Customer Reviews

Shalador's Lady: A Black Jewels Novel

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

For reasons that are unimportant I was terribly sleep deprived the day I expected this book to come in the mail. I stayed awake a few more hours to make sure the mailman didn't take the book back because there was no one (awake) to open the door and receive the package. When I finally got it, although badly needing to sleep I wanted to just read the first chapter. That was it, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I laughed (a lot), cried, and was even wrought into a vengeful fury over what happened to Khollie.

One of the things I found especially interesting is that the "bad guys" of this book were a lot more complex than in the Black Jewels Trilogy. Dorothea and Heketah were so evil that it made them one-dimensional. As objects of hate, they are entirely successful characters. I can honestly say that there are no other characters in any book or movie that I hate more. But in Shalador's Lady we have Theran who is an honorable man who makes mistakes - doing the wrong thing for the right reason. He wants what is best for his people and does it in the worst ways. Kermilla, as another reviewer accurately put it, is like Scarlett O'Hara - selfish and immature. But fortunately for the South, Scarlett never had the power over people's lives that Kermilla does as a queen over two villages in Kaeleer, and the power she has in Dena Nehele through Theran. I actually find Kermilla to be fairly stupid for not understanding the consequences of her actions, but love how she is handled in the end.

What I enjoyed most however, was to see how Cassidy and her court were able to improve the lot of the people - what they did and how they did it. After reading the Black Jewels Trilogy and seeing how Shalador and Dena Nehele and their people were destroyed, it was a pleasure to see the beginning of their restoration. Every improvement in the lives of the people was a victory. And again, reading about the kindred is a favorite. Vae was one of my favorite characters in the Shadow Queen, and the addition of her family and friends in this book added to the fun.

Other reviewers mentioned that this book is more for the fans and would be confusing to a new reader to the series. I can see how this would be true, but for me (a big fan of the series), every entrance of an old character like Surreal or Khardeen or Ladvarian was like running into an old friend I didn't expect to see - exciting and a real pleasure.

This latest installment of the BJT is just wonderful. This book is rife with pain, love, growth and acceptance. We are given ample looks into the Dark realm- this time with special appearances by many of Jaenelle's First Circle.

Shalador's Lady begins with Theran being a pig-headed @ss again. I admit, I read the first three or so chapters literally telling the book "um, Theran, been there, done that... I thought you'd moved on?" Well, no. He didn't. By chapter five, I was really hoping that he would receive his comeuppance and that it would be painful.

I disagree with the other reviewer's assessment that Kermilla wasn't a villain to hate. Scarlett O'Hara didn't go out of her way to steal, be ugly to her fellow man/woman, and demand more from people who were under her control. I found her to be more than vapid, petty, and spoiled. She was the epitome of how every other petty, spoiled and b*tchy Queen got started and started Terreille on the road to destruction. She was the catalyst for several men's deaths, for Pete's sake.

Cassidy is still working through her one year contract in Shalador. She has found a home and she loves it within the Dena Nehele realm. She is forced to grow more comfortable in her Queenly skin and she does it- with aplomb.

Theran Blaed/Gray has also grown- he becomes the man that he should have been. He doesn't pull any punches when it comes to dealing with Theran or his Lady.

I loved the evolution this book brings to the change in Dena Nehele. There were glimpses of acceptance in The Shadow Queen, when Cassidy draws the line in the landen village. Shalador's Lady is almost a tidal wave of acceptance compared to TSQ. Shalador's Lady is rich with Bishop's world building abilities- you can almost see the villages taking shape and building. There is such an overwhelming sense of rightness at the end that, if Bishop were to end this series today, the reader knows that all will eventually be well.

Well, as well as it can be with Bishop's world... where some not-so-good Queens are hiding in plain sight. ;0)

