Review: Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop

Following on from my review of 'Heir to the Shadows' I will go ahead and review 'Queen of the Darkness' as if the reader has read the first two novels in the series. 

Character growth is probably my favourite thing about 'Queen of the Darkness'.  This is the book where all the characters come together and start to form a real family.  It is a joy to read about how the three main narrators - Saetan, Daemon and Lucivar - have changed from the first instalment 'Daughter of the Blood'.  Lucivar especially has grown into a man in a way that he wasn't before (spoiler) he is now married, has a son and has his own ruling responsibilities as well (end spoiler).  Jaenelle and Daemon also reunite (I don't think that really needs to be forewarned as a spoiler) and it is really fun to read about their awkward yet cute early beginnings in their relationship.  The most touching and laugh-out-loud relationship in this book for me is Saetan and Daemon - they both begin to understand what being each others mirror truly means.  They are both supportive and wary of each other. 

It isn't surprising that with all this character growth and family bonding that 'Queen of the Darkness' also contains a lot more risk factor.  The characters have a lot more to lose when the baddies start making some moves as they now not only have Jaenelle to protect they also have their new family.  I think that the level of sacrifice is high but it also makes the story swerve away from the cheesiness that sometimes it goes into.  Everything has a price after all, and that price is pretty extreme.  Daemon and Saetan are probably the ones who make the most personal sacrifices, but also do a whole lot of other characters, many of which are characters that have played a relevant role in the earlier books. 

 The baddies - Hekatah and Dorothea - are still pretty bad.  We don't see the same shocking displays of evil that characterised 'Daughter of the Blood' but there are still hints of who they really are.  I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to villains though - the only series that really satisfies me in these terms is 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.  Overall though, I think 'Queen of the Darkness' has its share of dark and disturbing moments - what certain characters have to do to play the nasty game highlights the standard of evil in the series, and as always some of the things included are pretty graphic. 

The climax of the trilogy  for me was okay.  I wasn't overly sold on it despite the fact that 'Queen of the Darkness' is a strong book.  I think that the way the conflict was resolved was a little out of nowhere - obviously the reader wasn't supposed to know what is about to happen, but even the way the main characters (the ones who set it up) come up with it is a bit off in my opinion.  I still think that it was a decent, and logical solution, I just also thought that it smacked of a cop-out.  Just a little bit.  Also, it basically advertises 'The Invisible Ring' as an explanation of what the characters here do.  I know 'The Invisible Ring' came out after the trilogy, but still it feels a bit like a way of getting out of really fleshing out why Jaenelle does what she does - she just simply gets inspired by characters that haven't made an appearance in the story thus far. 

 After the climax the story is still good.  We see the rebuilding of many things, and also see that the emotional toil of what went down is something that the characters will live with for the foreseeable future.  There are some heartbreaking moments, but also a couple of happy ones that many readers have been waiting for.  

'Queen of the Darkness' is a heartbreaking read in some respects but it is also heartwarming in others.  The entire trilogy, which can be bought in an omnibus version, is something that to me is special.  I bought the book on a whim, and I believe that I would have never have read it at all only I was doing the fifty book challenge that year.  I was very unsure of it, because it is the type of series that is both very unique but also very hard to get an impression of based on reviews or summaries.  I know that I found the book an easy read but also one with a very rich world and fascinating characters that I couldn't help but root for.   I think that the best way to recommend the trilogy, or the rest of the series for that matter, is to say that the books are cult.  They do have bits that are a bit out there, but the characters and the world are always believable at their core, and the people who like these books tend to really like them perhaps because of this. 

Review: Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop

Hi

As with 'Daughter of the Blood' I read this book for the first time a couple of years ago, and so I'm not really reviewing it based on first impressions.  I've re-read it once, and did enjoy it a second time though, but that was a while ago as well.   In this review I am assuming that anyone who reads this has read 'Daughter of the Blood'. 

'Heir to the Shadows' is the second book in the Black Jewels series - and at the time it was written it was intended as the second book in a trilogy.  It continues on the story from 'Daughter of the Blood' in the aftermath of Jaenelle's rape and Daemon's slip into the Twisted Kingdom.  It begins by establishing that Jaenelle has been in a coma for some time, and Daemon's mental state is fully revealed early on.  In a way the book can be separated into two parts.  The first part of the book deals with the direct aftermath, and also how Saetan takes on the role he has waited thousands of years for - being Witch's father.  The second part deals with Lucivar and his plight as a prisoner sentenced to death by decline.  I think this book is refreshing in the sense that Lucivar and Saetan really shine here - whereas 'Daughter of the Blood' spent a lot of time with Daemon. 

