Customer Reviews

The Black Jewels Trilogy

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Anne Bishop's extraordinary "Black Jewels Trilogy" is one of the most original, truly spectacular reads I have had in a long time. I am not a big fan of science fiction or fantasy novels, but I became totally absorbed at the beginning of the first novel, "Daughter of the Blood," and remained riveted by Ms. Bishop's narrative until the last page of the thrilling conclusion in "Queen of the Darkness."

Ms. Bishop has created a unique world and populated it with some of the most unusual characters I have met in literature. This is a world where Darkness reigns and power is determined by the color of one's Jewels. In the hierarchy of the three Realms, Women of the Blood who wear Jewels are naturally dominant because of their innate magical powers. Blood Males who wear Jewels can also be extremely powerful, but they are born to serve their Queens. And magical strength is measured by a person's Jewels - the darker the Jewel's color, the more powerful the possessor.

Bishop paints a vivid portrait of two women in a terrible and vicious power struggle. Dorothea, the High Priestess of Hayll, and Hekatah, the self-proclaimed Dark Priestess of Hell, were created to be noble caretakers of the Realms. They have each perverted their Craft and their purpose, infected those who serve them, and threaten to destroy the Realms to fulfill their insatiable greed for power.

The plot revolves around a young woman whose birth fulfills an ancient prophecy. Jaenelle Angelline is born Witch. She is the "dream made flesh." By the age of five she is extremely powerful, fiercely loyal, tremendously tender and capable of terribly destructive anger. This young girl-child is also an outcast amongst her own people and has no idea who or what she is or will be. Most of her birth family, unable to appreciate her exceptional powers and abilities, believe she is mad and she is periodically put in an asylum where horrors are performed on the children who are inmates there. When she is not institutionalized, Jaenelle travels between Realms into different lands, befriending the creatures who live there - from her adopted father, Saetan the High Lord of Hell, to her adopted brother, Prince Lucivar Yaslana, and Warlord Prince Daemon Sadi, who will become more important to her than any living soul. Also included in her inner circle are the demon-dead, unicorns, harpies, Healers and Black Widow Queens, Kindred, etc.. They will all impart wisdom to her and teach her aspects of the Craft. They all have important roles to play in the trilogy.

The three books trace Jaenelle's life, her education in the Craft, her developing friendships, the terrible hardships she undergoes in her attempts to discover who and what she really is and her efforts to escape from the evil forces that threaten to destroy her. When Jaenelle finally reaches maturity, makes her Offering to the Darkness and becomes Queen of the Dark Court at Ebon Askavi in the Realm of Karleer, she is faced with Realms in chaos and the threat of terrible war and destruction. The Blood, corrupted by the wicked Priestesses must be cleansed. To do this and save everyone and everything she cares for, Jaenelle must make a terrible and shocking decision.

Anne Bishop's prose is beautifully crafted, deliciously rich and evocative. Her storytelling is nothing short of top-notch. The author upends the stereotype of Darkness and shows the reader, time and again, how exquisite the Dark can be. Her wry wit is ever present and the narrative is spellbinding. This series is outstanding and I cannot recommend it highly enough! An easy 5 Stars!
JANA

The Black Jewels Trilogy is one of the most fascinating and spellbinding fantasy series I have ever read. Most important, readers must read this trilogy in its entirety in order to fully appreciate it. In this novel, Anne Bishop creates a supernatural matriarchal society controlled by witches and portrays an interesting view of male and female roles in this type of environment. The story centers around a young girl, Jaenelle, thought to be a living myth who would restore a culture being lost during a time of corruption. The series portrays Jaenelle's development from witch to queen from the perspective of three males who would play an important part in her life. Not for the squeamish, Bishop generates a very dark, sad, and disturbing mood filled with horror, sex, and violence...but she does such a great job with character development that the reader begins to empathize with the characters and appreciate their quest for happiness in this dark world. This novel has everything-action, romance, drama, comedy. I gave the Black Jewels Trilogy 5 stars because (for me) it was a fantastic read - I was unenable to tear myself away from the book and I became so engrossed with the characters, I was literally sad to read the last page.

I love to read but I takes a hell of a book to hold me for 1,204 pages. I would suggest the Black Jewels Trilogy to any lover of fantasy.
Bishop creates a wonderfully unique world of "The blood" where the strongest are powerful female witches. They rule all the kingdoms in each realm and the men of the blood have an inherent need to serve them.
The story begins with a prophecy of a witch that will come and bring an end to the corruption that has plagued the realms.
Thousands of years later we meet Jaenelle. A mysterious child that has powers beyond the comprehension of those that encounter her, mainly the stories three heroes; Saetan, Lucivar and Daemon. I am sure the similarities to the names of the devil was on purpose. Saetan is the high lord of hell and the other two are his sons.
Anyway if you can get past the fact that all the good guys are from hell. And Bishops overuse of the word snarl, your are in for a real treat.
Black Jewels trilogy is a colorful layered adventure of rich well developed characters, a dark powerful plot and even a romatic tale that is not offered up as a cheap lighthearted relief, but is etched right into the violence and pain that takes place.

