Heir to the Shadows (Black Jewels, Book 2) [Paperback]

Anne Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 7, 2007

In this violently passionate, "darkly fascinating world,"** the Blood rule: a race of witches and warlocks whose power is channeled through magical jewels. Ambitions unfurl in this second novel of The Black Jewels Trilogy, as the realm's dreams of a liberator have finally been made flesh...

Jaenelle, singled out by prophecy as the living embodiment of magic, is haunted by the cruel battles the Blood have fought over her-for not all of them await her as their Savior. Nothing, however, can deflect her from her destiny-and the day of reckoning looms near. When her memories return. When her magic matures. When she is forced to accept her fate. On that day, the dark Realms will know what it means to be ruled by Witch.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anne Bishop plunged into dark fantasy with her first book, Daughter of the Blood. She described a world where Blood Witches have always ruled, drawing males to their courts through seductive power. An ambitious High Priestess destroys more powerful females before maturity and has enslaved the strongest males, weakening magic and corrupting natural bonds between men and women. Sexual violence permeates Terreille. Jaenelle, born to be Queen, is vulnerable until adulthood. Though guarded by male Warlord Princes, Jaenelle is violated. Daemon, her destined Consort, rescues her but is convinced he attacked her and goes mad.

In Heir to the Shadows, Jaenelle's vampiric, adoptive father, Saetan, and her foster-family of demons shelter her. To restore her memory and emotional balance, they move to Kaeleer, where Jaenelle befriends the kindred--animals with magical and communicative powers--and gathers a circle of young Queens. She also heals Lucivar, Daemon's half-brother, who offers a brother's love and a warrior's fealty. As she recovers strength and memory, Jaenelle resolves to restore Daemon and cleanse Terreille.

Bishop subverts readers' expectations; the "darkest" powers reside in virtuous characters, demons and vampires are kindly, and Jaenelle's adolescence is more comically normal than horrific. Her vibrant characters and descriptions will keep readers hooked, anxiously awaiting what promises to be a riveting conclusion. --Nona Vero --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Anne Bishop made her first short fiction sale in 1988. Her most recent work has appeared in White Swan, Black Raven and 365 Scary Stories. She lives in upstate New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Roc Trade; Reprint edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451461517
• ISBN-13: 978-0451461513
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Bishop is a winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinarily Rich, Magical, Riveting Fantasy! April 19, 2004

By Jana L. Perskie HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

"Heir To The Shadows" is the second book in Anne Bishop's extraordinary "Black Jewels Trilogy." I would advise reading the books in order, beginning with "Daughter of the Blood," to best appreciate the intricate story, characters and unique world that Ms. Bishop creates. This second part of the trilogy is a strong novel that really enhances the material in the first book.

In the world where Darkness rules, an ancient prophecy becomes reality. Jaenelle Angelline is born Witch. She is the "dream made flesh" and the hope and light of the future. There is a caste system in the Realms of this world where the powerful reign and power is determined by the Jewels one wears - the darker the Jewel's color, the more powerful its owner. Saetan, the High Lord of Hell is Jaenelle's adopted father. He and his Blood allies and Kindred are determined to protect the young Witch and nurture her until her majority when she can make the Offering to the Darkness and become a true Queen. Jaenelle is now coming into womanhood and must be guarded or she will be captured and used as a pawn by Dorothea, the High Priestess of Hayll, and Hekatah, the self-proclaimed Dark Priestess of Hell. Both women were created to be noble caretakers of the Realms. They each have perverted their Craft and their purpose, infected those who serve them, and threaten to destroy the Realms to fulfill their insatiable greed for power.

"Heir To The Shadows" continues the young Queen's story, taking her through the perils of adolescence. Jaenelle had been shattered by heinous crimes perpetrated at the asylum where her birth family had her institutionalized periodically, believing her to be mad. Daemon, her consort-to-be, sacrificed himself to rescue her. Jaenelle remains deeply wounded and remembers nothing of the horrors she experienced.... The process of her physical and spiritual recovery is a slow one, as is her gradual acceptance of her role as Witch. "Heir To The Shadows" is also the story of the creatures sworn to protect their chosen Queen - the Warlord Princes, Black Widows, Priestesses, Kindred and Saetan.

