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    Queen of the Darkness
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    Queen of the Darkness
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    Queen of the Darkness
    Audiobook17 hours

    Queen of the Darkness

    Written by Anne Bishop

    Narrated by John Sharian

    5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Jaenelle Angelline now reigns as Queen-protector of the Shadow Realm. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one chapter ends, a final, unseen battle remains to be written, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible power that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all. Even so, she cannot stand alone. Somewhere, long lost in madness, is Daemon, her promised Consort. Only his unyielding love can complete her Court and secure her reign. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to hold back the most malevolent of forces.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 2, 2007
    ISBN9781101079751
    Unavailable
    Queen of the Darkness
    Author

    Anne Bishop

    Anne Bishop is the bestselling author of the Black Jewels series, the Tir Alainn Trilogy and the Landscapes of Ephemera series. Her novels are published in Australia, Germany, the UK and Portugal, as well as the United States. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading and music.

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    Reviews for Queen of the Darkness

    5/5

    31 ratings27 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Jeanelle has made her Offering to the Darkness and accepted her fate to rule as Queen and protector of the Shadow Realm. The taint from Terrielle continues to spread. Even Witch cannot stop it alone. Somewhere, lost in the madness of the Twisted Kingdom, is Daemon, her promised Consort. Yet even their combined strength may not be enough to secure the Realms from their enemies. A final sacrifice must be made for Jeanelle to save the Realms and her loved ones and to cleanse the Blood.Queen of the Darkness is the third in the Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop. The final installment picks up 5 years where the second book leaves off. War is brewing. Hekatah and Dorothea's scheming knows no bounds and won't stop until all the Realms are brought under their rule or are left in ruins. All of the main characters arcs are nearly done. Jeanelle has transitioned from a young, shy, unsure girl into a confident and powerful young woman. She rules in Kaeleer with her court full of powerful Queens, Warlords and Kindred. Jeanelle feels keenly the responsibility she has shouldered, that she never wanted, to take care of the Blood and the land. Saetan has settled into his role as family patriarch and court Steward. Luciver, freed from the corruption and slavery he was trapped in, has found peace in his life. He has become a loving husband, doting father and his joy comes through on the page. He has also accepted his role as the Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih and takes his duties very serious. And then there's Daemon. Lost in the Twisted Kingdom he has finally started to find his way out and is faced with the challenge of finding out exactly what happened that night seven years ago. He still has a long way to go and I don't want to say too much more for fear of major plot spoilers.This was the most emotional of the three books for me. To see the characters fight so hard for happiness, get to taste it for a moment and then have it ripped away was heartbreaking. It is a dark fantasy series so there is some collateral damage expected. Bishop doesn't pull any punches.The action is fast paced and the gore factor is higher in this book than the last. The final 100 pages of the book were hard to put down. The only draw back in this series in general, and why I can't give any of the books five stars, is the repetitive descriptors that Bishop uses. You get "sapphire voice" and characters "snarling" at each other constantly. It was particularly bad in the second book and still there, but less glaring, in the third.I thoroughly enjoyed my return to the Black Jewels trilogy. Bishop has gone on to write other stories in the Black Jewels world, but the trilogy is where it's at for me. I know I will return again some day when I need that dark fantasy fix that is unique to Bishop's writing.
    • 5/5
      Best book ever!
    • 5/5
      Queen of the Darkness is the culmination of the Black Jewels trilogy (though there are more books in the series, they're mostly standalone), and the best (by a hair). Jaenelle and Daemon are finally reunited and must face the final confrontation against the tainted Blood.This is such a wonderful series. I'm in the process of rereading it once again though I did read each book as it came out and over and over again. This series is one of my 'comfort' series that I read to take me away from the worries of real life. Every time I read it, I find something new. The worldbuilding is complex and detailed - I just love everything Ms. Bishop writes.
    • 4/5
      Probably the weakest out of the three books, plot wise. But I loved the interaction between Daemon, Lucivar and their father. Janelle was always a side character for me, with these three as the main protagonists. I preferred seeing the story through their eyes. I really liked how much history was between the brothers. I kind of wish there was a story just detailing their history. I would be all over that. But as for their interactions with all the other characters - there was a lot left to be desired. There was still that confusing undertone of things not being explained well enough. However, there was a prequel to this series that I haven't read so it's possible I missed some crucial information before diving into this series. Overall, I was highly entertained by this series I will be continuing with some of the follow up stories, but later. I need a break from these characters for a little bit, to allow the story to process a little more. But I'll be back for sure.