In my experience, the more impressive a book is, the harder it is to review. You want your review to do justice to a truly great book, knowing full well that a few hundred words can never truly express your feelings. Now, I find myself trying to do justice to not one fabulous book, but three of the most original, unique, and unbelievably amazing books I have ever read. With The Black Jewels Trilogy (consisting of Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, and Queen of the Darkness), Anne Bishop has taken the literature of dark fantasy to heights I never even dreamed of. She has created a universe I can barely begin to describe, a realm of kingdoms ruled by women, in the form of witches, priestesses, and Black Widow queens, where the strongest of men are forced into the role of consort to the most vindictive of mistresses. Bishop turns good and evil upside down in this masterful literary vision, giving us heroes the likes of Saetan the High Lord of Hayll, his sons Daemon Sadi and Lucivar, and one very special and very powerful young lady named Jaenelle Angelline.

Ancient prophecies have foretold the coming of a powerful witch, one who would in reality be not a mere human female but "dreams made flesh," nothing short of Witch herself. She comes in the form of a tremendously brave little girl, whom we first meet at the age of twelve or so when she comes to Hayll seeking instruction in the Craft from none other than Saetan himself. Human beings don't just come over into the land of the demon-dead, and Saetan quickly recognizes who this young girl truly is and will become. Jaenelle is terrible at the simple magic of the Craft, yet the true strength of her powers is almost infinite. She refuses to speak about her home life, for reasons that gradually become quite clear. Treated as an outcast by her family, she is subject to occasional stays in Briarwood. Briarwood is not what it seems; this "hospital" is in fact a place of unspeakable evil. Briarwood is in essence a poison, and there is no cure for Briarwood. Happenstance lands Daemon Sadi in the home of Jaenelle's grandmother as a consort, but even his undying love and recognition of whom and what Jaenelle really is cannot save her from a most brutal and unforgivable of fates. Daemon, like his estranged father Saetan, does wear the black jewels, however, and he uses all of his magical powers to save the physical life of Jaenelle, falling into the pits of the Twisted Kingdom of insanity in the process.

Saetan claims the girl as his own, and under his care she does gradually recover, but her innocence is gone. As the story progresses, she grows into her role as Witch, gathering among her inner circle the young Black Widow queens of adjacent lands as well as the Kindred, animals who wear the Blood jewels but are not recognized by the "enlightened" rulers of the realm of Terreille - high priestess Hekatah and the dark queen Dorothea, two of the most nefarious and thoroughly corrupt souls ever created by the hand of man or woman. The fate of Daemon, one of the most unique and fascinating characters I've ever encountered, is left hanging in the balance over the course of the entire second book of the trilogy, and his eventual return rekindles a needed spirit of innocent romance to a story defined by darkness and evil. Once Jaenelle makes the Dark Offering and ascends the throne of Ebon Askavi, establishing a Dark Court consisting of the most powerful men and women in the realms, the final conflict of good and evil draws nigh. While the question of victory is, one supposes, never much in doubt, Bishop creates a magical sense of suspense and hesitation on the part of the reader as he/she embarks on the final steps of this wondrous journey. The most beloved of characters suffer much, and the fate of Jaenelle herself is very much left in doubt.

I can't really even begin to describe the wonder and magic this trilogy possesses. It is quite unlike anything I have ever read before, featuring wholly unique and fascinating characters in droves. There is no strict demarcation between good and evil here, as Bishop stands tradition on its head, giving even minor characters more life than I can find in most of my fellow human beings. Some may refer to the romance elements of this story in a condescending manner, and some might look askance at the love Daemon Sadi feels for a twelve-year-old Jaenelle, but this is no prurient tale of lust. The love these remarkable characters feel for one another is of remarkable, noble depth in all manner of different forms, and the ultimate romance of Daemon and the adult Jaenelle is one of almost heart-wrenching innocence.

If you are searching for something different, something that will completely captivate you in the form of a world unlike any you have yet encountered in your literary journeys, The Black Jewels Trilogy stands ready to redefine your very conception of the literature of dark fantasy. This is fantasy that should appeal to women as well as men, for this is not just another work of fantasy built around warlike dwarves, ethereal elves, and heroic battles fought by stereotypical male characters. The Black Jewels Trilogy is literature of the highest order, more than earning author Anne Bishop the title I now personally bestow upon her: the Queen of Dark Fantasy.