This superb fantasy, adventure, magicical romance of a novel is one of a kind. I am not a fan of science fiction or fantasy but became immediately absorbed in Book 1, and before I had completed it, I ran out to buy Book 2. Ms. Bishop's prose is beautifully crafted, and her wry wit and sense of drama are exceptional. She upends the stereotype of Darkness and shows the reader, time and again, how exquisite the Dark can be. Highly recommended!
JANA Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing September 25, 2010

By Keylove

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I honestly don't review books very often on here, despite being an avid reader. Usually I come here to read other trusted reader's opinions on books that fall flat, or exceed expectations. This books however, has many mixed reviews.

After reading great novel's with strong heroine's as the leading role (Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, Robin Hobb), Jaenelle really falls far from the tree. The first book was really spectacular, probably because ( which many readers have already said), of Daemon. He really carries the story in the first novel, through his insights and love for the Mary Sue Jaenelle. I am 3/4 the way through this second book, and as I go through, I find myself having to go back sometimes a hundred pages to understand what is precisely going on. This book is very disjointed, one minute you are watching Jaenelle stride out of the hall, fiercely determined to rescue Daemon, and the next she is...married? poisoned? and you don't even know why she was there in the first place? I had to go back an reread just to make sure I didn't miss something in the book, because this seemed incredibly disjointed. Then there is the huge battle seen that they just stumble into, and I can't help thinking, why isn't anyone concerned with Daemon and how he is supposedly very close to being lost forever? There is no sense of a time-crunch, ever, in this book. Bad things just happen and then they are fixed, and nobody even stresses terribly about the bad things, just this somewhat spoiled queen (Oh no, she has a sad look in her eyes! Certainly that is much more pressing than your lost mate and all your other problems). I'm tired of reading about all the males who fall head over heals for this undeveloped, shallow character.... She has no character flaws besides the fact she was raped, which I don't even consider a flaw, so much as a trauma. It's completely unrealistic, and it doesn't leave you loving the character. After reading the reviews for the rest of books here on amazon, I'm really tempted to just quit while I'm ahead, because it seems after the first book, all of the following are a disappointment.

It really is a shame, to have such a great start and then just have all your characters floundering through scene after scene. I wish Anne Bishop had spent more time editing this book, or re-reading it, because certainly then she would have realized the mistakes she made, and maybe would have provided us with a more suitable sequel. Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is she dead? September 16, 2001

By "alley_kat"

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Daemon doesn't know what to believe when his brother accuses him of rape and murder of Jeanelle, Witch, a 12-year-old girl that he loves. He can't remember that night, only certain words that haunt him and torment him, driving him insane. It leads to him wandering the Twisted Kingdom, going deeper and deeper into it, with each step promising no return. And he knows one thing...

That Jaenelle is dead.

Saeton SaDiablo is the High Lord of Hell, and he has Jaenelle's body in his keep, waiting for the body to heal so he can bring the daughter of his soul back into it. So Jaenelle can be alive again. It takes two years... and he gets his chance, and brings back Witch.

Jaenelle is awake again, back inside her body. She can't remember the months before she had been 'hurt' and she does not know that she was raped. She has to get use to being a 15-year-old instead of being 12--which is a hard thing to do. There are people trying to get rid of her, like Heketah, and she must survive all the attempts untill she is old enough to make the Offering, and to claim a court, and her throne.

Surreal, the assassin, has been looking out for Daemon as much as possible, and is the only one that has seen him in the 8 years hes been gone. But he keeps dissappearing, and she thinks Jaenelle is dead, and Daemon has no hope.

Lucivar knows he must get out of the salt mines because his dream is dead. There was no reason left for him to keep on surviving. So he decides to escape, try to commit suicide, and it brings himself face-to-face with the girl whom is Dreams Made Flesh, Witch.