Queen of the Darkness, the third and final book in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy is comparable to that of the movie, Return of the Jedi. I can’t help but compare this series to the original Star Wars Trilogy. With Queen of the Darkness you know it will be an explosive accumulation of everything that happened in the past two books.Queen of the Darkness is where Jaenelle has come into her own and is now a very powerful queen in her own right. With all this responsibility placed on her shoulders, which she never really wanted, has many important decisions to make. So many creatures, people and animals alike rely on her for guidance. Janelle’s family and close friends know what she is capable of, and it is quiet a scary thing. If Janelle’s hand is forced, she will send such destruction across the land. I liken Jaenelle to a ticking time bomb. Her great Witch power that is deep inside of her is building at such a fast rate because of the evil skanky whore queen, Dorothea, the High Priestess of Hayll and Hekatah the self-proclaimed skank Dark Priestess of Hell. These two women are the most villainous characters I have ever read in literature. They come in a close second to Iago, my all time favorite villain from William Shakespeare’s Othello. They are manipulative, disgusting, greedy and have no morals. They don’t love; just hate and enjoy making those around them suffer. They are the complete opposite of every that Jaenelle is. And they think Janelle is a pitiful scarred woman who will be defeated so they can rule over the realms.Because we, the readers, know what Janelle is capable of and these two perverted evil skanks don’t, when Janelle decides enough is enough with them, the showdown is going to be something of epic proportions. Buckle yourselves in your seats because this is going to be one bumpy ride!It seems the realms have become filled with the stench of evil, much like the cities of Sodom and Gomorra that were told in the Old Testament of the bible. Evil is oozing out of every corner. The Blood has been corrupted and the only way to make things right is a mass cleansing. This is where the prophesy comes into play, where Witch will save everything that is good and right and destroy everything that is not. She is dreams made flesh; the savior. And Janelle is this savior.A war is brewing. Anne takes very intricate steps with Queen of the Darkness and uses her amazing storytelling skills to make the tension grow. We don’t know when or how, but something bad is going to happen. Think of those horror movies where you watch the unfortunate soon to be victim of the serial killer wander around unaware that she will be killed brutally. The audience calls out trying to save the poor woman, but it is no use, because the deranged killer is behind her with a knife ready to plunge it into her flesh. That is the feeling I had while reading Queen of the Darkness. Every page made me very aware that the ending to this epic series will not end all happy and carefree. There will be collateral damage and the one responsible for it all is Jaenelle, who over the course of these three books is a character you can’t help but grown such an emotional attachment to.Even though this may sound like a doom and gloom novel, there are some bright points. Lucivar Yaslana, who is Janelle’s biggest supporter and protector, has found peace in his own life. After thousands of years of horrendous torture both in body and spirit, Lucivar is now married and has a son. His joy came through every single scene he was in because after all his suffering, he has found his own slice of heaven. Saetan, Lucivar’s father and High Lord of Hell, is a loving father and grandfather not only Jaenelle, his adopted daughter, but those who are her servants and followers. He is there to give Jaenelle guidance and help her lead.Then there is Daemon Sadi, son to Saeten and half-brother to Lucivar. When Heir to the Shadows ended, Daemon was lost in the Twisted Kingdom, insane from grief because he believed he stole Jaenelle’s innocence by raping her. Jaenelle went back into the Twisted Kingdom to save Daemon, and now five years later, Daemon has risen out of the Kingdom and is on a search. He is lost and still a bit broken because he feels he doesn’t deserve Jaenelle who he has been waiting for his whole life. Lucivar is there the help him him. Daemon is able to find Jaenelle again. That will begin the next step in their fragile relationship. When Daemon first met Jaenelle, she was barely a teenager, now she is a grown woman with incredible power. She loves Daemon deeply. Daemon’s feelings for Jaenelle can not be named because what he feels for her is so deep and imbedded into his soul. He welcomes everything that Jaenelle is from healer, to queen to Witch.The love between Daemon and Jaenelle is a subtle passion. When they finally come together after so many years apart, I wanted to be overcome with their love. Anne only gives her readers a peek-a-boo look at what Daemon and Jaenelle experience in each other’s arms. And for those who don’t know, Daemon may be skilled at bringing women pleasure because of his phantom power, but has never had actual sex with a woman. He is a virgin and his first time will be with Jaenelle. If only Anne had gone into further detail with the actual physical love between these two.But their happiness does not last for long. Dorothea has finally pushed Janelle too far and now Jaenelle must give into the power of Witch. That means she will gather all her strength and power and unleash it across the land. Jaenelle is an atomic bomb waiting to explode and no one can talk her out of it, not even Daemon. Daemon decides to help Jaenelle and will channel his own power, the power of the Sadist. He grapples with this side of himself and he may not survive either, because when Saeten is captured by Dorothea, Daemon must do some appalling things.The last