Swallowing Darkness

In an uninspiring monotone, Claudia Black delivers the continuing story of Meredith, princess of Faerie, and her struggle to keep herself and her men alive amid the deadly politics of the Faerie courts. In danger from conspiring enemies, Meredith is forced to call upon the Dark Hunt, a type of Faerie magic that has not appeared for centuries. When even the Hunt is not enough, Meredith and her guards must appeal to humans for protection. Black reads even the steamy bedroom scenes without emotion, barely differentiating between characters. At one point she mispronounces several names, seemingly paying no attention to how she spoke them earlier. SWALLOWING DARKNESS is another great book for Hamilton, but not a good effort for Claudia Black. R.A. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine