A review by mlcutter
Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3 stars because it is very well written, but it is so hard to read I can't recommend it to anyone ever. So, if you read this, it is at your own risk.

I have so much to say about this book. Some spoilers.

The good:
It's well written
The world building is phenomenal
The characters are fleshed out, even the evil ones
It is unique

The bad:
There are sooo many characters!
A child is badly abused and there is too much detail 
There are sex slaves
Adults are badly abused and there is too much detail
There are so many just plain evil characters, it's hard to imagine anyone that awful and you wind up hoping that everyone is murdered in awful ways because they're so terrible.

The black jewel trilogy, which is now a whole series of books written by Anne Bishop, are HARD. TO. READ. These are not light, they're not easy, there is no comic relief. They're dark. DARK, with a capital D. The people who have magic are born to a jewel. Depending on a color, they can be powerful. Black jewel holders are the most powerful. The queens are powerful and terrible. They're jealous, petty, petulant, conniving, and willing to do whatever they have to do to hold power. There is a promise of a queen that will rule well, she will fix what is wrong. She is a child of 12 in this book. She is innocent and naive but the most powerful ever to be born. Everyone wants to either protect her or kill her or break her so she is unable to use her power. Because no one understands her, it is assumed she is unwell.

There is some fascinating imagery that makes me wonder if Anne Bishop struggles with mental illness. There are the "twisted lands" which we come to know as a place where the mind has been broken. She describes the mind as a chalice and once its broken, it has to be repaired before the person is whole again, but it is fragile. 

I don't think abuse has to be spelled out. It's too hard to read. I think it was done better in the Shaye Archer series by Jana DeLeon. you get enough glimpses that you know Shaye has suffered, but you don't get the gory details.

All in all, I want to never read this book again. not sure I will continue the trilogy.  I will stick to my favorite Bishop books The Others series, which is a unique take on shapeshifters and one of my favorite series ever.
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