one-hundred pages of Queen of the Darkness are fast paced and mind blowing. This is a meticulous planned step by step process that Anne has written to end her Black Jewels Trilogy. It has been a very long time since such a book made my heart pound. I cringed and gasped as my heart broke for what Daemon had to do and the final outcome with Jaenelle. The way Anne leaves things will have you aching in pain alongside these two and those they love. What I can promise you is that Dorothea and Hekatah get their comeuppance.But, with the destruction and death to those who turn away from the light, there is a hope of a better tomorrow. Things are not what they seem. Anne gives her readers a special gift in the book, Dreams Made Flesh, which holds four short stories. One being is Kaeleer’s Heart. This story begins a short time after Queen of the Darkness ends and about the aftermath that Jaenelle has unleashed. Anne writes a tender story about Daemon and Jaenelle that I was hoping for in Queen of Darkness. Both these two characters seem so broken. Again, things are not what they seem and Anne delivers the romance and love that Daemon and Jaenelle have for one another so perfectly.My journey with Anne Bishop and her Black Jewels Trilogy was an incredible escape into a world that floored me. These three books have so much yearning and emotion in every scene that Anne has written. If I were you, I would not let this series pass you by like it did with me for so long.
“Queen of the Darkness” is the 3rd book in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy. After I finished this book, I was totally hyped and couldn’t come down fast enough from an emotional read. Not since Sword of Truth, has a series affected me so much. If you have read my previous two reviews, you already know how I feel about the Black Jewels series. The first book was the darkest, but you became hooked pretty fast, and recognize that Anne Bishop has created a world like non other, and her imagination, wonderful characterizations pulls you very deep into this story. The second book though the premise of cruelty remains, as is normal in fantasy, was so much lighter and a more enjoyable read. “In Queen of the Darkness”, the lighter, but intense story continues to an exciting and emotional ending. “Queen of the Darkness” is two parts. Part 1 brings you back into the story, meeting all the wonderful people you became so attached to in the previous two books, as well as some new characters. It also brings the major pieces together, such as Daemon and Surreal to the family, and sets things up for the exciting Part 2, where choices have to made, to face the forthcoming battle against evil. Anne Bishop not only creates such wonderful leading characters, her secondary characters are just as lovable. She has a way that brings them so close to your heart, and it’s almost like you are living within each of those characters. Of course, as in any story, she has her villains, and in this case they are women (some men); her 2 vicious villainess’ are as hated, as the others are loved. Upon finishing the Black Jewels trilogy, these wonderful characters that I have come to love, will stay with me:Jaenelle- whom you meet at 7 years old, and know she is destined for greatness. You will love her immediately and watch her mature from a child, to a young adult, to a young woman, and to WITCH. Saetan – He is the High Lord of Hell, as I said before, nothing like you would have imagined him to be. He is a joy to watch throughout the entire series. He is fun, humorous, and at the same time can be lethal. But his love for the daughter of his soul, Jaenelle, and later on for his sons, his family, and her friends is so wonderful to be part of. Lucivar – So strong, funny, tough, a leader and loyal to his sister. He knew early on that this child he briefly met would be someone in the future who will change his life forever. Daemon – He should go down as one of the best leading male characters in fiction. He is strong, beautiful, and highly sexual. He has a very cruel side (due to his horrific early days), and the wonderful emotional loving side (after he meets Jaenelle). Daemon fits the description of dark & light...love & hate. A very emotional ride throughout for him. The four of them complete each other. But there are so many other characters you also come to care deeply about; Surreal, Andulvar, Karla, Prothvar, Ladvarian, Kaelas, Graysfang, and of course the rest of her coven and their warlords. You know you are in trouble, when you find yourself falling in love with Lord Ladvarian..one of the warlord heroes…………………………a kindred dog…lolThe last 1/3 of the book was very exciting and tense, as Anne Bishop pulled everything out of her imagination to play with your emotions…hatred for those evil bitches, for what they were doing; sadness and tears for the sacrifices to be made to save the them all. Surreal trying to teach Jaenelle how to kiss Daemon…laughter; Saetan dreaming..and all those characters who came to visit him in his dream to say goodbye…tears; Surreal & her mother…crying vengeance against two of the most vile men…cheers; Daemon at the fountain…double tears; Saetan hearing the wolves howling.…triple tears. Then later came my Ladvarian…to bring some peace.If I had to pick one thing that I would have changed..it is part of the ending. Though it was a good ending, I would have liked to have enhanced it more with an epilogue or another chapter bringing some of them together as a group. But that is me, I like those mushy endings. I am totally in awe of Anne Bishop, who took her time in telling us her story, and bringing us these wonderful characters, whom we were able to live through them. She has created a heart rendering, beautiful story of a young child coming to greatness, and the devoted men and friends, who stood beside her against the evil. Lastly, I have to say one more thing…………………”Mother Night!”
