Queen of the Darkness

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Summary: A fitting end to a fabulous saga
Review: This book was in a word magnificent. The intensity from beginning to end was wonderful and you felt the urgency of the characters on each page. The comedic moments were placed just right and all in all this book was fabulous I highly recommend this entire series.

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Summary: Not as good as the first two...
Review: I liked the first two books much better, for one main reason: Daemon. The second book did not have much of him in it, so it really didn't bother me. But this one, the third, continues to portray him as mentally frail and unsure. In the first book he's lived years as a slave, but nothing can really get to him; he's powerful and vicious, but can be loyal and loving as well, when he is not taken advantage of. In the second book, one lie sends him tumbling into the twisted kingdom, but it's understandable because his mind has been put together shakily, and the lie is about the woman he loves, told to him by his brother, who believes it...not pleasant. However, in the third book, he is fragile, frightened, and unsure of himself and his performance with Jaenelle, which is understandable for a normal man, but not Daemon. He has been confident in his jewels, his abilities, and himself until now, and I don't believe it fits the characterization. Also, the book skipped ahead too much; Lucivar is suddenly married, and Surreal and Wilhelmina are moving to Kaeleer. Dorothea and Hekatah are hags, Jaenelle is a grown woman, and Lucivar is bringing in immigrants to his territory. I also don't like what happens to Karla and Morton, but not because of something the author did, I just really liked them both. Besides, I was sort of thinking Lucivar and Karla might end up together, but it didn't happen. All in all, the book was a good read, but the characters, until Daemon's act as the Sadist, didn't have the same dark appeal I enjoyed so much.

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Summary: Great Read
Review: This was just a great book. The final to a great series.Anne Bishop is a great write..I hope she writes a fourth book to this series.

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Summary: All time greatest trilogy ever
Review: This was the greatest trilogy I have ever read, and I've read a lot. I know it would totally ruin it to write a fourth book, but I can't help wanting to know more about Daemon and Janelle, and how Daemonar grows up. I have read my copies over and over so much that they are dog-eared. It stays interesting, no matter how many times you read it.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!
Review: Wow again, having just finished reading this 3rd (hopefully NOT the last) book in the Black Jewels trilogy I am left breathless, usually I space my serial reading out by reading other books in between but with this series I couldn't wait to read the next book and now like a true artist Ms Bishop has left me wanting more! Please, please let there be more books in this series or related to this series. I have also read the Invisible Ring.....in fact that book led me to purchase the first book of this series! Again, please let there be more books in this series!
I found the peripheral characters to be as interesting as the 4 main characters and am half way in love with both Daemon and Lucivar. Janelle as a child was delightful as an adult intriguing... I want to know how she recovers and where do they all go from here. The Kindred characters are also fascinating and their interaction with the ?human? characters is at times very funny.....just what I'd imagined how animals would view us if we could see inside their minds.

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Summary: A great series!
Review: I loved all three books in the trilogy and hope that the author continues the story.

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Summary: Nice "conclusion" to the series.
Review: I say "conclusion" because the complex world which Anne Bishop has created calls for more investigation. I do hope she is considering other books beyond these three and "The Invisible Ring". Same basic complaints that hetereosexuality is viewed negatively in many ways, especially a woman's first sexual encounter. Also I do not like how quickly she jumps from one scene and character to another, often spending only a page on a scene then far too many details on another section. It was difficult to feel much for the "bad characters" and even though should capture our feelings to a degree. However, the the plots are consistant, the world is complex and interesting. I enjoyed the fact that there is no real happy ending, because in such a world it is doubtful own concept of "happy" could be found. If you've read the first two and want to know what happens, then this will answer some of your questions but not all.

Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: I picked up the series after all three books were out and found it very satisfying from start to finish. To my surprise, this isn't fantasy's standard "poor scullery boy finds out he's really a prince and rises to defeat evil" plot. The series is refreshing and new in that aspect, while also offering a more dark and erotic landscape. I loved it! I hope Ms. Bishop offers more lore in the same genre.

Rating:
Summary: Well......
Review: When I read Daughter of the Blood, I got hooked into the series. I thought Heir to the Shadows was excellent as well. But after reading this book, the ending kind of dissapointed me. Most of the stuff in between was good (I loved the scene where Daemon tricks Hekatah and Dorothea. Very Sadist-like of him!). The ending really didn't make sense to me though. So Jaenelle shatters her Jewels, but saves the Blood. But what's the purpose of the Twilight's Dusk Jewel? Does this mean that she's now stronger than Ebony, or weaker than White? I don't know, it was just very dissapointing.

Rating:
Summary: Black Jewels are spectacular
Review: This series is one of the best I have every read. I was lent the first book, and couldn't put it down. In two hours, as soon as I finished it, I ran up to the store to buy it and the next two. These books grab you and don't let you go. They're set in a fascinating realm where murder and torture is permissible, black magic is the cleanest and purest force, and society has degenerated into a sick game of power. Into this world comes Jaenelle, a young witch whose unimaginable power destines her to ascend the dark throne and rule the Blood, if she has the chance to grow into her strength. Jaenelle grows up in a family that doesn't understand her, and labels her as insane to make her fit into their worldview. She escapes this by crossing the realms of the living and the dead, making friends with demons, Kindred animals, and humans alike. Three dangerous men surround and protect her: Saetan, the High Lord of Hell and her adoptive father; Lucivar, his son; and Daemon, the High Lord's heir and Black Jewelled Warlord who was born to be her consort. As evil forces creep across the land, Jaenelle must survive to resist them and once and for all drive out the malevolence that corrupts all it touches.
The characters are wonderfully well written. The reader feels their rage, hatred, and desire as if it were their own. The beauty of this world is still apparent, though. Jaenelle's adolescence in Saetan's custody is hilarious, and the growing love between Daemon and Jaenelle, even when she is a child, is poignant. The storyline becomes a little rushed in the third book, but this simply adds to the tension present as the characters search for a way to save their world. All together, Anne Bishop weaves a tale that no one will be able to forget. I can only hope that she continues the series further.