The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy--the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than...
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Nov 26, 2011
Bonnie
rated it: 
I think this book gave me brain herpes. A good read, but horrible. The characters are caricatures. The world is nigh-incomprehensible (who includes a list of jewel ranks and titles (broken down by gender), but not a freaking map? especially when this place apparently uses interdimensional travel?!) I wish I could feel sympathetic to the characters- but they all remind me of a too-perfect job interview: "my only flaw is that I love my work... too much." The plot is well-paced, and
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(22 people liked it)
Jul 24, 2011
Stephen
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For her virgin effort at novel-crafting, Anne Bishop has laid down a strong piece of dark fantasy that is richly drawn, psychologically savage and dripping with THROB. I am suffering severe mind-boggle that this is really her first published work as this story has a high quality quotient and prose that displays real polish.
This first installment of the Black Jewel’s Trilogy introduces us to dark, sexified fantasy world called “The Three Realms” which are known individually as Terre More...
This first installment of the Black Jewel’s Trilogy introduces us to dark, sexified fantasy world called “The Three Realms” which are known individually as Terre More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Peter
rated it: 
My wife bought the first book in this series and for some reason read it. The whole time she read it she complained how bad it was. Then for some reason I read it and we finished the series. The only explanation I can come up with is that magic is real, anne bishop is a witch and we fell under her spell. Even now I fall into the black obsidian stone.
Aug 04, 2011
Shelley
rated it:
*Rating*
*Genre* Fantasy
*Review*
Anne Bishop’s Daughter of the Blood is the first book in The Black Jewels series. It tells the story about a prophecy that was seen by a witch named Tersa. The prophecy basically states that the forthcoming witch will be so powerful that she will be able to travel the three realms (Terreille, Hell, and Kaeleer) by shear will alone. She will also have the ability to reunite the three realms that are currently being corrupted by blood Queens More...
*Genre* Fantasy
*Review*
Anne Bishop’s Daughter of the Blood is the first book in The Black Jewels series. It tells the story about a prophecy that was seen by a witch named Tersa. The prophecy basically states that the forthcoming witch will be so powerful that she will be able to travel the three realms (Terreille, Hell, and Kaeleer) by shear will alone. She will also have the ability to reunite the three realms that are currently being corrupted by blood Queens More...
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(4 people liked it)
Jul 22, 2010
Heba
rated it:
Let me get straight to the point here: I absolutely abhorred this book. I had to force myself to finish it.
I was actually really excited to start it though. It's widely acclaimed by critics -- professionals and goodreads members alike -- and the plot sounded promising. Plus, the idea of a dark fantasy intrigued me. And don't get me wrong, I wasn't really disappointed by either of those elements. The storyline was okay, and the world of the Blood did prove quite dark.
No, More...
I was actually really excited to start it though. It's widely acclaimed by critics -- professionals and goodreads members alike -- and the plot sounded promising. Plus, the idea of a dark fantasy intrigued me. And don't get me wrong, I wasn't really disappointed by either of those elements. The storyline was okay, and the world of the Blood did prove quite dark.
No, More...
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Aug 28, 2008
Mandy
rated it: 
If you like feminist fantasy fiction, this is the series to read. Bishop creates a fantasy otherworld unlike any I have read (and I've read quite a bit).
Bishop’s work is highly subversive. It develops a female-dominant society based on Kipling’s reminder: “the female of the species is more deadly than the male.” Bishop does not simply put the female in the power position in a “patriarchal” structure, as Lackey does; rather, she highlights the physical and society differences be More...
Bishop’s work is highly subversive. It develops a female-dominant society based on Kipling’s reminder: “the female of the species is more deadly than the male.” Bishop does not simply put the female in the power position in a “patriarchal” structure, as Lackey does; rather, she highlights the physical and society differences be More...
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(9 people liked it)
Jan 04, 2011
Zeek
rated it:
Anne Bishop's Black Jewel's Trilogy pinged my radar a few years back when old Blogger friends couldn't say enough good about it. Per usual, it took me all this time to finally get to it, but it didn't take me long to see the appeal.
