"A great trilogy! Recommend you get all three!"

Ages before there was a prophecy. A girl would come, a woman who would wreak havoc across the realms, who would be more than Blood, more than just witch-she would be dreams made flesh, the Queen of Darkness. Centuries after the fateful prophecy is made, the Realms hover on the brink of madness. The Blood witches have become cruel and hateful, the Blood males little more than fodder beneath their heels. Among the sadistic wander two males, strong and unbroken. Men who heard the prophecy and are living only for the arrival of a witch that, it seems more and more likely, they will not live to see. Daemon Sadi, known as the Sadist, makes no secret of the fact he despises the woman who holds him. Bound with a Ring of Obedience, he cannot escape evil, scheming Dorothea forever. but where her fear hinders her, his hatred pushes him onward. Death follows in his wake, and none but he know the hunger deep in his soul for a witch he's never met. Proud Lucivar Yaslana lives in captivity, too, though his is more torturous. Half-Eyrien, he belongs in the skies, not chained at the command of some witless woman. Brother to Daemon, he too has survived only because he thinks of the changes that, it has been promised, will come in his lifetime.

In the midst of despair comes a small girl-child, a being of enchanting mystery. Young, untaught, her power is such that she can leap from Realm to Realm, unthinking. She travels from Territory to Territory, from the land of the living to the land of the dead, and leaves friends wherever she goes. Could this be the witch that so many have waited for so faithfully? Truth is held secret, and as the dark story is told a chilling tale unfolds. Evil is stalking young Jaenelle, evil that she cannot fight, and will not allow others to see. Could the last, best hope of all the Realms be destroyed before she is even full grown?

DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD is the first volume in Anne Bishop's acclaimed Black Jewels trilogy, the beginning of a dark story of death, pain, abuse and, ultimately, hope. It is also a hauntingly tragic story of a land and people on the brink of destruction and despair. Bishop's prose is beautifully rich and evocative, and her world-building nothing less than spectacular. The caste-dependant world of the Blood is easily understandable and wonderfully depicted. Characterization is phenomenal-Jaenelle and her friends and teachers don't simply live on the page, but reach beyond it. Romance readers will find of particular interest the cultural bond between a Blood female and Blood males-bonds of duty and protection, though in this volume such bonds are mostly perverted. There is also a strong romance between Jaenelle and Daemon, but it remains (mostly) unfulfilled at the end of the volume. Funny, witty, and fantastically compelling, DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD is a treat for any fantasy reader and is an especially scrumptious diversion if you like your fantasy with a bit of romance in it.

One suggestion, though: if you're going to read the trilogy, my strongest suggestion would be to hunt down all three at once, so that you're not waiting for the next volume's arrival.

NOTE: DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD, like its sequels, contains scenes and depictions that sensitive readers might find might objectionable, including but not limited to child abuse, torture and graphic death scenes. Bishop also flirts with a child-adult romance, which may disturb some readers.

Reviewed by Ann Leveille
Posted April 2, 2004