Shalador's Lady - Anne Bishop

Shalador's Lady
Anne Bishop
Roc Publishing
Copyright: March 2, 2010
978-0451463159

The Amazon.com product description:

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule.

But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever...

I've read Shalador's Lady before, and the link to my review is here. This is the sequel to The Shadow Queen (which I reviewed recently here), and the two books are really tied together. These ones do require you to read them in order for maximum enjoyment, and it's also helpful to be somewhat familiar with the storyline and characters from The Invisible Ring, as the history told there has a lot of influence on the current events in both The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady. Despite that, it's one of my favourite books in the Black Jewels world - although there are some short stories in the two collections that almost equal it. Certainly one of them cracks me up every time I read it.

Cassidy is a character that I really grew to like through both books - though, as usual, the Scelties really steal the day. She's a very down-to-earth character, which I liked. The other thing about her is that she wears possibly one of the lightest jewels for a character in this world. It makes a nice change to see how things are experienced for someone who's not one of the most powerful beings in any of the three Realms.

I also have to say that I love the cover art throughout this series. It's both gorgeous and slightly spooky - which fits the atmosphere of the stories in my mind.  
The world itself is very different from most of the fantasy-based worlds I've read too, both in terms of magic and in the power-structures. Even the geography, with the various Realms and the portals between stands out.

Despite that, I'll be honest and say that no matter how much I enjoy the world of the Black Jewels, I don't think the books are for everyone. The character attitudes might be rather shocking to some, and I wouldn't recommend this series to younger teens either. Adults only.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

The Shadow Queen
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2008
9780451462541

From the chapters/indigo website:

From the national bestselling author of the new novel set in the "darkly fascinating world" ("SF Site") of the Black Jewels.
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 remembers the Blood's code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

I've read The Shadow Queen before a few times now, and it and it's sequel, Shalador's Lady and these two are my favourites of the Black Jewels world. My original reviews for The Shadow Queen are here and here, and my review of Shalador's Lady is here.

I have to say, right off the bat that I love the cover art on all of the Black Jewels novels. To me it suits the story type and themes, not to mention the characters.

This is a world that I find that I can nearly always drop into and enjoy, even reading the books out of order, now that I've read and re-read them a few times. On the other hand, it's a world that drives me a little crazy at times too - some things about it are just a shade on the jarring side, such as some of the things that feel a little too modern for other elements of the world - coffee, some of the naming conventions - which stand out as only a couple of the characters are named that way, as compared to the uses of horses, carts etc. To be honest most of these grumbles come from my readings of the original Black Jewels trilogy, and not this duology though.

As I said though, this is an intriguing world and the magical structure is more or less unique in the way it works and the various limitations it has. Also, it's rather refreshing to read a book where it's not an automatic thing that the men are the rulers (although I'm generalizing quite a bit here).

Still, I quite like Cassidy and her love for the garden and the land, and it's nice to see a bit more of the fate of Jared's people. A large part of the more distant background referred to (though how distant that can be when there are characters alive who remember the characters from that book) is the tale told in The Invisible Ring, set distantly prior to the main trilogy.

Honestly, this series is not for everybody, but I quite like it, even though the books are something of a quick read. Still, The Shadow Queen made for a needed break from working on my assignments for the Berkley indexing course, and also is the first novel I've managed to finish in the last month or so.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

The Shadow Queen
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2008
9780451462541

From the chapters/indigo website:

From the national bestselling author of the new novel set in the adarkly fascinating worlda("SF Site") of the Black Jewels.
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 remembers the Blood's code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

I've read The Shadow Queen before, but it was just as good this time as it was before. The inspiration for this read was to refresh my memory on the events that happened for Cassidy prior to the start of the newest book, Shalador's Lady, and the particular details of the characters. This is the book that links The Invisible Ring back into the direct line of the Black Jewels Trilogy. Talon's back (as demon-dead), and we find out what happened to Lia, Thera, Jared and the others.

