Queen of the Darkness

Black Jewels, Book 3

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: John Sharian

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.

Listen to another Black Jewels gem.©2000 Anne Bishop (P)2010 Penguin

Critic reviews

“As engaging, as strongly characterized, and as fully-conceived as its predecessors...a perfect - and very moving - conclusion.” (SF Site)

“A storyteller of stunning intensity, Ms. Bishop has a knack for appealing but complex characterization realized in a richly drawn, imaginative ambiance.” (RT Book Reviews)

“A powerful finale for this fascinating, uniquely dark trilogy." (Locus)

Great Story Flow

I actually enjoyed this story. There weren't any dull moments throughout. From the beginning to the end it was just one attention grabbing scene after another. The story flow and arc of the story was a little predictable after a while, but the devil was in the details. You can tell where the story was going, but didn't know how it was going to get there. Really enjoyable.

LOVE THIS SERIES!

It's my 2nd time through these, 1st waa read. They're equally good this time around!!

Very engaging and unpredictable

oh where do I start? It took me first half of first book to decide to continue. It was athe right decision but now I feel the stories are very taxing. I would take a break here and go to some easy reads before continuing

what can I say? I just love this series.

it may seem adolescent to some readers but I have read a little of everything including classic literature. There are alot of moments that are purely comic relief, (those are my favorites actually) the rest can seem a little over dramatic. As I get older and look around myself, I realize that's really not accurate. If anything compared to the evil in our world, Anne kindly watered it down.

Great story

Narrator is lacking in emotion, but the story is great. An amazing series ending to this trilogy of 9 books ;-) *hint hint*

Even better in Audible form!!

I've read this trilogy many many times before. It's my favorite series EVER! It's a much different experience in Audible form. The story, the characters, the fact that the dead trend to be better people then the living. It pains a completely different picture. The best!!

Amazing!

I could listen to this book over and over and over. In fact, I have. This is the 4th time I have listened to this series and I love it every time.

Adventures in Darker Realms

This novel had several things I had been waiting for in this series and true to her year-skipping-form, Anne Bishop delivers the reader right into the middle of a story that continued on from the last book without many glimpses back at what happened while we were gone. Without seeing that beginning, I felt like I missed out on a few things, but they were not as important as the real purpose of this glimpse in time so it didn't bother me. However, a few moments - that had an agonizing build up since first book hinted at them - seemed to fall short once they finally happened. A reunion of such magnitude could have used another page or two, I think. Instead, a few sweet moments seemed rushed to make room for more epic story.

The epic story however is wonderfully done, providing a scope of detail that relies heavily on the first two novels for backstory. I will admit the characters seemed to rely too heavy on their previous appearances, and because of this they lost a bit of their rich depth. Satan, Daemon, and even Janelle seemed to be more simple in their existance, as well as their enemies, making Lucivar shine through more than anyone else. It's for this and what I mentioned above that I took a star away from what could have been a 5 star book.

That aside, I gobbled this novel up, even sneaking listens at work. It's always fun to see an enemy get whats coming to them. The book's ending leaves the reader/listener totally curious about the outcome after the climactic events that it ended on, and as I write this, I'm downloading the next book.

Fun read. Highly recommended to listeners who have heard the first two. 4 stars.

Queen and Consort

There is no doubt that Anne Bishop is a master storyteller. She creates such vivid characters and fantasy worlds that are easily imagined. They are very much like our world and yet vastly different. A tug here and a tug in another direction and...Voila!

In this last book of the original trilogy, Daemon has finally returned home to take his place as Consort. Finally, I say!! However, it's not as simple as all that. Daemon is still coming to terms with Janelle being alive and her powers as Witch. Not to mention, the fact that she is a woman now and not a girl. Janelle is still, in a way, an inexperienced young woman and doesn't quite know what to do with Daemon. It takes time and baby steps but they eventually become Queen and Consort as they were meant to.

Meanwhile, Hekatah and Dorothea are still scheming and trying to destroy the young Queen and her powerful allies. A war is brewing and Witch has the power to stop it. After friends, followers and loved ones get murdered and kidnapped, she starts to spin her web. Witch will eradicate the evil in the Blood. But at what cost?

I really enjoyed this series. Too many favorite characters to name! This last book had a lot more humor than the first 2 and that was a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, when Witch comes out to play- it's serious business. She's creepy and scary and it's so cool!! I listened to the audios for all 3 books and they are very well done. However, I needed a glossary to keep things straight.

it's dark but interesting

the story is a dark tale and has the unlikeliest protagonists. having said that, it is a good read.