    • 5/5
      In Book 3 of the Black Jewels Trilogy, The two evil Witches who have wreaked so much havoc in all their lives, Hekatah and Dorthea, continue their scheming to bring down Janelle, the once and future Queen of the Blood, and her kingdom.Daemon has returned and is finally united with Janelle, as well as her brother Lucivar and all the powerful friends she’s made along the way- including the magical creatures who only bow to her.The book ends with one climatic battle, fought mostly in the psychic realm of webs and dreams- but not until she almost loses all she holds dear, including the belief and trust of her family, friends and subjects.This series is just fantastic. If you love high fantasy and intrigue you’ll be hooked just like so many other of us who’ve picked up this series.5 out of 5 for Queen of the Darkness and for the entire series!
    • 5/5
      The final book of the Black Jewels Trilogy picks up about five years after the previous one ended and takes us through the final confrontation between Kaeleer and Terreille.This was a wonderful end to the trilogy. It's rather more plot-focused than the past two, but that's to be expected, given all the stuff Bishop needs to wrap up. Still, there are so many moments between the characters that I was more than satisfied. This was an awesome series, full of fantastic characters who move through an engaging setting. Add in more than a few familial issues and a whole bunch of heart-stomping scenes and I am sold.It's also hella readable. It's been a long time since I came across an author I could just whip on through. Bishop's prose is simple and straightforward and, most importantly, it never get in the way of the story. It's not flashy or intricate, and it's certainly not the sort of work that makes you stop and take notice. It's not the greatest writing out there, but the story is so wonderful that I really don't care.I most definitely recommend this entire trilogy. I had a fantastic time with the lot of them. I ran out and acquired DREAMS MADE FLESH, TANGLED WEBS and THE INVISIBLE RING before I'd even finished this one. I'd advise you to have them on hand before you even start. You're gonna want more in the worst possible way.(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina).
    • 5/5
      If you've completed books one and two, just start reading this one now 'cause it's a good conclusion to the series.It's less "stressful" than books one and two because it's more about the characters finding themselves and their places than about defeating the evil in the world (though there is that too).The webs are all tied off in the end and the story is wrapped up in a satisfactory manner. I see that there are other books in the series now, but I assume that they're mostly filler books, or following new characters because this trilogy is complete within itself.Overall a very satisfying dark fantasy with very little sex but some very mature themes.
    • 5/5
      This epic conclusion to the first three books in the Black Jewels series begins with Jaenelle Queen of the Shadow Realm. But the ancient enemies - Dark Priestesses Dorothea and Hekatah though greatly damaged by previous attempts to kill or capture Jaenelle - are not ready to give up their cause as lost. They are more then willing to manipulate the kingdoms into war.Jaenelle is a Black Widow. She has seen that war will bring a total destruction of the Blood. She will do anything to keep her kingdom and her people safe. And "anything" includes giving her own life to keep her people safe. Of course, none of her Sisters or Blood Princes want this. None of her court want to do anything to endanger her. They don't see why Jaenelle is so opposed to war. Wars have been fought before and the Blood has survived.Jaenelle and Daemon are also finally together but both are so worried about hurting the other that their courtship isn't going very well. Daemon's brother and the other warlords at the court find this much more amusing than Daemon does given that Daemon spend many years as a pleasure slave and should know what he is doing. The problem is that he has never been in love before. Jaenelle is coming from the same lack of experience. After being violently raped at twelve, normal teenage experimentation with romance wasn't part of her adolescence.This is a story that has great relationships. With Lucivar and Daemon back together in the court, they have a chance to work as brothers if they can just forgive each other and themselves for the wrongs they did each other. And Saetan is glad to have his sons in the court though they, especially Daemon, have grown to be men he isn't at all sure he understands. Jaenelle's relationships with her fellow Queens and with the kindred add depth to the story.Fans of Dark Fantasy will enjoy this story and this trilogy. The writing and storytelling were engaging and kept me reading late into the night.
    • 5/5
      I got sucked so hard into this series that I ended up reading books two and three in an afternoon. I think that says something on its own. I gave up a whole day to this, rather than the hour or two I like to devote to reading.

