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The Black Jewels #4
The Invisible Ring
In this engaging story of Jared, a Red-Jeweled Warlord and unwilling pleasure slave, Bishop returns to the world of her Black Jewels trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, and Queen of the Darkness). Jared, who has murdered his owner and attempted escape, is recaptured and sold to the mysterious Gray Lady. It soon becomes clear that Jared's new queen is not what she seems to be, and he joins with his fellow slaves--all of whom hide their own secrets--to protect the Gray Lady. During her desperate flight from Dorothea SaDiablo, the Black Widow intent on destroying her and claiming her territory, Jared comes to terms with his own demons and discovers what it means to be truly bonded to a queen.
Bishop uses her usual skill to move interesting, rounded characters through a well-drawn world. Although this is a standalone book, there are ties with the events of the trilogy, most especially the appearance of the compelling Daemon Sadi. The author still pulls no punches in describing the sexual violence and misery that are as much a part of this intricate world as the gender role-reversals and the often-agonizing demands of honor and magic. A pleasurable read for fans of emotionally charged fantasy who enjoy both complex characters and societies, and who are not averse to following characters through their struggles and achievements. --Luc Duplessis
398 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
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About the author
Anne Bishop
51 books10.6k followersAnne Bishop lives in upstate New York where she enjoys gardening, music, and writing dark, romantic stories. She is the author of over twenty novels, including the award-winning Black Jewels Trilogy. She has written a new series, the Others, which is an urban dark fantasy with a bit of a twist.
Crawford Award (2000)
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Crawford Award (2000)
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
February 15, 2020
The Invisible Ring is a Prequel to the Black Jewels series. The story takes place way before Witch is born.
A pleasure slave, Jared, is ready to be sent to die in the salt mines after killing his queen who had abused him. He's ready for his destiny when he’s purchased by the Gray Lady.
Jared has heard of the Grey Lady and what he knows is that people fear her. When a slave is bought, by her, they are never seen or heard from again.
Before the journey to her home in the mountains begins, she removes the Ring of Obedience and replaces it with the Invisible ring.
Besides purchasing Jared, The Gray Lady buys more slaves: Blaed, Thera, Garth, and Brock to mention some.
As the journey begins, it seems someone wants to capture and destroy the Gray Lady. At first, Jared is just trying to stay alive but when he starts noticing that Lia, the Gray Lady, is not what she seems, he starts having mixed feelings. He becomes protective of her. At some point, Jared must decide between staying with her or running for his freedom before all of them die.
A good addition to the series. This story happens before Janelle is born. I like all the characters: Lia, Blaed, Thera, and Jared. It was a good mixture of personalities and Craft.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
June 20, 2019
There is a huge gear shift in this book as it is a prequel to the events in the first trilogy of the series. I actually wasn’t really excited to read it as I loved the characters from those books so much. But once you get past that the story in The Invisible Ring flows really well and again it was difficult to put the book down. The few cameos we get from The Sadist were just enough to add to the story but not take it over and show some of the little ways he rebelled against Dorthae long before Witch was born.
Jared was a pleasure slave, until the night he broke and killed both the Queen he served and her brother. He is supposed to be sold to the salt mines to be worked into death. That is until a Gray Lady shows up and buys his contract. Now Jared is on his way to the one of the only courts successfully evading Dorthae’s slow war to take control of all the lands and infect them with her cruel servants.
The only problem, there are lots of people trying to kill them while on route, a traitor in the midst of the traveling party and the Gray Lady, well she isn’t exactly what she seems to be either.
You have to have a solid foundation in this world so even though it is a prequel it shouldn’t be read until after books 1-3. How the Gray Lady and Jared staved off Dorthae and the army is what gave Janaelle the bones of how to save the land and the blood in Queen of Darkness.
It was good to see a few more characters that were good and not twisted into what Dorthae makes people into. We get to see how she took a man with ambition and a streak of cruelty and made him the worst version of himself, until he was almost as cruel as she was.
Great story set in a world I’ve grown to really like, despite its cruelties.
Jared was a pleasure slave, until the night he broke and killed both the Queen he served and her brother. He is supposed to be sold to the salt mines to be worked into death. That is until a Gray Lady shows up and buys his contract. Now Jared is on his way to the one of the only courts successfully evading Dorthae’s slow war to take control of all the lands and infect them with her cruel servants.
The only problem, there are lots of people trying to kill them while on route, a traitor in the midst of the traveling party and the Gray Lady, well she isn’t exactly what she seems to be either.
You have to have a solid foundation in this world so even though it is a prequel it shouldn’t be read until after books 1-3. How the Gray Lady and Jared staved off Dorthae and the army is what gave Janaelle the bones of how to save the land and the blood in Queen of Darkness.
It was good to see a few more characters that were good and not twisted into what Dorthae makes people into. We get to see how she took a man with ambition and a streak of cruelty and made him the worst version of himself, until he was almost as cruel as she was.
Great story set in a world I’ve grown to really like, despite its cruelties.
January 2, 2025
I can understand why this book can be considered and is being touted as a 'prequel' to the Black Jewels trilogy. Jaenelle hasn't even been born yet and this book takes place many years before she will be born. But it should never have been advertised as such in my opinion.
What is most important about this book is that it should have been called the prequel to The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady. It is the book that explains everything about the character's relatives, Greyhaven's past and leads up to this dualogy. This book introduces Lia, Jared, Blaed and Thera and explains so much.
The Invisible Ring was not one of my favorite books at the time when I first read this, because like many other's I had not read it until I finished the Black Jewels Trilogy and after those wonderful books this one seemed like a bit of a let- down. However, now that I have read (and re-re-read) the series, this book seems to fit better and is a more enjoyable read. I loved The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady and re-read them at least yearly, but I have always stayed away from this book because I disliked it the first time I read i., I re-read it yesterday and found that I now can appreciate it so much more than I did the first reading.
The characters are not as well fleshed as the trilogy, but of course, that is because there is only one book to flesh them out and this book takes place over a matter of days (weeks ? I can't be sure of the time-frame) not centuries! Jared can be seen as whining over his lot in life, but understanding the rest of the series will do much to explain this.
This book has an important place in this series, but I am just not too sure that it should be read first as a prequel or even fourth as it had been listed in the series line-up/time-frame.
What is most important about this book is that it should have been called the prequel to The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady. It is the book that explains everything about the character's relatives, Greyhaven's past and leads up to this dualogy. This book introduces Lia, Jared, Blaed and Thera and explains so much.
The Invisible Ring was not one of my favorite books at the time when I first read this, because like many other's I had not read it until I finished the Black Jewels Trilogy and after those wonderful books this one seemed like a bit of a let- down. However, now that I have read (and re-re-read) the series, this book seems to fit better and is a more enjoyable read. I loved The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady and re-read them at least yearly, but I have always stayed away from this book because I disliked it the first time I read i., I re-read it yesterday and found that I now can appreciate it so much more than I did the first reading.
