Mistral’s Kiss

By Laurell K. Hamilton
Read: March 2010
Rating: Slam

First, I would have to declare that Mistral is not terribly important to this volume. Let it be known that the titles are farking arbitrary. (Just to spite me, Lick of Frost is going to be ALL ABOUT FROST, I just know it.)

Anyway, Goddess and God screw with Merry, she screws more guys, Andais is pissed, and everyone fights for their lives. This time the timeline may or may not be the SAME NIGHT AS THE LAST BOOK, but it may also be the next day. The sithen’s been fucking with them.

Does that sound callous, or like I’m not enjoying? I am enjoying. I’m enjoying a lot. It’s just a bit exhausting–the timeline and the never ending slam of event after event, and the constant sex… Am I complaining about sex in a book? Really?

Yes. Yes, I am. Because it’s stretching my ability to suspend my disbelief. (And when you stretch that too far, it snaps back with a vengeance, like a big, angry, disillusioned rubber band.)

Merry has just fucked a whole bunch of guys, in succession, and NO ONE has mentioned her being, er, messy. No one. They certainly don’t mind and she might as well have a whole day in between for all that she’s not fatigued or feeling dirty or anything. Fertility goddesses, amirite?

Plus, my loyalties are being jiggered with. I have my faves among the guys, who wouldn’t?

Galen – I really like Galen. I totally see why he should not be king. But he should be a friend, and he’s loyal and a good fighter. He’s going to make someone a great hubby and dad.

Rhys – I would pick Rhys, for me. Bad ass, deadly, funny. I wouldn’t even care about his being short (by comparison). And perceptive. It breaks my heart every time he volunteers for something awful and says to Merry, “I know you don’t love me enough to weep for me.” I WOULD WEEP FOR YOU, RHYS!

Frost – Frost is sexy. Absolutely. And I can see how he and Merry could fall into this emotional thing, where they love each other but maybe aren’t meant to be together. He has MAJOR faults, though. His moodiness, getting pissed off by every little thing… that’s not kingly, and it’s also not life partner-y.

Doyle – It was set up from the start, and so I have fought it. HE set it up in a lot of ways, and so I have fought it. There’s nothing terribly unlikable about him, and maybe that’s what I don’t like. Doyle’s nigh well perfect. Tragic past (Can you have a tragic past of a thousand years if your whole life is many thousands of years? Does that count?), gorgeous, commanding, deadly, calm thinker, has his vulnerable moments, admits to weakness… He’s so perfect it’s off-putting. But something at the very end of this book made me click with him a bit more. …I liked it better in the first book when he was grabbing Merry’s thighs.

Sholto – *wail* I want Sholto! I want it to BE Sholto! I heart Sholto! He’s got that craving thing going on… Oh, yeah, and the craving nearly destroyed everything he stands for. We knew he had this ‘weakness for sidhe flesh’. He’s mostly sidhe and he wanted to have that communion, but he’s so desperate that he gets himself in major trouble. He also has a tendency to shout like a little boy when his power is threatened. Like, “NO, Agnes, it’s mine! MINE MINE MINE Mom said it was mine! So go do what I say cuz I SAID SO!” Not kingly. Not mature. Not sexy. But the rest of him IS!

Augh. So I’ve got three more books to go, and I’m certain that’s not going to be the end of things. I just hope Merry gets pregnant by then, so there’s some end in sight.

This one ended in a very nowhere place. Fucking epics.