      It's funny, too, because the style of the series really annoys the heck out of me. I love the darkness of it -- and I don't mean that it's set in hell with demons and witches and whatever. The author really does deal with some incredibly dark issues, and that tends to fascinate me. Add into that the fact that the author is alarmingly good at making me laugh out loud at silly things.

      I think the thing that gets me about things is how completely off-the-scale everything ends up being. I mean, the author sets her own scale and immediately broke it. And then broke it again. And then broke the broken break. And the time-spans involved! The author doesn't have anything against having someone be alive 50,000 years ago, or something happening 1,700 years ago, or whatever. It's unreal. I honestly wish she had taken a zero off of everything, just to make it a little more palatable.

      Magic seems absolutely limitless; it really doesn't feel like there's any rules at all to Jaenelle's magic, like she's capable of absolutely anything.

      The characters lack depth: the villains have nothing to redeem themselves, and there are hundreds if not thousands of people that fall into the category of totally, purely evil. The good guys are purely good, sometimes bumbling, often opinionated and full of knowing looks. I really think the only two characters that were fully developed were Jaenelle and Daemon, though by the end of book three I could add in Karla and Surreal.

      And, and. Naming conventions. Really. Gah. Ugh. It's a truly amazing horde of hokey names: Saetan, Daemon, Lucivar, Cassandra, SaDiablo, Hayll, Hepsabah, Hekatah... the list goes on... and the rings of obedience? The hokey was nearly overpowering.

