Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Same as my review for the last book. Let the dead be dead. Jaenelle Angelline (the Mary Sue to rule them all) is a blight on this series and the best books are the ones that don't have her in it.
Jaenelle Saetien is a sad, overlooked teenager desperate for her own identity. I hope none of the parents rating this book highly are treating their children the way she was treated. I hope Anne Bishop's own kids had better, more caring parents than Daemon and Surreal turned out to be.
How about, as a suggestion, you sit down and talk to your daughter about the things that she's struggling with? Instead of strong arming her with castes and ranks that only make her feel smaller than she already does and then just calling her a "bitch"? What made her a "bitch" was never explained by the way. She was just a bitch. And that was supposed to change the teenage girl's mind about leaning more heavily on her "friends" for support?
This child is unjustly demonised in this trilogy in a weak attempt to not only bring back Jaenelle Angelline, but try and make everyone feel sorry for someone who had already lived the full extent of her life (quite happily and more blessed than most people can dream of mind) and it made me physically sick.
Not to mention the feeble excuse of overwhelming "sexual heat" (NEVER mentioned once in the first NINE books) to break down Surreal and Daemon's marriage so that he could be justified in all but cheating on his wife with a dead woman. Urgh.
Anne Bishop. Are you okay?
I'm not even going to get started on the rehash of old enemies in Dorothea and Hekatah. Can we come up with NO other ideas?
Can we move away from these stupid powerful families that could have ended everything before it even began in a way that makes the entire story really contrived? Please write about someone else.
Jaenelle Saetien is a sad, overlooked teenager desperate for her own identity. I hope none of the parents rating this book highly are treating their children the way she was treated. I hope Anne Bishop's own kids had better, more caring parents than Daemon and Surreal turned out to be.
How about, as a suggestion, you sit down and talk to your daughter about the things that she's struggling with? Instead of strong arming her with castes and ranks that only make her feel smaller than she already does and then just calling her a "bitch"? What made her a "bitch" was never explained by the way. She was just a bitch. And that was supposed to change the teenage girl's mind about leaning more heavily on her "friends" for support?
This child is unjustly demonised in this trilogy in a weak attempt to not only bring back Jaenelle Angelline, but try and make everyone feel sorry for someone who had already lived the full extent of her life (quite happily and more blessed than most people can dream of mind) and it made me physically sick.
Not to mention the feeble excuse of overwhelming "sexual heat" (NEVER mentioned once in the first NINE books) to break down Surreal and Daemon's marriage so that he could be justified in all but cheating on his wife with a dead woman. Urgh.
Anne Bishop. Are you okay?
I'm not even going to get started on the rehash of old enemies in Dorothea and Hekatah. Can we come up with NO other ideas?
Can we move away from these stupid powerful families that could have ended everything before it even began in a way that makes the entire story really contrived? Please write about someone else.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Curling up with old friends was just the thing I needed, and romping around with scelties and students was great as always.
Is this very much a book created for longtime fans? Yes. It references a lot of previous history, and I think it will be a lot less enjoyable to start the series here.
Am I reading it mostly for nostalgia? Also yes. I had a good time, some things didn't go as expected, but overall I think it is interesting to see both how Dorothea might have risen to power as well as see the implications of real world choices. Did you know tampering with food is a felony several places? You can go to jail for it.
Anyway,
Is this very much a book created for longtime fans? Yes. It references a lot of previous history, and I think it will be a lot less enjoyable to start the series here.
Am I reading it mostly for nostalgia? Also yes. I had a good time, some things didn't go as expected, but overall I think it is interesting to see both how Dorothea might have risen to power as well as see the implications of real world choices. Did you know tampering with food is a felony several places? You can go to jail for it.
Anyway,
Spoiler
I still don't know what I think about Witch returning, but at least in this book that has been explained better than in the previous one. Also the ending seemed rather final, but it isn't the first time I thought we were done with this realm. Or maybe the plan is to have other main characters like when she wrote about Dena Nehele etc., I'm just not sure how well that would go over.
A great guide explaining why giving into peer pressure is a bad idea
These aren't GOOD, but I adore them.
Bishop is growing as an author, I think? Less damaged naif who can't see her own power, but is honest and moral and never does anything wrong with it when she does see it as heroine, and a lot more about the challenges that people face when they are expected to be something by those around her, and the struggles of adolescence, learning who you are, and learning to live with yourself, and those around you.
Also, about how people grow and change, and how relationships grow and change as the people in them do. This is something that has been sorely missing from the dark jewel books, given that these characters mostly live for centuries.
Bishop is growing as an author, I think? Less damaged naif who can't see her own power, but is honest and moral and never does anything wrong with it when she does see it as heroine, and a lot more about the challenges that people face when they are expected to be something by those around her, and the struggles of adolescence, learning who you are, and learning to live with yourself, and those around you.
Also, about how people grow and change, and how relationships grow and change as the people in them do. This is something that has been sorely missing from the dark jewel books, given that these characters mostly live for centuries.
Honestly, when Ms. Bishop returned last year with The Queen's Bargain, I was a little disappointed. I felt there wasn't a specific need to return to The Black Jewels series - and the violation of so many of the characters' personalities felt like a betrayal to everything laid down in previous books. This? This felt like redemption (or an apology?). Everything came back into a beautiful circle (I'd say triangle, but that wouldn't make sense - save in the context of the Black Jewels world). She handles the concept of long-lived races versus short-lived so perfectly, demonstrating how easily memory can collapse a world over and over. And the way she addresses loyalty - on every level - is a thing of beauty. It reaches in and twists your heart, even as you stand back in admiration. Where the previous book left you stumbling about on uncertain footing and questioning almost every word and action, the ground stayed firm this time. You nodded and agreed - despite the fact she broke your heart. It was so beautiful, a perfectly aimed thrust of the knife.