The end of the Black Jewels Trilogy ended with a bit of a cliff-hanger as to the fate of the realms cleansed by Jaenelle and her family, but The Shadow Queen begins to answer what happened there. It's a story as captivating as the previous set of books was.

I have to say I love the interaction between the characters, particularly between the original characters, Jaenelle, Saetan, Daemon and all of the others. They always leave me laughing - especially the males when they're discussing the women among them. That persistant belief that it's better to remain ignorant of what they're doing always cracks me up. And, Luciavar's threat to let his son run unsupervised in the library..... That just cracked me up.

Shalador's Lady - Anne Bishop

Shalador's Lady
Anne Bishop
Roc Publishing
Copyright: March 2, 2010
978-0451463159

The Amazon.com product description:

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule.

But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever...

 Shalador's Lady, the sequel to The Shadow Queen, Anne Bishop's newest book set in the world of the Black Jewels picks up soon after the previous book left off. Where that book ends with a happy ending, this one left me wondering what had happened in the interim: the characters had returned to the same tense standoff that they'd had for much of the last book, particularly between Theran and Ranon.

Cassidy's past, only alluded to in The Shadow Queen really plays the pivotal role in Shalador's Lady, as do the Shalador people, now living only on small reserves within the province of Deha Nehele and forced to hide their customs.

One of the things I like about this series is the way each of the books adds to the world Anne Bishop has created. Each one explains some facet of the role that the Blood are supposed to play in the working of that world.

On the other hand, I hope you've read The Shadow Queen some time recently. The entirety of Shalador's Lady assumes familiarity with the content of the previous book. I found, when I read Shalador's Lady that I was a bit lost in terms of the background for the story, sending me back to re-read The Shadow Queen. Even so, I really enjoyed the new book a lot, finishing it the say day I bought it.

I will admit that the series isn't going to be for everyone, but if you like the world of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series, Shalador's Lady is likelty to catch your mind and imagination as you read it. I definitely found it worth the price to buy in hardcover.

Upcoming books I'm looking forward to

I saw some interesting looking books in the pre-order lists today.

There's Anne Bishop's newest book set in the world of The Black Jewels: Shalador's Lady. It's supposed to be the sequel to The Shadow Queen. It's supposed to be out in early March.
The blurb is:

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule.

But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever...

Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, due out at the beginning of next month. Just from the blurb, this book looks like it could be similar to Mercedes Lackey's SCat series from the Catfantastic books. Or, appeal to fans of Andre Norton. Either way, this is a book I'm looking forward to reading.
The blurb is:

Pilot, navigator, engineer, doctor, scientist—ship's cat? All are essential to the well-staffed space vessel. Since the early days of interstellar travel, when Tuxedo Thomas, a Maine coon cat, showed what a cat could do for a ship and its crew, the so-called Barque Cats have become highly prized crew members. Thomas's carefully bred progeny, ably assisted by humans—Cat Persons—with whom they share a deep and loving bond, now travel the galaxy, responsible for keeping spacecraft free of vermin, for alerting human crews to potential environmental hazards, and for acting as morale officers.

Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value.

Then the unthinkable happens. Chessie is kidnapped—er, catnapped—from Dr. Jared Vlast's vet clinic at Hood Station by a grizzled spacer named Carl Poindexter. But Chessie's newborn kittens turn out to be even more extraordinary than their mother. For while Chessie's connection to Janina is close and intuitive, the bond that the kitten Chester forms with Carl's son, Jubal, is downright telepathic. And when Chester is sent into space to learn his trade, neither he nor Jubal will rest until they're reunited.

But the announcement of a widespread epidemic affecting livestock on numerous planets throws their future into doubt. Suddenly the galactic government announces a plan to impound and possibly destroy all exposed animals. Not even the Barque Cats will be spared.

With the clock racing against them, Janina, Jubal, Dr. Vlast, and a handful of very special kittens will join forces with the mysterious Pshaw-Ra—an alien-looking cat with a hidden agenda—to save the Barque Cats, other animals, and quite possibly the universe as they know it from total destruction.