High fantasy to be sure, The Black Jewel's Trilogy follows along the lines of what made this genre popular. Witches, Magic, Enchanted Jewels/rings, Mystical Creatures and Chosen ones- it has it all! And for those of us gals who need it- a dash of romance! More...
High fantasy to be sure, The Black Jewel's Trilogy follows along the lines of what made this genre popular. Witches, Magic, Enchanted Jewels/rings, Mystical Creatures and Chosen ones- it has it all! And for those of us gals who need it- a dash of romance! More...
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(8 people liked it)
Jan 15, 2009
Dorri
rated it:
I bought this book with no concept of how much I would be drawn to the world Anne created. It spoke to my soul. Then it slammed my heart to the ground. The ending is quite possibly one of the most painful I've ever had to read. It just ripped apart a fragile little dream and smiled while it did so. After I sat in shock for more than a few minutes, I checked the publication date, thinking the second book might be available soon. No such luck. I bought the book in it's first month of releas
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Oct 30, 2011
Jean
rated it: 
This Review is for the Black Jewels Trilogy
- - - Spoilers - - -
Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels, Book 1) by Anne Bishop
Wow.. just wow
and I don't say that word a lot.
This book...
This book Is Not for the faint of heart or squeamish,
if you are a person who likes reading about rainbows, butterflies and happy endings
Do Not, I repeat Do Not read this Series.
This book is Dark, Twisted and Deep,
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Sep 11, 2011
Nim
rated it:
I’m going to do my best to avoid spoilers in this review, but a few minor ones might slip in.
First things first, this book (and I expect the rest of the series as well) is not for the faint of heart. I got misled by the cover and thought it was a young-adult book until certain sex toys were mentioned. That got me wondering… until a little bit of full castration was thrown in along with other less desirable practices; be warned this is no YA book. Many parts I found downright disturb More...
First things first, this book (and I expect the rest of the series as well) is not for the faint of heart. I got misled by the cover and thought it was a young-adult book until certain sex toys were mentioned. That got me wondering… until a little bit of full castration was thrown in along with other less desirable practices; be warned this is no YA book. Many parts I found downright disturb More...
Feb 28, 2010
Shannon
rated it:
I'm giving "Daughter of the Blood" by Anne Bishop 3 1/2 stars because I'm definitely in the middle between really liking it and just liking it! The book was a great read as long as you keep an open mind and continue to read the book regardless of the less than savory moments and confusing and sometimes boring moments spanned throughout the book. It had the right amount of pain, suffering, love, deceit, redemption, fear, and mystery to make a reader want to continue on with the entire
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Jan 08, 2012
Wolfy
rated it:
A fairly good high fantasy story revolving an ancient prophecy--the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, and the destiny of an entire world is at stake.
The first three books provide the backdrop to the main More...
The first three books provide the backdrop to the main More...
Nov 22, 2011
Helen
rated it:
One cold day in ninth grade, I was looking through the racks of books at my school library. I saw the cover of this book, read the back, and was intrigued. I checked it out, but after reading a few pages, I just didn't get into it. Or I was just too distracted with homework to devote myself to this novel. I returned it, but I checked it out again later in the year, and I finished it. And I fell in love. To be honest, I didn't get a lot of the intricate details of the book the first time ar
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Nov 15, 2011
Sara
rated it:
This is crazy, dark, erotic fantasy that leaves a little something to be desired in terms of coherent plot lines but possesses some of the most interesting antihero's I've come across in the last year or so.
My biggest problem with Anne Bishop is I constantly feel like I'm being thrust into the middle of the story with little to not background and a hell of a lot of exposition instead of interesting story telling. We meet a character and for five pages we hear all about their life, why More...
My biggest problem with Anne Bishop is I constantly feel like I'm being thrust into the middle of the story with little to not background and a hell of a lot of exposition instead of interesting story telling. We meet a character and for five pages we hear all about their life, why More...
Aug 05, 2011
Meredith
rated it:
So, I am trying to make my way through some fantasy this summer. I have this whole series on my bookshelf but never finished it. So, this was a re-read, and just as last time, for the first 100 or so pages I was thinking "this is boring, why am I wasting my time" and then all of a sudden, WHOOSH--Bishop sucks you in and I was hooked again.