The characters are not as well fleshed as the trilogy, but of course, that is because there is only one book to flesh them out and this book takes place over a matter of days (weeks ? I can't be sure of the time-frame) not centuries! Jared can be seen as whining over his lot in life, but understanding the rest of the series will do much to explain this.
This book has an important place in this series, but I am just not too sure that it should be read first as a prequel or even fourth as it had been listed in the series line-up/time-frame.
May 20, 2021
I knocked off this book in just over half a day and was pretty sure that I didn’t have anything much to say about it. But strangely, I keep thinking about the details of the plot, so perhaps I will write a quick note.
Yes, this series is cheesy and soap-opera-like, but Bishop has some worthwhile messages on the nature of relationships. Force and punishment don't build loyalty. Neither does rewarding brutality. If you want to get loyalty from those around you, you must treat people (especially those you are responsible for) with kindness and respect. Honour is silver and can eventually turn to love, which is gold. To be respected, you must act honourably. As the old saying goes, you can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
I find I'm quite uncomfortable with some of the role reversals in this series. The patriarchy has been programmed into me from childhood and it's difficult to shake. It feels so strange to have men in the subservient role, secretly working against the unfair rule of brutal women and supporting those who govern well. It makes me really think hard about my own assumptions, which I'm finding very interesting. Also, I can see the roots of such series as Black Dagger Brotherhood and other paranormal series.
Book number 409 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
Yes, this series is cheesy and soap-opera-like, but Bishop has some worthwhile messages on the nature of relationships. Force and punishment don't build loyalty. Neither does rewarding brutality. If you want to get loyalty from those around you, you must treat people (especially those you are responsible for) with kindness and respect. Honour is silver and can eventually turn to love, which is gold. To be respected, you must act honourably. As the old saying goes, you can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
I find I'm quite uncomfortable with some of the role reversals in this series. The patriarchy has been programmed into me from childhood and it's difficult to shake. It feels so strange to have men in the subservient role, secretly working against the unfair rule of brutal women and supporting those who govern well. It makes me really think hard about my own assumptions, which I'm finding very interesting. Also, I can see the roots of such series as Black Dagger Brotherhood and other paranormal series.
Book number 409 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
October 17, 2021
I understand why this book can be considered and is being touted as a 'prequel' to the Black Jewels trilogy. Jaenelle hasn't even been born yet, and this book takes place many years before she will be born. But it should never have been advertised as such, in my opinion.
What is most important about this book is that it should have been called the prequel to The Shadow QueenandShalador's Lady. The book explains everything about the character's relatives, Greyhaven's past and leads up to this dualogy. This book introduces Lia, Jared, Blaed, and Thera and explains so much.
The Invisible Ring was not one of my favorite books when I first read this, because like many others, I had not read it until I finished the Black Jewels Trilogy, and after those excellent books, this one seemed like a bit of a let- down. However, now that I have read (and re-re-read) the series, this book seems to fit better and is a more enjoyable read. I loved The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady and re-read them at least yearly, but I have always stayed away from this book because I disliked it the first time I read it. I re-read it yesterday and found that I now can appreciate it so much more than I did the first reading.
The characters are not as well fleshed as the trilogy, but of course, that is because there is only one book to flesh them out, and this book takes place over a matter of days (weeks ? I can't be sure of the time-frame) not centuries! Jared can be seen as whining over his lot in life, but understanding the rest of the series will do much to explain this.
This book has an essential place in this series, but I am just not too sure that it should be read first as a prequel or even fourth as it had been listed in the series line-up/time-frame
What is most important about this book is that it should have been called the prequel to The Shadow QueenandShalador's Lady. The book explains everything about the character's relatives, Greyhaven's past and leads up to this dualogy. This book introduces Lia, Jared, Blaed, and Thera and explains so much.
The Invisible Ring was not one of my favorite books when I first read this, because like many others, I had not read it until I finished the Black Jewels Trilogy, and after those excellent books, this one seemed like a bit of a let- down. However, now that I have read (and re-re-read) the series, this book seems to fit better and is a more enjoyable read. I loved The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady and re-read them at least yearly, but I have always stayed away from this book because I disliked it the first time I read it. I re-read it yesterday and found that I now can appreciate it so much more than I did the first reading.
The characters are not as well fleshed as the trilogy, but of course, that is because there is only one book to flesh them out, and this book takes place over a matter of days (weeks ? I can't be sure of the time-frame) not centuries! Jared can be seen as whining over his lot in life, but understanding the rest of the series will do much to explain this.
This book has an essential place in this series, but I am just not too sure that it should be read first as a prequel or even fourth as it had been listed in the series line-up/time-frame
October 23, 2018
I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I realised that The Invisible Ring is actually a prequel to the first 3 books in the Black Jewels series and is about a whole new set of characters that I don't remember being mentioned previously. I was excited to be back in this world but I love Jaenelle, Daemon, Lucivar and Saetan so much and was sad we weren't getting to spend more time with them. Having said that I still found myself really enjoying this story and we do get a few glimpses of Daemon that show how he was always trying to defy Dorothea in any way he could long before Jaenelle came along!
This story introduces us to Jared, a Red-Jewelled Warlord who has been kept as a pleasure slave thanks to the Ring of Obedience. He's already escaped once only to be recaptured and sold back into slavery so he is extremely unhappy to find himself being purchased by a Queen who is known to kill her slaves. The Gray Lady may have purchased Jared but it quickly becomes clear that not everything about her is what it first seems. Perhaps if Jared can look beyond the surface he'll find a Queen he is actually willing to bond himself to but with Dorothea trying to capture the Gray Lady and her entire party they have to find a way to work together if they want to survive.
This story wasn't quite as dark as the previous three, yes it's still a world where rape and torture is considered normal in certain circles (you can thank Dorothea and her like for that one!) but there are people who still respect the old ways and know that women and men have an equally important role to play in a happy and productive society. Just because some people have twisted the system doesn't mean everyone is like that but it can be very hard to know who can be trusted. I actually really enjoyed the chance to see what a real Queen should be like, one who will protect her people at any cost to herself and who wouldn't dream of hurting the people who depend on her. Jaenelle is the same but she started out as a damaged child and had to learn the old ways after being horrendously abused so it was a little different for her.
While this wasn't my favourite book in the series so far I'm glad I read it and I'm now excited to see what else Anne Bishop has in store for us and this world that she's created.
