Death of a Darklord - Laurell K. Hamilton [July/06]

Ames, from Thrifty Reader was asking me about this book, so I thought I would try to get one review out of the way. It has just been so humid here lately that I think my mind has melted away, I just don't feel like doing much of anything lately. It is affecting my reading this month, it is even too humid to concentrate enough to read sometimes. I get to almost the end and then I just can't seem to read anymore, but hopefully I will have the chance to get some reading out of the way soon.

Anyways, I had never heard of this trilogy before, as this book is the first book in the Ravenloft the Covenant trilogy. I was just at the bookstore the other day and happened to look at the Laurell K. Hamilton books, and there it was. I didn't buy it then, I waited until a few days later and had it read by that night. It was an interesting read, not really at all like the novels in the Anita Blake series.

On the back of the book all it says is:

In a world that fears spellcraft, a girl discovers her own strange talent for magic.

But in a land crawling with corruption, can she trust its gifts?

Not a lot of information, to get a good idea, though, they include a segment of text from the novel at the front. It goes like this:

a corrupt Land.
an intolerant people.
an unnatural gift.

"Your magic recognizes you," Gersalius said.

Elaine stared at the the glowing shield. It recognized her? She tried to be afraid but wasn't. In fact, she wanted to touch it, to run her fingers along its gleaming surface. It was akin to the desire she'd had to touch the wizard's hands in the kitchen. Magic called to magic. Her own magic called most strongly.

"Touch it," he said softly.

Elaine reached out to it. Her hands tingled with its nearness. Her skin was stained violet, as unnatural-looking as the elf's but she didn't care. Her hands sunk into the glow with a gush of sparks that flared and blinded her. She took a sharp breath, and as the air went into her lungs the spell went into her skin. She felt it absorbed, like a tingling lotion. Then it was gone.

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels comes Death of a Darklord, the story of a girl struggling to realize her gift for magic with compromising the love and lives of those around her.

I will have to say that this book was a little weird. Some things happen in it that leave you a bit shocked and there are some scenes where the light of stomach might not appreciate. The compelling thing about this book for me, and prove that I like it, was in all this heat I managed to read the whole thing in one sitting. It is a very interesting novel, with lots of supernatural and paranormal creatures coming out to play. As it is part of a trilogy, the book does not have a satisfying ending, so I will be looking forward to September where I can further understand Elaine and how she is coming along in her study of magic.

4/5