Rating: 
Summary: harder to get through than the first but still great
Review: Because Daemon (one of the main protagonists in the series) is in and out of reality throughout this installment, some readers (myself included) don't like it as much. There are several new, young characters, and the ones that are developed are wonderful. That's the thing - the ones that aren't developed have no point except for awe factor. Anyway, some of the best moments of the series are in this book, and it's worth reading just for what Jaenelle does to the Dark Council when they try to take her away from Saetan.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucivar
Review: I think that it is time that lucivar had a part in the books considering the lack of him in the first book. I enjoyed all three of them its that considering his role in the triangle for witch i think that it is wonderful to finally add depth the face that we see in the first book. i also enjoy the fact that we don't see everything in janelle's view, that makes this very diffrent from most other fantasy novels that you read.
Rating:
Summary: A book worth taking the day off to read
Review: I do not like to give plot away, so I will tell you only that this book starts where the other one (Daughter of the Blood) left off. It has a few more pages but once you start reading, you will not want to stop. If you have not read any other reviews, please note that this book is the second in a trilogy and you will be hopelessly lost if you do not start at the beginning with book one. Jaenelle or Witch (Dreams made flesh) has been seriously harmed mind and body at the end of book one. Her protectors take her away to some place safe where she can heal but it literally takes years for her to get it together. After she wakes up- she is lost- her body has grown around her but her emotions have not caught up. She has endured so much with still more to come. She is forced to make choices that will change the Blood forever. I never thought I would fall in love characters with the names Saeten, Daemon, Lucivar and want to go live in a place called Hell just to meet them. (LOL) The characters are complex, rich with detail and emotion. The kindred are introduced more fully in this book as the reader is informed that there are animals, mythical and well known, that are also part of the Blood realm. Anne Bishop is excellent at character development. I have not had a book draw me in the way this one did in a very long time. It is very easy to slip into this book and feel like you are part of it. At the end of the first book, there was a point where I got chills and became quite emotionally bound to the welfare of the main character.The second book has repeated that sensation. I was so glad I orderd the last two books together so I would not have to wait to find out what happens. This is a complex book but a truly easy and delightful read for people who have been burned out on the same old formula we have been getting fed lately from the bestsellers list. I absolutely recommend it and thank the author for sharing her imagination. Stop what you are doing and go get this book. Don't walk- RUN! Then marvel at this trilogy and hold a mental vigil for a fourth book.
Rating:
Summary: A nice middle book
Review: I truly enjoy Daughter of the Blood. Yes it's lighter than the first book, but it's a welcome break from all the "uncle" plot. Daemon is missing, but you get to know Lucivar and Saetan. It does a good job setting up the last book.
Now it has much have gore or angst as the other two books but it ups fill in the reletionships needed for the "queen". It worth the read, I know. My copy is falling apart.
Rating: 
Summary: Heir to 'Daughter of the Blood?' Not really.
Review: Before the screaming hordes descend on me, I want to say that I did enjoy this book. Just not as much as the first one. If you've read my review for 'Daughter of the Blood,' you might guess this is because of lack of Daemon. Not entirely, although it's a factor. He was developed so well in the first book that, I think, he became intertwined with the plot, and 'Heir to the Shadows' was supposedly a continuation of that same plot. Without him in it, it felt flatter. Actually, I did come to love Lucivar, the main male character in this book. It was fascinating to see him develop a different relationship with Jaenelle, neither lover nor father. Well-evoked brother-sister relationships are rare in fantasy, but this, I think, is one of them. Lucivar obviously loves Jaenelle, but he doesn't hesitate to tell her when she's being an idiot. Well, then, if I liked Lucivar so much, why give the book only three stars? Lack of the story from Jaenelle's point of view continues to be a problem. I think Anne Bishop has undertaken a daring project in not giving the supposed hero of the story a voice, but the other characters around her- and, ultimately, her opposition- need to be interesting enough to make up for that. They're not. The intrigues in this book are represented as threatening, but Jaenelle defeats them by a relatively simple strategem at the end. Many of her friends, other than Saetan and Lucivar, display no more depth or interest than most teenagers. And there are too many of them, introduced all at once in a chapter I had to keep referring to because I kept forgetting who was related to who. Finally... And, really, I hate to say this, because it's so much a part of fantasy that the genre wouldn't be what it is without it... I am perishing of Destiny-sickness. The best fantasies I've read use either minimal prophecies or prophecies that are so obscure they don't automatically point to the hero. Then they take their main characters through the process of transformation so that by the time they assume the throne, if they really must assume the throne, they are worthy of rule. Martin, Kay, Williams, Cooper, and others do this. It can be done! Everyone in 'Heir to the Shadows' knows that Jaenelle is Witch, destined to rule. This makes them invest every act she undertakes with almost religious awe. Yet without that aura surrounding her, would anyone look twice? She doesn't strike me as developed enough or transformed enough to earn the regard on her own; her destiny earns it for her. I would really like to see a book where the hero knows he's laboring under a Destiny and suffers anxiety from not rising to its standards, but most destiny-ridden heroines or heroes aren't like that. They're blithely confident. Everyone honors or hates them, no one regards them with indifference, and they win in the end. So. Two stars for Lucivar and his relationship with Jaenelle, and one for the origin story of the Blood, which is quite interesting. This book kept me reading, but it was a letdown after 'Daughter of the Blood.'
