Peggy read and liked Matt's review of Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels, #2):

"Not really sure why I read this one, given my less than glowing impression of the first in the trilogy. I suppose I was hoping things would shape up and everyone would stop acting like a child, and in fact, Heir is better than Daughter for that. Jaen...more Not really sure why I read this one, given my less than glowing impression of the first in the trilogy. I suppose I was hoping things would shape up and everyone would stop acting like a child, and in fact, Heir is better than Daughter for that. Jaenelle's character is much more interesting than in the first book, and you really do start to feel for her, given she's surrounded by arseholes, either evil or endlessly posturing and acting like pricks.

Nevertheless I've still got the nagging feeling that I only read it to find out what would happen, and not because I actually enjoyed either book. God help me, I'm reading the third one now. (less) "

Peggy read and liked Heba's review of Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1):

"Let me get straight to the point here: I absolutely abhorred this book. I had to force myself to finish it. Honestly, it was like trudging through mud.

I was actually really excited to start it though. It's widely acclaimed by critics -- ...more Let me get straight to the point here: I absolutely abhorred this book. I had to force myself to finish it. Honestly, it was like trudging through mud.

I was actually really excited to start it though. It's widely acclaimed by critics -- professionals and goodreads members alike -- and the plot sounded quite 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, what disappointed me was Bishop's characterization. As I think a few reviewers before me have mentioned, the novel's requisite badasses -- Daemon and Saetan -- share the same flaw: they're both way too dramatic. How many times does a reader have to be subjected to a magical temper tantrum, or an icy rage or whatever it's called, for god's sake? I mean, talk about creating mountains out of molehills. Not only that, but they're both oddly fluffy when it comes to the "daughter of the blood" herself, Jaenelle. Saetan in particular suffers from extensive badass decay. By the novel's end, I remember thinking that if I had to read something like "Saetan's jaw dropped/Saetan grabbed a chair for support/Saetan's hands started trembling" in response to some unwittingly outrageous thing that Jaenelle had said just one more time, I would scream.

And that brings me to my biggest complaint. Jaenelle, girl of the hour, herself. Her blatant Mary Sue-ness drove me nuts. I realise that it was somewhat necessary to the plot, her being the legendary prophesied queen to surpass all queens or whatever, but come on.

In sum: Bishop really did not succeed in making me feel for her characters. They were just too one-dimensional for my taste.

P.S. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but I found the novel's romantic undertones...squicky, for lack of a better word. Highly squicky.(less) "

Peggy read and liked Elizabeth May's review of Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1):

"Sexual abuse, sadism, pedophilia, incest, rape.
Oh, and rage, hatred, vengeful characters, and grudges - what's not to love about this book?
That being said...

When an author creates a completely different world, a little backgro...more Sexual abuse, sadism, pedophilia, incest, rape.
Oh, and rage, hatred, vengeful characters, and grudges - what's not to love about this book?
That being said...

When an author creates a completely different world, a little background information might be useful so the reader has some clue as to what's going on and isn't left grasping at any straw of sense that is left laying around.

That being said, this book was not exactly terrible, but it was far from great. I have no interest in reading the others in the series, as I could not care less what happens to the characters.
The writing was interesting, I suppose, but a bit heavy handed. Or, rather, ridiculously heavy handed. Enough with the castration, Ms. Bishop. At first, I thought this author hated men. Then, it seemed that perhaps she actually hated women. Now I'm of the opinion that she just hates everyone.

I really needed a pick-me-up after reading this book.(less) "

Peggy read and liked Matt's review of Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1):

"A really complete world, inventive and rich, but ruined for me by the fact that the Blood (basically every character in the book), especially the more powerful characters show their power through petulant fits of destructive rage and unreasoning ange...more A really complete world, inventive and rich, but ruined for me by the fact that the Blood (basically every character in the book), especially the more powerful characters show their power through petulant fits of destructive rage and unreasoning anger, which quite often prove to be entirely unjustified within a few paragraphs - this, you must understand, comes from both the bad guys and the good. In RPG terms, everyone of any importance (apart from Jaenelle herself, ironically) is played by an adolescent powergamer.

The carpenters and masons in Anne's world must be the richest people in the three realms, judging from the number of times doors get torn from hinges, tables get smashed in frustration, and cold rages weaken stone walls. Also, seeing everyone as (mentally) 12 year old Warcraft avatars really doesn't help with the romantic element of the book either, which was off-putting rather than erotic.

It's still probably a worthwhile read (I'm on the third book, but then I'm a compulsive reader), but only if you can really, really suspend your disbelief, or perhaps if you're a 14 year old girl. (less) "