Rating: 
Summary: A good attempt
Review: I felt it was not explained and too much about romance. I couldn't figure out anything about the fantasy part in it. I put it down after 87 pages. It was well written, but not at all explanatory or organized.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book took me a long time to read because it was hard for me to get interested at first (hence the 4 stars). However, I found that this is one of those books where if you can get through the first half, it turns into a true gem! Once I got through the first half of the book I could not put it down. I finished it this weekend and am already 300 pages into the second book, which just keeps getting better! I recommend this series. It is very hard to stop reading and to get anything else done.
Rating: 
Summary: Junk.
Review: Sucked. "Broken on his spear"? Jeez. It's basically a silly and not particularly well-written "romance" novel (a genre which I generally despise) with fantasy overtones. Or is that redundant? I tossed it after reading half way through it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Blend
Review: I picked up this book a couple of years ago because of a review on amazon.com. Since, I have recommended the series to everyone that asks for a good read. Anne Bishop has found a perfect combination of fantasy, romance, sex, and humor. Incredibly well written, the characters grab you and the story immediately pulled me in. I read Daughter of the Blood, and went out that night to purchase the other two in the trilogy and read them within two days. Indeed these books are very enchanting, I have re-read the series about 6 times now. Very dark, detailed, and consuming - 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read!!
Review: This has to be one of the best books I've ever written. Bishop is amazing in her story telling. I am completely hooked to everything she writes now. She writes stories that you can feel in your blood. I could not put the book down for anything. I don't recommend the book to everyone though, there are things she writes about that happen in real life that I don't think some people could deal with. She mentions rape in the worst possible way, horrible punishments and a realm of hell, but it's partially why her books are so great she's not afraid to put things like that out on the table for everyone to see. If you're a feminist this is definitly the book for you, it's all about women in charge. It's about time.
Rating:
Summary: Dark yet amazing
Review: Before I even begin, let me say this: do not read this series if you can't handle being exposed to the worst of human nature. I will not lie... rape, war, greed, and viciousness are all to be found within these pages, but don't let that turn you off. The skill with which Anne Bishop blends these disturbing subjects into fantasy is phenominal. Never have I read a series like this.
Dry humor mixes flawlessly with dark plot twists and the males in this book are incredible. Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar are so stunningly developed, it actually made me feel as though I could hear the different inflections in their tones as I read. Each voice is developed so thouroughly and has its own distinctive personality and spark, I would be hard pressed to say who is my favorite.
I will confess that I thought Bishop's weakest character was her child heroine, Jaenelle. All women in Daughter of the Blood seemed to be lacking personality except for my favorite female character, Surreal, the sassy, sharp-tongued courtesan. Later on in the series they get more developed (almost as good as the males), but as of right now, Surreal is the real heavy hitter in the female section, though I don't really think she's supposed to be. On to the villians...
Dorothea and Hekatah are actually more pathetic than they are evil. Strangely enough, one finds themself beinning to hate the people you're not really supposed to (like Jaenelle's family and the bad girls' henchmen). Know that the two leading ladies usually direct the troops, but it's the slimy ones, like their puppet, Greer, who really start to get under your skin.
Next to the Kushiel's Legacy Trilogy (by Jacquline Carey), this is probably the best series I have read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Awful. Poorly written
Review: I see no point in this sloppily written book. Some moderately clever concepts, but just why anyone would buy it I dunno
Rating:
Summary: Enchantingly Dark and Beautiful
Review: The first Anne Bishop books I read were The Pillars of the World and Shadows and Light (books 1 & 2 of the Tir Alainn Trilogy), and needed something to kill the time until the third book comes out, The House of Gaian which will be available in October 2003, so I turned to the Black Jewels Trilogy since it has so many great reviews. I had a hard time with the reviews for the Tir Alainn Trilogy because people were not praising it as much as I thought it deserved. Well, NOW I know why! Those books, while incredible in their own right, are NO where near as good as Daughter of the Blood. Daughter of the Blood is so much more complex (in a good way) and enchantingly dark and beautiful at the same time. It throws the old dark is evil philosophy out the window (to an extent, this book makes you think about what is good and what is evil and blurs the lines so very well). The characters are wonderfully mysterious and well developed. I litterly read the last page, put the book down and picked up the second book, Heir to the Shadows, with out missing a beat! This book DOES have some rather dark fantasy / romantic (or rather sexual) themes to it, but I would not let that stop you from picking it up. The story is engrossing, you get a feel for the world Anne Bishop created with out using over descriptive writing (which drives me crazy). It seems a bit overwhelming at first, all the lands, titles and jewels, but as you become engaged in the story, it all comes together easily. This is a well written book that I know I will read again and again throughout the years.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Dark Fantasy Writing!
Review: I recently read the The Pillars of the World and Shadows and Light and absolutely LOVED them. The 3rd book in her Tir Alainn Trilogy, The House of Gaian, does not come out until the fall, and I wanted something to distract me until then, so I turned to her Black Jewels Trilogy. While reading the reviews for 2 Tir Alainn books I had just finished, I was concerned that so many people said they were not that pleased with them and I could not understand why. NOW I do! While those books were wonderfully written, they do not have the same level of complexity and darkness that comes seeping forth in Daughter of the Blood, and what I hope will continue in Heir to the Shadows and Queen of the Darkness. Anne Bishop's writing in this book trapped me,so that I could not stop turning pages until there is nothing left to read. It is such an incredible fantasy story with a deep darkness that engulfs you. I got so involved with the characters, the world and the plot, that I was begging for more and had the second book in my hands within seconds of putting down this one! If you like Fantasy, and can handle the darker side of the soul, then pick up this book - You will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: I have read this book three times now, I love it more each time I read it. I have the whole set including the invisible ring, Ms. Bishop is a wonderful writer, and I look forward to each new book she comes out with, I would love to find out if Jennelle (sp) ever becomes the witch she is destined to be. after the 3rd book where she almost dies, but the spiders save her, I would love to see how well she rules the empire.. I loved all 3 books, and will read them over again and again. I am now reading a differnt set she is putting out, can not remember the name it is at home and I am in class right now.
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