      Yet, despite all that, I did enjoy this quite a bit. Your mileage may vary.
    • 5/5
      I loved this satisfying conclusion to the end of this trilogy. Jaenelle has grown (and healed), into a strong, self-confident woman...except when it comes to Daemon (who is finally sane again, and able to be her lover), who has been waiting for her almost her whole life. This story--and really the whole series--is filled with laugh-out-loud humor, and dark themes, but the end is satisfying and worth it.
    • 4/5
      Look, I like the plot that runs through these 3 books, but really the author needs to find words other than 'snarled', 'growled' and 'tartly'. I found the extremes of emotion unwarranted and unrealistic, all the characters seem on the edge all the time. And I'm not overly sure about the underlying messages about gender. I don't think they are particularly coherent or completely thought through. But it is a rollicking good story.
    • 5/5
      I love these books, really! I like the intricacy of the world and the magic, the darkness of it, and most of all the characters. In this book, Daemon Sadi was my favorite. I liked how Jaenelle's territories are introduced to the newcomers. And when things get tense, I really liked how dark Daemon got. The ending could have been a bit more extensive for me. Instead of a lot of worrying if everything is going to be ok, I would have liked an account of the final 'battle' from Jaenelle's point of view, and perhaps a bit more detail about where it's going from there. But perhaps that is saved for one of the next books... Overall well worth five stars!
    • 5/5
      This is the last book in the Black Jewels Trilogy and it was satisfying. A nice conclusion to the story. I liked where it went with the characters and with they way they feel about each other in the end. I would recommend this trilogy to friends. Sexy and Inventive, just what I like.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful. Lavish. Stunning.I just can't find the words to describe that emotional surge and hopeless dreaming Anne Bishop has inspired in me.This dark fantasy has taken over my life during the time I was reading it. Even knowing that the fantasy would end sooner, I couldn't help but feverishly flip through the pages of all three books.Anne Bishop knows how to pull all your heart strings, making you laugh, love, live in the world she has created. Even with the story ended, I have a hopeless longing to continue living in its pages. The characters are so real you can't help but fall in love with them. Innocent Jaenelle, with all her dark power. Ravishing Daemon, fierce and sadistic, with a noble heart beneath his fearsome reputation. I've gone to sleep mooning over these characters, and dreaming of the tantalising dark world.Bishop doesn't waste time explaining. She plunges you right into the middle of the Dark Kingdom, with its three Realms, races and magic abounding everywhere. As a result, the world, so different from ours, can seem a little confusing at first, but you quickly catch on, and soon it's like you've always lived in those pages.You flow with all the moments. Your heart breaks for the characters, and you emerge triumphant with them. I've had to restrain myself from laughing aloud during the witty bits, littered throughout the series. I've flexed my fingers, so fired by the way Bishop portrays the antagonists that I've wanted to rip through something.The first few blatant uses of magic, such as vanishing an object, annoyed me, but I quickly accepted that it was the Blood's way of life. Magic ran so deep in them. Another thing didn't sit well with me was, if the protagonists were the most powerful people in all three Realms, why couldn't they just blow up the antagonists and have done with? They were clearly capable of doing it, and had even considered it during the course of the story.Nevertheless, it was such a beautiful story, its splendour overshadowed whatever tiny flaws there were. I'm still hungry for more, and Anne Bishop does satisfy her readers' cravings. There are other novels outside of the series that feature the dark Realms and the beloved characters. I myself have scurried down to my bookstore and procured a copy of Tangled Webs. A brief flick through has already set my heart beating, and I've fallen in love with the characters all over again.I look forward to exploring the dreamscape with Jaenelle, Daemon, Luciver, Surreal and other characters again. Anne Bishop and her Black Jewels Trilogy has easily risen to the top of my favourites list, closely followed by George R.R Martin and his Song of Ice and Fire.***It doesn't stop at Heir to the Shadows. The excitement continues in Queen of the Darkness. The masterful writing and splendid characters are still there, but a few things detracted from it, pulling it down half a star. For one, Dorothea's and Hekatah's scheming and the reappearance of Alexandra grated on my nerves. Perhaps that was intended, but I was so tempted to skip the scenes which featured Alexandra and her stupidity. Another thing, towards the end, Daemon's act as The Sadist to buy Jaenelle time seemed a little flat. Not flat as in it's not interesting, but there was a lack of peaks and falls in climaxes. It just seemed to rush along at a fast pace with constant intensity.Near the beginning, it was hinted that Jaenelle would survive her sacrifice. Although references to the attempt to save her were written through the story, I feel it would have been better if it had been left to readers to worry anxiously over her fate till the end.An excellent novel, one that I will be eager to reread again. I wish the story never had to end. But alas I am left to my own imagination to continue dreaming about the Dark Realms.
    • 5/5
      The conclusion (but not the end of the story, thank goodness!) to the Black Jewels trilogy.Witch has formed her court, but even Witch is not powerful enough to stand alone. Janelle has a plan to purge the corruption from the Blood, but it's a desperate one and it means her own destruction... The kindred have a plan, too - but if everyone can't set aside ancient hostilities and prejudices the Queen and her circle are doomed.Fantastic conclusion, and I'm glad Bishop decided not to end the story with the end of the trilogy!