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon. Can't forget this book if you're a fan of the Deed of Paksenarrion. I know that's been a favorite of mine for a while, so I've been looking forward to this one. Just have to wait until March now.
The blurb is:

Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.

Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title—and enemies—in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies—and those he has not yet discovered.

Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival—and that of Tsaia—depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.

Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister—and far more ancient—than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit—and beyond.

Books bought in June

Now that I've started participating in Mailbox Mondays this list is redundant, so this will be the last "Books Bought In..." list.

In more or less reverse order, the books are:

1. Barbara Hanawalt's Growing Up In Medieval London: The Experience Of Childhood In History
2. Anne Bishop's The Shadow Queen
3. J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales From The Perilous Realm
4. Jo Graham's The Hand Of Isis
5. Jules Watson's The Swan Maiden
6. Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver
7. The Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson
8. Windflower by Nick Bantock
9. Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
10. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayor
11. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
    

Mailbox Monday - June 29th

After buying no books for last week, this week is a bumper five books.

The first one that came this week is Barbara Hanawalt's book Growing Up In Medieval London: The Experience Of Childhood In History. I ordered it the previous week and it arrived about last Wed. Barbara Hanawalt is an author that a couple of my teachers last year recommended to me, and I finally got around to getting one of her books. I've also got The Ties That Bound on order.

The jacket blurb says:

Bringing together a wealth of evidence drawn from court records, literary sources, and books of advice, Barbara Hanawalt weaves a rich tapestry of the lives of the common children of medieval London during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Much of what she finds is eye opening. She shows for example that contrary to the belief of some historians medieval adults recognized and paid close attention to the various stages of childhood and adolescence. For instance, wardship cases reveal that London laws granted orphans greater protection than do our own contemporary courts. And with her innovative narrative style, Hanawalt brings medieval childhood to life, creating composite profiles based on the experiences of real children, such as Alison the Bastard Heiress, whose guardians married her off to their apprentice in order to gain control of her inheritance.Ranging from birth and baptism to apprenticeship and adulthood, here is a myth-shattering, innovative work that illuminates the nature of childhood in the Middle Ages.

You'd think that after I got my degree, I'd be able to stop buying history books, but that's turning out to not be true at all.

The remaining four books are fiction:

The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop. I read and reviewed this book when it first came out at the beginning of March and I absolutely loved it. Even though I don't have to re-read it again any time soon, I probably will.

The jacket blurb:

From the national bestselling authora the new novel set in the "darkly fascinating world"("SF Site") of the Black Jewels.
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 standawithout 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 remembers the Bloodas code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales From The Perilous Realm (Hardcover). To be honest, I have all the stories in this volume (some of them in more than one edition, but to me, Alan Lee's illustrations make the book worth it. All of the illustrations in this book are black and white sketches, but wonderfully detailed for all that. Of the many great illustrators of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Alan Lee is by far my favorite.

Tales From The Perilous Realm is made up of Roverandom, Farmer Giles Of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Smith Of Wootton Major, Leaf By Niggle and even the essay On Fairy-stories. All of it is introduced by Tom Shippey, the author of The Road To Middle-Earth and J.R.R Tolkien: Author Of The Century.

I doubt I'm going to be reading any time soon though, with the other books on my plate right now. These days I seem to be more collecting books on or by Tolkien than actually reading them.

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham. I've never read anything by Jo Graham before, but the premise looked interesting (and there was a buy three books, get the fourth free sale going on).

The jacket blurb actually says very little about the story:

Set in ancient Egypt, Hand of Isis is the story of Chariman, a handmaiden, and her two sisters. It is a novel of lovers who transcend death, of gods who meddle in mortal affairs, and of women who guide empires.

The final book I bought this past week was The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson. I don't know if I would normally have bought it just based on the jacket blurb, but there was quite a bit of discussion (all of it positive) of the book on a number of the blogs I follow a couple of months ago. Based on that, I went for it.

The jacket blurb:

In this lush, romantic retelling of one of the most enduring Irish legends, acclaimed Celtic historical author Jules Watson reignites the tale of Deirdre—the Irish Helen of Troy—in a story that is at once magical, beautiful, and tragic.

