Daughter of the Blood

Black Jewels, Book 1

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: John Sharian

Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its queen, a witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she 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, in which the weapons are hate and love - and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining.

©2007 Anne Bishop (P)2010 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Darkly mesmerizing...[a] fascinating, dark world.” (Locus)

“Lavishly sensual...a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches.” (Library Journal)

“Vividly painted...dramatic, erotic, hope-filled.” (Lynn Flewelling)

Learning Curve

As I'm delving more into audio books I'm realizing I should probably avoid books I've read several times. The Black Jewels trilogy are books I've read a couple of times a year for several years. I found myself distracted by the reader's interpretation or inflection of certain lines (that's not how she'd say that, that's not a deep enough rumble for Saetan, etc). But overall it was acceptable and I still felt immersed in the world Bishop has created.
I will still listen to the rest of the trilogy with the hopes my imagined voices and the reader's voice become more aligned.

great story

loved how narrator uses different voices for the character and he has a good narrative.

Amazing book

I love this book and can't wait to read the next. I felt like a fish out of water trying to learn the ins and outs of this world. But Bishop does an amazing job of imparting the information without you realizing it.

If your on the fence about this book, I urge you to jump.

My favorite book

This trilogy and the companions of this story have changed my life in so many ways, I'm very very happy with it and I will always cherish it with my heart.

Black Jewel Series is worth it

This is the 1st in a series that I first read years ago. Amazing, Riviting.

Amazing new take on fantasy

Combining traditional fantasy with the mythos of Hell/Hades, I wasn’t sure what to think at first. But it didn’t take long for me to become fascinated with the characters, world, and story! Amazing read for someone who needs something different in a fantasy series!

So much better is 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!!

Dark but good

Moved a bit slow at first but it was an intriguing story looking forward to continuing

It was not what I expected

I liked this book, it wasn't what I expected though. This is defiantly NOT a romance so don't buy it thinking you will get one. It is a bit confusing, there is a lot of detail, it jumps back and forth so you must pay attention to the reader to know which scene you are entering with the new chapter.

Overall I did enjoy this book!!

Narration

The story was good, if difficult to follow in the beginning. There were times I had to stop and do some Google searches to see if I should read one of the stand alone novels first.

My only real complaint is the narrator. He doesn’t fit the characters or story at all. He voice sounds like radio DJ Casey Kasem with the dramatic skills of a high school drama club member. I almost stopped listening by the second chapter. I am disappointed to see that they keep the same narrator through the series. Someone like Steve West would have been a much more appropriate choice.