'Heir to the Shadows' is an enjoyable read, but to me, it lacks the action of the first book.  It is more of a in-between book, where important things happen, but mostly it operates as a general fleshing out of the cast and characters.  We meet a lot of new people here, and find out a lot more about the Realms.  Characters like Jaenelle benefit from the respite the book provides - by the end of the novel we know a lot more about her, and why she makes the decisions she does.  This contrasts with the first novel, because her actions there were not as well defined, or indeed explained. 

Sometimes it seems to go too fast - for instance the cast expands rapidly, and at one point it happens within the space of a paragraph.  Mostly the newbies are just names, and are never seen again or they get mentioned briefly and the reader is expected to know them.  If you've ever read 'Queen of the Damned' by Anne Rice that is the kind of thing that happens here.  Some of the names amount to cameos in 'Heir' and elsewhere.  In terms of the world building this book is a step forward - we find out about the Blood's origins, as well as the extent to which the Blood exists and works with other types of people - basically, and this is a mini-spoiler, we meet the Kindred.

The humour increases in this book, and in a way it is more lighthearted that either 'Daughter of the Blood' or 'Queen of the Darkness'.  'Heir to the Shadows' is more fun and more about new beginnings and family than either of the other two.  It lacks some of the big drama, but there are dramatic moments.  There are moments when you feel nervous for the characters, and when you feel their anger and sadness too.  There are a few more time skips in this novel.  None of them are as drastic as the one in the first novel, but still it feels sometimes like you are reading a detailed summary.  That isn't a criticism per say, because I think one of the selling points of the Black Jewels books is that the reader is always left wanting more. 

 

In conclusion, I do recommend 'Heir to the Shadows' to people who have read and enjoyed the first instalment of the Black Jewels books.  My only real problem with the text is that it seems too short - a lot of the later books (outside the trilogy) really refer to stuff that happen around the time of this book, but aren't revealed until much later.  'Heir to the Shadows' is a bit like an interlude and is more about story building than either of the other two books in the initial trilogy.  I think that potential readers should be aware of 'Dreams Made Flesh' and perhaps have a copy handy, but don't read the very last story until after you finish the trilogy.   Furthermore, the short story Zuulaman really explains why Saetan let Daemon and Lucivar get taken away from him. He actually refers to that story in the middle of 'Heir to the Shadows' - but it is a vague mention which I feel should have been explained here rather than later on.  

Review: Daughter of the Blood



Hi

In a sense this is a review in retrospect because I read this over a year ago, and then earlier this year.   'Daughter of the Blood' is the first novel in the Black Jewels Trilogy.  It is set in a magical world known as the realms, which is composed of three parts.  It primarily follows three men - Saetan, Lucivar and Daemon- as they discover a young girl named Jaenelle who is Dreams made Flesh and basically has been created to save 'The Blood' aka the magical people, from self destruction. 

It's one of those books that is a bit hard to explain but it comes under the genre of Dark Fantasy. 

'Daughter of the Blood' is a very original book, like the rest of the series.  It has everything from talking unicorns to the undead.  It is also not a book I would recommend for younger readers, because it is extremely violent, in more ways than one if you get my meaning.  The characters are probably the biggest selling point for me.  I think that they are great, and they all stand on their own.  They think in a different way to most other characters that I've read - they are both violent and loving, lost and hopeful, caring and bitter. 

I would say to a certain extent that The Black Jewels Trilogy (and the later books) are both some of my favourite books and also my guilty pleasures.  The prose is not the best ever.  Certain characters are explained with stock phrases all the time that never change.  For example  Luicivar has a lazy, arrogant smile.   Whenever I read that I call it the Lazy Comma Arrogant.  Daemon and Saetan have a habit of asking questions 'too softly' when they are angry.  Usually these questions are mundane.  But I actually find it amusing and quite charming that these phrases are used. 

'Daughter of the Blood' is very action packed.  It is also very sad.  As a series opener it is great.  I don't want to spoil too much here, but basically the three mains discover Jaenelle in their own way and time, and because of the evil powers that be they have to protect her.  Unfortunately, they are limited (sometimes because Jaenelle deliberately limits them) and can't protect her from awful mental and sexual abuse.  Throughout the book Saetan and Daemon gradually discover the harrowing truth that Jaenelle has been hiding from them, and the last hundred pages really keep you on the edge of your seat.  I just couldn't believe it was happening. 

I would recommend buying the omnibus version of the Black Jewels Trilogy, because then you can go straight into the second novel 'Heir to the Shadows'.  Trust me if you liked 'Daughter of the Blood' you will want to read the next one soon after.