I have a lot of problems with this world and this book; unlikely that I have any issues that haven't already been covered by other reviewe More...
I have a lot of problems with this world and this book; unlikely that I have any issues that haven't already been covered by other reviewe More...
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Jul 17, 2011
Heather
rated it:
I read The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels, #1-3), which you can tell is the first 3 book in one, here is the review I gave.
I had this book on my wish list and someone gave it to me as a gift (it is the first 3 books in one huge book). At first I found it kind of confusing and almost put it down and moved on, but I was like no, it's 3 books in one, it was a gift and in all the books I've read I've only not fin More...
I had this book on my wish list and someone gave it to me as a gift (it is the first 3 books in one huge book). At first I found it kind of confusing and almost put it down and moved on, but I was like no, it's 3 books in one, it was a gift and in all the books I've read I've only not fin More...
Apr 22, 2011
maricar
rated it:
As they say, Mother Night…! I’ve never been this thrilled for quite a long while…
I run the risk of sounding like a pretentious ass, but even though I never really understood the whys and hows of this fantasy world from the get-go, my god… I absolutely loved how the author relentlessly, unfailingly, commanded this reader’s attention. Made you near-slave to the emotions of the characters. Lulled you into a false sense of seemingly finally comprehending what the hell’s going on and how More...
I run the risk of sounding like a pretentious ass, but even though I never really understood the whys and hows of this fantasy world from the get-go, my god… I absolutely loved how the author relentlessly, unfailingly, commanded this reader’s attention. Made you near-slave to the emotions of the characters. Lulled you into a false sense of seemingly finally comprehending what the hell’s going on and how More...
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May 22, 2010
Emily
rated it:
This book was recommended to me over and over again, by various people, and they cited all kinds of reasons for this book being the best thing since perforated toilet paper. Because of that, I started reading with a feeling of excitement and was ready to dive into a good series with plenty of followup volumes to hold my interest.
It didn't work out that way. At the close of the first volume in the series I can't for the life of me figure out what the big deal about this book is. This More...
It didn't work out that way. At the close of the first volume in the series I can't for the life of me figure out what the big deal about this book is. This More...
Mar 02, 2010
Phoenixfalls
rated it:
Several people recommended I try Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy based on my love of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series. I can see why -- both books share a similar forthrightness about the act of love, particularly love tinged with sado-masochism. However, right off the bat it became obvious that while in the Kushiel novels sado-masochism was about trust, in Daughter of the Blood it is about power.
Every character in the novel except for Jaenelle is involved in power plays large and s More...
Every character in the novel except for Jaenelle is involved in power plays large and s More...
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2010
Tori
rated it:
No.
The true sign of a bad book is when the reader is looking forward to it ending. Towards the end of this one, I was compulsively checking to see how much farther I had to go…bad book.
I picked up Daughter of the Blood as part of a personal experiment testing my affinity for Fantasy stories. After recently finishing the Twilight series and adoring it (albeit, unwillingly) I decided that perhaps I’ve been too critical in my regard for the genre as a whole. For years I’ve thought of Fa More...
The true sign of a bad book is when the reader is looking forward to it ending. Towards the end of this one, I was compulsively checking to see how much farther I had to go…bad book.
I picked up Daughter of the Blood as part of a personal experiment testing my affinity for Fantasy stories. After recently finishing the Twilight series and adoring it (albeit, unwillingly) I decided that perhaps I’ve been too critical in my regard for the genre as a whole. For years I’ve thought of Fa More...