I really don't want to bash this book because I really do love Anne Bishop's writing. Some things in this plot didn't work well for me, but I still enjoyed the novel nonetheless. The story is mostly comprised of Cassidy running the country, setting up shops, growing plants, and maintaining her court. Bishop does a great job of making the mundane details of everyday life seem interesting, and having them told by compelling characters doesn't hurt. Unfortunately, the novel is largely details, and there isn't a strong plot. The jacket mentions tangled webs that predict doom and gloom for Cassidy's realm, but the novel really didn't have the dark feel I was looking forward to. Well, at least there is a villain, and boy is she unlikeable: spoiled, bratty, foot stomping Kermilla. That brings me to the characters. Unlike many readers, I do not enjoy the little snippets of wedded bliss and bantering from Janelle and Daemon. I would have rather read a complete story without them included. I feel that it takes away from the flow of the compelling story centered around Cassidy. I understand that many cherish the appearances from their beloved characters, but for me it only hurts the book. Cassidy's court remains the same, though Gray changes as is to be expected. The deepest character seems to be Theran, which is a bit of a surprise. Cassidy is weak, and is bothered by her past a little too much. On one hand it is expected, but for the strong queen she is supposed to be, she seems very weak. I almost have to agree with Theran who believes that any queen could have done what Cassidy has done for the land. Of course, there are some other interesting characters, the scelties. They provide humor as usual, but they started to grate on my nerves the more they appeared. Now there aren't one or two, there are 13. Shudder. I have to admit they put some people in line, and they did make me chuckle, so I can't complain about them too much. Overall, Shalador's Lady is a light novel. It's mostly dialogue and everyday events that come up when running a territory. Anne Bishop's writing is as interesting as ever, but it's not enough for me. The novel is enjoyable, but it's not amazing. It's too insubstantial to warrant more than a three from me unfortunately.

The flow of this book was fantastic! I did not enjoy the parts about Daemon and Janelle in The Shadow Queen, and they were a bit annoying at the beginning of this book, but they quickly melded with the rest to give a heartwarming and fantastic story.

Perhaps the greatest thing about this book was how the conflict was handled, I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but there is very little to be upset at in the way things were handled during the book. There was definitely conflict in the book, but the antagonist of the book wasn't evil so much as self-indulgent and greedy.

I felt like I was in Cassy's shoes and felt that I grew as a person as she was. Her court was brilliant and the added touch of the additional Scelties was brilliant. Anne Bishop has a line right to my empathy bone and I couldn't help but tear up at the plethora of emotions that were present.

I would place this book on the same pedestal as the original three Black Jewels books, a brilliant read that I will certainly revisit.

Bishop has created a deeply esoteric universe in this series, The Black Jeweles, that deserves the hard core following it has accumulated, but the last few additions to the series have come off more as fanfic than actual contributions to the canon. This book, although a direct sequel of #7, really showcases what Bishop is capable of doing and what the series deserves.

The book itself was less a story and more a study in politics, culture, and sociology; and an experiment of assimilation thereof. Not something someone who hasn't read the previous books should attempt to read but a book any (even moderate) fan will love.

It's as close to a handbook to protocol you'll be able to take with you while you LARP.

I loved it, loved it and loved it some more! I can not get enough of this series, and I hope I never have too! I could read about Jaenelle and the gang forever but new charaters are always welcome. I've read the reviews of some people who are complaining about Anne bringing the old charaters back but "PEOPLE" you have to understand that Jaenelle, Saetan, Daemon and Lucivar are the LAW in the realms now so expect to always hear from them. Please hurry with another book Anne, I can't wait!

Shalador's Lady is an outstanding conclusion to the fate of Dena Nehele and its people. And these two books, The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady are awesome follow-ups to The Invisible Ring, as it concludes the fate of the Shaladoran's after their fight and struggle that the influence of Dorothea, from the original trilogy, caused.

I have to admit that the first book in this duology, The Shadow Queen, had its weak moments for me, in that there was a lot of focus on older characters, taking away from the new ones, and I wondered if that weakness would continue. It did not! So many things I loved about this book. The characters, the Scelties, the way the old characters blended so perfectly into the plot with Cassidy and her court as she restores the Old Ways in Dena Nehele. And of course the relationship between Cassidy and Grey!

Cassidy and her first circle are front and center and they shine. Cassidy's fears of rejection still torment her as her rival, Kermilla, the self-centered vile Queen who stole her first court right out from under her, travels to Dena Nehele to ask Cassidy a favor. But what transpires due to Kermilla's presence drove this story and gave it depth. It allowed Cassidy to look within herself and at the men who have sworn to defend and protect her as her first circle is suppose to do, and realize that she is worth the loyalty they give her. And as they stand and fight for her, she must stand and fight for them.

One thing I do miss in the books since the original trilogy is that dark grittiness, those sometimes disturbingly gruesome scenes. I have not encountered that intensity in the last three novels, but that's not to say that I did not enjoy them. I did. Very much so. I love being given the opportunity to explore the Blood and the Magic that makes up the Black Jewels world, learning about different aspects of the people who live within the Realms.

This was definitely a remarkably amazing addition to my Black Jewels collection! If you're hesitant to read this one...DON'T BE!!

Hell's Fire, Mother Night, and May the Darkness Be Merciful!

Happy Reading!