Rating: 
Summary: Not a reflection of Bishop books
Review: If this book is your first introduction to Anne Bishop then please don't pass judgement on the author based on this book. I would have given it three and a half stars but bumped it up to four only because Bishop's other books are so good. Put this book aside until you've read all of Bishop's other books and are dying for more.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the others
Review: If you want a book to have your mind as entertained as your own imagination this is the book for you. It is a story about the Grey Lady which is hinted in the last of the Black Jewels Trilogy book Queen of the Darkness. It is a great addition to any fantasy reader's collection. It is a good book, but a dissapointing 4th book. I still recommend buying it though
Rating:
Summary: A fire in the Blood
Review: In this return to the world of the Black Jewels Trilogy, Anne Bishop again leads the descent into a universe of sublime sensuality and all-embracing darkness. While not as singularly remarkable as the Black Jewels itself, this fourth sojurn into her unique vision has many worthwhile qualities of its own.Jared is a young red-jeweled warlord, a nearly broken play-thing for the twisted rulers of the territory of Hayll. Sold on the auction block, bound by honor, and the threat of agonizing pain, to serve a gray-jeweled Queen of forbidding reputation in a neighboring land, he has every reason to believe his final doom is upon him. Or is it? From the book: "There were many things Bellar regretted that he didn't get the chance to tell you. One night he said if he could tell you just one thing, it would be this: that he'd known since you were a boy that you would wear the silver, but if you ever had a chance to wear the gold, you should grab that chance and hold onto it with everything that's in you." That's good advice for us all.
Rating:
Summary: Darkly Provacative and Seductive.
Review: Mmmm...this is one of those books you can't put down. It reveals a deeper, darker side of the nature of man. While it is not, in context, one of the best peices of literature you can find...far from it...it has an interesting plotline that makes it difficult to stop reading. Also, the end makes you want more...what happens to the characters afterwards? I definately recommend it for people who like hardcore fantasy with a lighter edge.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Upsetting!!
Review: Other reviewers have written that you have to read this book as a stand alone in order to enjoy it. I definately agree. Maybe if I had not read anything by this author before I would have enjoyed this book. On the other hand it is entirely possible that I would not have read her other books thinking them to be like this one - and that would have been a major mistake. Having read her previous books (the trilogy which she wrote first yet which take place in the distant future as far as this book is concerned) I was expecting a lot more. Yes, true this is only one book and not a series, but that still can not excuse the flatness of the characters and the plot. I was looking forward to reading this book on the premise that the auther would maintain her standard of writing and to my dismay I was let down. I will probably try to read any new book she may write in the hopes that it will be as good as her first three books, but I won't be buying them.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: The author's first book was intriguing and introduced a few characters that I immediately wanted to read more about. I have been disappointed with her subsequent books however -- the prose is unimaginative (some words & phrases are overused) and the plots were not captivating (because they were not as tight and/or contained annoying implausibilities). I conjecture that her first book was so successful that her subsequent books have been rushed through with less revisional work than would otherwise have been required by the editorial staff. If you feel similarly about her initial trilogy, I am sorry to say that I would recommend not buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The book is based in the same world and time as that of the previous books of The Black Jewels Trilogy. This is a independent 4th in the series. Unfortunately the author has been there and done that. The plot is therefor predictable and the settings and character development are both sad shadows of the original trilogy, which had both a strong storyline and unexpected twists and turns. If you are looking for something with the originality, strength, and emotion of the previous books adjust your expectations. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a light "re-run" of the universe of the black jewels. Hey Ms. Bishop! Please write another one about something we haven't seen... perhaps the non-human blood? This one is more ho-hum, you could easily put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre Prequel to the Black Jewels Triology
Review: The Invisible Ring falls short of the Black Jewels Triology, the series to which this book is a prequel. The characters are not as three dimensional and vibrant as the characters in the Black Jewels Triology. However, they are not flat either. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Anne Bishops other novels, but would reccomend anyone who is new to Bishop to first read the Black Jewels Triology as it is by far her best series and most fantastic work. The advantages to reading The Invisible Ring is that you get more of a background on Dameon Sadi an important character in the Black Jewels Triology. You see what he suffered while enslaved, and how he managed to circumvent the system. This books is a good read, it just falls short when compared to the Triology that it is supposed to precede.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Prequel to the Black Jewels Triology
Review: The Invisible Ring falls short of the Black Jewels Triology, the series to which this book is a prequel. The characters are not as three dimensional and vibrant as the characters in the Black Jewels Triology. However, they are not flat either. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Anne Bishops other novels, but would reccomend anyone who is new to Bishop to first read the Black Jewels Triology as it is by far her best series and most fantastic work. The advantages to reading The Invisible Ring is that you get more of a background on Dameon Sadi an important character in the Black Jewels Triology. You see what he suffered while enslaved, and how he managed to circumvent the system. This books is a good read, it just falls short when compared to the Triology that it is supposed to precede.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASANT BUT AVERAGE
Review: THE INVISIBLE RING is a nice adventure/love story expanding on Anne Bishop's BLACK JEWELS world. It's a fairly pleasant but average story about a slave, male, being used as a pleasure slave who 's journey it is to regain his honor and self respect, oh and yes find true love on the way. The story itself is fairly pedestrian but the world Ms. Bishop has created is anything but. It's a fascinating mixture of magic, caste social structure and firm if not unbreakable gender roles. The characters are interesting and well developed, the plot somewhat predictable but with enough twists and turns to make it interesting. This is a good story but not a great one. But so what. How many really great stories are there? It is not the caliber as her Tir Alainn books but still not bad. It's a relatively short, pleasant read and I certainly RECOMMEND it.
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