novel, this time we’re given a lot of action and only a few sex scenes.  Don’t get me wrong, the sex was there, just like always; however, everything didn’t require sex to solve the issues.  In fact, I can only think of two sex scenes that really happened.

I’m kind of afraid to say too much more in the interest of not revealing everything, but as a fan of LK Hamilton, I can say that I am thrilled with this novel.  Swallowing Darkness kept me glued to the pages from the moment I picked it up from the library yesterday.  The action was enthralling, the characters were just as captivating, and we weren’t drawn into long discussions that seemed to go on forever.  Meredith has grown into her royal blood with this novel and she does it amazingly.  If this is the end, then I will be sad because I want to know more; however, everything is tied up with this novel and it works.

Read Order:
Kiss of Shadows
Caress of Twilight
Seduced by Moonlight
Stroke of Midnight
Mistral’s Kiss
Lick of Frost
Swallowing Darkness
Divine Misdemeanors

Also reviewed by:
Darque Reviews
Bitten by Books
Book Series Reveiws

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

3 Comments

Comments are closed.