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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
There is a huge gear shift in this book as it is a prequel to the events in the first trilogy of the series. I actually wasn’t really excited to read it as I loved the characters from those books so much. But once you get past that the story in The Invisible Ring flows really well and again it was difficult to put the book down. The few cameos we get from The Sadist were just enough to add to the story but not take it over and show some of the little ways he rebelled against Dorthae long before Witch was born.
Jared was a pleasure slave, until the night he broke and killed both the Queen he served and her brother. He is supposed to be sold to the salt mines to be worked into death. That is until a Gray Lady shows up and buys his contract. Now Jared is on his way to the one of the only courts successfully evading Dorthae’s slow war to take control of all the lands and infect them with her cruel servants.
The only problem, there are lots of people trying to kill them while on route, a traitor in the midst of the traveling party and the Gray Lady, well she isn’t exactly what she seems to be either.
You have to have a solid foundation in this world so even though it is a prequel it shouldn’t be read until after books 1-3. How the Gray Lady and Jared staved off Dorthae and the army is what gave Janaelle the bones of how to save the land and the blood in Queen of Darkness.
It was good to see a few more characters that were good and not twisted into what Dorthae makes people into. We get to see how she took a man with ambition and a streak of cruelty and made him the worst version of himself, until he was almost as cruel as she was.
Great story set in a world I’ve grown to really like, despite its cruelties.
Jared was a pleasure slave, until the night he broke and killed both the Queen he served and her brother. He is supposed to be sold to the salt mines to be worked into death. That is until a Gray Lady shows up and buys his contract. Now Jared is on his way to the one of the only courts successfully evading Dorthae’s slow war to take control of all the lands and infect them with her cruel servants.
The only problem, there are lots of people trying to kill them while on route, a traitor in the midst of the traveling party and the Gray Lady, well she isn’t exactly what she seems to be either.
You have to have a solid foundation in this world so even though it is a prequel it shouldn’t be read until after books 1-3. How the Gray Lady and Jared staved off Dorthae and the army is what gave Janaelle the bones of how to save the land and the blood in Queen of Darkness.
It was good to see a few more characters that were good and not twisted into what Dorthae makes people into. We get to see how she took a man with ambition and a streak of cruelty and made him the worst version of himself, until he was almost as cruel as she was.
Great story set in a world I’ve grown to really like, despite its cruelties.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Okay I was pissy because I didn’t realize this was a prequel with none of the main characters and the invisible ring stuff is corny as hell but it was still a good read.
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story was interesting enough for me to finish it but the gender stereotypes got tiresome by the end. The author subverted the stereotypical Male-Female power dynamic and then undermined the entire argument by giving all her characters stereotypical behaviours. Males must protect and rut! Females must heal and be moody on her period.
Also, the whole virginity thing!
Overall, the plot has enough momentum to pull me to the end, although not exactly surprising. The protagonists were well-drawn out (if you just ignore the blatantly stereotypical traits). The magic system was self-consistent and had some limits. However, and I keep coming back to this: the magic system is setup to be so gender specific! Why do that?
Bottom line: -I hated the magic system and despised the gender politics in this book.- Okay, I didn't *hate* it, but it really bugged me throughout the book. If those are not hot-button issues for you, you will probably enjoy the book. Or, you can just read [b:Kushiel's Dart|153008|Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328168291s/153008.jpg|2990010] and avoid many of the peeves I kept coming up against.
Also, the whole virginity thing!
Overall, the plot has enough momentum to pull me to the end, although not exactly surprising. The protagonists were well-drawn out (if you just ignore the blatantly stereotypical traits). The magic system was self-consistent and had some limits. However, and I keep coming back to this: the magic system is setup to be so gender specific! Why do that?
Bottom line: -I hated the magic system and despised the gender politics in this book.- Okay, I didn't *hate* it, but it really bugged me throughout the book. If those are not hot-button issues for you, you will probably enjoy the book. Or, you can just read [b:Kushiel's Dart|153008|Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328168291s/153008.jpg|2990010] and avoid many of the peeves I kept coming up against.
This prequel really doesn't have a lot of impact on the original trilogy. Still, I quite enjoyed it and got a small thrill from seeing Daemon Sadi make a few cameo appearances.
If you like fantasy with a healthy dash of romance, this is the book for you. There's little need for you to worry about reading the trilogy first as this is, in my opinion, a standalone novel.
If you like fantasy with a healthy dash of romance, this is the book for you. There's little need for you to worry about reading the trilogy first as this is, in my opinion, a standalone novel.
Interesting story in the Black Jewels world. Takes place many years before the trilogy. It is the story of a pleasure slave named Jared who is bought by the Gray Lady, the Queen of Dene Nehele. She is one of very few Queens standing against Dorothea and her taint of the Blood. The caravan is being pursued by Dorothea as they try to make their way across the mountains. Secrets are revealed about everyone in the group and several are not who they seem. This was a nice story that gave the reader some background on events before Jaenelle's story. Jared and Lia are interesting characters and it was fun to see Daemon helping people.