This story introduces us to Jared, a Red-Jewelled Warlord who has been kept as a pleasure slave thanks to the Ring of Obedience. He's already escaped once only to be recaptured and sold back into slavery so he is extremely unhappy to find himself being purchased by a Queen who is known to kill her slaves. The Gray Lady may have purchased Jared but it quickly becomes clear that not everything about her is what it first seems. Perhaps if Jared can look beyond the surface he'll find a Queen he is actually willing to bond himself to but with Dorothea trying to capture the Gray Lady and her entire party they have to find a way to work together if they want to survive.
This story wasn't quite as dark as the previous three, yes it's still a world where rape and torture is considered normal in certain circles (you can thank Dorothea and her like for that one!) but there are people who still respect the old ways and know that women and men have an equally important role to play in a happy and productive society. Just because some people have twisted the system doesn't mean everyone is like that but it can be very hard to know who can be trusted. I actually really enjoyed the chance to see what a real Queen should be like, one who will protect her people at any cost to herself and who wouldn't dream of hurting the people who depend on her. Jaenelle is the same but she started out as a damaged child and had to learn the old ways after being horrendously abused so it was a little different for her.
While this wasn't my favourite book in the series so far I'm glad I read it and I'm now excited to see what else Anne Bishop has in store for us and this world that she's created.
November 14, 2017
Good story line! We meet the Gray Lady who found a way to repel Dorothea! I was happy to see Daemon pulling strings!
July 16, 2012
Wonderful read. I have come to love the world Bishop has created. It took a bit to fully understand it, but I now love it. The characters in this book were great. Bishop has a way of creating a main character but still giving great value to her support characters. I loved the characters, main and support. The hero was great. Bishop did a wonderful job of taking a more average abled guy and making him a fantasizable hero. It's not hard to fall in love with a hero who is the best and greatest and strongest. Jared wasn't those things, but I totally forgot about what he wasn't, and fell in love with what he was. Lia was completely likable as a heroine. She was the main female character, but she didn't run the story. Jared was the focal and did a great job at it. The side characters were strong with good depth and connection to the reader. Sadi makes a couple token appearances, and it was nice to see him again. All that takes place in the novel happens before Witch is even born, so it's kinda backtracking in time from the original trilogy.
There was a plot to the book, but I really didn't care about it. I was too caught up in the characters and their lives. Basically Jared and the group are on the run from Dorothea and her Master of the Gaurd.
Bishop is a master. That is all I have to say.
There was a plot to the book, but I really didn't care about it. I was too caught up in the characters and their lives. Basically Jared and the group are on the run from Dorothea and her Master of the Gaurd.
Bishop is a master. That is all I have to say.
December 24, 2024
Oh man, I had forgotten most of this book.
I loved glimpses of current timeline characters and another view of males and witches.
Great prequel book to the series.
5 STars
I loved glimpses of current timeline characters and another view of males and witches.
Great prequel book to the series.
5 STars
May 2, 2024
This was an odd book for me, not exactly a prequel, though it occurs in the past {mostly prior to the first trilogy}, but does not really advances the arc-plot of the books. It mostly embellish or emboss some of the background for one of the antagonists with brief encounters of a future protagonist. It does not provide any new insights and I would not recommend to read it first. As a whole it was not an easy foray into the world and carried with it plenty of trigger warnings {slavery \ physical and mental abuse \ rape etc}.
June 8, 2015
ORIGINAL READ: 12 August, 2007 to 15 August, 2007 (9/10)
Jared, who has murdered his owner and attempted escape, is recaptured and sold to the mysterious Gray Lady. It soon becomes clear that Jared's new queen is not what she seems to be, and he joins with his fellow slaves--all of whom hide their own secrets--to protect the Gray Lady. During her desperate flight from Dorothea SaDiablo, the Black Widow intent on destroying her and claiming her territory, Jared comes to terms with his own demons and discovers what it means to be truly bonded to a queen.
Having loved Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy and Dreams Made Flesh, I naturally bought this book, set in the same universe. All the same, it's taken me a while to start reading it, partly to save up the pleasure and partly because I wasn't sure it would live up to the other Bishop books.
As the book began, I was afraid that it was the latter that was going to prove to be true. A good part of the beginning of the book is spent on Jared reflecting on his bad judgement, bad treamtment and probably terrible future. He's too busy being bitter and narrow minded to actually open his eyes and figure out what is really going on.
Fortunately, once we get past that, the story really takes off. This tale is set in the past relative to the main Black Jewels trilogy (and indeed, there is a brief nod to Jared in Queen of the Darkness, as Jaenelle's solution to her problem is in part pased on Lia's solution to the problem posed in this book). At this time Dorothea SaDiablo is still trying to gain influence over all of Terielle and she is shown as both ruthless and very dangerous, in a more active way than we saw in the other books, where she has already accomplished her goal and is resting on her laurels, so to speak. I found Dorothea to be a much more disturbing character in The Invisible Ring than in the Black Jewels trilogy, where she was a more complacent kind of evil.
I do like the world Bishop has created here and once again we are given the contrast between the corruption of the ways of the Blood that is being created by Dorothea and those who follow her, compared to those who keep the true ways and with it, balance and peace. The Gray Lady is a true Queen, keeping her territory under her protection and the balance of honor, power and love between her and the members of her court is maintained, much as Dorothea is trying to destroy it. She has raised Lia to be the same, and this is part of what drives Jared so crazy when he discovers Lia's deception.
Jared, despite his insistence that he's just a slave with no honour, is nothing of the kind, and as his true instincts reawaken after nine years of mistreatment, he does find himself battling himself more than Dorothea's schemes as he tries to find a proper balance within himself. He is the main protagonist of this book and the growth story is about him - as much as Lia is a lovely character, she doesn't change much beyond the normal developments time requires of us all. It is Jared who must battle his demons and Lia offers the support of a true queen and a caring woman that allows him to do this.
I couldn't decide if I found Jared's deliberate blindness to his own honour (and later, ability to love Lia) to be annoying or endearing, but I left the book in all charity with him, so I guess it was an amount of annoyance appropriate to the behaviour more than anything else. I did like the ending - that no magic hand waving could fix everything about him all at once and that he still had some work to do before he could change the silver invisible ring for gold.
I liked the metaphor of the title as well, although again, I think it took Jared a bit too long to figure it our considering that he wasn't really all that stupid. And it was great to see Daemon again (or, technically, previously) and to see his character as he endured his life while waiting for Janelle. The scene where Jared realises Daemon does love someone and Daemon agrees, but states that it is with a queen who has been promised but isn't yet born, was poignant and beautiful, made more so I think for having already read Daemon and Janelle's story.
So after a rocky start, this developed into a very satisfying story, told with Bishop's usual talent. I like Jared a lot - but I admit I still like Daemon and Jaenelle better. Sorry, Jared.