She was born with a blessing and a curse: that she would grow into a woman of extraordinary beauty—and bring ruin to the kingdom of Ulster and its ruler, the wily Conor. Ignoring the pleadings of his druid to expel the infant, King Conor secrets the girl child with a poor couple in his province, where no man can covet her. There, under the tutelage of a shamaness, Deirdre comes of age in nature and magic…. And in the season of her awakening, the king is inexorably drawn to her impossible beauty.

But for Deirdre, her fate as a man’s possession is worse than death. And soon the green-eyed girl, at home in waterfall and woods, finds herself at the side of three rebellious young warriors. Among them is the handsome Naisi. His heart charged with bitterness toward the aging king, and growing in love for the defiant girl, Naisi will lead Deirdre far from Ulster—and into a war of wits, swords, and spirit that will take a lifetime to wage.

Brimming with life and its lusts, here is a soaring tale of enchantment and eternal passions—and of a woman who became legend.

Books Read in April

I've got to admit this was the month for non-fiction reading. What else do you expect when it's final exams though. A round-up of my book reviews for this month, in reverse order with the most recent at the top of the list:

Daughter Of The Blood - Anne Bishop
A quote from my review:

This is the first of the Black Jewels series, and an incredible start at that. All of the characters have their quirks, the things that make them human in a brutal world.

Women of the Raj - Margaret McMillan
This was actually a book I bought for my mother.
A quote from my review:

Margaret MacMillan has written a number of bestselling books including The Uses And Abuses Of History, and Paris 1919 and, reading this one, I can see why. She has a way of making the daily details interesting and amusing to read. It was absolutely fascinating, looking at the lives that British women in India were living under the British Empire. The book is written with anecdotes, quotes, letters and the like from the women themselves. It is also lavishly illustrated with four sets of photographic inserts.

The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman
A snippet from my review:

If you're looking for a good background book on the Middle Ages, this is a good one, and it is surprisingly reasonably priced too, at least compared to some of the other books I have.

Reading The Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein
This is a book of extracts from the primary source material of the Middle Ages.
A snippet from my review:

This is just as much a suitable book for someone who's just getting started in their study as it is for someone who has more background.

Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
This, honestly is a book that I'd been looking forward to since last November when I gave in and read the teaser in the back of Terrier.
A quote from my review:

There's plenty of excitement, and as with the Alanna books it's possible to see what a good Rogue can do for the city as well as how much damage can be done by a bad one. That's another neat difference with this series: the thieves and other 'undesirables' are shown as real characters with good points as well as bad ones, not to mention actually playing a positive role in the world Tamora Pierce has created.

The Athenians And Their Empire - Malcolm McGregor
Not my favorite book of the month, I have to admit.
A snippet from my review:

...the book is quite readable, and doesn't take too long to get through. It's good as an overview of the period, but counter it with some other books as well.

Lover Unbound - J.R. Ward
The fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A snippet from my review:

Not my favorite of the series, but Lover Unbound was a really good read nonetheless. I did find the bad language to be a bit much, which is one of the reasons it moved away from my favorite slot.

Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward
The fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A snippet from my review:

From the outset of the first book Butch has been an interesting character and one of my favorites. Finding out more of his background and watching his interactions with the others has made this my favorite book in the series to date. The Brotherhood is protective of the human, but he wants to fight the lessers that have made themselves into such a problem.

Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward
The third book of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. As with the others, the villains were creepy and even more evil than I'd thought, while the heroes are nowhere near perfect, but interesting to say the least.
A quote from my review:

Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I've heard it called the best of them. While I'm not entirely certain that that is my opinion as well, this was yet another book that I couldn't put down, and I found myself reading until one thirty in the morning yet again.

Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward
The second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
A quote from my review:

The sequel to Dark Lover, this was another book that I couldn't put down. The characters are gripping and the story moves fast. And the twist at the end... It's a romance novel, but for a while I was wondering as I couldn't see any way for the traditional happy ending.