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Sep 21, 2009
Aimee
rated it:
I am writing this book review with an understanding that it relates to a book as the first in a trilogy set. I was introduced to the world of the Black Jewels by Memory from Stella Matutina, so I should firstly say a big thanks to her for recommending this series. I will be reading all three of the books, and so even though I will be posting about the books individually, I am sure I will have some further comments to say about the trilogy at the end. So get ready to hear a fair bit about Anne Bi
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 29, 2009
Melody
rated it:
Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch by the name of Tersa wove a tangled web to see the dreams and visions. What she saw both shocked and terrified her, for she forseen a new witch would have the power of controlling the Realms, where the land of the living coexists with the land of the demon dead. Now the Realms are ruled by the Blood whereby each individual is ranked accordingly to the colours of their Jewels (for example, a Black Jewel is the most powerful and highest rank among the J
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(1 person liked it)
May 02, 2009
Glitterfairy
rated it:
Read this if you like self-indulgent, "oh how cute I want to be her" type books where the beautiful young heroine is surrounded by males who want to take care of her. Bad things happen of course, so she needs lots of rescuing. Lots and lots of rescuing. Conversely, if you prefer well-written fantasy, go for something else - Jennifer Fallon or even Anne Rice, if you like.
There is some 'darkness' in this book, but it's clumsily executed. Again, if you want real bleak darkness More...
There is some 'darkness' in this book, but it's clumsily executed. Again, if you want real bleak darkness More...
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(7 people liked it)
Jun 06, 2011
Monika
rated it:
I'm not impressed with this book. I've struggled with rating stars and almost gave it two, but couldn't bring myself to do it. If there wre halves, I'd propably gave it 1,5. Just for the Jewels and unintended laughs.
There is the plot. Which isn't original. But it's allright. It contains some variation of Opressed Realm, Bad Ruler, Prophesied Hero, and The Oppostion. So it's allright.
There is the world. One of the kind which tries to cover imagination deficiency issues with Fa More...
There is the plot. Which isn't original. But it's allright. It contains some variation of Opressed Realm, Bad Ruler, Prophesied Hero, and The Oppostion. So it's allright.
There is the world. One of the kind which tries to cover imagination deficiency issues with Fa More...
Jan 19, 2011
Kylie
rated it:
Comparing this novel to other is the genre such as Daughter of the Forest or Kushiel's Dart would certainly leave the reader under-whelmed. Therefore, I've decided to objectively review it without comparison. So what is my professional opinion? Well, I would classify this novel as 'disturbingly entertaining, emotionally deficit garbage'. First off...Saeton SaDiablo, Daemon, Lucivar?? Are you fucking kidding me? There is this fascinating word in the dictionary called 'trite' which is quite fittin
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Jan 15, 2011
Myridian
rated it:
This book follows a cast of characters, but centers on a young witch (in a world of witches), Jaenelle, who is the heir to immense power. The other characters are presented primarily in reference to their relationship with her. However, the events are typically portrayed from the vantage point of two male witches (is that the correct term?) and another younger female witch who become involved in caring for Jaenelle.
The story dragged me along as events become more dire and the situatio More...
The story dragged me along as events become more dire and the situatio More...
Jul 07, 2010
Liz
rated it:
This book was really good. I did have a hard time reading the first couple of chapters. There was too much going on and I kept having to go to the front to keep checking about the color of the Jewels and the whole blood hierarchy thing. Once I got passed that this book was hard to put down I'm glad I did not give up. It's an interesting concept that women have all the powder and the fight begins to rule this little girl named Janelle. Daemon is such a tortured soul and along comes a little girl
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Jun 14, 2010
Harmonybites
rated it:
The story drew me in from the start. I was intrigued by the magical matriarchal society, with a shifting power dynamic determined by caste, rank and class depending greatly on magical power--and the title heroine, long prophesied and awaited throwing a joker into this deck.
Bishop is adept at making this child protagonist intriguing and yet act her age. And though this is (rightly) described as a "dark fantasy" there is a great deal of leavening humor in the novel. I like Bi More...
Bishop is adept at making this child protagonist intriguing and yet act her age. And though this is (rightly) described as a "dark fantasy" there is a great deal of leavening humor in the novel. I like Bi More...
May 27, 2010
~Sara~
rated it:
This book is definitely not for the faint hearted. Although the author uses euphemisms at times, this book has a lot of disturbing themes: rape, incest, torture, castration (with surgical instruments and teeth), cockrings (for obedience - not for fun) and pedophilia, including a hero who lusts after the 12 year old heroine. I found the descriptions of these things weren't written in a way that grabbed me emotionally so they weren't as disturbing as I felt they could have, and should have, been.
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