In the first novel in New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s beloved Black Jewels Trilogy, a race of witches and warlocks whose power is channeled through magical jewels will meet their once and future queen… for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence—and corruption.
Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men—sworn enemies—know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love—and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining…
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This review will cover the main canon in Anne Bishop’s dark high fantasy realm consisting of the first three Queen of the Darkness books dDaughter of the Blood Heir to the Shadows.
This series looks at gender roles, power, and heriachy. But it’s what she’s done with the world building elements that is simply mind blowing. This is not a good read if you’re squeamish because it deals with darker threads of human psyche and the actions that follow them. The pacing is akin to a horse being let loose as its’ cantor dictates; it can be slow and subtle or so fast you loose your page number for trying to keep up with it. What keeps it interesting dispite pacing is how she balances character interaction versus the clear caste like system she has in place. Furthermore, after you’re used to the world her characters inhabit? You’ll be slowly drawn in a web of colorful and distinct characters and wondering just how far they’ll go to embrace the Darkness and why. Overall despite pacing and some theamic issues with sensitive topics? Once your caught in this realm of wonder: you might as well enjoy it and may the darkness keep you.
The beginning of the original Dark Jewels series. I love everything about this series. Everyone should have an Uncle Saeten.
I very much enjoyed reading this fast paced action filled book. I also like the way the characters grew and developed as they faced problems and challenges.
The author has created a compellingly enthralling world, full of magic, witches and politics (very much like Middle Earth) and peopled it with characters of such depth and complexity that I find it almost impossible to pull myself away from this novel. The magic system is different – the jewels and the colour scale raise so many questions as to their origins. The society in which the characters move is intricate, dark and ripe for revolution – with the right trigger. Amazing how the trigger is a single little girl trying to figure out how to use her magic ….. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and to Laurel Hamilton’s Merry Gentry books.
This is the first book in one of my favorite all time series! I highly recommend!!
This is my review when I first read this novel in 1999, slightly edited.
Bishop writes a dark novel. This is her first published novel, but already this trilogy has a following that I believe will continue to grow as time goes on. This book will appeal to those who like dark fantasy and is a good starting point for those looking to expand their tastes in fantasy and science fiction. This was my first such novel. I did find the book hard to get into the first few pages. They were actually a turn-off and the only reason I continued was because had already bought the first two of the trilogy. I am very glad I continued to read this book. After the initial strangeness and difficulty with the names and places, I became fascinated and couldn’t wait until my next free moment to continue reading.
What can you expect when you pick up this book? It is a story about Jaenelle, a young black widow witch who is Witch, and the people drawn to her, specifically the Diablo males. Even though the focal character is Jaenelle, the perspective of the story is shown through the eyes of Daemon and Saeton. Yes, a main character is the High Lord of Hell. This can either be a big turn off or a very appealing aspect. I was bothered at first by it, but the book is quite interesting and has a very good story, so I stopped letting it bother me.
The book is highly sensual and may not be appropriate for children under age 13. There are also very violent, disgusting acts that take place with children.
This book is a great beginning to a wonderful world. The characters are three dimensional and the story is believable. Love the whole series.
Very good read
Be forewarned – this is a DARK series. Difficult topics typically avoided by other authors is discussed openly here such as abuse, torture, and rape yet Bishop artfully presents these while also highlighting hope, compassion, friendship, perseverance, and above all, love. Originally the cover captivated me in a clearance book sale and I jumped in to read it not knowing what I was getting myself into. This series will make you question a lot of things including your beliefs and I honestly found the series to be refreshing and enlightening because of the difficult topics broached. I easily tire of the same predictable garden-variety predictable fantasy where everything is good and wonderful in the world. The Dark Jewels Trilogy is certainly everything but. I love the power given to the women of this world but also enjoyed reading about the men who fought against those tyrants who manipulated and abused that power. I think overall this is an empowering book for both sexes.
From the beginning, I found the first book to be a bit of a tease as the main character pops in and out, dropping clues on who she is and the essential role she will play as the series goes on. Although I admittedly shy away from books that show a spin on a widely known and written about character such as Satan (Saetan here) or Lucifer (Lucivar); Bishop’s twist on these characters is very well conceived and easy to accept. The whiffs of humor sprinkled throughout the story is refreshing and breaks up the dark fantasy tale. I agree that the book first book can be difficult to followin ght ebginning with numerous characters, new worlds, and plot twists, yet it discretely sucks you in until the epic conclusion (of Book 1) which is a high suspense nail-biter. You honestly will not know what will happen next. I found myself hoping and praying Biship would NOT take the book as far as she did and was floored by the tragedy and brutality; but in the end I persevered through it and I’m thankful I did. After reading the rest of the series, I see why she took us down the road she did but it was not easy. Despite the dark nature of this series, it is still one of my favorites and will continue to re-read it periodically.
Okay, this is definitely dark fantasy and the world has some stuff that might be triggery for some, so I recommend reading some reviews before diving in. But this series hooked me in hard and is still a fave.
This book was incredible! If you are a fan of dark fantasy, I highly recommend!
On of the best books I’ve ever read
First in the series and a great holiday read.
I love this series and always go back and re-read them. Anne Bishop creates a world and charathers that draw you in and leave you wanting more. Wish she would continue writing books for this seroes
Wickedly delicious! One of my top-ten favorites, and I’m extremely picky when it comes to dark fantasy…
A major world though it’s technically three realms, each darker than the last. Although the lightest realm is the most corrupt. The true heart of this story spans only a few years but it draws together a core family that time and circumstances have ripped apart. One small girl, Jaenelle, is the catalyst for love and family and healing even as she pays the terrible price.
I love Jaenelle. She is sweet and genuine, full of whimsy and joy all wrapped a around a core of ultimate darkness held at bay only by honor.
I read this book over and over and have for three decades. I’m sure I’ll still be reading it for another three decades.
I first read the book when I was a young teen. The magic system, based on gemstones, and the over-the-top brutal and often sexual nature of the narrative, stuck with me, even into adulthood. Although the ‘torture’ scenes aren’t what interests me now, the rest of it still holds up as a solid dark fantasy novel.
Cool series not for the kiddies
Loved the whole series.
This entire series is probably my all time favorite! I have read them all innumerable times.