Did I read the same book as the readers who gave five stars?

[Tanya]

I can't help but wonder if I have read the same book as the readers who have given five stars? who rave on about how awesome the book is? I like most readers had been waiting years for A shiver of light to be released, only to be disappointed and bored out of my mind. This is a Author who has published many books, and they are not cheap. So I expected a professional story. Instead I found my self reading pages of drivel and found myself giving the book back for a refund for the first time in my life! So if there is another A shiver of life book out there which is different to the one I had read, I would love to know.

[Mhansen]

Unfortunately, you read the same book I did. Her books have brought me to tears before, but not for the same reasons I am crying over this one.

[Shadow]

Pretty sure you read the same book. Though I have found that most of the really highly rated reviews come from either supposed "honest reviews" coming from an advance copy or from reviews with little insightful reason as to why this is worth a high rating. Hard to take them very seriously. I've read a lot of low rated reviews that all say the same basic thing and I think that's more telling.

[Susan]

unfortunately you are correct. This book was lacking something and I found myself skimming through pages trying desperately to find something that would capture my attention:(

[Tanya]

Susan wrote: "unfortunately you are correct. This book was lacking something and I found myself skimming through pages trying desperately to find something that would capture my attention:("

What's really sad about this is most authors read reviews and try to improve from them. Where is Hamilton doesn't. I read that she doesn't believe in reading them, so unless she wavers the no edit clause her next books will be exactly the same, and that is really sad because I did love this series up until this last book.

[Tanya]

Susan wrote: "unfortunately you are correct. This book was lacking something and I found myself skimming through pages trying desperately to find something that would capture my attention:("

Me too, I had actually missed when one of the main characters was killed off because I skimmed past it. It was a shame that conversations went on for pages and pages in the story but a death scene didn't?

[Lady S]

It was like there were all the characters that I had come to know and love, but they all had completely new and different personalities. Almost as if LKH has decided to take the Merry story in a completely new direction and making Merry's story an open-ended series along the same lines as the Anita Blake stories.

I totally realize that post-baby hormones can leave a woman so out of control emotionally, but those hormones seemed to also be affecting every male around her, including even Aisling! I kept reading because I really expected to find out eventually that someone had put some kind of emotion spell on everyone.

There were also so many issues that were left up in the air with no resolution, with a cliff-hanger feel to the ending.

[Heather]

Those who give ANY book by LKH five stars are Troos - the people who are so blindly devoted to LaLa that they would NEVER rate a book of hers less than five stars, no matter how bad it might be. I used to love LKH's AB series. I loved it so much, I'd splurge to buy the hardcover new on release day (when I generally only bought secondhand paperbacks). However, my devotion from those earlier years (started reading AB around 98) only got me burned - and when I and many other fans complained about the lack of plot and increase of pron, LKH dismissed us as "prudes" who just didn't "understand how special, edgy, and amazing" her work is. As much as I used to love her books, I now loathe them and deeply dislike her as a person. She cut out anyone who would dare speak a word of criticism against her work and surrounded herself with sycophants who think she's the greatest thing since sliced bread. If there was ever an author who needed to learn what "overshare" means, she would be the one - I've heard far more about her personal life via her books than I EVER want to know about an author.

[Tanya]

Rhonda wrote: "It was like there were all the characters that I had come to know and love, but they all had completely new and different personalities. Almost as if LKH has decided to take the Merry story in a co..."

To me it seemed like she couldn't be bothered with writing the characters normal personalities.Most of the them seemed to all blend into one in this book. They didn't have individual personalities they all seemed the same person to me.

[Tanya]

Heather wrote: "Those who give ANY book by LKH five stars are Troos - the people who are so blindly devoted to LaLa that they would NEVER rate a book of hers less than five stars, no matter how bad it might be. I ..."

I did give her early books high ratings, but I have to agree with you about the last few books.

I had also noticed how she had turned the complaints of too much sex and not enough plot into the readers fault for being too prude. (Judgmental much?)Or anyone who gives a bad review she calls a troll. A good author will read the good and bad reviews and try and improve from them all. Not just dismiss them as being the readers fault.
I like a good sex scene as much as the next reader but not chapter after chapter of the stuff. I like a good plot to go with it. It bugs me how in most of her stories the characters will be faced with a major crisis and instead of worrying about it, or facing the issue they stop what the are doing to have sex? I am starting to think that maybe she does not know how to write anything but sex, this books is a good example seen as there is hardly any sex but there is also still no plot. Just a bunch of characters talking non stop.

[Jeremy]

I'm trying to slog through this one now. It's rough going. I think if Merry says "Are you saying that..." or "DO you mean that..." one more time I'm going to scream.
Dear Lord, enough with the friggin' recaps and repetition of the obvious!
What happened to the interesting plot and dialogue that drew me into this series in the first place? I think that once LKH discovered that she could get away with writing soft-porn she gave up on actually crafting a compelling story.

[Jjab]

Jeremy wrote: "I'm trying to slog through this one now. It's rough going. I think if Merry says "Are you saying that..." or "DO you mean that..." I'm going to scream.
Dear Lord, enough with the friggin' recaps an..."

I have to disagree. I think as soon as she discovered everyone needs therapy and have multiple partners she went down hill.

Her two series are converging into the same story and theme.

[Caramelia]

IMHO she doesn't even know how to write sex - all of her sex scenes are copy-and-paste, nothing new ever happens. Merry is like an overused pornstar, able to deep throat and orgasm from it.