    • 5/5
      I found this a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy begun in Daughter of the Blood and Heir to the Shadows. What stands out to me with Bishop's Dark Jewels series is great world-building and endearing characters. The series is one of those few that is good "comfort food" as well, one of those that bears rereading, curling up as with a visit with old friends.Is it perfect? No. I could pick some holes in plot; I have style issues (particularly some pet phrases that I could wish she'd use more sparingly like "midnight voice") and I think Daemon's arc isn't as strong as Saetan's or Lucifar's, I think because for him it's too much all about Jaenelle. But I do give this novel and the overall trilogy five stars because for me this is a standout among the fantasy novels I've read in terms of a unique and intriguing world, characters I care about, and the ability to move me to laughter or near tears.
    • 5/5
      Excellent end to the series. Kaeleer won't go to war because they have Jeanelle, and Witch is the one who can save them all. The realms and characters are so interesting that it is almost impossible to stop reading...and I re-read this entire series at least a couple times per year.
    • 5/5
      The finale where the lines are drawn and the powers clashes. But the game is deadly and hurtful; for the victims and the one performing them.I love this book, a superb conclusion to this trilogy. The powers stuggles make them alive and human.
    • 5/5
      As the conclusion to the series it was alright. I think the characterization in this book took a nose dive. All the secondary characters of Jaenelle’s court are confrontational and untrusting which seems out of place following book two. You only get to see what is really going on with Jaenelle through other people’s view points which makes it hard to feel anything at all toward her. Luciver’s sudden change in life status is bewildering and seems to be just thrown in to make the conflict more personal. There are so many people that are now part of the story that at times it is hard to keep everyone straight.The ending I think was right for the story. The final conflict was a bit rushed though and it would have been more interesting to get more of Jaenelle’s POV, she is Witch after all. And like most stories when you get so invovled with the characters, you are left wondering what happens next. I would have enjoyed an epilogue with the aftermath.Don’t miss reading the first two books so you get a better understanding of the world and the people. If you enjoy stories which are more male driven then this trilogy I would highly recommend.There were some bad parts I wish were different, but I can overlook them for the fantastic parts with Daemon and all the action. I’ll be putting her other books of my buy list.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful ending to a marvelous trilogy. In all the darkness and evil, Jaenelle manages to always be a form of light - even when other characters start to doubt that. I adore the rejoining of Jaenelle and Daemon, it was long overdue and the two combined are so powerful. I'm truly sad this has come to an end.
    • 5/5
      The entire series is gorgeous, Cannot recommend enough. Simply beautiful.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant. Fantastic ending to a good series.
    • 4/5
      I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!! This is the most original and different view of magic I think I have ever read. What I really like about it is how Anne incorporates the magic as part of the society and culture. Thats a critical part of the underlying and overarching plot throughout the whole trilogy.If you like your magic dark and sexy and witty and funny, with fantastic characters, mind bending world building, plots within plots and stories within the story then read this series!
    • 5/5
      I've finished Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop and I absolutely loved it. A total 10/10 read. I may or may not get to do a more detailed response to it late, but for now I'm just going to rave a bit. It was a brilliant conclusion to the problem. And I nice way of having a solution without a devestating war and without turning the story totally unrealistic as the whole farm boy saves the world while the armies are poised thing so often can be. And Jaenelle and Daemon. What a beautiful, beautiful love story, told in such a nicely understated way that it didn't need the kind of explicit detail generally offered in a romance novel. While I enjoy a good romance novel (and some sex in it too), this touched me so very, very much more. I'm totally in love with both of them and I want them to be happy forever. Not surprisingly, Dreams Made Flesh, with it's further glimpses into the world (and one about Jaenelle and Daemon I understand) is now at the top of my TBR pile. Although I think I want a small break before going on to anything else, so will go back to Venetia in the meantime, until I'm ready for the next one. I jsut want to savour this wonderful series a bit more first. People were raving to me and telling me to read it and I didn't believe them. Everyone, I was wrong. You we right. If you like excellent fantasy and you haven't read Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy, go and do it. Now!
    • 5/5
      This rich trilogy about witches and demons and ancient magic stayed consistently compelling right through the very last sentence. Fantasy is a tricky thing that can go bad so easily, but the rules of this world and all the characters in it were solid and believable, which made it easy to get emotionally wrapped up in the unfolding story, a story that never once weakened enough for me to slip out. This is one of those stories you miss when it's over.
    • 5/5
      Love this book! Love this series! This third book of the trilogy zooms along and is filled with intrigue and pathos. This book made me teary a couple of times as I felt for the characters and the difficulties that they were going through.
    • 4/5
      The first two were good but this was great, really enjoyed this but kinda wanted more about some of the other characters!