On Basilisk Station - David Weber
The first book in his best-selling Honor Harrington series.
A quote from my review:

I can't describe the book from the perspective of a first time reader anymore, it's been too long for that, but this is a book that can be read again and again - as can the rest of the series.

Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
The first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I picked it up on a whim after a co-worker said that the series looked interesting. WOW! The next day, I was at the bookstore buying the next few books in the series.
A snippet from my review:

No complaints of "I finished this book in less than four hours" here. Instead, Dark Lover kept me up past midnight at least once, and Lover Eternal, the sequel, is following the same trend (1:30 AM last night).

Daughter of the Blood - Anne Bishop

Daughter Of The Blood
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2007
9780451461483

From the Amazon.com blurb:

Anne Bishop's debut novel, Daughter of the Blood, is like black coffee--strong, dark, and hard on delicate stomachs. Within the Blood (a race of magic-users), women rule and men serve, but tradition has been corrupted so that women enslave men, who seek to destroy their oppressors. Female children are violated before they can reach maturity; men are tortured and forced to satisfy witches' sexual appetites.

Bishop's child heroine, Jaenelle, is destined to rule the Blood, if she can reach adulthood. Her power is hidden; her family believes her mad. Saetan, High Lord of Hell and most powerful of the Blood males, becomes Jaenelle's surrogate father and teacher. He cannot protect her outside Hell, where he rules. She refuses to leave Terreille, risking herself to protect or heal other victims of violence. Can Daemon, Saetan's estranged son, keep her safe from the machinations of the evil High Priestess? Or will he lose his battle to control his destructive urges and endanger her?

This is the first of the Black Jewels series, and an incredible start at that. All of the characters have their quirks, the things that make them human in a brutal world.

There's Daemon Sadi, one of the most frightening characters when he's angry, and one of the main viewpoint characters. By turns cold and hot, he's near the center of everything going on, sometimes through misunderstanding, sometimes simply by chance.

Jaenelle, the girl who's the focus of the story as she grows up is another interesting character. Some think she's crazy, others see her for what she is - incredibly powerful and a symbol of what the Blood are all about.

Their world has been perverted from what it should be. Instead of being balanced under the laws of the Blood, it is falling further and further into a twisted shadow under the disasterous rule of the High Priestess of Hayall.

For all the world's detailed creation, there are a couple of things that don't quite seem to fit: mostly Mrs. Beale and her husband. No other character that I can find in the world of the Black Jewels is referred to by the title "Mrs." or "Mr.". That and names such as "Winsol" are the only jarring element to Anne Bishop's world.

One thing about this series: it is definitely not for children. The world is brutal and the characters frank about life, death and sexual activity. If that doesn't bother you, then give the books a try. I know I've read them through several times.

The other books in the series:
The Invisible Ring

Daughter of the Blood
Queen of the Darkness
Queen of the Darkness

Dreams Made Flesh

Tangled Webs
The Shadow Queen

Other reviews can be found at:
Books and Other Thoughts: Daughter Of The Blood
ReadingAdventures: Daughter Of The Blood by Anne Bishop

Books read and reviewed in March

Books read in March were mostly reviewed. However, there was one, Beast Master's Circus that I didn't get to reviewing and as it has now been a couple of weeks, I doubt it will get a review at all.

It's been a Fantasy and Urban Fantasy month for the most, heavy on Patricia Briggs, with some David Weber and other authors thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, the rest of the books for the month are:

Marked: A House Of Night Novel - P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
A snippet from my review:

I think the story was decent, it did catch my attention in a few different places and kept me turning the pages, but event for a teen book, I found it too quick a read, and I'm not fond of the high-school set stories that are so popular right now.

Beast Master's Ark - Andre Norton and Lynn McConchie
A snippet from my review:

Honestly, I think this is the best of the Beast Master novels, but perhaps I'm influenced by the fact that this was the first of the books in this series that I read.