[Copied from LibraryThing.com]
REREAD #1: Finished 10 August, 2009 (10/10)
Jared, who has murdered his owner and attempted escape, is recaptured and sold to the mysterious Gray Lady. It soon becomes clear that Jared's new queen is not what she seems to be, and he joins with his fellow slaves--all of whom hide their own secrets--to protect the Gray Lady. During her desperate flight from Dorothea SaDiablo, the Black Widow intent on destroying her and claiming her territory, Jared comes to terms with his own demons and discovers what it means to be truly bonded to a queen.
Having loved Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy and Dreams Made Flesh, I naturally bought this book, set in the same universe. All the same, it's taken me a while to start reading it, partly to save up the pleasure and partly because I wasn't sure it would live up to the other Bishop books.
As the book began, I was afraid that it was the latter that was going to prove to be true. A good part of the beginning of the book is spent on Jared reflecting on his bad judgement, bad treamtment and probably terrible future. He's too busy being bitter and narrow minded to actually open his eyes and figure out what is really going on.
Fortunately, once we get past that, the story really takes off. This tale is set in the past relative to the main Black Jewels trilogy (and indeed, there is a brief nod to Jared in Queen of the Darkness, as Jaenelle's solution to her problem is in part pased on Lia's solution to the problem posed in this book). At this time Dorothea SaDiablo is still trying to gain influence over all of Terielle and she is shown as both ruthless and very dangerous, in a more active way than we saw in the other books, where she has already accomplished her goal and is resting on her laurels, so to speak. I found Dorothea to be a much more disturbing character in The Invisible Ring than in the Black Jewels trilogy, where she was a more complacent kind of evil.
I do like the world Bishop has created here and once again we are given the contrast between the corruption of the ways of the Blood that is being created by Dorothea and those who follow her, compared to those who keep the true ways and with it, balance and peace. The Gray Lady is a true Queen, keeping her territory under her protection and the balance of honor, power and love between her and the members of her court is maintained, much as Dorothea is trying to destroy it. She has raised Lia to be the same, and this is part of what drives Jared so crazy when he discovers Lia's deception.
Jared, despite his insistence that he's just a slave with no honour, is nothing of the kind, and as his true instincts reawaken after nine years of mistreatment, he does find himself battling himself more than Dorothea's schemes as he tries to find a proper balance within himself. He is the main protagonist of this book and the growth story is about him - as much as Lia is a lovely character, she doesn't change much beyond the normal developments time requires of us all. It is Jared who must battle his demons and Lia offers the support of a true queen and a caring woman that allows him to do this.
I couldn't decide if I found Jared's deliberate blindness to his own honour (and later, ability to love Lia) to be annoying or endearing, but I left the book in all charity with him, so I guess it was an amount of annoyance appropriate to the behaviour more than anything else. I did like the ending - that no magic hand waving could fix everything about him all at once and that he still had some work to do before he could change the silver invisible ring for gold.
I liked the metaphor of the title as well, although again, I think it took Jared a bit too long to figure it our considering that he wasn't really all that stupid. And it was great to see Daemon again (or, technically, previously) and to see his character as he endured his life while waiting for Janelle. The scene where Jared realises Daemon does love someone and Daemon agrees, but states that it is with a queen who has been promised but isn't yet born, was poignant and beautiful, made more so I think for having already read Daemon and Janelle's story.
So after a rocky start, this developed into a very satisfying story, told with Bishop's usual talent. I like Jared a lot - but I admit I still like Daemon and Jaenelle better. Sorry, Jared.
[Copied from LibraryThing.com]
REREAD #1: Finished 10 August, 2009 (10/10)
April 12, 2010
Cronologicamente este livro situa-se antes sequer do nascimento de Jaenelle.
No início deste volume deparamo-nos com um Senhor da Guerra de Jóia Vermelha disponível para venda num mercado de escravos. O seu destino mais certo são as minas de sal (onde o nosso Lucivar passou muitos anos da sua vida), um castigo por ter assassinado a rainha ao serviço da qual se encontrava como escrevo do prazer. Como já sabemos de outras narrativas, as rainhas que se submetem às vontades de Dorothea SaDiablo têm uma certa tendência para exagerar nas suas atitudes e adoram inferiorizar os demais e estas foram as razões que levaram Jared ao desespero. Embora convencido de que merece castigo e conformado com o seu destino, Jared apenas sonha com uma oportunidade de fuga, nem que por uns momentos, para poder falar a Reyna, a sua mãe. O aparecimento da Senhora Cinzenta, rainha de território que abertamente se declara opositora de Hayll, mulher temida e odiada, perseguida e condenada por Dorothea, vai frustrar-lhe os planos.
Imprevistos farão com que o que supostamente seria uma curta viagem de carruagem pelos ventos se transforme numa longa jornada por terra em que a Senhora Cinzenta e os escravos por si adquiridos terão que fazer algo mais que caminhar para poder alcançar o seu destino. Paralelamente, o novo Guarda-Mor da Dorothea vê-se cada vez mais na obrigação de conseguir levar a cabo a missão recusada pelo seu antecessor e por termo à vida da senhora cinzenta pois as ameaças que sobre si pendem são cada vez mais terríveis e mais credíveis. Contudo,no estranho grupo que acompanha a Senhora Cinzenta poucos são aquilo que parecem e as surpresas sucedem-se a cada curva da estrada.
Não é necessário falar da escrita revigorante da autora e do sui generis mundo por esta criado, os personagens obedecem às premissas de sempre tornando-se tão reais que por vezes nos parece que estão ali mesmo ao nosso lado. Gostei bastante da história e consegui compreender na perfeição os problemas e as motivações de Jared e Lia, contudo não me parece que este volume esteja à altura da afamada trilogia. Alguns personagens deviam, na minha opinião, ter sido muito mais desenvolvidos - como por exemplo Thera - a participação de Daemon Sadi e mesmo as relações entre alguns personagens ficaram muito aquém daquilo a que os fãs de Bishop estão habituados. Enfim, a fasquia está demasiado elevada e deve ser muitíssimo difícil manter um nível que agrade a todos os fãs. Mesmo não me tendo agradado tanto como os volumes que li anteriormente, voltar ao mundo dos Sangue vale sempre a pena e não posso deixar de recomendar a todos os fãs da trilogia das Jóias Negras.