I'm sooooo disappointed with this book, it made me feel nauseous to have to read the same bullsh*t over and over and over again :-(

[Charlotte]

Oh man I am really sorry to hear that she's ruined Merry Gentry too. I really liked the series and I have been waiting for this to come out. I can't say I'm surprised however, after what happened with Anita Blake. I was going to pre-order A shiver of light but I held back to see what the reviews said. Now I am so glad I did. Can someone please tell me who dies so I can put my curiosity to bed? A PM is fine. Thanks!

[Alysa]

i think the people who gave it 5 stars fall into the same category as people who enjoy "crap like twilight"
books are becoming like movies throwing as much sex and explosions as you can to make a buck or ride the wave of the first successfull books of the series.
with movies i usually expect the sequels to be crap, and it used to be the opposite with books.
does no one have any pride in their craft anymore?

[April]

I was really sad reading through this book because I was really hoping it would actually get back to the things I loved about the first few of the series after waiting so long. Now I wish she wouldnt have tried.

[Deity]

Rhonda wrote: "It was like there were all the characters that I had come to know and love, but they all had completely new and different personalities. Almost as if LKH has decided to take the Merry story in a co..."

OMG! I thought I was the only one who felt like the characters weren't the same. I couldn't connect with them the way I had in the previous books. This was so badly done.

[Sharon]

It really is sad to see how badly LKH has degenerated as an author. Her writing was never all that great---she's always had a chronic tendency to repeat herself and rather sub-par language skills---but the characters were interesting and her plots and ideas were fresh and original back in the early AB days. Like most folks on this thread there was a time when she was one of my favorite "can't wait to buy it" writers, but now I don't care to bother. The plots have all stagnated, the action has become poorly-written porn, and the characters are flat. I borrow the books from the library when I have nothing better to read and if I find one in a UBS (used book store) or bargain bin I might shell out the money for it. I'm certainly not paying full bookstore prices for them anymore. I don't want to support her.

[Bleu]

I can't believe how bad this book was, I feel like I'm being punked and will find out that this was a joke copy that she released to see what would happen.

[Caramelia]

Bleu wrote: "I can't believe how bad this book was, I feel like I'm being punked and will find out that this was a joke copy that she released to see what would happen."
THAT would actually be nice, but I don't believe it's true *sigh*

[Tara]

How boring was this book? Anyone who gave it five stars is just making the rest of their reviews untrustworthy.

I couldn't even start to explain it. I didn't finish it. I have NEVER done that before. I must say, I used to love LKH. I used to find her interesting and insightful. Her descriptions used to sum up my thoughts in different circumstances. There was always a small moment of clarity in her books, or when she spoke, but it's become barely a slither these days. A shame really. She really needs someone to throw her work back and say no, start again. This book was terrible. Terrible. I wish it didn't have her name on it.

[Melissa]

I personally really liked this book. And I have always been devoted to the series. This author has always been repetitive, in all books, so I expected that. Almost welcomed it since it had take 5 gorram years for her to write it. But the repetition WITHIN the book of stuff she already described, I skimmed over. I liked seeing Merry be a mess and breaking down. I liked seeing her unsure of herself. I was on pins and needles when she talked with her aunt. That was my favorite part. And then what happened at the end in her dream was beautiful. But so odd feeling. There was no resolve.
Personally, my favorite in the series is the third one, with the huge battle at the end. That I think was the highlight of the series.
As for this book, I ate it up in a few days as opposed to reading it in one sitting like I normally do. And man..... last night when I read the end. I sobbed hardcore. I hadn't ever had a book effect me like that. I still don't want it to be true. Im thinking his namesake saved him though because of where they were when he was taken away from us. Anyone else get that feeling? that maybe there is hope?
Also, I wish I could have seen more resolve on the D-bag Taranis. F that guy. Reminds me of my Ex. And reading through Merry has actually helped me become more brave at the the thought of him. She always did that to me. I looked up to her from highschool. Im sorry you guys didn't like the book. I enjoyed it. I hope the next one she steps up her game and accomplishes something. I have personally never read the AB series and don't plan to. So I don't have authority to comment on their comparisons.

[Denoramae]

I did pre-order and I was really looking forward to this book basically because I wanted to see if my ideas were true (and they were sorta, lol) It was sad in some parts but it was a typical LKH book. I have included my review below. I gave it 4 stars not 5.

If you are a Merry fan this is a book that you will want to add to your collection, if not don't bother. It is not a for anyone looking for great suspense or literature, it is for anyone wanting to know what has happened next in the lives of the Merry and her men and her pregnancy. The book is written along the now familiar lines of Laurell K. Hamilton. There is plenty of build-up in the beginning, some sex, and then a quick ending and a wrap chapter or two. It is like sitting down to a restaurant meal and taking your time through the appetizers, salads, entree and then the waiters are throwing the chairs up as you are trying to finish your coffee.
The babies finally arrive, but I am not going to spoil it for anyone interested. I just wish the pacing in this was a bit different and that the action was fleshed out rather than almost left out. sigh...(less)

[Missyb]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought Merry seemed more like Anita in parts of this book.
Until about 30 pages left,it was rather boring with inklings of something to come but never did, then the incident with one of her guys, and then things were wrapping up.
I do want another book in this series. Or maybe, more of a extension of this book to see what the babies become.

I've read all the Anita Blake books and agree that the sex overtook the story, until the last few books when the story took back over. The over-description of the guys hair just doesn't seem to leave.

[Agnieszka]

Tanya wrote: "Rhonda wrote: "It was like there were all the characters that I had come to know and love, but they all had completely new and different personalities. Almost as if LKH has decided to take the Merr..."

and the only character besides maybe Doyle who actually has some depth she kills... ARGH!