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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thanks, Anne, Once Again!, March 2, 2010
This review is from: Shalador's Lady: A Black Jewels Novel (Hardcover)
Shalador's Lady is tightly packed with the missing action from the previous book, because now is the time for our characters to dig in and fight for who they want to rule Dena Nehele. That's right... another Queen from Kaeleer stirs things up. There are three divisions in this book: Cassidy and her Court, Kermilla and those who want her, and the sideline observers--the SaDiablo family and some important rulers of Kaeleer. The reader builds a deeper understanding of the ruling system of the Blood and which lines are not to be crossed. How involved should outside help be in the influencing a Territory, especially when that Territory is straining under a tug-of-war for leadership? How to fight for land and people without decimating what's left with war? There are hard decisions to be made, in order to accomplish the original premise of The Shadow Queen--restoring faith and the Old Ways of the Blood to weary and wary survivors of Dena Nehele. Fascinating, how this plays out.
****
One side comment, perhaps a spoiler warning...
Finally Anne gives us an antagonist that is not so utterly evil, the reader wants her dead by the second page. Kermilla is like a young Scarlett O'Hara--petty, selfish, and good at using her feminine wiles to get her way--the kind of perfect prey that the late Dorothea would have carefully corrupted. Essentially Kermilla is a little brat who utterly fails at proper Queen duties. It is painful to watch her jolly around Grayhaven, ruining the tentative hope of the people, and even more painful to watch Theran let her do it. Theran, who by the end of The Shadow Queen seemed to be redeemable as Cassie's First Escort, but completely disappoints everyone (the reader included) by losing his sense when Kermilla comes to town... because she is HIS Queen and ultimately the one he feels should rule Dena Nehele. We get insight into the old taint of Terreille--what happens when a decent Warlord Prince belongs to a not-so-decent Queen? Theran ends up balanced on this precarious edge, with one praying he'll lose the blinders and take the high road for the good of his people.
****
This book is a fulfilling conclusion to The Shadow Queen. It may, however, be slightly confusing in some parts for readers who do not have background knowledge of the previous books. I emphasize this simply because Anne drops some large "THERE'S A STORY HERE!" hints for her next (anthology) book, but they would make no sense without knowing the characters, who's involved, and why.
If you are a major fan, you won't be disappointed. There is a little less character-delving than in The Shadow Queen, and a refreshing and enlightening way to see the SaDiablo family from an outsider perspective. As much as one loves the SaDiablos... most of the Blood just will not have that intimate understanding of them. Of course, that doesn't mean you won't have fun watching Gray and Ranon deal with the most powerful family of the Blood and laugh to your heart's content.
Anne certainly does justice to her characters, and she never fails to give her readers little golden moments to treasure.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice entry to the Black Jewels series, March 2, 2010
I'm sure that some fans of the original trilogy won't agree with me, but this entry in the Black Jewels world is one of my favorites.
Best for someone who has been reading the series all along and isn't expecting another Queen of the Darkness (Black Jewels, Book 3).A lot of the story involves old familiar characters and the world building that was done so well in the first 3 books and the dark intense romance elements aren't in this one. The romance in this book is pretty sweet actually.
In QotD, Saetan, patriarch of the loosely formed family told Janelle's grandmother that a queen doesn't need to be strong to hold a territory, that her court could be her strength. But the first 6 books in the series were all about very strong witches. Then came The Shadow Queen: A Black Jewels Novel which featured a plain spoken, plain faced queen who was handpicked to try to repair a badly damaged land. Not powerful, she proved a disappointment to the man who was descended from the last good queen. She does form a court in that book, people who believe in her, her strength and honor. This is the sequel to that book. Picking up where the last book left off, Cassie has a court that almost all believes in her and she's fallen in love.
Then the woman who she has a lot of history with comes into the story, forcing her new court to make decisions, forcing her into deciding how hard she's willing to fight for her new land.
There are a lot of guest appearances from favorite characters in the previous books and some of those appearances look a lot like setting the stage for more books about them. Ms. Bishop breaks out of some ruts by not having all the intensity in the romance that's been in the past books and having characters who aren't super powerful, but like most of her Black Jewels books, the antagonist is a spoiled greedy woman who sours the people around her. I think I'd like to see stronger and more variation in villains from her in these books. I enjoy this series very much and will get the next book in it.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Web Spun At It's Very Best!, March 5, 2010
This review is from: Shalador's Lady: A Black Jewels Novel (Hardcover)
It is a tall order to inject a new storyline into an established setting with long-standing characters, without the inevitable complaint there is too much/too little of the old/new characters. This was evidenced by many of the comments offered by readers of The Shadow Queen, Ms. Bishop's last book in the Black Jewels series. Shalador's Lady does an absolutely EXCELLENT job of incorporating old characters, introducing new ones, and developing the principal players of The Shadow Queen in the continuation of the story of Dena Nehele.
The foundation of this story, developed in The Invisible Ring, once again gives us characters whose power is not overwhelming to the point of running roughshod over their adversaries. Instead, we see Cassidy, Shira, Ranon, and Jared Blaed all dealing with vulnerabilities throughout the book, not always making the right decision or saying the right words, but developing the wisdom to grow into their roles of leadership over time. Especially intriguing is the interaction between Ranon, Gray, and Talon; their relationship with Theran takes all down painful paths, but paths that ultimately lead to the rebirth of their land. The continued development of a history of the Shalador people by describing customs, interweaving the costs paid to maintain a sense of history and dignity, and finally their emergence from dormancy was a major strength of this book. In another Invisible Ring tip of the hat, injecting the Fire Dance and the names of Eryk, Garth, and Brok were appreciated by this reader.
At the same time, the continued presence of the SaDiablo family still remains at the heart of the Black Jewels storyline. I believe the the interaction of both Blood Triangles featured in this book (Black Jewels fans will know what this means) was superb. Jaenelle's small revelation of what Twilight's Dawn is capable of; Lucivar's own personal crisis; the return of Tersa, Sylvia, Morghann, Karla, Sabrina, Surreal, and especially Ladvarian, Jaal, and Kaelas were well-timed, well-handled, and creatively done. As always, the team of Saetan/Daemon can be intense, thought-provoking, or downright hilarious, sometimes within the same paragraph. The meeting at the Keep between the "former" members of Jaenelle's court was a great example of how well this story was constructed; this was not a rushed dialogue; instead, we are treated to 7 pages of thoughtfully-constructed storyline that fits nicely in the theme of the book.
On a final note, two new characters stood out in this book for me: Julien, Theran's butler, reminded me of what Daemon Sadi would be like if he was a house servant; and Prince Darkmist, who as of right now has the best "kill" scene described in any Black Jewels book I've read. That description alone was (almost) worth the price of the book. This tangled web has symmetry, beauty, and brains. A winner all-around.
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