No início deste volume deparamo-nos com um Senhor da Guerra de Jóia Vermelha disponível para venda num mercado de escravos. O seu destino mais certo são as minas de sal (onde o nosso Lucivar passou muitos anos da sua vida), um castigo por ter assassinado a rainha ao serviço da qual se encontrava como escrevo do prazer. Como já sabemos de outras narrativas, as rainhas que se submetem às vontades de Dorothea SaDiablo têm uma certa tendência para exagerar nas suas atitudes e adoram inferiorizar os demais e estas foram as razões que levaram Jared ao desespero. Embora convencido de que merece castigo e conformado com o seu destino, Jared apenas sonha com uma oportunidade de fuga, nem que por uns momentos, para poder falar a Reyna, a sua mãe. O aparecimento da Senhora Cinzenta, rainha de território que abertamente se declara opositora de Hayll, mulher temida e odiada, perseguida e condenada por Dorothea, vai frustrar-lhe os planos.
Imprevistos farão com que o que supostamente seria uma curta viagem de carruagem pelos ventos se transforme numa longa jornada por terra em que a Senhora Cinzenta e os escravos por si adquiridos terão que fazer algo mais que caminhar para poder alcançar o seu destino. Paralelamente, o novo Guarda-Mor da Dorothea vê-se cada vez mais na obrigação de conseguir levar a cabo a missão recusada pelo seu antecessor e por termo à vida da senhora cinzenta pois as ameaças que sobre si pendem são cada vez mais terríveis e mais credíveis. Contudo,no estranho grupo que acompanha a Senhora Cinzenta poucos são aquilo que parecem e as surpresas sucedem-se a cada curva da estrada.
Não é necessário falar da escrita revigorante da autora e do sui generis mundo por esta criado, os personagens obedecem às premissas de sempre tornando-se tão reais que por vezes nos parece que estão ali mesmo ao nosso lado. Gostei bastante da história e consegui compreender na perfeição os problemas e as motivações de Jared e Lia, contudo não me parece que este volume esteja à altura da afamada trilogia. Alguns personagens deviam, na minha opinião, ter sido muito mais desenvolvidos - como por exemplo Thera - a participação de Daemon Sadi e mesmo as relações entre alguns personagens ficaram muito aquém daquilo a que os fãs de Bishop estão habituados. Enfim, a fasquia está demasiado elevada e deve ser muitíssimo difícil manter um nível que agrade a todos os fãs. Mesmo não me tendo agradado tanto como os volumes que li anteriormente, voltar ao mundo dos Sangue vale sempre a pena e não posso deixar de recomendar a todos os fãs da trilogia das Jóias Negras.
April 22, 2013
Adicionado também em:
http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
Anel oculto é um livro isolado que no entanto tem ligações com a trilogia das jóias negras.
Bishop conta-nos aqui a história da vida de Jared, um Senhor da Guerra de jóia vermelha, que se está para venda no mercado de escravos, que tem lugar em terra de ninguém. No entanto o seu destino é sem duvida as minas de sal, pois é esse o castigo que merece por ter assassinado a rainha a que estava ao serviço.
Quase a terminar o leilão de escravos, Jared tem a sorte de ser comprado e salvo das minas do sal. Minas essas que ele preferia ir, do que trabalhar para a única rainha que o tinha comprado.
A Rainha Cinzenta, onde se diz que os escravos que entram nunca saem, era a única rainha que Jared desejava nunca vir a servir.
A viagem é longa e perigosa, e Jared, a rainha e outros escravos caminham em direcção ao seu território. Mas a tarefa não é nada fácil, e ninguém é o que parece.
Paralelamente, Dorothea SaDiablo tem um plano juntamente com um dos seus Senhores Da Guerra para destruir a Senhora Cinzenta, visto que o plano do ano passado não correu como ela desejava. O Senhor da Guerra vê-se obviamente na obrigação de não falhar neste plano, por muitas razões, mas a principal por o falhanço ser igual a sua morte.
Gostei de conhecer as novas personagens, Lia principalmente, e as crianças. Com um vislumbre do Daemon Sadi, que adorei rever, por ser uma personagem querida e que eu já conhecia. Thera, também foi uma personagem que achei muito forte se bem que deveria ser mais desenvolvida, mas talvez ache por ter gostado assim tanto dela.
Jared, a personagem principal, está bem construída, embora pense que a sua ligação a Lia deveria estar mais marcante, tal como acontece nos outros livros da trilogia. Não deixando de ser no entanto uma personagem que me cativou e que me deixou curiosa com o seu destino. Salientando uma vez mais a escrita fantástica e a imaginação que Anne Bishop tem, e que me conseguiu prender uma vez mais ao seu mundo.
Este livro, independente, tem acontecimentos anteriores a trilogia em si, até mesmo anterior ao nascimento da Jaenelle. Foi fabuloso entrar outra vez neste mundo que tanto me conquistou desde o inicio, este com novas personagens e todas elas diferentes e interessantes, com acontecimentos que nos revelam principalmente o porquê dos escravos que servem a Rainha Cinzenta nunca saírem do seu serviço.
http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
Anel oculto é um livro isolado que no entanto tem ligações com a trilogia das jóias negras.
Bishop conta-nos aqui a história da vida de Jared, um Senhor da Guerra de jóia vermelha, que se está para venda no mercado de escravos, que tem lugar em terra de ninguém. No entanto o seu destino é sem duvida as minas de sal, pois é esse o castigo que merece por ter assassinado a rainha a que estava ao serviço.
Quase a terminar o leilão de escravos, Jared tem a sorte de ser comprado e salvo das minas do sal. Minas essas que ele preferia ir, do que trabalhar para a única rainha que o tinha comprado.
A Rainha Cinzenta, onde se diz que os escravos que entram nunca saem, era a única rainha que Jared desejava nunca vir a servir.
A viagem é longa e perigosa, e Jared, a rainha e outros escravos caminham em direcção ao seu território. Mas a tarefa não é nada fácil, e ninguém é o que parece.
Paralelamente, Dorothea SaDiablo tem um plano juntamente com um dos seus Senhores Da Guerra para destruir a Senhora Cinzenta, visto que o plano do ano passado não correu como ela desejava. O Senhor da Guerra vê-se obviamente na obrigação de não falhar neste plano, por muitas razões, mas a principal por o falhanço ser igual a sua morte.
Gostei de conhecer as novas personagens, Lia principalmente, e as crianças. Com um vislumbre do Daemon Sadi, que adorei rever, por ser uma personagem querida e que eu já conhecia. Thera, também foi uma personagem que achei muito forte se bem que deveria ser mais desenvolvida, mas talvez ache por ter gostado assim tanto dela.
Jared, a personagem principal, está bem construída, embora pense que a sua ligação a Lia deveria estar mais marcante, tal como acontece nos outros livros da trilogia. Não deixando de ser no entanto uma personagem que me cativou e que me deixou curiosa com o seu destino. Salientando uma vez mais a escrita fantástica e a imaginação que Anne Bishop tem, e que me conseguiu prender uma vez mais ao seu mundo.