Bone Crossed - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

The book starts immediately after the end of Iron Kissed, making it seem more like one book in two volumes, and the action starts almost from the first page. Mercy's mother turns up, having read the articles in the paper about the events of Iron Kissed, and then, minutes later, Stefan, the vampire, pops into the room, literally, having been tortured. From there things don't let up for an instant.

Storm From The Shadows - David Weber
A snippet from my review:

I enjoyed reading Storm of Shadows, but I've got to say, when I came to the end my reaction was "When's the next book coming out?". Weber has left the book screaming for a sequel, which according to the note in the front of the book is going to appear at some point in the future (hopefully sooner than five years from now like this one was from The Shadow of Saganami).

The Shadow Of Saganami - David Weber
A snippet from my review:

Overall, that's the thing about David Weber's science fiction. He's created very detailed characters, worlds and political systems. Everything holds together very well with not too many "hey! that can't work" moments.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop
A snippet from my review:

Set after Tangled Webs and the Black Jewels Trilogy, The Shadow Queen connects the events and time of the stand-alone book The Invisible Ring with the later books. All I can say is WOW! This book kept me up two nights running. Frankly, I preferred it to Bishop's last book, Tangled Webs. It had the scope the previous book didn't. On the other hand, unlike the other books set in this world, there was no villain to contend with. Instead, it was a book of rebuilding, learning to trust and going on with life.

Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

Overall, this is a good start to an interesting series, and I'm looking forward to the next book I've seen rumored on Amazon.com (though it's not showing up on the Chapters/Indigo site yet.

Iron Kissed - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

As with Moon Called, and Blood Bound, the actual perpetrator of the crimes is left a mystery until the very end of the book, so that each time you think you know who it is, the author throws in another twist to keep you guessing (something that I really enjoy as I hate being able to predict what's going to happen in a story before it does).

Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review:

I like that it's not all about the supernatural, that there is some of the ordinary as well, ranging from work at the mechanic's shop to interacting with kids (albeit often in animal form). The other books in this genre that I've read seem to be so tangled with the supernatural/paranormal that there's nothing unconnected.

Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
A snippet from my review of this first book in the Mercy Thompson world:

I loved this book as, even though it seems to have all of the staples of the urban fantasy world, it had some unique twists as well and it kept me guessing right to the last page. I'll admit that I'm not overly familiar with the type of book, only really having read a few of the authors, namely Laurell K. Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Tanya Huff, but Patricia Briggs is an author I'm enjoying a lot.

Tangled Webs - Anne Bishop
A snippet from my review:

This is the sixth book in the Black Jewels series, set about a year after the events in the trilogy and Dreams Made Flesh. Overall, perhaps the writing isn't the greatest, but the story mostly makes up for it. The book certainly kept me up far past bedtime, anyway, and had me laughing at the character interaction between the members of the coven and the SaDiablo family.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

The Shadow Queen
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2008
9780451462541

From the chapters/indigo website:

From the national bestselling authora the new novel set in the adarkly fascinating worlda("SF Site") of the Black Jewels.
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 standawithout 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 remembers the Bloodas code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

Set after Tangled Webs and the Black Jewels Trilogy, The Shadow Queen connects the events and time of the stand-alone book The Invisible Ring with the later books. All I can say is WOW! This book kept me up two nights running. Frankly, I preferred it to Bishop's last book, Tangled Webs. It had the scope the previous book didn't. On the other hand, unlike the other books set in this world, there was no villain to contend with. Instead, it was a book of rebuilding, learning to trust and going on with life.

We learn a bit more aboute Jared and Lia and their fates, and many old favorite characters reappear: Luciavar, Daemon and Jaenelle, although they aren't the focus of the new book. This time the man character plotline is the rebuilding of Dena Nehele, the land that stood against Dorothea in The Invisible Ring. As a result, several of the viewpoint characters are descendants of Thera and Blaed, not to mention Jared and Lia.

It's rather nice for a change that not all of the characters are of the darker Jewels that are so prevalent in the original books, and we learn a bit more about the Landens and the roles of the various members of the court.

As with the other books by Anne Bishop, the sentences are often short and to the point, but sometimes that just adds to the effect of the story. At other times, it's a bit irritating. Still, it doesn't generally get in the way.

