After Dark Date Night: Series Review of The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

I have been trying to figure out a way to share all these books I read with you but still include other non-review posts on the blog.  One method I have come up with was to share the reviews for an entire series (or pair) of books in one post.  I will do my absolute best to keep spoilers out of these posts in case you plan to read the books, but there is a slight chance that even the synopsis of a book can give away the result of the previous book. So if you don't want to know anything at all about the later books in a series that might giveaway something in the first book STOP READING NOW!

I have had a trilogy bind up of this series on my shelf for a very long time (longer than I have been blogging I believe) but never picked it up because it was huge!  I finally decided with my trilogy challenge this year it was time to do so.  It was an really up and down series to read and it is definitely not for everyone.  So let's get into these reviews . . . 

 Synopsis of Daughter of the Blood: "Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself 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..."

My Review of Daughter of the Blood: Being the first book in this fantasy trilogy/series it was really a difficult one. The magic system and political/hierarchy system are both extremely complex so even with the large amounts of world building you are still at a loss. You will need print copies as they have rankings and a glossary. With that said there is also a big shock factor, the society is very brutal, violence is abundant, and there should be warnings for the amount of rape and pedophilia. It was a very disturbing book to read and to be honest I even nearly put it down a time or two and questioned whether I would continue the story. With that said, it did draw me in with the characters, they intrigued me and I was curious about what would happen to them and how each would play a part in this overall story. This is definitely not a book I would recommend to everyone, even if you like high fantasy.

My Rating: This was an extremely tough book to get through, there were a lot of unsavory themes throughout and I honestly nearly put it down several times. It is a good thing I wanted to see if the characters came out okay in the end so continued to push through.  I give it a rating of Two Paws.

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Synopsis of Heir to the Shadows: "Enough time has passed for the young girl Jaenelle, heir to the magical Darkness, for her physical wounds to heal, while amnesia keeps her frightening memories at bay. But with Saetan--a Black-Jewelled Warlord Prince and Jaenelle's foster-father--to protect her, she will continue to grow. Her magic will mature. Her memories will return. And Jaenelle will face her destiny when she remembers Daemon, Saetan's son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her love...."

My Review of Heir to the Shadows: I am very glad I decided to push through all the ugliness of the first book and continued the series. I enjoyed watching the characters develop and while the magic and political systems are all still confusing, I was able to at least make enough sense of it to get by. There is still a lot of brutality in this book but not as much as the first book and it does make it easier to read. I also like how Bishop allowed time for healing and it wasn't always a clean, easy process, it fits with the level of brutality. We finally get to know Jaenelle a little more and get to peek more into this depth of magic she has and I love the way she uses it. The new side characters that are introduced also add a lot to the story, we get a break from all the darkness and violence with their quirky personalities. 

My Rating: I am so glad I continued, I have really become attached to the characters and while the horrible themes are still present, they took a little more of a back seat.  This book really focused on the recovery and well being of the characters and allowed them to develop over a good period of time.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.

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Synopsis of Queen of the Darkness: "Jaenelle Angelline now reigns as Queen-protector of the Shadow Realm. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one chapter ends, a final, unseen battle remains to be written, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible power that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all.

Even so, she cannot stand alone. Somewhere, long lost in madness, is Daemon, her promised Consort. Only his unyielding love can complete her Court and secure her reign. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to hold back the most malevolent of forces."

My Review of Queen of the Darkness: This final book in the trilogy (though the series does continue along a different story arc) really brought it all together for me. The characters really have developed a lot over the three books. I also really enjoyed the play of who is good and who is evil and the further question of is it okay to do evil to in the long run do good. I have become surprisingly attached to all the characters. As much as I have enjoyed the characters, the world building is still lacking (but at the same time overly descriptive) and I find myself still confused about the magic system and the roles of everyone outside the core main characters. A lot in this book happens on the sidelines too, almost like there should be novellas but there aren't any. Also, a map of these realms would be super helpful, it may all make sense in Bishop's head but the rest of us are at a loss. All in all a good end to this story arc but it was a bit anti-climatic. I am curious about what the future of the series holds but I am not rushing out to get the next books.

My Rating: So much up and down in this book, a few twists and a lot of character development, some emotion was involved as I really came to care for the characters.  It took place over such a long period of time some events were kind of dumped in your lap and you were left wondering when and how it happened.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.

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Full Series Review: Gosh this was a tough one to get through, if you have any difficulty with truly brutal and awful crimes being described, do not pick these books up.  If you want your characters to be fluffy and safe at all times, do not pick these books up.  I really did almost give up several times throughout this series because of the really horrible things in it, but it is a part of that world, not that I condone it and not that the author condones it, it is just a part of the world.  It also allows for a lot of back and forth of good and evil and a lot of grey area. All in all I am glad I read it, the world is so intricate and unusual that it was great to have to really work to put all the pieces together. I also really came to care about the characters.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.