Este livro, independente, tem acontecimentos anteriores a trilogia em si, até mesmo anterior ao nascimento da Jaenelle. Foi fabuloso entrar outra vez neste mundo que tanto me conquistou desde o inicio, este com novas personagens e todas elas diferentes e interessantes, com acontecimentos que nos revelam principalmente o porquê dos escravos que servem a Rainha Cinzenta nunca saírem do seu serviço.
February 12, 2021
Captivating Story
I think this is one of my favourite books of the Black Jewels series. This book is set in the centuries before the first trilogy, when Dorothea is still in the process of taking over Tereille. It tells a tale of corruption, the descent into evil and those that are determined to follow the old ways and stand up to the taint that flows through the realm from Hayll.
Told mainly from Jared’s point of view this is a story of a pleasure slave, who should be a red jewelled warlord prince. He was tricked into slavery by a beautiful priestess when he was 18 years old. The warlord part of him finally snapped and he killed the Queen who owned him. He was to be sold to work in the salt mines of Pruul until he probably early death.
Jared is bought by infamous Grey Lady, one of the last hold outs against Dorothea as she has a darker jewel. The Grey Lady has a terrible and terrifying reputation as everyone knows that once a slave enters her kingdom he/she is never seen again.
Jared is filled with rage, despair, regret and guilt for all he has become, which is a mockery of the man his father taught him to be, and the man his mother would want him to be.
This is a subtly woven story as we see the slaves become more than they thought they had become. The author is very clever in how she peels back the layers of the characters on their journey through their interaction and Jared’s internal monologue. He’s a wonderfully complex character filled with darkness and torment that he finds himself digging his way out of, almost despite himself.
This book reveals so much about the nuances of a Queen’s Court that wasn’t necessarily covered in the initial trilogy. It’s more about the Queen’s relationship with the land and the people and how that relationship is corrupted by Dorothea and how she has twisted the relationships between the men and women of the realm.
It’s a masterful book and I read it with joy each time. I don’t think I’ll ever grown tired of it.
I think this is one of my favourite books of the Black Jewels series. This book is set in the centuries before the first trilogy, when Dorothea is still in the process of taking over Tereille. It tells a tale of corruption, the descent into evil and those that are determined to follow the old ways and stand up to the taint that flows through the realm from Hayll.
Told mainly from Jared’s point of view this is a story of a pleasure slave, who should be a red jewelled warlord prince. He was tricked into slavery by a beautiful priestess when he was 18 years old. The warlord part of him finally snapped and he killed the Queen who owned him. He was to be sold to work in the salt mines of Pruul until he probably early death.
Jared is bought by infamous Grey Lady, one of the last hold outs against Dorothea as she has a darker jewel. The Grey Lady has a terrible and terrifying reputation as everyone knows that once a slave enters her kingdom he/she is never seen again.
Jared is filled with rage, despair, regret and guilt for all he has become, which is a mockery of the man his father taught him to be, and the man his mother would want him to be.
This is a subtly woven story as we see the slaves become more than they thought they had become. The author is very clever in how she peels back the layers of the characters on their journey through their interaction and Jared’s internal monologue. He’s a wonderfully complex character filled with darkness and torment that he finds himself digging his way out of, almost despite himself.
This book reveals so much about the nuances of a Queen’s Court that wasn’t necessarily covered in the initial trilogy. It’s more about the Queen’s relationship with the land and the people and how that relationship is corrupted by Dorothea and how she has twisted the relationships between the men and women of the realm.
It’s a masterful book and I read it with joy each time. I don’t think I’ll ever grown tired of it.
March 1, 2009
Este livro é mais uma incursão pelo mundo fictício criado pela Anne Bishop e que nos foi dado a conhecer na Trilogia das Jóias Negras. A história de "Anel Oculto" decorre antes da trilogia e temos alguns vislumbres de personagens já conhecidas, com destaque para uma breve mas marcante presença de Daemon. Este livro acompanha Jared, um escravo portador da Jóia Vermelha e escravo, que se vê envolvido numa luta pelo poder entre duas Rainhas dos Sangue.
A opinião final é positiva; ainda assim, de todos os livros da Anne Bishop que li, este foi o que gostei menos. Principalmente porque tive a sensação que houve algum "enche-chouriço" pelo meio. O livro custa a arrancar e só se começa a tornar mais interessante a partir do momento em que é feita uma revelação importante acerca da identidade de uma das personagens. Apesar disso, acho que faltou um dos grandes trunfos dos livros da Anne Bishop que li anteriormente: personagens fortes e marcantes que criem um grande ligação com o leitor. Os momentos altos do livro são sem dúvida as aparições de Daemon... e deixam água na boca para a releitura da Trilogia. Pena o tempo ser tão pouco!
A opinião final é positiva; ainda assim, de todos os livros da Anne Bishop que li, este foi o que gostei menos. Principalmente porque tive a sensação que houve algum "enche-chouriço" pelo meio. O livro custa a arrancar e só se começa a tornar mais interessante a partir do momento em que é feita uma revelação importante acerca da identidade de uma das personagens. Apesar disso, acho que faltou um dos grandes trunfos dos livros da Anne Bishop que li anteriormente: personagens fortes e marcantes que criem um grande ligação com o leitor. Os momentos altos do livro são sem dúvida as aparições de Daemon... e deixam água na boca para a releitura da Trilogia. Pena o tempo ser tão pouco!
April 19, 2022
The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
This book is labelled at book four in Black Jewels series but actually is a prequel to the arrival of Jaenelle.
This book is based on a Red Jewelled Prince Jared who at a young age was forced to wear the Ring of Obedience and sold as a pleasure slave. On his journey he meet Daemon in a court and he shows him everything he needs to know about being a pleasure slave.
Jared is put into the slave auction after killing the Queen that owned him but also mistreated him.
No one want a Queen killing pleasure slave so just before the bell ring for end of trading a powerful Grey Jewelled Queen buys him and now he has to figure out how to escape and make it back home in one piece.
I absolutely loved this story that easily could be a standalone but I feel you appreciate it more knowing that Daemon kept fighting well before Jaenelle was born and became Witch.
Great twists in book that keeps you guessing and really love that the ending isn’t as straight forward as you like.
This book is labelled at book four in Black Jewels series but actually is a prequel to the arrival of Jaenelle.
This book is based on a Red Jewelled Prince Jared who at a young age was forced to wear the Ring of Obedience and sold as a pleasure slave. On his journey he meet Daemon in a court and he shows him everything he needs to know about being a pleasure slave.
Jared is put into the slave auction after killing the Queen that owned him but also mistreated him.
No one want a Queen killing pleasure slave so just before the bell ring for end of trading a powerful Grey Jewelled Queen buys him and now he has to figure out how to escape and make it back home in one piece.
I absolutely loved this story that easily could be a standalone but I feel you appreciate it more knowing that Daemon kept fighting well before Jaenelle was born and became Witch.
