Anne Bishop
The final installment of the Black Jewels trilogy is
by far the darkest and most intense. Those seeking to control
Jaenelle attempt to start a war between the realms. Chafing at
her refusal to fight, Jaenell's friends withdraw from her, believing
her a coward. They forget that Jaenelle has absolutely no problem
killing, usually rather...explosively.
Jaenelle has foreseen the death of the Blood, with
the land soon to follow, whether she fights or not. So, she makes
a desperate bid to instead rid the Blood of those who are
corrupted. To buy her time, Daemon is forced to become an enemy
to everyone else he loves, and has just been reunited with.
Meanwhile, anticipating her act, the kindred labor in secret to ensure
Jaenelle's sacrifice isn't the death of the Dream Made Flesh.
The tension in Queen of the Darkness
is lightened by the usual dark humor. The awkwardness of the
growing relationship between Daemon and Jaenelle, where each is waiting
for the other to begin, is ironic and amusing.
The characters have grown and changed as the series
progressed, yet remain true to their personalities. The plot line
does not falter, and comes to a fitting conclusion. Though
sometimes difficult to read, or reread, due to the tragedies, Queen of the Darkness is
filled with equal parts joy. This is an excellent end to an
excellent series, even if it does leave the reader muttering certain
oft-repeated phrases, missing the characters, and wishing for a jewel
of one's own.
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Heir to the Shadows,
the second book of Anne Bishop's the Black Jewels trilogy, continues
the story of Jaenelle, prophesied Dark Queen. Jaenelle has been
rescued from her family's betrayal, injured in body and spirit, and
slowly heals under Saetan's legal guardianship.
Daemon, fated to be her Consort, sacrificed himself
to save and heal her, and is lost to madness as he wanders the
realms. Only Jaenelle can bring him back, but, still traumatized
by her ordeal, she doesn't even remember him.
As Jaenelle gathers her old friends around her,
those who want to control her try to remove her from Saetan's
influence. As they attempt to fracture the peace of her realm,
she takes matters into her own hands, in ways no one could have
expected.
This second book is just as rich, dark, and sensual
as the first. The introduction of Blood animals may put some
readers off, but they are handled simply, as people in bodies other
than human. The plot moves along with an excellent pace.
The characters continue to grow and develop, and new characters are
added to keep the story fresh. Bishop still writes with a wry
tone and sometimes graphic language. An excellent second novel to
the trilogy - no sophomore slump here.
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In the Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop, the
realms of the living and the dead overlay each other, Hell and most of
its myths exist, though not as we expect, and all are ruled by the
Blood, the strength of whose innate powers are revealed by the darkness
of the magical jewels they bear. The Blood are, in turn, ruled by
Queens.
The first installment, Daughter of the Blood,
introduces the prophesied Queen of Darkness, born to the world at last
in the form of the child, Jaenelle. At seven, Jaenelle has more
power than those few Blood wielding the Black jewels, and she isn't
anywhere near her full strength yet. In the realms, the Blood
have been corrupted in a quest for power, and are slowly destroying the
world and themselves. Whoever controlled Jaenelle could rule the
world, but if she could be protected and guided, she could become the
Queen that will save the world, and the Blood.
Although the heroine is a child in this first book,
this is not a novel for children, or easily disturbed adults.
Anne Bishop writes dark fantasy at its best. This book is rich,
lush, compelling and seductive. It is at times both tragic and
frequently laugh-out-loud funny. There is much eroticism here,
both the kind to be celebrated, and those twisted forms that occur when
relationships between the sexes fall apart. These elements are
treated frankly and often graphically, and some readers may find this
distasteful.
Daughter of the Blood
is a well-paced story in a detailed, complex world filled with
characters who are unique individuals with their own voices.
Characters a reader may almost miss, once finished with the book.
This is also one of those novels a reader can re-read as often as they
wish, without becoming tired of it. An amazing book; highly
recommended.
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