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147 reviews for:
The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness
Anne Bishop
4.2 AVERAGE
147 reviews for:
The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness
Anne Bishop
4.2 AVERAGE
It's a tome of a book spanning 1200 pages. Overall it was an enjoyable read but books 2 & 3 didn't live up to book 1 standards. I felt a whole lot of nothing happened. Unfortunately it is not on my reread list.
The main male protagonist Daemon (son of the high lord of hell, Saetan) is a sex slave on contract who beckons to the calls of the Queens. He breaks the binding ring he wears after he goes on a bloody rampage. He's largely missing in book 3. Then we find out he's a virgin in book 3. EH??
The book is told in different POVs except for the main heroine, Jannelle.
The main male protagonist Daemon (son of the high lord of hell, Saetan) is a sex slave on contract who beckons to the calls of the Queens. He breaks the binding ring he wears after he goes on a bloody rampage. He's largely missing in book 3. Then we find out he's a virgin in book 3. EH??
The book is told in different POVs except for the main heroine, Jannelle.
This is the book series every Romantasy author wishes they wrote.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Would’ve been a 5 but the ending pissed me off.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a really good read! I stayed up many a night going "just one more chapter" and towards the end I stayed up because I HAD to know how the story ends.
It is definitely a story I would recommend to others if they could handle the content warnings that is - which is totally okay if they can't I have other books I'd recommend.
I loved the characters and their developments and man did I HATE some of the other characters.
It is definitely a story I would recommend to others if they could handle the content warnings that is - which is totally okay if they can't I have other books I'd recommend.
I loved the characters and their developments and man did I HATE some of the other characters.
I had this book on my shelf and the spine was cracked so I am assuming I read it it 15+ years ago but upon rereading it realized I only had the vaguest recollection of a couple names and details and remembered practically none of the plot. I must have originally enjoyed it because I have some other Anne Bishop books I bought. I had recently heard Sarah J Maas was very inspired by Anne Bishop so I decided to do a re read and see what the overlaps were. The three books averaged 2.5 stars so I rounded up to 3 for total rating.
Daughter of Blood (2 stars)
This book was very dark and disturbing. I’m shocked that in my younger years I would have liked it enough to carry on with other bishop books
Heir of Shadows (3 stars)
Here I realized Maas completed lifted the Eyriens as her Illyrians including the special mountain trail which was barely touched on. Plot wise this one was probably the most enjoyable out of the three
Queen of Darkness (2.5 stars)
This one felt like it just dragged on and on. Plot was meh.
Daughter of Blood (2 stars)
This book was very dark and disturbing. I’m shocked that in my younger years I would have liked it enough to carry on with other bishop books
Heir of Shadows (3 stars)
Here I realized Maas completed lifted the Eyriens as her Illyrians including the special mountain trail which was barely touched on. Plot wise this one was probably the most enjoyable out of the three
Queen of Darkness (2.5 stars)
This one felt like it just dragged on and on. Plot was meh.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s some really weird, non-PC, dark stuff in there, but overall this book has me in tears following Jaenelle’s journey to be Witch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape
This has been a favorite book of mine for a long time. And I read it almost every year, it seems. Though with this last reading, I realize how ridiculous some things are or how unrealistically perfect Janelle is. Or how the degree of people's cruelty and tolerance in reaction to others changes throughout the book with no other reason than to make a point.
Yet, the last chapter just steals my soul. So I'll read all the nonsense over again, just to get to last chapter.
Yet, the last chapter just steals my soul. So I'll read all the nonsense over again, just to get to last chapter.
Between endless graphic horrors with which the main characters got tortured, the rest felt flat and weirdly unrealistic. Should have stopped reading ages ago.
It has an interesting premisse. Various realms, including one for the dead (governed by Saetan, the high lord), people 'of the blood' with magic and jewels received that classify the magic in a complicated and cruel society where women rule.
In that society Jaenelle is born, the prophesized 'Witch', the dreams of all the magical people in the flesh - but her potential is not recognized by her birth family so she grows up travelling magically to other realms to find friends and tutors.
Two half brothers who don't know who their father was are (pleasure) slaves who are waiting for the prophesized witch to help and protect her. Two ambitious evil women have been plotting for centuries to grab all power, even that of Saetan, and rule all the realms.
The story is fast paced and exiting, the writing is very accessible. It could have been a great trilogy, but it lacks maturity. The gender roles are inconsistent and a bit toe-curling, the characters easily switch from being very wise to being almost pubescent in their reactions and communications, the story regularly makes some weird jumps and the language gets a bit repetitive. The sexual aspects feel forced (for example, the author starts with slaves wearing 'rings of obedience' around their 'organ' that can be used to hurt them, but later in the story they also wear 'rings of honor' their, as if fingers aren't a more logical place if only because they don't change size) and the relationships between the genders and characters are following the same basic cardboard, often illogical and rather immature patterns.
I might have loved this book earlier in life, also because the story is kind of gripping and fast paced. But the flaws build up and started to irritate me.
In that society Jaenelle is born, the prophesized 'Witch', the dreams of all the magical people in the flesh - but her potential is not recognized by her birth family so she grows up travelling magically to other realms to find friends and tutors.
Two half brothers who don't know who their father was are (pleasure) slaves who are waiting for the prophesized witch to help and protect her. Two ambitious evil women have been plotting for centuries to grab all power, even that of Saetan, and rule all the realms.
The story is fast paced and exiting, the writing is very accessible. It could have been a great trilogy, but it lacks maturity. The gender roles are inconsistent and a bit toe-curling, the characters easily switch from being very wise to being almost pubescent in their reactions and communications, the story regularly makes some weird jumps and the language gets a bit repetitive. The sexual aspects feel forced (for example, the author starts with slaves wearing 'rings of obedience' around their 'organ' that can be used to hurt them, but later in the story they also wear 'rings of honor' their, as if fingers aren't a more logical place if only because they don't change size) and the relationships between the genders and characters are following the same basic cardboard, often illogical and rather immature patterns.
I might have loved this book earlier in life, also because the story is kind of gripping and fast paced. But the flaws build up and started to irritate me.