One thing about the entire series is that it tends to the explicit at times, and so, it's not appropriate for all readers. Overall, though it's a series I've enjoyed reading several times, and this latest book meets the standard set by the original books. Actually, I'd almost have to say that it doesn't just meet it, but it exceeds it. I'm already thinking of re-reading it soon.

Other reviews:
Rhinoa's Ramblings: The Shadow Queen

Tangled Webs - Anne Bishop

Tangled Webs
Anne Bishop
ROC
Copyright: 2008
9780451461605

One of the titles I've read to fulfill the TBR Challenge. It's definitely been on my reading list for more than six months. Closer to a year, I think, given when the book came out.

From the back of the book:

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. Surreal SaDiablo, 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.

But Jaenelle did not send the invitation.

Now Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreale and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves, and they must also 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...

This is the sixth book in the Black Jewels series, set about a year after the events in the trilogy and Dreams Made Flesh. Overall, perhaps the writing isn't the greatest, but the story mostly makes up for it. The book certainly kept me up far past bedtime, anyway, and had me laughing at the character interaction between the members of the coven and the SaDiablo family.

Where the first three books were world-spanning, being set in many of the realms of Anne Bishop's world, this book was set in a much smaller area, but was just as gripping. This was my second attempt to read Tangled Webs, and it was definitely worth the second try, as the story got going soon after I'd put it down the first time months ago.

The author seems to be taking jabs at the standard mystery story plot throughout Tangled Webs, and, I think also at the growing popularity of the Urban Fantasy story type.

Surreal makes a very good main character, interesting and funny, and her background makes her even more unique. I'm glad to read more about her after the first three books.

I still don't really understand the villain. His motivations, yes, but how he managed to get other people to go along with him, no. He's certainly different, to say the least.

Tangled Webs is good, but not my favourite book set in this world, although I really liked the short story included at the end of the book: By The Time The Witchblood Blooms.

Just a reminder, Tangled Webs is due out in paperback in the next couple of days, and there's a new Black Jewels novel coming out at the same time: The Shadow Queen.

The other books set in this world are:
The Invisible Ring
Daughter Of The Blood
Heir To The Shadows
Queen Of The Darkness
Dreams Made Flesh
The Shadow Queen

Paperback Releases

Here are some of the upcoming paperback releases:

Tangled Webs
Anne Bishop
Roc
978-0451462220
Release date March 3, 2009 (Amazon.com)

This book came out last year in hardcover. Now the time is coming to get it in paperback if you decided to wait.

Tangled Webs is set after the events in the Black Jewels trilogy and the anthology Dreams Made Flesh. It appears that the main character is Surreal. I can't say more, as to my shame although I bought the book some months back, I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, although it is on my tbr pile/list.

Viewpoints Critical
L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Tor Books
978-0765318589
To be released April 14, 2009 (Amazon.com)

Viewpoints Critical is a book of Modesitt's short stories set in various worlds - some connected to his bigger series, and others not. There are a couple of stories set in the world of the Corean Chronicles, one Recluse Saga story, and several science fiction ones. The story that sticks in my mind, even several months later is the one where Modesitt wrote the story entirely in the form of newspaper stories over a period of time. There's no characters at all, but the story works, and works well.

I've enjoyed reading it in the hardcover, but I'm waiting for the paperback edition myself.

Upcoming Book - The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

The Shadow Queen
Anne Bishop
Roc
9780451462541
To be released March 3rd, 2009 (Amazon.com)

This is apparently the seventh book in the Black Jewels series, which is made up of The Invisible Ring, Daughter Of The Blood, Heir To The Shadows, Queen of the Blood, Tangled Web and Dreams Made Flesh (a book of shorter stories set in the same world).

The series is a good one, although it is rather explicit, so not for younger readers. Apparently, The Shadow Queen is set after the destruction wrought in Queen Of the Blood in the realms decimated by the death of Dorotea and the majority of the other Queens ruling. There's not too much other information available on the Amazon.com page, unfortunately.