Anne Bishop - Blood Jewels
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 3 out of 5
Contains: rape, torture, ritual execution
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
My thoughts: The Blood Jewels trilogy was a series I read the first of and thought, "Hmm, don't think much of this," - there was rape and abuse, and I just found it all to be a bit much. However, when I found the second and third books in a second hand bookshop, I thought I'd give them a go and see if it got any better, and I found them to be quite enjoyable. And then I re-read all three in a row, and it made much more sense, and made the abuse and rape far more tolerable. However, I I don't recommend them to my mother!
The Books:
"Daughter of the Blood" - Published 1998
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 Realm readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, the Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But the Queen 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.
"Heir to the Shadows" - Published 1999
The Blood have waited centuries for the coming of Witch, the living embodiment of magic. But Jaenelle, the young girl prophecy spoke of, is haunted by the cruel battles fought over her future power. For not all the Blood await her as saviour. Some dismiss her as myth. Some refuse to believe. And some would use her, making her a puppet to their whims.
Only time, and the love of her guardians have healed Jaenelle's physical wounds. But her mind is still fragile, amnesia providing a shield from the terrors of her childhood. Nothing, however, can shield her from her destiny. And soon the day of reckoning will come. When her memories return. When her magic matures. When she is forced to accept her fate.
And on that day, the dark Realms will know what it means to be ruled by Witch.
"Queen of Darkness" - Published 2000
Jaenelle Angelline has made her Offering to the Darkness, and she reigns as Queen of Ebon Askavi. The Shadow Realm lies under her protection. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one door has been closed, another may be opened... or broken through, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible glory that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all.
Even so, she cannot stand alone. Somewhere, long lost in the madness of the Twisted Kingdom, is Daemon, her promised Consort. His unyielding love for Jaenelle will complete her Court and secure her power. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to stave off their enemies.
In the end, only a terrible sacrifice will be enough to save those she loves.
Anne Bishop - The Invisible Ring
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 3 out of 5
Contains: Mild sex and violence
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
Published: 2000
My thoughts: "The Invisible Ring" was, I thought, a good introduction to the Blood Jewels world. The characters are less complex (and a little less strange ;) ) than those in the trilogy, and the story was straight-forward and enjoyable. It is recommended, and if you like it, I suggest you do continue on to the Blood Jewels Trilogy. It is set before the events of the Blood Jewels Trilogy.
The Book:
"Invisible Ring"
Jared is a Red-Jeweled Warlord bound as a pleasure slave by the Ring of Obedience. After suffering nine years of torment as a slave, he murdered his owner and escaped - only to be caught and sold into slavery once again.
Purchased by a notorious queen, Jared fears he will share the mysterious fate of her other slaves - never to be seen again - and so prepares himself for death. But the Gray Lady may not be what she seems and Jared soon faces a difficult decision: his freedom, or his honour.
Anne Bishop - Dreams Made Flesh
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 4 out of 5
Contains: Sex
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
Published: 2006
My thoughts: "Dreams made Flesh" is only worth reading if you've read the trilogy, but certainly worth it if you have :) It is a collection of 4 short stories, to "fill in the gaps" of the series. I loved The Prince of Ebon Rih, and also Kaeleer's Heart - but Lucivar's story is my favourite.
The Stories:
"Weaver of Dreams"
The first and shortest story within this collection centres on the nameless daughter of Draca. At the brink of death the dragon passes on her gift of dream weaving to a small golden spider.
"The Prince of Ebon Rih"
This story is about the meeting of Lucivar and Marian, the purple dusk Eyrian hearth witch.
"Zuulaman"
Set during Saetan's marriage period to Heketah, someone has kidnapped his heavily pregnant wife and is holding her hostage.
"Kaeleer's Heart"
Set just after Jaenelle returns from the healing web, and follows how those around her are affected by her new power-status, and her relationship with Daemon.
Anne Bishop - Tangled Webs
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 3 out of 5
Contains: Violence
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
Published: 2008
My thoughts:A stand-alone novel in the Blood Jewels word. It is set after the Blood Jewels trilogy and after the short story "Kaeleer's Heart" in Dreams Made Flesh.
The Book:
"Tangled Webs"
The invitation was signed Jaenelle Angelline, she who had been both Witch and Queen. It summons her family to an entertainment she has specially prepared.
But Jaenelle did not send the invitation.
Surreal SaDiablo, the former courtesan and assassin, is the first to arrive. But as she and her escort enter the house, the door disappears. Surreal finds herself trapped in a nightmare created by the tangled webs of Black Widow witches... a nightmare where the monsters are all too real, and if she uses Craft to defend herself, she risks being sealed in the house forever.
Now, Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreal and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves - and they also must discover who created such an evil place, and why. Because there is one thing they all know about this house: no matter who planned it as a way to kill members of the SaDiablo family, only one of the Blood could have created the trap...
Anne Bishop - The Shadow Queen
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 3 out of 5
Contains: Moderate sex
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
Published: Published 2009
My thoughts: A stand-alone novel in the Blood Jewels word. It is set after the Blood Jewels trilogy, the short story "Kaeleer's Heart" in Dreams Made Flesh and Tangled Webs. Theran Grayhaven is a descendant of Jared of "The Invisible Ring". It does have scenes with Saetan, Janelle and Daemon.