These books will draw you in, I don't think it was a slow start, but I've read Jordan and THAT is slow. Within 3 chapters, if not sooner, you will be hooked. I can truly say that no other fantasy book has ever captivated me the way these books have.

I originally bought them as separate books and in less than 3 years they have utterly fallen apart (taped together, ratty looking books that are still being read). They have been read that many times, by me and friends I have convinced to give them a try. They too have fallen for the characters and plot, even those who hate fantasy and have frequently made fun of me for my love of all things fantasy.

Some complain that it seems that the "evil" people are "good" because of the names of the main characters. I would disagree, I think that is really just part of Anne Bishop's ability to make you think. Just because the main male characters are called Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar doesn't make them evil. Anne Bishop made REAL people out of characters. Good doesn't always mean all sweetness and light, it also means knowing when to take a stand and not being nice about it. It also means looking beneath the surface, because those who seem to have the best intentions may, in fact, be out to get you.

I have now ordered this combined version in the hopes of restoring my collection. I will say that the ending left me wanting SOOO much more. I was craving a more satisfying end, but isn't that what a really good story is about? Not everything turns out how you want it to, and Anne Bishop has included that in this story. I still wanted and craved the "happily ever after" perfect ending where everyone goes back to happy, quiet lives. Do we ever grow out of that?

As an adult I could truly appreciate so much of her story. I would, however, monitor how young of a child I gave it to. It is a bit erotic and explicit. I didn't mind and in fact the eroticism made me all the more pleased with the books. For an adult it is truly a full set that fulfills every craving and desire we have in fantasy books.

A very interesting fantasy series. The first book in the series (Daughter of the Blood) is by far the best.

What makes this trilogy interesting is the whole fantasy world that Anne Bishop constructs (a system of magic/witchcraft based on Jewels... basically the darker the Jewels the more powerful the witch) and a whole host of well integrated fantasy characters (unicorns, Eyriens, harpies, etc).

And the main characters are very interesting and complex as well (Lucivar, Saetan, Daemon, Janelle) my favorite being Daemon in the first book.

Now her comes my criticisms of the series... The first book was awesome, and especially how it revelled in the sadism of the Daemon character. But after the first book Daemon is pansified.

Moreover, the author has a hard time making her characters realistic in the sense that hero/heroines are always monolithically good and the villians are always monolithially bad.

The author also gets incredibly graphic, sensual and brutal some moments, and then practically censors the next sensual or brutal incident. Some consistency would be desirable.

It would also be nice to have an explanation of why it is that despite that fact that hero and heroines have so much power and the willingness to brutally use it, they still can't effectly deal with the villians in this series till the end of the third book.

All in all I would give the first book a 4, the second a 2.5 and the third a 3.

I have to hand it to Ms. Bishop in developing one of the most perfectly paced fantasy novel series I've ever read. I've probably averaged reading about 30-40 fantasy/sci-fi novels a year over the past few decades, but I cannot honestly recall the last time I have so thoroughly enjoyed a fantasy series. Everything about this story fits perfectly, the setting (while using many familiar sounding names) is unique and not what I expected, the characters are allowed time to evolve and grow, the romance (so sue me, I'm a sucker for that stuff) develops far better than most romantic sub-plots and never feels forced or even remotely cliché, and there is a constant shift and development of the story that keeps it from ever growing stale or boring.

If there was one thing I was worried about going into reading these novels, it was the description of the series being a dark fantasy. I like dark novels well enough I guess, but I often get tired of authors crafting this downward spiral that hurls the protagonists ever deeper along a path of angst and despair until the very last moment when they finally prevail against the twisted manipulations the evil antagonists have been leading them along for the length of the book.

It's refreshing for an author to turn those tables a little bit. While there are some pretty sadistic (pun intended) and terrible events that take place, even to our beloved 12 year old Jaenelle in the first novel, for every act of depravity is one of kindness and love. Bishop does not force us down this path of continued despair, but lets us breathe relief every bit as often as she attempts to appall us. What's more, the protagonists often discover plots against them fairly soon and not just take revenge every bit as harsh as the actions planned against them, but often launch their own plots in return that catch the enemy off guard. So while a lot of the subject matter in the book may be dark and often gruesome, the story itself didn't feel even half as dark as a lot of other series out there that shy away from certain depraved acts this one embraces.

If there is one thing about the series I didn't care for, it was that there a numerous huge jumps in the timeline of the series where several times we are asked to shift months and years ahead in the lives of the characters. These jumps forward definitely serve a purpose as they allows for the addition of several characters and enhances the sense of belief of how some of them grow and change without us having to know all the details, but it broke up the continuity a little too much for my preference.

