Another kind of Queen that doesn't have one of the dark jewels. How can she change the mind of warlords or even save the land where she goes? Even a broken man can have an effect on a Queen. ( )

http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com... ( )

My friend Amy started me reading Anne Bishop a few years ago and it's been a love affair ever since, at least with her Black Jewels novels. (I'm not so fussy on the other books I've read.) That being said, I wasn't thrilled with this one.

The Shadow Queen is the sixth novel-length story set in the Realms of the Blood and, although there are some familiar faces as secondary characters, the plot is centred on Cassidy, a Queen whose court has left her, and Theran, a Warlord Prince from a different realm whose territory is in need of a Queen. Needless to say, there is friction between them from the outset. Comic relief comes in the shape of a Sceltie named Vae and there are welcome interludes featuring Saetan, Daemon, Lucivar, Jaenelle and their household.

Although the story is well constructed and the secondary characters in Theran's world are interesting, I found the story less compelling than the other Black Jewels stories. I think it's because I didn't find myself invested in the characters - Cassidy doesn't seem very deep and Theran is such a turn-off. It makes me sad to write anything less than positive about the story but I just didn't find the protagonists that interesting, although I did start to care a bit about them toward the end.

Originally published at http://ireadgood.wordpress.com ( )

the first 3 books of this series had something dark and edgy about them, but none of her later books satisfied me. Here Cassie, the plain, freckled Queen, goes to teach the old ways to a devestated province. I didn't care much for her, didn't mind Gray, but didn't get her first Consort at all - he couldn't get over that she wasn't flashy and fabulous and struggled to serve her? It was too clunky and lacked poetry. Everything that happened was really obvious and frankly, not all that interested. I liked the time spent with Janelle and Daemon better, how he struggles with his well honed sadistic impulses, but even that didn't add much. It just felt ... unneccesary. We didn't need this book, it added nothing to the world building and didn't give great new characters or add all that much to characters we knew. ( )

Once again, Anne Bishop doesn't disappoint, producing another great Black Jewels book. This book takes place after Witch has cleansed the realm and answers the question: what happened in Terreille after the cleansing of the Blood? Readers familiar with the series will be happy to see that Janelle, Luciver, Daemon, and Saetan have reappearing roles. However, the main characters of this book are Lady Cassidy and the Court that she forms in Dena Nehele.

Dena Nehele has found itself without any Queens who are able to rule the territory, and make the daring request to have one of the Queens in Kaeleer move into their lands and set up a Court, based on the Protocol of old. The problem is, they aren't completely ready to accept all the entanglements that can accompany learning the Old Ways.

Cassidy must learn to work with her new Court while overcoming a horrible bout of homesickness. Just when she is ready to give up, she meets Gray, a man so brutalized that he is still a boy in a man's body. It becomes clear that they are meant to be together, but first, he must overcome his past and become the man that she needs him to be.

All this and a mystery to boot! There are tales of a treasure hidden on the estate grounds- a treasure that will help the Territory heal from the trauma of the cleansing. It is a treasure that only the new Queen can find as she slowly gains acceptance in her new home.

Overall, I loved this book. I can agree with others who have pointed out that the scenes with Janelle and Daemon can be distracting. I wouldn't have them cut, as I am always hungry for any scene with Daemon. Perhaps this should have been cut into two different stories, like "Dreams Made Flesh".

One warning: avoid the kindle version. There are so many formatting problems that I demanded a refund and read the hardcover. Trying to read it in the kindle edition will ruin the entire experience. ( )