The Book:
"Tangled Webs"
Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand - without a leader and without hope...
Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who knows Protocol, remembers the Blood's code of honor, and lives by the Old Ways.
Languishing in the Shadow Realm, Lady Cassidy is a Queen without a court, a castoff. She is not beautiful. She thinks she is not strong. But when she is chosen to rule Dena Nehele, she must convince bitter men to serve once again.
Theran's cousin Gray is a Warlord Prince who was damaged in mind and body by the vicious Queens who once ruled Dena Nehele. Yet something about Cassidy makes him want to serve - and makes him believe he can be made whole once again.
And only Cassidy can prove to Gray - and to herself - that wounds can heal and even the whisper of a promise can be fulfilled...
Anne Bishop - The Tir Alainn Trilogy
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 3 out of 5
Contains: Moderate sex, Torture
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
My thoughts: I didn't buy these books for a long time because they just didn't grab me... but then I picked them up for $30 in a second hand bookshop, and it was $30 well spent. I probably wouldn't have spent $60 to get them, but they were worth the money I did pay.
The Books:
"The Pillars of the World" - Published 2001
The youngest in a long line of witches, Ari senses that things are changing - changing for the worse. For generations, her kin have tended the Old Places, keeping the land safe and fertile. But with the Summer Moon, the mood of her neighbors has soured. And Ari is no longer safe.
The Fae have long ignored what occurs in the mortal world, passing through on their shadowy roads only long enough to amuse themselves. But the roads are slowly disappearing, leaving the Fae Clans isolated and alone.
Where harmony between the spiritual and the natural has always reigned, a dissonant chord now rings in the ears of both Fae and mortal. And when murmurs of a witch-hunt hum through the town, some begin to wonder if the different omens are notes in the same tune.
And all they have to guide them is a passing reference to something called the Pillars of the World....
"Shadows and Light" - Published 2002
Ever since the slaughter of the witches, the Fae - who should be shielding their long-lost cousins from danger - have ignored the needs of the rest of the world. And shadows are again gathering in the eastern villages - dark, potent shadows that threaten the lives of every witch, woman, and Fae. Only three Fae can stand against the growing madness and help prevent more bloodshed - the Bard, the Muse, and the Gatherer of Souls.
Aiden, the Bard, knows how desperately the world depends upon the Fae's protection. But the Fae refuse to heed his warnings about the wickedness lurking amid the trees. Now Aiden and his one true love - Lyrra, the Muse - must embark on a perilous journey to find the one Fae who can convince the rest to leave their secure perches to save the witches and mortals. Because if the Fae don't act soon, no one will survive....
"The House of Gaian" - Published 2003
It began as a witch-hunt. But the Master Inquisitor's plans to eliminate all traces of female power in the world have expanded to crushing the Sylvalan barons who oppose him - and to destroying the wellspring of magic in the Mother's Hills.
Faced with this evil, humans, witches, and the Fae become uneasy allies. But even together, they aren't strong enough to stand against the armies that Inquisitors are gathering. So they look for help from their last possible ally. The House of Gaian. The reclusive witches who rule the Mother's Hills. The witches powerful enough to create a world - or to destroy one...
And the witches' long-held creed of "Do No Harm" is about to give way to a more important one: Survive.
Anne Bishop - The Landscapes of Ephemera
Overview:
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: 4 out of 5
Author's Website: Anne Bishop
My thoughts: I really liked these books - there was a lot less graphic rape/torture in them, which was good! They are all tied up very neatly though - any further books will be about Michael's sister, I think!
The Books:
"Sebastian" - Published 2006
Long ago, to stop the onslaught of the Eater of the World, Ephemera was split into a dizzying number of strange and magical lands connected only by bridges - which may take you where you truly belong, rather than where you had intended to go.
Now, with the Eater contained and virtually forgotten, the shifting worlds of Ephemera have been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one such land, where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But then in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved - a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her.
But a more devastating destiny awaits Sebastian, for in the quiet gardens of the Landscapers' school, evil is stirring. The prison of the Eater of the World has weakened - and Sebastian's realm may be the first to fall...
Intoxicating, erotic, and intensely romantic, Sebastian is for those who know on which side of the heart - Light or Dark - their passions lie.
"Belladonna" - Published 2007
One by one, the landscapes of Ephemera are falling into shadow. The Eater of the World is spreading its influence, tainting people's souls with doubts and fears, and feasting on their dark emotions. With each victory, the Eater comes closer to extinguishing Ephemera's Light.
Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans, but she has been branded a rogue, her talents and vast power feared and misunderstood. Determined to protect the lands under her care, Glorianna will stand alone against the Eater if she must - regardless of the cost to her body and soul.
But she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled throughout Ephemera: "Heart's hope lies within Belladonna." That call has traveled far from the landscapes Glorianna claims and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. It awakens a fierce hunger within him to find the dark-haired sorceress he's dreamt of, over and over again - a beautiful woman named Belladonna.
As Michael and Glorianna's hearts call out to each other across the Landscapes, together they may offer Ephemera the very hope it needs...