Picking up directly after, A Lick of Frost, we find Merry Gentry (Meredith Nic Essus) and Princess of the Faerie finally winning the race for the throne and surpassing her cousin Prince Cel, who although verifiably insane, has still sought after the throne for himself. Recovering in the hospital after her rape and kidnapping at the hand of her Uncle King Taranis, Merry is worried about her safety.
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Doyle and the other guards assure Merry that the Fae will keep her protected since she is pregnant, and the Seelie Courts always honor pregnancy as worthy of honor and safety. Merry is also mourning the loss of Frost, her lover, guard and father of one of her twins. Forced into the body of the stag, she wonders if she will ever see his beautiful face again, skin like the shimmering ocean, and hair of silver. A true beauty that will forever be missed. Another issue at hand is King Taranis hoping to make Merry his queen, now this his sanity has almost completely dissolved.
Merry and her guards are attacked by her grandmother, bewitched by a spell. It is revealed a Fae is responsible, her sister known as Cair. Merry is enraged when she learns of this and unleashes the power of the Wild Hunt with the help of Sholto to attack Cair. When Cair is confronted, Merry learns she was put up to the attack by a Lord of the Faerie who promised Cair his son as a husband if she were to murder Merry. Another sinister plot is also revealed, with a plan to murder Mistral. Merry quickly dispatches Cair in her fury and flees to save Mistral.
Arriving just in time, Merry heals Mistral and with the help of Sholto is taken to a safe haven among the Slaugh. Unfortunately, the court is attacked by Seelie forces and Merry is forced to take action to resolve the problem without bloodshed as any other way would result in all Fae being deported from the United States. This leads to an epic confrontation with Prince Cel where Merry finally defeats him and is crowned the Queen along with Doyle being crowned the King. But at what cost? Queen Andais refuses to give up the throne and with her sanity disintegrating, Merry believes things will only get worse before they get better.
Best part of story, including ending:
This story was particularly intense as every book in the series led to this moment. I loved the action as well as political intrigue.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was Merry and Doyle being crowned King and Queen. This scene really showed the love between Merry and Doyle and how has grown into a powerful force.
Opinion about the main character:
Merry once again lets other actions dictate her outcome. I wish she would have the nerve to make her own path and destiny.
