Rating: 
Summary: By the Jewels...
Review: I bought this book almost five years ago because the border design of the cover caught my eye. Go figure, right? I have been rejoicing my impulse purchase ever since, and have expanded my collection to include Heir to the Shadows, and Queen of the Darkness, the complete Black Jewels trilogy, and the Invisible Ring, another book based in the world of the Black Jewels.
Anne Bishop creates a world that is so vibrant and real that you feel yourself being drawn into it with every page. It is almost impossible to not feel deeply for her characters in one way or another: love and compassion for Jaenelle and Saetan, brotherly aggravation for Lucivar and Daemon (and a small dose of desire;)), and deep abiding loathing for Dorothea and Hekatah, to name a few. And let's not forget the kindred, cildru dyathe, Dea al Mon, and others.
The dialogue between the characters is very realistic, and dry humor and sensuosity abounds. A bit confusing among the first few pages, but the deeper you get, the harder it is to get out.
Be warned: this series has graphic scenes of violence, of many different types. But don't let that stop you. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story but...
Review: When I began reading this book my first thought was that it was set in an AOL role-playing chatroom. Anyone who has visited the Medieval Tavern on said ISP should understand. For those who have not I present the following characters:Saetan - High Lord of Hell, Demon, loving father and really a great guy. Daemon Sadi (The Sadist) - Saetan's son, gorgeous pleasure slave who can't.. ahem, has certainly earned his nickname, but he's really a great guy. Lucivar - Saetan's son, also a pleasure slave, has bat wings and a terrible temper, has been known to rip men limb from limb, but he's really a great guy. Surreal - the beautiful and talented prostitute/assassin with a heck of a vengeful streak. And then there's the heroine, Jaenelle Angelline, who is more powerful than any of them, including her adopted father, the High Lord of Hell. I know I sound disdainful, but the truth is once I started reading (and got used to the cliches) I couldn't stop. The story was interesting if a bit predictable. Be warned that you cannot read just one; the story takes place over the course of the entire Black Jewels Trilogy. One final note, though. These books aren't for the squeamish. If you have a problem with blood and gore or taboo sex I wouldn't suggest reading this series.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly dark
Review: Amazing, beautiful and terrible. Daughter of the blood is dark and sensual.
The story is well paced, the setting is original, the magic is dark and powerful. The Blood society is strongly divided into feminine and masculine rights and duties, in an almost animal-like fashion: the Blood males behaviour is driven above all by their instincts. The stronger the Blood in the male, the stronger his territorial instinct, his inevitable rush towards Blood females in danger, his reactiveness to another male presence.
But the corruption of the Blood rules headed by females greedy for power is driving the Blood society into chaos and destruction.
There is only one Blood Witch who can restore the original Blood order. And only some powerful but untrustworthy Blood males can defend and protect her from the corrupted Blood aristos willing to destroy her by means of any kind of physical and psychological violence. The characters are amazingly well built: the little girl, the father, the brother, the lover... they all are credible and multi-faceted.
There is no absolutely 'good' characters, but the bad guys... they are horribly bad! It is a MUST read.
Just be careful, maybe you could find it a bit strong and crude, but WOW, it really is worth reading!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent...could not put it down!
Review: If i had not read such rave reviews on Amazon, i would never have gotten my hands on such an excellent book by such an amazing author. Daughter of the Blood is the first book in the Black Jewels Trilogy. This is one of the best fantasy-romance books i have read since Jacqueline Carey's 'Kushiel's' series, Juliet Marillier's 'Sevenwaters Trilogy' and Kate Forsyth's 'Witches of Eileanan' series. As so many of you have reviewed this book, it is indeed dark, with subjects like rape and pleasure slaves being brought up in a very honest manner. And it definitely is not a book for the faint-hearted nor those who cannot accept the fact that Anne Bishop holds nothing back when describing her scenes in the book. I spent two days reading this book and after i closed the book, i could not believe that i had not had the foresight to get book 2 and 3 as well. I would not do any summarising of fear that i might give away some things, but i have to say that Daemon is one of the most fascinating characters to ever grace the pages of a book. Jaenelle is an excellent character and one could not help but love the girl and her wisdom and her innocence. Saetan and Lucivar are equally likable, and the detestable Heketah and Dorothea SaDiablo invokes tremendous feelings of hatred. Okay, i gotta stop now and go and read Heir to the Shadows, which i ran out to get straight after i finished reading Daughter of the Blood. Trust me when i say u will not regret reading this wonderful trilogy as well as all those other books by Anne Bishop.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply Compelling
Review: You don't read this book, you experience it, body and soul. Anne Bishop's writing is intense and enthusiastic, making this book a breathless thrill. Her flair for the dramatic leads to many moments of high emotion and energy, but she incorporates it all with a deft touch, using it to make her characters seem all the more vibrant. Bishop creates a world full of violence and turmoil, and she does not shy away from graphic details or adult themes. But no one can accuse her of being dull - opening this book is like being suddenly torn from your seat by a ruthless hand that never loses its grip. Luckily for me, I enjoyed the wild ride and couldn't wait to get back on again for a second trip. Bishop comes on strong right from page one, showing us her strange world unapologetically in all its bizarre and nightmarish glory. But don't be put off by the book's initial shock value - the author delivers a fully realized, complex plot, a unique magic system and social culture, and vivid characters. Daemon is a splended creation, radiating with sexual energy and brooding intensity. He bursts into every scene with such charisma that I couldn't help but cheer whenever he is allowed to shine in all his terrifying glory. Bishop's male characters are balanced out by her equally stunning female characters, specifically Janelle and Surreal, who we will get to know better as the series progresses. My only complaint is that Bishop tries to include too many characters. By the end I felt I needed a chart to keep them all straight and some of the lesser ones had already faded into the background. I have one other request for future editions of this book: a map! I had a hard time keeping track of all the place names and boundaries, especially since her "lands" often exist on top of each other in different dimensions. One building, for example, can be simultaniously located in several worlds at once, and this concept is a bit hard to grasp at the outset. Overall this is an incredible and highly enjoyable book. It's not often that I find myself filled with that childlike anticipation while waiting to get my hands on book 2 and 3. But thanks to Anne Bishop, what a joy it was to feel that way again.
