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"I am Princess Meredith NicEssus, next in line to a high throne of faerie, and I'm in the middle of my story. The happy-ever-after-ending, if it's coming at all, seems a very long way away tonight." (page 3-4)

Swallowing Darkness is the seventh novel in the on-going epic of Princess Meredith, half-human half-faerie hybrid. And one of the only faerie nobility able to breed. And that is the crux of this story - Merry is pregnant with twins. And those twins have multiple fathers. So much happens in this story that it is hard to hold on to all the threads. Merry calls the hunt when her grandmother is killed in front of her eyes. It is not the fault of Sholto who weilded the weapon, but it was the fault of her cousin, who wants to be more than she is... a hybrid high faerie and brownie.

Merry calls the wild hunt for the kinslayer-her cousin. And, finds in the process that the Seelie court is trying to kill two of her kings (soon-to be fathers). She is able to save them all, but at a considerable cost. As a last ditch effort, she tries to use the US National Guard to keep her safe from her relatives: Seelie and Unseelie. The Seelie pack up and leave, but the Unseelie under the direction of Queen Andais' son (also Merry's cousin) Cel. Cel has been trying to kill Meredith through the entire series. At this time he gets the closest to achieving his goal.

At the very end, the reader finds out who kills Merry's father. Even the Unseelie queen is surprised. Also Merry gets directions from the Goddess and Consort that shows that faerie has lost love and attention of the Goddess because of some of their actions towards the lesser fay. Merry realizes that if she wants her children to live and thrive that she must move into human lands and live relatively human lives. I should mention that Frost is saved.

But she must survive first... with the Slaugh, with the Seelie, and finally the Unseelie. Merry has too many enemies because of her mortality.

The story has an ending, which is unlike most of LKH's books. It is a good thing. As a reader, I want to see more of this world with different characters. I would like to see what the twins do. But for now, I am glad to see Meredith leave for a good life. One thing that I should mention is that there is very descriptive sex in this book. If you are not into such descriptions then you can skip (like I do) or not read the story at all. It would be sad that you did not read the story because the descriptions of all of the creatures of faerie are quite wonderful. I feel like I am there.

As for LKH, I can't wait for the next series.

Learn more about this author, Cyn Bagley.
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