As a side note, I'm not sure how many potential readers catch this or not, but there is a fourth book after this one titled "Dreams Made Flesh" that is a set of four short stories and is an absolute must read. Like most, I read it after the originally trilogy. However, some might prefer from a timeline perspective to buy "Dreams Made Flesh" along with the Black Jewels trilogy and intersperse it with them, reading the first and third short stories after the first book of the trilogy (they occur before it in the timeline, but answer questions that are best left vague in the first book to enjoy it more,) the second short story takes place between the second book and third books so can be read then, and the last short story takes place immediately after the trilogy ends.

Sigh....I have mixed feelings about this series. Anne Bishop has many good ideas here, including a truly original magic system (with the Jewels and the Blood). She has constructed many varied and interesting races, and has created a unique villain and method of threat. The idea that Dorothea and her Hayllians, as members of a race with millenia-long lifespans, are able to prepare the territories of the shorter-lived races for conquest by means of a "subtle cultural poisoning" that unfolds so slowly--over the course of centuries--that the shorter-lived races can't see what is happening until it's too late--is one that I found intensely interesting and convincing. The idea of the Abyss as the source of all power and life--and as such, the members of Bishop's land venerate Mother Night and the Darkness--was also intriguing, as was the idea that some of her intelligent animals could also be Blood. I found the character of Daemon Sadi, who has been waiting centuries for his prophesied lover, to be one of the most fascinating in the series. Like I said, this trilogy was chock-full of good ideas.

And yet...and yet...and yet...I felt that in the end, this trilogy ultimately failed to live up to its potential. For all the interesting trappings, this trilogy was essentially a Mary Sue adventure wrapped in a pretty cover. Her characters, even Sadi, all felt somehow not quite three-dimensional. I was unable to distinguish many members of Jaenelle's court from each other. The various territories also failed to stand out--there was Terreille, and Ebon Askavi, and Kaeleer, and uh.... At times the threats that faced Jaenelle just felt ludicrous and over-the-top--I never really "bought" the concept of Briarwood, for example--and it felt like characters such as Surreal and Titian and so on should be doing more, being more, than they were. It was intensely frustrating to me because, as I said previously, Anne Bishop does have *really good* ideas, but I felt that she simply lacked the skills to develop them to their full potential. Her reach exceeded her grasp. In some ways--and I know I stand alone on this--I preferred THE INVISIBLE RING to this trilogy, precisely because it is less ambitious--she sets her sights on a goal that is more within her abilities, and doing so, succeeds there where I feel she fails here.

I hope she continues writing in this world. Perhaps as she continues to explore this world and these ideas, and maybe gains more familiarity with it, her writing will gain the depth and substance that I feel it lacks now. Even if it doesn't, I would still not mind seeing more of it; the books aren't *bad,* just overly ambitious, and ambition is not always a bad thing, even if unrealized.

These books were amazing! I bought them in June and finished all three in one week! I just re-read them again a few weeks ago and I can't tell you enough how much I loved them! And after you read these I highly suggest you read Dreams Made Flesh. Ties in alot of short stories to the three main books. In my opinion, even if you don't like sci-fi or fantasy (which I don't), these books are a great read!!!!

This is a big, fat read that will be (or ought to be) enjoyed by most adult fans of fantasy fiction as long as they don't get uptight about the theme. Yes, the good guys are what you normally think of as the bad guys, there is sex and violence (sometimes simultaneously) and there's role reversal and demons drinking blood and so forth. It's not your average wizards 'n warlocks fantasy, that's for sure. And the story spans multiple parallel worlds, which takes a while to get the hang of. But once you're into it, you have to stay to the end, and that's the mark of a good read.

As other reviewers have pointed out, there is a lot of repetition of the same words and phrases but you probably won't notice unless someone draws your attention to it, after which you will notice each and every repetition of the verb "to snarl". Live with it, and any other minor flaws you come across, and you'll enjoy it. Unless you have strong ethical or religious objections to the good guys - and the bad guys, come to think of it - being demons, that is. If so, you really shouldn't have bought the book, should you?

This is not a deep, meaningful read, and I think almost everyone has observed that aside from the phrase repetitions, the world and how it works is far better defined and more inventive than most of the characters, the really good characters lack a decent back story, and the work as a whole, despite its length, is a bit on the lightweight side intellectually. As long as you know that and you aren't expecting the book to deliver more than it intends, you shouldn't be disappointed. It's the first time I've read a work of "dark fantasy" - I didn't even know the genre existed - and so it was intriguing to see accepted conventions turned on their heads. Personally I'm happy to return to worlds in which the good guys always wear white and the demons get their well-deserved desserts, but this was still a fascinating trip to the Dark Side and more enjoyable than I might have expected.