by
Anne Bishop
ISBN: 0-451-45673-4 Order from: Amazon.com
An intense conclusion to the trilogy, this book has fighting, romance, powerful magic and politics, but is flawed by overly powerful heroes, misleading terminology, and superficial villains.
Reviewed by David on November 18, 2000
Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy, Intrigue, Mild BDSM)
Synopsis: The Blood has ruled the Territories for millenia. Magic-gifted humans and animals, the strongest of them can travel through gates, compel others to their will, heal wounds or kill. Over the generations, the rulers have become corrupt, torturing and murdering in their quest for absolute power.
Now, there is hope for the Blood. Jaenelle Angelline, a young witch, is one of the rare queens, gifted with both unusual power and a sense of justice. Ancient profecies and new hopes put her between the ruthless plots of other queens and those who have flocked to Jaenelle for protection. However, the Blood has become tainted with cruelty and power lust, and in the looming war Jaenelle's victory may destroy her people more thoroughly than a loss.
Full Review: The Black Jewels trilogy paints a colorful world, full of magic, high titles, cruelty and passion. Jaenelle herself, as well as many of her allies are engaging and interesting, with enough vulnerability and temper to avoid excessive sweetness. Her opponents, on the other hand, are unrelievedly cruel, sadistic, sexually and otherwise, and utterly treacherous. The enemies are also not too bright.
The fact that the good guys are also significantly stronger than their opponents detracts significantly from the suspense. While some justification is given for the lack of decisive action, the question of why the extremely powerful good don't use their power to destroy the villains continues to nag.
The titles used in the book, for instance witch, priestess, black widow, Witch (case matters), while well-organzied, are misleading due to common associations. This plethora of ranks, in addition to titles, and magical beings, adds color at the expense of extra distraction.
In general, while entertaining, the flaws of the novel suggest that the skill obviouly shown in the book would be better utilized in a more modest scope, with fewer titles and less overpowering characters.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 2000, Penguin Group (Roc), January 2000, Mass-market, 430 pages
ISBN: 0-451-45673-4 Order from: Amazon.com