Rating: 
Summary: Interesting. . .
Review: I was a bit knocked off balance when I began reading this book. Anne Bishop throws you right into the fantasy world without any warning. It took me about 40 to 50 pages before I got the world down packed enough to understand what was going on and why. The story is basically about a dream come to life. Alot of characters within the story are mistreated and depressed about living standards to date and dreampt of a hero or witch strong enough to correct the wrong doings. That dream comes to life in a small little girl. This first books only cronicles the first 12 years of her life. Bishop is basically introducing everyone to all the characters and giving background on each. Not that there isn't alot of action going on--darkness knows there is--it only helps when reading the next two books in the triology to have all this heavy background information. I gave this novel only four stars because it is NOT easy reading. I brought the book with me on vacation and like to kill myself reading over passages to understand what exactly was going on and why. I didn't find the sex all that hot and heavy like some previous reviewers did. Yes, there was a lot of sex mentioned, but it wasn't in detail and most of it could be considered either rape or close to it. (To show the extremely poor standard of living--thus the dreams and prayers for a savior, i.e. "Witch"). Over all it was strange, interesting, and most imporantly DIFFERENT than the normal same-old-same-old novels I'm always coming across. Therefore I gave it 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: great
Review: The trilogy was awesome. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Score!
Review: Before I begin my review proper, I want to let you in on a little personal quirk of mine: I only buy/read books with female protagonists. I saw DAUGHTER and the next book Heir to the Shadows on the back, (which, BTW, doesn't do it justice) and it toted Daemon, saetan and lucivar. NOT Jaenelle. But I was running dry, so I bought them both. This was...uh...sometime in the winter of '99, or '00, I believe. So I had to wait for QUEEN. It nearly KILLED me! That being said, to the review!DAUGHTER is said in the Realms of the Blood, a collection of races, united in their unique powers that make them Blood. The strength of your power is signified by the darkness of the Jewel you wear. If you are the weakest possible Blood, you wear a White Jewel. The strongest, a Black. Jaenelle is a girl born to a self centered family in Chaillot. She wears the Black. Since she can travel between Realms at the age of seven, and visits such fantastical creatures such as unicorns, dragons and demons, her family thinks she's crackers, and commits her to Briarwood, mental institution for young girls. In actuality, it's a twisted carnal playground for the Lords of Chaillot. Jaenelle is saved from total warping by Saetan, the High Lord of Hell, and a personal friend. Another close friend is Daemon, Saetan's son. The Sadist. The man born to be Witch's (Jaenelle's) lover. Since I don't want to give you the entire plot right here, I'll stop, but I urge you to buy this book. No! The entire series! No! ANYTHING by Anne Bishop! Or, if you're cheap (like me) get it from the library first. If you fall in love with everyone, like I did, THEN you can go buy it. Enjoy! -Electra
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put this down
Review: For any avid reader who loves plot driven, fast-paced stories, this is the book for you! Ms. Bishop created a story that pulled me into its pages and would not let me out until I completed the entire trilogy. However, the character development is on the light side, but I didn't feel that it was a significant drawback to the book.
Rating:
Summary: Really Liked It
Review: When I started to read this book, I wasn't sure I'd like it. All that stuff about jewels seemed strange. But I began to read and I really enjoyed it. I then had to run out and get the rest of the trilogy. Very enjoyable reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Not *that* dark...
Review: I'd like to start out by saying that I enjoyed the entire Black Jewels trilogy. The setting is certainly interesting, and certainly pretty dark. The characters are engaging, well-rounded, and, for the most part, quite likable. It's that last part, though, that annoys me a bit. Here you have three powerful male characters that rarely or never see each other, with ample opportunities for tragic misunderstandings causing them to harm each other until some great redemption comes together, but instead, every time the author sets up some kind of tension that could escalate, she resolves it at the earliest opportunity. Even the tragic-looking situation at the end of this first novel gets resolved in the first third of the second novel. The ease with which the evil plots of Dorothea and Hekatah were dispatched left me feeling like I was reading a book based on a Saturday morning cartoon, where everything has to be resolved within a half-hour window, and none of the characters you care about are allowed to die. Don't get me wrong. I like the "love conquers all" theme running through the books, and I do like the world and the characters, but I really wish I'd been given more opportunity to worry about them before things turned out well.
Rating:
Summary: Never Have I Read A Story (or Trilogy) So Powerful!
Review: I have a history of only reading biographies and an occasional sports related book, and even rarely a Star Wars novel. But my girlfriend turned me onto a book called Daughter of The Blood. The first of the Black Jewel Trilogy. I was sucked down into the story almost instantly!! I have never read a story so strong and powerful where I felt "real" emotion during the reading. It was such a wonderful experience... yes, an experience that I had to buy my own copy. You won't be sorry. The characters are deep and emotional and you really feel how connected they are and how they care about each other, and how evil the other characters are. Treat yourself today, buy the first one and find yourself in a position where "you will have to buy" the rest.
Rating:
Summary: A book of never-ending action and development!
Review: Bishop does a magnificent job of developing loveable characters. There's Saetan, the High Lord of Hell-- don't let the name fool you, he's a compassionate, caring man. Daemon is a slave who is eternally trying to put up with his cruel, foolish masters. Lucivar, Daemon's brother, is also a slave. When he and Daemon are in the same court, disaster inevitably strikes. Finally, there is Jaenelle, she who is Witch. She is the daughter of Saetan's soul, Lucivar's "sister", and Daemon's love. You'll love this story of struggle and triumph if you enjoy fantasy. Read on!
Rating:
Summary: It's actually worth 6 stars.
Review: This is the story of Witch, a.k.a. Janelle, and the men and women trying to protect her from unknown enemies. It is beautifully written, with strong sentences, bold language, and an imagination to match. My favorite part of this trilogy are the names, such as Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar- which are aptly given to the good guys.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Dark Fantasy Spiced with Erotic/S-M Themes
Review: Anne Bishop manages to combine romance and eroticism with dark fantasy to create a compelling world with fascinating characters. Yes, there are cliched and over-worked elements, but there is enough freshness, originality and world-building detail to the tale to keep my curiousity strong throughout the series. --And this is no mean feat! I've been reading several books a week for more decades than I will freely admit, and 90% of what I've read just blends in with thousands of rather forgettable, although pleasant enough, reads. This world and these characters are memorable and well-worth spending time with--as long as you're not someone who is easily put off by darker (deliberately disturbing) elements and eroticism.
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