What do You think about Queen Of The Darkness (2000)?
I thought for sure that this installment would be the book that launched this series into the stratosphere of epic-awesomeness where my book friends would rank it. Alas, I am doomed to be the odd man out here. I can definitively say I do not love this series. There were things I liked, characters I cared about. But whatever it is that makes other reviewers swoon, simply escapes me.This is the book where Daemon and Janelle finally come together. It’s still not easy. It takes years and their reunion is almost thwarted. But against the odds and despite powerful foes, Daemon makes it to his Lady. And it is so incredibly anticlimactic. She has been searching for him about half her lifetime and she barely greets him. They circle each other warily. They angst internally. But there is no big outpouring of emotion. As for the sex, you would think that would be an issue with Jenelle’s history of rape. Heck, even Damon has issues with his own history of sexual abuse. You know how they dealt with that? They didn’t. They finally admitted they wanted a physical relationship, they kissed, and then they had sex. Simple as that. It’s not like I expected erotica or anything but I was sorely unsatisfied here.The big face off with Dorothea and Hekate isn’t much better. The bad Guys plot. The webs indicate a war would be Really Bad, so Janelle concocts a plan that is dangerous, self-sacrificing… and anticlimactic. My boy Lucivar gets himself a wife and a baby… off page. Saetan falls in love… off page. Are you sensing a theme here?I cared how it would end. I wanted poor Damon to have his love. I wanted Saetan, Lucivar, Surreal, and Janelle to find some peace and happiness. I thought Damon’s big plan was pretty awesome. And the worldbuilding is wow-worthy. But when all was said and done, I felt very tepid about it all.I wanted to feel more. I wanted more satisfaction. I wanted at least a few pages of HEA. Just… meh.
—Jen (Red Hot Books)
So it's supposed to be this whole feminist role-reversal thing, but doesn't commit to it as well as Ruins of Ambrai does. Names are patrilineal, and the whole men-protecting-women thing seems less feminist and more "oh those poor women, we must be strong and such because they are so weak lala it's the Victorian age all over again". Which slightly pisses me off. So it doesn't go into my "feminist" shelf. Or should it? To mark that it tried?But besides that, it reads fast (and the parts that don't are easily skipped over), so it's a decent summer read when you're crampy and tired. Oh right, reading this when crampy made me have no sympathy for that whole Ring of Obedience thing. Pain? Deal with it like the rest of us do. I think this book is probably best for like, 10th graders or so. I think I read it for the first time in middle school, and didn't really think about the world, but now I'm so past it. Oh well. Read it anyway. I think I will move on to some Pratchett next.
—morbidflight
n Book 3 of the Black Jewels Trilogy, The two evil Witches who have wreaked so much havoc in all their lives, Hekatah and Dorthea, continue their scheming to bring down Janelle, the once and future Queen of the Blood, and her kingdom.Daemon has returned and is finally united with Janelle, as well as his brother Lucivar and all the powerful friends she's made along the way- including the magical creatures who only bow to her.The book ends with one climatic battle, fought mostly in the psychic realm of webs and dreams- but not until she almost loses all she holds dear, including the belief and trust of her family, friends and subjects.This series is just fantastic. If you love high fantasy and intrigue you'll be hooked just like so many other of us who've picked up this series.5 out of 5 for Queen of the Darkness and for the entire series!
—Zeek