Great twists in book that keeps you guessing and really love that the ending isn’t as straight forward as you like.
May 18, 2016
Ah, good old Anne Bishop. You are as dependable as the day is long. I knew I could count on you for a nostalgia-inducing dose of male posturing, cheesy behavior/terminology/one-liners, and drama overload.
Just what I needed after a stressful work week (and it's only Wednesday).
Just what I needed after a stressful work week (and it's only Wednesday).
February 2, 2009
Good book as a stand-alone, but I was a little disappointed when I found that the main characters of the trilogy were missing.
August 7, 2021
This one just doesn't work for me as well as most Bishop books. Too focused in the perspective of a character I don't like that much I guess.
October 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, maybe the most of all the Jewels novels. A lot of that is because there aren't so many povs and you get a better sense of the characters.
April 6, 2023
The Black Jewels series happens to be a favorite. But out of all the stories in the series, this is my least favorite of them. That's not to say it's a horrible book, but that it could have been better both in the story telling and in the writing techniques. Won't stop me from reading it for the umpteenth time seeing as it is part of the Black Jewels Universe, filling in some of the details of one other book and supporting the story in two others. So, of course I choose to read the whole series in chronological order.
Can this book be read on its own? Yes. But on its own, it doesn't have quite the same ring (no pun intended) or feel as the rest of the series. Can the rest of the series be read without it? ... Also yes, but also the books like The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady might make a little less sense. If one does read it as part of the series and goes chronologically (except for two stories in Dreams Made Flesh), this would be book #1.
There's some weird inconsistency in what Bishop chooses to give detail to versus what she chooses to be vague on. And it can be way too much detail or way too vague. Also can't help notice certain concrete associations of gender and attraction level to how benevolent or malevolent they are. The main protagonists are... emo (the main antagonist is pretty whiny as well), which might chafe a bit on the readers nerves. There are times when the author puts in an insinuation that's more of an inside joke, and I'm not sure if me not getting it without re-reading it several times is poor writing or goes back to being neurodivergent. There is a bouncing back and forth between the perspective of two characters, and the chapter breaks are determined by which character is on display until the last few chapters... which made several of the chapters really long and several of them as short as half a page.
But the portrayal of tenderness, like in all of the rest of the series, is an incredibly beautiful experience. Not merely the tenderness of lovers or potential lovers, but of blood family, found family, and dear friends. The magic mirrors what many think of as witchcraft. The alternate perspective of masculine vs feminine is one that sparks questions or inspiration, a different point of view. It's binary, but there's a new type of respect for true masculine and feminine nature, and a new view on how it can be twisted towards malevolence. And a concise definition of the difference between service and slavery.
So... though it has it's flaws, it does have its strengths and carries its own weight in supporting the series' forward momentum and substance. I would recommend this book with caution, as with all the others in this series (reason below), but in some ways the triggering details are lighter and less frequent as the bulk of the series is known for.
Note: I cannot stress content warnings enough for the list of potentially triggering and "Not Safe For Children" material throughout this tale. Slavery and bodily mutilation being only a couple examples (of the content I'm willing to mention publicly). So please do approach with caution if you've never read this or any of the Black Jewels books before.
Can this book be read on its own? Yes. But on its own, it doesn't have quite the same ring (no pun intended) or feel as the rest of the series. Can the rest of the series be read without it? ... Also yes, but also the books like The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady might make a little less sense. If one does read it as part of the series and goes chronologically (except for two stories in Dreams Made Flesh), this would be book #1.
There's some weird inconsistency in what Bishop chooses to give detail to versus what she chooses to be vague on. And it can be way too much detail or way too vague. Also can't help notice certain concrete associations of gender and attraction level to how benevolent or malevolent they are. The main protagonists are... emo (the main antagonist is pretty whiny as well), which might chafe a bit on the readers nerves. There are times when the author puts in an insinuation that's more of an inside joke, and I'm not sure if me not getting it without re-reading it several times is poor writing or goes back to being neurodivergent. There is a bouncing back and forth between the perspective of two characters, and the chapter breaks are determined by which character is on display until the last few chapters... which made several of the chapters really long and several of them as short as half a page.
But the portrayal of tenderness, like in all of the rest of the series, is an incredibly beautiful experience. Not merely the tenderness of lovers or potential lovers, but of blood family, found family, and dear friends. The magic mirrors what many think of as witchcraft. The alternate perspective of masculine vs feminine is one that sparks questions or inspiration, a different point of view. It's binary, but there's a new type of respect for true masculine and feminine nature, and a new view on how it can be twisted towards malevolence. And a concise definition of the difference between service and slavery.
So... though it has it's flaws, it does have its strengths and carries its own weight in supporting the series' forward momentum and substance. I would recommend this book with caution, as with all the others in this series (reason below), but in some ways the triggering details are lighter and less frequent as the bulk of the series is known for.
Note: I cannot stress content warnings enough for the list of potentially triggering and "Not Safe For Children" material throughout this tale. Slavery and bodily mutilation being only a couple examples (of the content I'm willing to mention publicly). So please do approach with caution if you've never read this or any of the Black Jewels books before.
July 9, 2017
Por mais voltas que dê com outros autores e outros géneros, o meu coração regressa sempre a Anne Bishop. E com Anel Oculto, voltei - mais uma vez - ao mundo das Jóias Negras, onde a dark fantasy é levada ao máximo do seu esplendor.
Este é um livro passado antes dos primeiros três volumes desta trilogia, ainda antes de Jannele nascer e quando Daemon ainda era O Sádico, um escravo do prazer ao serviço de Dorothea SaDiablo e quando esta ainda não se sentia ameaçada pela Feiticeira e portanto muito antes d´Aliança das Trevas.
Fico sempre maravilhada com a capacidade de Anne Bishop nos entreter com os mundos que cria, com as suas personagens tão bem estruturadas, numa escrita sempre revigorante, atenta aos pormenores. Nesta série das Jóias Negras temos um mundo muito sui generis, bastante complexo mas que se torna simples de entender porque, afinal, ninguém cria mundos nem ninguém escreve com a qualidade de Anne Bishop.
Este é um livro passado antes dos primeiros três volumes desta trilogia, ainda antes de Jannele nascer e quando Daemon ainda era O Sádico, um escravo do prazer ao serviço de Dorothea SaDiablo e quando esta ainda não se sentia ameaçada pela Feiticeira e portanto muito antes d´Aliança das Trevas.
Fico sempre maravilhada com a capacidade de Anne Bishop nos entreter com os mundos que cria, com as suas personagens tão bem estruturadas, numa escrita sempre revigorante, atenta aos pormenores. Nesta série das Jóias Negras temos um mundo muito sui generis, bastante complexo mas que se torna simples de entender porque, afinal, ninguém cria mundos nem ninguém escreve com a qualidade de Anne Bishop.