Rating:
Summary: Anne Bishop is a gem
Review: I was recommended these books by one of my friend. I decided to take up her recommendation, as I love fanatsy books. Then, after reading Daughter of the Blood, I quickly went out and bought the entire trilogy. Anne Bishop makes an entirely new and differently world called the Realm of the Blood. Her characters are deep and engaging, characters with real personalities but who don't hide their weaknesses. There is romance, humour, and an overall excellent plot. I was hooked from the beginning, and they just kept getting better!
Rating:
Summary: My God.
Review: I read this entire book in a single day. I simply couldn't put it down. This is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time. It's one of the best novels I've read in a long time. Bishop has created a world where women rule, men serve and all serve the Darkness. A prophesy is introduced in the very beginning that a woman will come who embodies the magic used by the Blood, the magic-users in the world. This woman is Jaenelle, one of the most original and lovingly created characters I have ever read. Jaenelle is a child for the etiretey of Daughter of the Blood, but she is clearly not a normal child. Her innocence is charming and incredibly believable, and is all the more astounding for her moments of wisdom that give some idea of what she will be when she grows up. Jaenelle is utterly charming, but Bishop does an excellent job of balancing her sweetness with glimpses of power that come with it. Equally or perhaps even more fascinating than Jaenelle, is the character of Daemon Sadi. Sadi is a 1,700 year old pleasure slave who is destined to love Jaenelle. Bishop introduces him as a viscious, cold, dangerous killer. One can't help but admire him. However, when Sadi meets Jaenelle a whole new side of him emerges. Their relationship as the book progresses is fascinating to watch. Bishop devotes the same loving attention to all of her characters as she does these two principles. Saeten, Lucivar, Surreall, Dorthea, the list goes on and on. Bishop's characters are rich and compelling, each so completaly crafted I beleive I would know them if I saw them on the street. The story is really character driven, this is not quest fantasy and it comes off beautifully. The multiple worlds that Bishop has created to house her characters are as richly detailed as the rest of the story. The customs, social hierarchy, and magical systems are well-thought out, easy to understand. The bottome line is basically that this book is very,very good. My words cannot possibly do justice to this novel, so the only way you can experience it is to read yourself. I would have bought this book in hardcover- it's worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Weaves a spell of dark magic that will leave you entranced
Review: Wow! I mean Wow! Daughter of the Blood is one of the most mesmerizing, powerful, unforgettable books I have ever read. Talk about making a splash with your first published novel; Anne Bishop does that and more. This is the kind of complex, intricately crafted novel that almost demands multiple readings if one is to grasp all of the nuances worked seamlessly into the story. The universe Bishop brings to life here is unlike any other I have had the good fortune to tread, and while I sometimes felt unsure of certain elements of the plot and a little confused about several of the large number of characters featured herein, the writing is devastatingly captivating. Some people call this a mix of romance and horror; for all my horror loving friends out there, don't let the mention of romance stop you from immersing yourself in this incredible novel. I would categorize Daughter of the Blood as a sensuous dark fantasy of a type many horror fans should love. Daughter of the Blood is a concentrated form of literary magic. Like magic, one often finds oneself shocked and amused, unable to explain what you just experienced but blown away by the impact of it. The action takes place in a fantastic world where the land of the living overlays the land of the demon-dead, the very fabric of realities linked together with the beauty and force of powerful silken webs of existence so tiny that most of the living never suspect their existence. It is a dark universe where traditional good and evil transcend one another. In fact, the most positive of forces reside in Hell itself, led by Saetan, the High Lord of Hell himself. Two of his estranged sons, Lucivar and Daemon, exist among the living on the other side of the veil, enduring unbelievable hardships at the hands of powerful female witches. Women rule the world of the living, and even the most powerful of men are exploited and dominated. Those "of the Blood," both women and men, possess magical powers drawn from an assortment of multi-colored jewels, but even men of the Black (the most powerful jewel) are subjugated and enslaved to demented Black Widow queens and priestesses. Daemon has been forced to serve his queens in the most humiliating of ways for centuries; having never known his father, he has become the coldest of men, forced to wear the Ring of Obedience (and, let me tell you, you don't wear this particular ring on your finger) and suffer terrible brutalities. Only his dreams of she who is yet to come, the only woman he will willingly serve, keep him from falling into an abyss too deep to return from. Everything changes, in both Hell and the world of the living, when the prophecy of