Rating:
Summary: Kiss Kiss
Review: "Kiss Kiss" Karla puts it best. Book two is the BEST in the series, and so far the best of anything she has written. In this book we meet the possible future Dark Court. We meet spunky Glacian Queen Karla, adorable Kalush, the rest of the Queens and.....oh yeah, The boyos. We also get a wonderful look into some of the Kindred territories. We meet the first friend Jaenelle made in Kaeleer, a kindred Unicorn! There is some time spend lost in the twisted kingdom and a lot more. the very begining is sober then its hillarous, then serious at the end. But theres hope.... Also the best lines all come from Book 2 if you like to Quote as much as my friends and I do. "If Karla makes one more comment about wingspans..." "you dont look bad for a Corpse" "I am Vengance" Anyhow... I could list Quotes and diologs for an hour by memory. Just trust me. If your unsure about book one, press on! Books two and three make it more then worth the effort!
Rating:
Summary: A Great follow-up to the first book
Review: I liked this book a lot. This series is so different from some of the others that I have read. I loved the transformation Jaenelle took throughout the book and how she finally realized that in order to save those she loves, she has to do things she really didn't want to do. This book had much more of Lucivar in it, which I liked. The addition of the coven and the "boyos" was good. They made the book entertaining to read. Personally, I get a kick out of the names in this book. They are just a little out of the norm, usually by just one letter. It makes it much more interesting to read. The last chapter was a perfect beginning to the next book, which I hope to read soon.
Rating:
Summary: Magical!
Review: It took about three months for me to get around to reading this book after reading Daughter of the Blood (book 1.) I admit I wasn't even looking for it when I went in to the bookstore. I was in a hurry and when I found that the original book I was looking for was not in stock, my mind went to any series that I had started reading, but had not finished. The Black Jewels Trilogy came to mind. As soon as I started reading and managed to dust the cobwebs off of my mind about certain instances in the plot I began to get deeply involved in the story. It starts off with our Heiorine, Jeanelle, Witch, still deep in the abyss after suffering major emotional trauma. Saetan, the Dark Prince, returning to Kaeleer and winning parenthood of the little Queen. Lucivar, prisoner in the saltmines, being fed a nasty lie about his brother, Deameon, and his queen, Jeanelle. Deameon being thrown into the Twisted Kingdom by pain and confusion. And Dorthea and Hekatah still scheaming for ways to win the Dark Realm. The plot only escalates from there. This book is exceptional for it includes wit, romance, pain, sorrow, joy, and courage all in one great plot. I was astounded and it left wanting more, more, more!!
Rating:
Summary: Magical!
Review: It took about three monthes for me to get around to reading this book after reading Daughter of the Blood (book 1.) I admit I wasn't even looking for it when I went in to the bookstore. I was in a hurry and when I found that the original book I was looking for was not in stock, my mind went to any series that I had started reading, but had not finished. The Black Jewels Trilogy came to mind. As soon as I started reading and managed to dust the cobwebs off of my mind about certain instances in the plot I began to get deeply involved in the story. It starts off with our Heiorine, Jeanelle, Witch, still deep in the abyss after suffering major emotional trauma. Saetan, the Dark Prince, returning to Kaeleer and winning parenthood of the little Queen. Lucivar, prisoner in the saltmines, being fed a nasty lie about his brother, Deameon, and his queen, Jeanelle. Deameon being thrown into the Twisted Kingdom by pain and confusion. And Dorthea and Hekatah still scheaming for ways to win the Dark Realm. The plot only escalates from there. This book is exceptional for it includes wit, romance, pain, sorrow, joy, and courage all in one great plot. I was astounded and it left wanting more, more, more!!
Rating:
Summary: Blood and Jewels-an engrossing fantasy world!
Review: I looked for this book for a good year! I had the first and third of the trilogy, which did not work together without the second book. I am hoping that Ms. Bishop will write more books to connect with this world, as once I was in I was totally involved.
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