March 23, 2020
I own the paperback of this book but I was binging Anne Bishop online with my library's ebook program when I re-read this one.
I love this series and the world(s) it's set in. But while I got into the protagonist's mind, I didn't have as deep a connection with the Lady. Sometimes it was a bit convoluted even though I was able to catch up eventually with the twists and turns.
I probably should have read this one in order to keep up.
I love this series and the world(s) it's set in. But while I got into the protagonist's mind, I didn't have as deep a connection with the Lady. Sometimes it was a bit convoluted even though I was able to catch up eventually with the twists and turns.
I probably should have read this one in order to keep up.
March 15, 2020
Absolutely glorious. I loved every page. It started with my dear Daemon making an appearance in the beginning and the ending, and it spread as I was reading the adventures of a male trying to understand the female mind, all while playing a deadly game of cat and mice.
I was also impressed by how this book was tied to the trilogy. Absolutely brilliant.
I was also impressed by how this book was tied to the trilogy. Absolutely brilliant.
November 9, 2021
Sweet and rewarding.
There is good in the world... for some.. and not for others. Some are incapable of understanding. We shall see what the next book brings us. I can't wait
There is good in the world... for some.. and not for others. Some are incapable of understanding. We shall see what the next book brings us. I can't wait
March 30, 2024
I really liked this one.
February 9, 2020
3.5 Stars
May 9, 2021
Oregon trail meets cock rings
April 19, 2025
Interesting backstory but that’s all.
September 19, 2011
Jared is one of the more powerful members of the Blood, the vaguely aristocratic magic-wielding rulers of the lands he lives in. After a life-alteringly bad choice in his teens, Jared has become a pleasure slave for the Queens and Witches of Hayll. After nine years of bowing to sadistic whims, he does something that has him headed for a short, brutal life in the salt mines unless some fool decides to buy him at the semi-annual slave market.
Enter The Gray Lady. She is one of the few Queens that has refused to bow to the demands of affiliation from Hayll's Queen. The Gray Lady sees that the balance of power has shifted dangerously in Hayll. The Queens who are meant to care for their people and their land are instead abusing both. The males who are meant to protect the female Blood are instead breaking the stronger of them in order to eliminate competition for the leaders. Hayll's Queen wants The Gray Lady assassinated.
The Gray Lady buys Jared and a handful of other cast-off slaves at the slave market. She then makes some puzzling choices. Instead of putting everyone in a coach and riding the Winds home, a trip of hours, she buys a cart and heads over land, a journey of days, if not weeks. On the journey, the group faces many dangers together and starts to feel a confusing loyalty to their new owner. Jared is the most torn of all. As a pleasure slave, he has had more than his fill of women, so why is he attracted to this Lady who is old enough to be his grandmother?
I might be finished with this series. I loved the first one and liked the next two, but now that new characters are taking center stage, I'm starting to feel like everyone is too much alike. Some characters overlap between books, but even the new ones fit a mold. The evil women are insanely manipulative and creatively violent. The evil men are terrified of the evil women and so carry out their most vile schemes. The good guys are gorgeous and exquisitely skilled in bed. They're also overly attentive to their ladies' every mood. The good ladies have no concept of self-preservation, snap and snarl at the least provocation, and are fabulous leaders. So now that I've actually noticed that, I think the charm of the books has worn off.
This story was kind of more of the same. Jared is no Lucivar and certainly no Daemon (although Daemon does make an appearance, these are his pre-Jaenelle days and he is very much the Sadist). He's a bit of an idiot. It took him forever to realize some stuff that's pretty obvious from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, there were some surprises, but I wasn't as consistently surprised as Jared was.
The plot just felt like it was wandering around. They nearly miss an ambush, there's some soul searching and some romantic tension, some traveling, another ambush, another near-miss, some more soul searching... You get the idea.
I did finally get caught up in the story toward the very end, when the final confrontation actually happens. I wasn't sure how things were going to work out. I also have to say that I liked that Jared wasn't perfect. Daemon and Lucivar are damaged in their own ways in the earlier books in the series, but they seem to get over it pretty quickly. Jared has to face his demons and either get over them or live a haunted life.
I don't know what happened to me this time around to bring the faults to my attention. Other fans of the series will probably like this book more than I did.
Enter The Gray Lady. She is one of the few Queens that has refused to bow to the demands of affiliation from Hayll's Queen. The Gray Lady sees that the balance of power has shifted dangerously in Hayll. The Queens who are meant to care for their people and their land are instead abusing both. The males who are meant to protect the female Blood are instead breaking the stronger of them in order to eliminate competition for the leaders. Hayll's Queen wants The Gray Lady assassinated.
The Gray Lady buys Jared and a handful of other cast-off slaves at the slave market. She then makes some puzzling choices. Instead of putting everyone in a coach and riding the Winds home, a trip of hours, she buys a cart and heads over land, a journey of days, if not weeks. On the journey, the group faces many dangers together and starts to feel a confusing loyalty to their new owner. Jared is the most torn of all. As a pleasure slave, he has had more than his fill of women, so why is he attracted to this Lady who is old enough to be his grandmother?
I might be finished with this series. I loved the first one and liked the next two, but now that new characters are taking center stage, I'm starting to feel like everyone is too much alike. Some characters overlap between books, but even the new ones fit a mold. The evil women are insanely manipulative and creatively violent. The evil men are terrified of the evil women and so carry out their most vile schemes. The good guys are gorgeous and exquisitely skilled in bed. They're also overly attentive to their ladies' every mood. The good ladies have no concept of self-preservation, snap and snarl at the least provocation, and are fabulous leaders. So now that I've actually noticed that, I think the charm of the books has worn off.
This story was kind of more of the same. Jared is no Lucivar and certainly no Daemon (although Daemon does make an appearance, these are his pre-Jaenelle days and he is very much the Sadist). He's a bit of an idiot. It took him forever to realize some stuff that's pretty obvious from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, there were some surprises, but I wasn't as consistently surprised as Jared was.
The plot just felt like it was wandering around. They nearly miss an ambush, there's some soul searching and some romantic tension, some traveling, another ambush, another near-miss, some more soul searching... You get the idea.
I did finally get caught up in the story toward the very end, when the final confrontation actually happens. I wasn't sure how things were going to work out. I also have to say that I liked that Jared wasn't perfect. Daemon and Lucivar are damaged in their own ways in the earlier books in the series, but they seem to get over it pretty quickly. Jared has to face his demons and either get over them or live a haunted life.
I don't know what happened to me this time around to bring the faults to my attention. Other fans of the series will probably like this book more than I did.
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