a new and all-powerful witch is fulfilled in the form of a sapphire-eyed young lady named Jaenelle. She is not just "a witch;" rather, she is Witch. At twelve years old, she has little understanding of just what she is, but she travels between the realms to seek the instruction of Saetan in the Craft and continually amazes her new tutor with the power and knowledge she possesses. Daemon, whom Saetan first views as a possible threat to Jaenelle, ends up serving Jaenelle's grandmother and develops a powerful bond and a very real love for the young lady. He will become her protector from several forces of evil, namely the corrupted Black Widows and dark priestesses now holding sway in the land, women intent on destroying Jaenelle and the threat she poses to their continued rule by perversion. Daemon is one of the most impressively constructed characters I have met in a long time, as is Jaenelle. Surprisingly, there are moments of great humor to be found in these pages, most of them arising from the young girl's naiveté about the world and Saetan's attempts to answer her increasingly bold questions, but a continuously dark story takes a dramatically shocking dark turn toward the end as Jaenelle's secret life, the one she keeps hidden from Saetan and Daemon, is exposed, threatening to destroy her and the men bound to serve her. The romantic elements of the novel, seemingly problematic due to the character's young age, are handled with great care and beauty, revealing the hand of a true master craftswoman of words at work here. Those who like their novels straightforward and easily understandable may balk at the richness of the world Anne Bishop has created here, but lovers of dark fantasy and well-constructed literature in general will find themselves immersed in a world they have never imagined. I don't have the words to describe just how powerful an effect this book had on my consciousness and emotions. This first book of The Black Jewels Trilogy is the most unique and easily the most powerful work of dark fantasy I have ever read. Thank goodness there are two additional books in the series, for I could not, at this point, leave this universe of Bishop's creation even if I wanted to.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Beginning Of Black Jewels Trilogy-A Superb Novel
Review: "DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD" is the first book in Anne Bishop's extraordinary "Black Jewels Trilogy" and one of the most original, truly spectacular reads I have had in a long time. I am not a big fan of science fiction or fantasy novels, but I picked this book up on the advice of a friend who assured me I would "really like it." I became totally absorbed once I accustomed myself to some new vocabulary, the various realms and territories of Ms. Bishops' unique world and the beings who populate it. In the hierarchy of the Realms, Women of the Blood who wear Jewels are naturally dominant because of their innate magical powers. Blood Males who wear Jewels can also be extremely powerful, but they are born to serve their Queens. And magical strength is measured by a person's Jewels - the darker the Jewel's color, the more powerful the possessor. Bishop paints a vivid portrait of two women in a terrible and vicious power struggle. Dorothea, the High Priestess of Hayll, and Hekatah, the self-proclaimed Dark Priestess of Hell, were created to be noble caretakers of the Realms. They have each perverted their Craft and their purpose, infected those who serve them, and threaten to destroy the Realms to fulfill their insatiable greed for power.
The story really begins with a prophecy of hope. A new Queen is coming. "The living myth. Dreams made flesh." Centuries after the prophecy is first made, the Realms are on the brink of destruction. Jaenelle Angelline is born Witch. She is the "dream made flesh." By the age of five she is extremely powerful, fiercely loyal, tremendously tender and capable of terribly destructive anger. This young girl-child is also an outcast amongst her own people and has no idea who or what she is or will be. Truth is held secret. Most of her birth family believe she is mad and she is periodically placed in an asylum where horrors are performed on the children who are inmates there. When she is not institutionalized, Jaenelle travels between Realms into different lands, befriending the creatures who live there - from Saetan the High Lord of Hell, to the demon-dead, unicorns, harpies and Black Widow Queens. These beings will become part of Jaenelle's "inner circle." They will all impart wisdom to her and teach her aspects of the Craft. They all have important roles to play in the trilogy.
This first book is an introduction to the characters, their stories and histories and tells of the evil forces determined to destroy Jaenelle and those members of her adopted family dedicated to nuturing and protecting her.
Anne Bishop's prose is deliciously rich and evocative. Her storytelling is nothing short of top-notch. This mystical, darkly sensual novel is totally unique and a terrific read.(...)
Rating: 
Summary: Loan it from the library instead!
Review: I bought it as a blind buy seeing that it had a good reviewer rating here and I was highly disappointed. It's a bad Romance novel disguised as a good Fantasy novel. I'm a fan of both genres, but this isn't a very good blending. I'm only giving it 1 star because it's a masterpiece compared to the second book.
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